Catch up on past editions of Sobhiye. Every story, every insight, always available.
Sabah el kheir. Lebanon woke up to a gas deal with Jordan and Syria that could—finally—put a dent in the electricity crisis, a water authority slashing fees by up to 90%, and a very Lebanese debate about who exactly has the right to negotiate with Israel. Big morning. Let's get into it.
Shou el akhbar. Naim Qassem says there's no buffer zone, the central bank is recycling the same old playbook, and a Beirut hospital just made Arab medical history—all before your second coffee. Here's what's shaping Tuesday.
Sabah el kheir. Twenty villages leveled, a central bank governor writing op-eds in the British press, and Hezbollah deep in a gamble that has already cost thousands of lives—Monday is not here to ease you in gently. Grab your coffee, because today's briefing is a lot.
Shou el akhbar — it's a heavy Sunday morning. Israeli airstrikes killed 7 in the south and bulldozed a Catholic convent, yet Lebanon's religious leaders responded with something rare: a Sunni mufti and Christian bishops standing shoulder to shoulder in solidarity. And in the background, a sharp new essay asks whether Lebanon's reflexive polarization has made honest debate impossible — which, given the week we've had, feels like the most urgent question on the table.
Shou el akhbar—Lebanon's in the middle of three very different chess games this Saturday: who fills southern Lebanon's security vacuum when UNIFIL walks out, whether Tehran can keep blocking Beirut's diplomatic momentum, and—plot twist—why Lebanese companies are somehow outpacing most of Europe on AI. Pour the coffee, this one's worth reading slowly.
Shou el akhbar—it's May 1st, and Lebanon's internal drama is doing what it does best: making a Saudi peace push look like a group project where nobody agreed on the topic. While Aoun and Berri publicly bicker over Israel talks and the UAE tells its citizens to get out of Lebanon now, Beirut's port just quietly activated its customs scanners—proof that the country can, occasionally, do a normal thing.
Shou el akhbar—Lebanon's in full Thursday mode: an 84-year-old former president is telling the country to finish what he started in 1983, a former Palestinian ambassador got picked up at the airport at dawn, and the April electricity bill just dropped to remind everyone the grid is still very much vibes-only. Big morning. Let's get into it.
Shou el akhbar? France just got the diplomatic equivalent of a door slammed in its face, Riad Salameh is running out of excuses to skip court, and three Civil Defense volunteers paid the highest price while trying to save lives in the south. It's a heavy Wednesday—let's get into it.
Sabah el kheir. Israeli troops are starting to pack up in the south, social media is still fighting Lebanon's last war three weeks after the bombs fell, and Tripoli—yes, that Tripoli—might be sitting on a $800 million geopolitical opportunity nobody saw coming. Pull up a chair.