{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/685eb391653df36e7bde7c0a/6877c0acb93bd5454d7226b7?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Episode 3: Habib Battah","description":"<p>This week on the MERIP Podcast we're featuring an interview with the Lebanese journalist Habib Battah, author of \"Beirut and the Birth of the Fortress Embassy\" which was published in Middle East Report Online in April 2024. Battah has recently returned to Lebanon for the first time since we published his investigation, and he spoke with MERIP Executive Director James Ryan about the role of the US Embassy in Lebanese political, cultural, and social life in the wake of Israel's ongoing war on Lebanon and in the light of the second Trump administration. This interview was recorded July 15, 2025. </p><p><br></p><p>Read \"Beirut and the Birth of the Fortress Embassy here: https://merip.org/2024/04/beirut-and-the-birth-of-the-fortress-embassy/</p>","author_name":"James Ryan"}