Empire, War, and Resistance: Understanding the U.S.-Israel War on Lebanon

Join us for a discussion with scholars and journalists focused on Lebanon.

Days after Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began, Hezbollah began preparations for military engagement along the northern border of Historic Palestine. This battlefront was opened both in solidarity with the people of Gaza and to defend the land that Hezbollah had liberated from Israeli occupation on May 24, 2000. In response to Hezbollah’s precise missile and drone attacks on Israeli military targets, Israel unleashed a level of violence targeting civilians far exceeding its previous incursion in 2006, claiming thousands of lives over the course of mere weeks. Israel exerted genocidal violence on Lebanese civilians, but Hezbollah beat back an Israeli ground invasion that failed to claim any Lebanese territory. After Israel’s military failure and the unprecedented murder of Lebanese civilians, Hezbollah and Israel agreed to a temporary ceasefire on November 27, 2024.

This panel critically examines the historical and ongoing US-Israeli involvement in Lebanon, exploring military and imperial interventions, Hezbollah's political dynamics, and Lebanon's current crises, all within the context of the genocide in Palestine. Amidst this backdrop, what can we expect next in Lebanon and in the upcoming Trump administration?

Panelist Biographies

Seamus Malekafzali

Séamus Malekafzali is a journalist and writer focusing on the politics of the Middle East. His work has been featured in The Nation, The Intercept, and The Baffler, among other publications. He was based in Beirut until September of this year. Recent read: https://theintercept.com/2024/10/21/israel-lebanon-war-hezbollah/

Maya Mikdashi

Maya Mikdashi is an Associate Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and the Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She is the author of the multiple-award winning book Sextarianism: Sovereignty, Secularism and the State in Lebanon (SUP, 2024)

Lara Deeb

Lara Deeb is Professor of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies at Scripps College. In addition to numerous articles and chapters, Deeb is the author of four books, two of which are based on field research in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Her most recent book was just published in fall 2024, and is titled, Love Across Difference: Mixed Marriage in Lebanon. She also co-authored a primer on Lebanon with Middle East Report, written for a policymakers and the general educated public, and available online.

Ziad Abu-Rish

Ziad Abu-Rish is a scholar of the modern Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with research focused on state formation, economic development, and popular mobilizations, particularly in Lebanon and Jordan.