All the Beirut news.

I’ll start by saying the following: I am [mildly] optimistic. And I am undeterred by the incredible let down I first felt when reading the Arab proposal. An extended examination of the proposal, especially within the context of the events of the past week, has mustered in me a semblance of contentment with it and the reality it could create on the ground.

The Arab Delegation dispatched to Lebanon following a takeover of Beirut by the militant group Hizballah has announced the following proposal agreed to by the country's various political parties:

For comprehensive coverage of the clashes in Mountain Lebanon and other parts of the country, readers can refer to:

For Hizballah, the prospect of exiting this most severe of crises with anything resembling a positive [let alone a victory], seems dauntingly distant. As the dust settles, Lebanon’s besieged (literally!) government remains in place, its fortitude continuously reinforced by the common disgust felt across the nation at the fact that the Iranian-backed group turned its weapons on the capital and the mountain.

In its domestic political confrontations, Hizballah’s aggressions have left it completely bankrupt. Reminding us of the obscure reason for which the country was made to pay such a heavy toll this week, a NOWLebanon editorial writes:

Allegations of Hizballah's use of Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRG) in its assault on Lebanon's mountain districts over the weekend have surfaced. The presence of the IRG among the Iranian-backed group's ranks could explain discrepancies in the numbers of militants it reports dead and those reported killed by its foes.

Citing "exclusive sources" in Lebanese Intelligence, Debbi Schlussel - a U.S. based political commentator/columnist - writes [H/T YaLibnan] :

Blood stains covers a bullet riddled wall where Druze supporters of Walid Jumblatt were executed in cold blood by Hezbollah militiamen in Choueifat - YaLibnan.

To help with the overflow of posts over the past several days, here is a mini-index that should help you find what you're looking for - click here for events from Days 1 and 2 of Hizballah's assault: