Worldcrunch
The scenes of joy and vengeance in Damascus recall the outpouring in Baghdad in 2003 when Saddam Hussein, and his statues, were toppled after years of rule by the same bloody political Ba’athist ideology that has held sway in the region for 77 years. But beware the risks of De-Ba’athification like in Iraq.
A photographer captured the seasoned Iranian official Ali Larijani laughing on his visit Thursday to Beirut, fully aware of what laughter means in such a situation. The seasoned Iranian diplomat knows that many Lebanese hold his regime responsible for dragging their country into a bloody, senseless, and destructive war.
Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri has made a notable public quip about Donald Trump signing a pledge to end the violence in Lebanon in a famous café in Dearborn, Michigan. Everyone is trying to read between the lines, even as thousands are dying across Lebanon since Israel launched its offensive.