David Daoud
Concord, Massachusetts
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Articles by David Daoud
How Israel Can Turn Hezbollah’s Blunder Into Lasting Defeat
“Had I only known …” That was, in substance, Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s famous admission after Hezbollah’s 2006 war with Israel: Had Nasrallah anticipated that a raid to capture two Israeli soldiers would trigger a 34-day conflict that left thousands dead or wounded and displaced approximately 1 million Lebanese and 300,000 to 500,000 Israelis, he “absolutely” would not have ordered it. The lesson didn’t stick.
Lifecycle growth tested as metals diverge
The third-quarter earnings season will test whether the strong performance reported by hardware recovery companies earlier in 2026 continued through September. Results from Iron Mountain and Sims Limited and some pronouncements from Ingram Micro executives point to substantial growth in enterprise asset recovery, supported by data center investment and demand for secondary hardware.
How Israel Can Turn Hezbollah’s Blunder Into Lasting Defeat
It must ensure that the terrorist organization cannot rebuild militarily. Israeli military Merkava main battle tanks are seen along the western entrance to the town of Khiam in Nabatieh governorate, southern Lebanon, on September 22, 2026. (Photo by Ramiz Dallah/Anadolu via Getty Images) Israeli military Merkava main battle tanks are seen along the western entrance to the town of Khiam in Nabatieh governorate, southern Lebanon, on September 22, 2026.
Lebanon revokes Iranian bank’s license amid US pressure over Hezbollah financing
A Bank Saderat Iran branch in May 2015. (Darpit, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0) Lebanon’s central bank, Banque Du Liban (BDL), has revoked the operating license of Bank Saderat Iran, an Iranian financial institution with documented ties to Hezbollah financing. The move comes amid American pressure on Beirut to disrupt the group’s financial networks.
Lebanon revokes Iranian bank’s license amid US pressure over Hezbollah financing
Lebanon’s central bank, Banque Du Liban (BDL), has revoked the operating license of Bank Saderat Iran, an Iranian financial institution with documented ties to Hezbollah financing. The move comes amid American pressure on Beirut to disrupt the group’s financial networks. BDL Governor Karim Souaid confirmed the decision to Bloomberg on October 15, saying it was intended to protect Lebanon’s banking sector from sanctions-related risks.
Hezbollah accuses Lebanese police of violating security coordination procedure after supporters reportedly obstruct raid Original
The logo of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces. Men identifying themselves as Hezbollah supporters reportedly surrounded a Lebanese police patrol on October 16 during a raid on a warehouse containing unfit pharmaceuticals in Galerie Semaan, near Beirut’s southern suburbs. Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF), the country’s national police force, confirmed an attempt to obstruct the search but said officers completed the operation.
Profile: Hezbollah’s new liaison to the Lebanese state and society
Hussain al Abdallah, who succeeded Wafiq Safa as head of Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Unit in February, reportedly sought the return of explosives seized this month by Lebanese security forces. The incident highlights Abdallah’s role as a key intermediary between Hezbollah and the Lebanese state, a position he assumed after a career with the group documented as far back as 2002.
Profile: Hezbollah’s new liaison to the Lebanese state and society
(Shutterstock) Hussain al Abdallah, who succeeded Wafiq Safa as head of Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Unit in February, reportedly sought the return of explosives seized this month by Lebanese security forces. The incident highlights Abdallah’s role as a key intermediary between Hezbollah and the Lebanese state, a position he assumed after a career with the group documented as far back as 2002.
Lebanon Revokes Bank Saderat’s License, but Hezbollah’s Financial Network Remains
Lebanon has revoked the operating license of Bank Saderat, an Iranian lender implicated in financing Hezbollah. Karim Souaid, the governor of Banque du Liban, Lebanon’s central bank, confirmed the decision on October 15. The move followed October 8 reporting from the Lebanese daily Annahar that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had asked Lebanese officials to close Saderat and withdraw its license.
Sporadic Weapons Seizures Won’t Stop Hezbollah’s Rearmament
Hezbollah is still smuggling weapons across the Syrian-Lebanese border. On October 12, the Lebanese army seized approximately 200 kilograms of explosives being transported from Syria into Lebanon on a donkey’s back. The seizure followed active border surveillance. A week earlier, on October 5, Lebanese police unexpectedly intercepted nearly 800 kilograms of explosives and related materials reportedly destined for Hezbollah.
Hezbollah's "Big Brother" Is Shielding the Group After Nasrallah's Death
Share to FacebookShare to X Article printing is available to subscribers only Print in a simple, ad-free format Subscribe Zen reading is available to subscribers only Ad-free and in a comfortable reading format Subscribe Nabih Berri, the powerful Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, supported Hezbollah through a difficult period following Israel's assassination of its leader more than two years ago – helping it keep its weapons and resist pressure to disarm 09:59 PM • October 15 2026 IDT Once,...
Hezbollah’s “Big Brother” Is Shielding the Group After Nasrallah’s Death
Once, it was difficult to imagine Hezbollah without Hassan Nasrallah. For three decades, his charisma and cult of personality made the man and the organization virtually synonymous. David Daoud is a senior fellow at FDD focused on Lebanon and Hezbollah. He previously worked as a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, director of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria research at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), and a research analyst at FDD.
