Nasser Chararah

Nasser Chararah is a contributing writer for Al-Monitor's Lebanon Pulse, as well as for multiple Arab newspapers and magazines, and the author of several books on the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict. He is also the head of the Lebanese Institute for Studies and Publications and has worked for the Palestinian Research Center.

Egypt | Aug 19, 2014

Egypt role in Lebanese mufti's election signals new strategy

The success of an Egyptian initiative for electing a new mufti in Lebanon points to a reassertion of Egypt’s regional role and part of Cairo's strategy to combat radical Islamism.

Qatar | Aug 8, 2014

Gaza war brings Hamas, Hezbollah closer

The war on Gaza offers an opportunity to renegotiate the strategic relationship between Hamas and Hezbollah, whose relationship has been severed over the past three years, providing major obstacles can be overcome.

Hezbollah supporters wave Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian and Hezbollah flags as they listen to their leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addressing his supporters during a rally to mark "Quds (Jerusalem) Day" in Beirut's southern suburbs July 25, 2014. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST RELIGION) - RTR4056R

Palestine | Jul 24, 2014

Hezbollah, Hamas repair political ties during breakup

The fraught relations between Hezbollah and Hamas could come to an end as Israel continues its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Lebanon's Hezbollah supporters hold banners and wave Hezbollah (C) and Palestinian flags (L) during a demonstration against Israel's military action in Gaza, in front of the United Nations headquarters in Beirut July 18, 2014. Israel stepped up its land offensive in Gaza with artillery, tanks and gunboats on Friday and declared it could "significantly widen" an operation Palestinian officials said was killing ever greater numbers of civilians. Israeli gunboats lit up the sky with their fire before dawn whil

Lebanon | Dec 12, 2013

Lebanon’s Tripoli microcosm for Syria conflict

While Lebanon has struggled to remain neutral and uninvolved in Syria’s conflict, Tripoli has come to mirror the volatile dynamics of its larger neighbor.

A man holding groceries walks in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, December 3, 2013. The Lebanese government has told the army to take over security in the restive coastal city of Tripoli for six months, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday.Ten people were killed in weekend clashes between Tripoli's Alawite minority, which supports Syria's Alawite President Bashar al-Assad, and majority Sunni Muslims who back his foes. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS) - RTX162

Saudi Arabia | Dec 10, 2013

Hezbollah escalates rhetoric against Riyadh

While Hezbollah and Saudi Arabia have been at odds for months over their opposing positions in the Syrian war, Hezbollah has recently escalated its rhetoric, directly accusing Riyadh of waging open warfare against the party.

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses his supporters during a religious procession to mark Ashura in Beirut's suburbs November 14, 2013. Ashura, which falls on the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram, commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of Prophet Mohammad, who was killed in the 7th century battle of Kerbala. REUTERS/Khalil Hassan
(LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION) - RTX15CVK

Lebanon | Oct 8, 2013

Displaced Syrians Shed Light On Lebanon’s Internally Displaced

The continuous flow of displaced Syrians into Lebanon throughout the civil war has served to bring attention to internally displaced Lebanese citizens, who lead similarly disaffected lives.

A Palestinian girl, who had been living at Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, looks out of a bus window, as the bus arrives at the Lebanese-Syrian border, in al-Masnaa December 18, 2012. More than 1,000 Palestinian refugees living in Syria have crossed into Lebanon in the past 24 hours, a source at the Lebanese border said on Tuesday, after Syrian rebels took control of a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST SOCIETY) - RTR3BPTI

Lebanon | Sep 19, 2013

Terrorist Groups Exploit Palestinians In South Lebanon

Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups based in a neighborhood adjacent to Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon are exploiting the Palestinian refugees' dire situation to increase their support base.

Two masked gunmen stand with their weapons at Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the port city of Sidon in south Lebanon, March 12, 2013. Ten people were wounded and one killed during clashes between Fatah movement and radical Islamists that started on Monday. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3EW3P

Lebanon | Sep 8, 2013

Syrian Islamist Rebels Threaten Maaloula, Christians

The Aramaic-speaking village of Maaloula, a symbol of religious and sectarian coexistence in Syria, has been invaded and desecrated by Islamist opposition groups.

A Syrian woman holds a banner for saving Maaloula while Lebanese and Syrian Christian Maronites pray for peace in Syria, in Harisa, Jounieh September 7, 2013. REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION) - RTX13C2S

Lebanon | Aug 12, 2013

Has Al-Qaeda Infiltrated Lebanon?

Amid regional chaos, some fear that al-Qaeda may have spread to Lebanon in the form of sleeper cells.

Protesters chant slogans against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as they hold a poster of deceased al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden (top), during a protest in solidarity with Syria's anti-government protesters, in the port-city of Tripoli in north Lebanon October 7, 2011. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR2SCOJ

Lebanon | Aug 5, 2013

Recent Attacks Portend Danger For Lebanon

The Lebanese are divided about the Syrian crisis, but recent rocket and other attacks suggest the country might already be entrenched in its neighbor’s civil war.