Rita Sassine

Beirut

Deputy Editor-in-Chief Head of Political Service at L'Orient-Le Jour

Political editor Head of the Political team @LOrientLeJour

Featured in: Favicon

lorientlejour.com (+1)

Articles

Hezbollah’s dangerous headlong rush

2 weeks ago | today.lorientlejour.com | Rita Sassine

It’s as if Hezbollah granted Joseph Aoun’s presidency a 100-day grace period. It is ironic to see a party that brands itself as anti-imperialist following a tradition that originated in the United States.It seems that Hezbollah was quietly observing this period during which the newly elected head of state showed how he intends to govern. Forced to adapt to the new political climate, the party endured the situation patiently.
La dangereuse fuite en avant du Hezbollah

2 weeks ago | lorientlejour.com | Rita Sassine

OLJ / Par Rita SASSINE, le 25 avril 2025 à 00h00 C’est comme si le Hezbollah accordait au mandat de Joseph Aoun un délai de grâce. Cent jours. C’est tout de même cocasse pour un parti qui se dit anti-impérialiste de faire preuve d’autant de fidélité à une tradition née aux États-Unis... Le Hezbollah, semble-t-il, scrutait, en silence, cette période durant laquelle un chef d’État nouvellement élu révèle sa manière d’exercer le pouvoir.
Behind Morgan's beautiful smile...

1 month ago | today.lorientlejour.com | Rita Sassine

L'OLJ / By Rita SASSINE, 10 April 2025 12:52 During her first visit to Beirut last February, Morgan Ortagus, the U.S. deputy envoy to the Middle East, caught everyone off guard with the sternness of her remarks concerning Hezbollah and her clear bias in favor of Israel. This excludes the... By creating an account, you agree to the terms and conditions of use and our privacy policy. Or register with: Already have an account?
I didn't have time to say goodbye...

1 month ago | today.lorientlejour.com | Rita Sassine

It is no coincidence you left for Mother's Day... God wanted you to celebrate this day with your own mother and find rest in her arms. Now every March 21, I will inevitably think of you first, of the mother you were to all those who held you dear. A mother who wrapped us all in her love, smiled at us despite her pain and offered us her tenderness and affection every time we knocked at her door.
Je n'ai pas eu le temps de te dire au revoir...

1 month ago | lorientlejour.com | Rita Sassine

OLJ / Par Rita SASSINE, le 22 mars 2025 à 22h18 Ce n’est pas un hasard si tu es partie pour la fête des mères… Dieu a voulu que tu célèbres cette journée avec la tienne et trouve le repos dans ses bras. Désormais, chaque 21 mars je ne pourrai m’empêcher de penser d’abord à toi, à la maman que tu étais pour tous ceux qui t’étaient chers.
In Baabda, the agony of Iranian tutelage

2 months ago | today.lorientlejour.com | Rita Sassine

"There will be a before and after Feb. 23." Naim Qassem could not have put it better. But while this date has indeed marked a turning point in Lebanon’s political landscape, it is not for the reasons the new Hezbollah leader had in mind.
À Baabda, l'agonie de la tutelle iranienne

2 months ago | lorientlejour.com | Rita Sassine

OLJ / Par Rita SASSINE, le 26 février 2025 à 00h00 « Il y aura un avant et un après-23 février »... Naïm Kassem n’aurait pas pu mieux dire. Mais si cette date a effectivement marqué un tournant dans la vie politique libanaise, ce n’est pas pour les raisons que le nouveau chef du Hezbollah avait en... « Il y aura un avant et un après-23 février »... Naïm Kassem n’aurait pas pu mieux dire.
When Hezbollah digs its own grave

2 months ago | today.lorientlejour.com | Rita Sassine

OLJ / By Rita SASSINE, 17 February 2025 10:43 "The previous equation in Lebanon has changed … The presence of armed militias is now a thing of the past." The truth, in its rawest form, was this time spoken by former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Joumblatt, and it seems that only Hezbollah refuses to hear it. "The resistance is here to stay," one of the party deputies reiterated on Sunday.
Quand le Hezbollah creuse sa propre tombe

2 months ago | lorientlejour.com | Rita Sassine

«La précédente équation au Liban a changé (…) La présence de milices armées est maintenant du passé. » La vérité, dans sa forme la plus crue, est cette fois-ci sortie de la bouche de Walid Joumblatt, et il semblerait que seul le Hezbollah ne veut pas l’entendre. « La résistance est là pour rester », a encore lancé dimanche l’un de ses députés.
Army, people… state

Jan 27, 2025 | today.lorientlejour.com | Rita Sassine

This exchange — between a woman from southern Lebanon trying, like many others, to make her way back to the still-occupied border villages, and a Lebanese soldier forming a human barricade with his comrades to protect them — perfectly encapsulates the events of Sunday. The army’s mission was to shield southern residents from provocations by both Hezbollah and Israel.