In southern Lebanon, the alliance of the deprived (2/3)
As a storm of fire descends upon southern Lebanon, L’Orient-Le Jour delves into the history of an often overlooked land. This second installment traces the origins of the Shiite political awakening that unfolded in this region.
by Stéphanie KHOURI · L'Orient TodayAs the war that started on March 2, 2026, rages on in Lebanon, we invite you to revisit this article originally published on Nov. 5, 2024.With his thin mustache and perfectly slicked hair, Adel Osseiran looks only 35 or 40 in the photograph. It’s a black-and-white portrait, framed by the Lebanese flag, reproduced on a stamp sold for 1,000 Lebanese lira, captioned with the words: “The nation... independence.”Born in 1905 in Saida, into a well-respected Shiite family from the South, Osseiran was among the heavyweight figures of Lebanon’s independence. Since the 1936 “tobacco revolt” [or the Regie revolt; the Regie being the state-owned enterprise responsible for the cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and sale of tobacco products] in Bint Jbeil, he has been a persistent thorn in the side of the French authorities. Read the first...
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