LevantTime .

Three developments in Lebanon deserve close attention because of their significant sociopolitical implications: the second “Appeal to Save Nabatieh,” published Monday and signed by nearly 400 figures, many of them Shiites, from the region of southern Lebanon; an armed clash – the second in 24 hours – between alleged members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and residents of the village of Nmayreh, backed by supporters of the Amal Movement, an ally of Hezbollah; and, finally, statements issued by two Shiite villages, Arabsalim and Doueir, calling on the army to establish permanent posts at the entrances to their communities.

Lebanon awoke Monday to the aftermath of a deadly night in the south, where at least 12 people were killed in Israeli strikes, including nine members of the same family, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The escalation continued throughout the day, with deadly targeted strikes and near-continuous raids, mainly around the city of Nabatiyeh. It is fueling fears that Israel could expand its military operations now that the strategic Ali el-Taher hill has fallen under the control of the Israeli army. The bloodshed unfolded overnight Sunday into Monday in the village of Kfar Remmane, where an entire building was destroyed. Nine members of the same family, including two newborns, were killed. Two rescuers from the Islamic al-Rissala Scouts, affiliated with the Amal movement, were then killed in a targeted strike. On Monday, a 12th person was also killed in a strike on the al-Rihane road in Jezzine.

While the United States had appeared to be relying solely on economic warfare against Iran, the US military abruptly carried out strikes on Iranian territory on Tuesday in retaliation for attacks targeting oil tankers, setting off a spiral of violence over the course of the week. In Lebanon, Israel released several civilians held in its prisons, while its army seized the strategic Ali el-Taher hill and continued its heavy strikes in the area it controls in the south of the country. The week from August 31 to September 6 was marked by a sharp acceleration of events in the Middle East, after the previous one had seemed defined by relative stagnation.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Friday that it had transferred four more people released by Israel to Lebanon, a day after the release of a first civilian. They are three Lebanese nationals and two Syrians, according to the ICRC. This is the first time such an operation has taken place since negotiations between Lebanon and Israel began in April under US auspices. During the last round of talks in August, Beirut had requested the release of a first group of its nationals captured by Israel in southern Lebanon, where Israel is at war with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah.

The Israeli military announced Thursday that it had "completed the clearing of two Hezbollah underground infrastructures on the Ali al-Taher ridge" in southern Lebanon, stating that "its forces are now working to neutralize them." Quoted by the Jerusalem Post and on its X account, the Israeli military specified that "the forces of the 36th Division have operated in the area over recent weeks and have taken operational control of the ridge, both above and below ground. During the operation, the area was cleared of Hezbollah fighters who had been deployed there — some were killed while others fled."

Levant Time received the following statement from the family of the late former minister and MP Hassan Rifaï, who passed away on September 3, 2025. We reproduce it in full: On the first anniversary of Hassan Rifaï’s passing, a man who devoted most of his life to defending Greater Lebanon, and at a time when debate is intensifying over the need to amend Lebanon’s political system, it is important to recall some of his reflections and positions on the Taif Agreement and the constitutional amendments that stemmed from it. 1. The Taif Agreement is a Syrian-American agreement concluded under an Arab umbrella, in terms that were for the most part Lebanese. (1989)

The United States launched major strikes against Iran on Tuesday night for the second time in a matter of days, with CENTCOM announcing that it had "begun operations against targets belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps." U.S. President Donald Trump went so far as to threaten an even more devastating future attack: "If the failing nation of Iran retaliates against this perfectly justified attack, it will be struck again, far harder," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. Despite the American warning, Tehran in turn announced a "decisive" response, directly threatening U.S. interests: "American bases and interests in the region are being targeted by Iranian missiles and drones."

It is a war of attrition in every sense of the word. Yet much of the time, it is being kept simmering at a low level, as was the case overnight from Sunday into Monday and in the early hours of the new week. Late Sunday evening, the U.S. military said it had detected – most likely by satellite – Islamic Revolutionary Guard militiamen preparing two rocket launchers capable of dispersing mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Shortly after the announcement, the U.S. military launched overnight raids on Revolutionary Guard positions on Larak Island, killing and wounding several people, according to sources within the Revolutionary Guards.

While the United States has promised an 'economic D-Day' for Iran, this strategy can only become fully effective with the cooperation of China, Iran's top oil importer and leading supplier of military technology to the mullahs' regime. After six months of war in the Middle East, Washington has reason to worry about the quagmire this conflict—initially expected to last only a few weeks—has become. With no quick military solution in sight, the Trump administration has chosen to strangle the Iranian regime by introducing new sanctions targeting not Tehran directly, but its trading partners, in order to isolate the Iranian economy.

In Damascus, Tuesday evening's announcement by the leader of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of the group's dissolution and the integration of its fighters into the Syrian army remains a landmark event due to its highly symbolic significance. It speaks to President Ahmad al-Sharaa's determination to rebuild a state capable of embracing all Syrian communities and ethnic groups — some of which, like the Kurds, had eventually developed their own institutions. This is precisely what the Turkish presidency noted on Wednesday, stating that "at this stage, the dissolution of the SDF represents an important step toward stability in Syria."