Thaer Ghandour is a senior reporter at al-Araby al-Jadeed, and a media consultant. He has worked with al-Jazeera as a producer and al-Akhbar newspaper in Lebanon as a journalist.
Reports are emerging from Lebanon that more than a dozen Lebanese army soldiers held hostage by al-Qaeda-affiliate Nusra Front could be swapped with jihadist detainees held by the Lebanese authorities.
Feature: A ferry line between Tripoli and Turkey has become part of the route to Europe used by Syrian and Palestinian refugees, as well as Lebanese youths and families.
Analysis: The security state in Lebanon did not end with the withdrawal of the Syrian army; some agencies have weakened to the advantage of others, writes Thaer Ghandour.
Activists are confident Lebanon's fledgling protest movement, which coalesced around demands concerning basic services, government corruption, and the suspension of democratic life, can overcome challenges and sustain itself.
Analysis: An investigation of the Sabra and Shatila massacre is urgently needed to establish a modicum of justice in the region and stop violence based on impunity, writes Thaer Ghandour.
With Hezbollah fighting a war in Syria, and political splits paralysing the Beirut government, Israel looks set to use this to its advantage in south Lebanon, says Thaer Ghandour.
Comment: The situation in Yemen has people worried that war between Iran and its Arab neighbours is imminent. In secret, Iran knows its influence is shrinking, says Thaer Ghandour.
Comment: Michel Samaha's close relationship with the Baath regime highlights the lasting problem of Syrian hegemony over Lebanon, argues Thaer Ghandour.
Analysis: Though they are on opposite sides of the regional crisis, Lebanon's Saad al-Hariri and Hassan Nasrallah are keen to avoid an escalation of political tension in Lebanon.
