[UNLOCKED] Lebanon Pt. 1: Resisting Occupation w/ Hussein Assaf

[UNLOCKED] Lebanon Pt. 1: Resisting Occupation w/ Hussein Assaf

From Upstream by Upstream

March 17, 2026 · 1h 4m

About this episode

Hussein Assaf discusses the ongoing assault on Lebanon by Israel and the United States, providing context on the political landscape and the role of Hezbollah.

This is an unlocked version of the episode "Lebanon Pt. 1: Resisting Occupation w/ Hussein Assaf." In Part 1 of our new series on Lebanon, Hussein Assaf joins us to discuss the ongoing assault on Lebanon by Israel and the United States. Hussein Assaf is a journalist with Vocal Politics based out of Beirut. Our conversation begins with an update on the ongoing assault on Lebanon by Israel and backed by the United States. We then talk about the political forces at play in Lebanon, giving a brief history of the political makeup of the country to help put the current assault in context. We talk about Hezbollah and the relationship it has with the Islamic Republic, unpacking the common talking point in the West that Hezbollah is an Iranian "regime" proxy and instead providing a more appropriate analysis (and in doing so, giving insight into how the United States treats its proxies). We close on a discussion on the information and psychological warfare that is a part of the US and Israel's assault on West Asia and on its own populations at home. Just a quick note: this episode is a bit of a non-traditional Part 1 to a series as it goes into a bit more depth into current events and is…

People in this episode

Guest: Hussein Assaf

Topics covered

  • Lebanon
  • occupation
  • political forces
  • Hezbollah
  • US foreign policy
  • information warfare

Keywords

  • Lebanon
  • Hussein Assaf
  • occupation
  • Hezbollah
  • US foreign policy
  • information warfare
  • political forces
  • Israel

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Vocal Politics, Hezbollah, Islamic Republic

Places: Lebanon, Israel, United States, West Asia

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