Blancco brings agentic AI to data erasure, ITAD operations
Blancco Technology Group is expanding its role in IT asset disposition with the introduction of Blancco Blue, an AI-enabled platform designed to help ITAD providers and enterprise customers manage device processing and automate operational workflows.
Hezbollah's "Big Brother" Is Shielding the Group After Nasrallah's Death
Due to the technical or legal........
Hezbollah announces ‘Promise and Commitment’ housing and reconstruction program
Hezbollah Executive Council Chairman Ali Daamoush speaks at the October 13, 2026, “Commitment and Promise” housing and reconstruction program conference. (Al Ahed News) Hezbollah announced a yearlong housing-assistance program on October 13, offering eligible families displaced by the 2024 and 2026 wars with Israel up to $14,000 for rent and furniture.
Shipshow: The world’s waterways are at war
The world’s most critical shipping lanes are becoming battlegrounds as Iran targets commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthis threaten shipping through the Bab al Mandab, and Russia and Ukraine wage an escalating maritime war in the Black Sea. Generation Jihad host Bill Roggio is joined by Dr. Sal Mercogliano, host of What’s Going On With Shipping?, to discuss how these conflicts are disrupting global trade, driving up energy prices, and threatening the freedom of navigation.
Hezbollah announces ‘Promise and Commitment’ housing and reconstruction program
Hezbollah announced a yearlong housing-assistance program on October 13, offering eligible families displaced by the 2024 and 2026 wars with Israel up to $14,000 for rent and furniture. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also met separately with Hezbollah and allied Shiite Amal Movement lawmakers to discuss government-administered reconstruction projects in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Ingram Micro looks to digital platform and AI
Editor’s note: Electronics recycling will be featured in sessions at the 2026 E-Scrap: The Longevity Conference in New Orleans October 26-28. Ingram Micro is targeting annual sales growth of 10% to 12% for its Lifecycle business between fiscal 2026 and 2029, compared with 4% to 6% for the company overall.
Lebanese security forces seize explosives shipment reportedly bound for Hezbollah in Beirut
The logo of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces. Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) intercepted a vehicle carrying nearly 800 kilograms of explosives and related materials on October 5 at the Dahr al Baidar checkpoint on the Bekaa–Beirut highway in central Lebanon. Lebanese reporting linked the shipment to Hezbollah, whose military activities the government prohibited in March while directing security agencies to act against violators. Two men were arrested in the incident.
Hezbollah’s Financial Lifeline Extends Beyond Iran’s Cash Transfers
U.S. sanctions have strained Iran’s finances and disrupted some funding channels to its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah. Yet sanctions have not eliminated the group’s access to outside funding, including support from organizations outside Hezbollah’s formal hierarchy. On October 7, two sources told Reuters that Hezbollah received $200 million from Iran in September for Lebanese displaced by the war.
Iron Mountain adds ViaTeK Solutions to ITAD business
Editor’s note: Electronics recycling will be featured in sessions at the 2026 E-Scrap: The Longevity Conference in New Orleans October 26-28. Iron Mountain has added ViaTeK Solutions, a Florida-based IT asset disposition (ITAD) and electronics recycling company, to its asset lifecycle management business.
The Taliban vs Pakistan: Can they both lose?
Five years after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban is stronger than ever, Al Qaeda continues to operate under its protection, and Pakistan is learning the hard way that supporting jihadists comes with a price.
ITAD’s big wearables challenge
Editor’s note: Electronics recycling will be featured in sessions at the 2026 E-Scrap: The Longevity Conference in New Orleans October 26-28. Amazon is preparing to put cameras on the faces of thousands of delivery drivers. Its Smart Delivery Glasses use cameras, computer vision and AI to guide delivery associates, scan packages and document deliveries. The system includes a controller worn in the driver’s vest with a swappable battery.
IDF shifts southern Lebanon forces toward ‘forward-defense’ posture as troops prepare for winter
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is shifting forces in southern Lebanon toward what Israeli security officials described as a “forward and offensive defense” posture. The officials said the IDF is also preparing positions for winter after months of clearing operations inside Israel’s self-declared security zone, Ynet reported on October 4. The change comes as the 55th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade completes a 100-day mobilization that included 80 days of operations in Lebanon.
Following the money in hardware circularity
Editor’s note: M&A activity in ITAD will be featured in sessions at the 2026 E-Scrap: The Longevity Conference Oct. 26-28 in New Orleans. As we prepare to discuss M&A at the E-Scrap Conference on October 26, 2026 (#ESC2026), I thought it would be fitting to look back at some of this year’s deals and the investments behind them. M&A activity has continued across IT asset disposition and electronics recycling.
SK tes’ sustainability report offers window into ITAD
While sustainability reports usually explain environmental performance, SK tes’ 2025 Sustainability Report also offers a useful look at how a technology lifecycle services provider sees its business changing. One theme stands out: SK tes believes data centers and artificial intelligence are changing the equipment mix it handles. The company also believes both will become more important to IT asset disposition going forward.
Nasrallah is Dead. Hezbollah’s Social Lifeline is Not.
Two years after Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah is weaker but not finished. WaTaawanou, a crowdfunded charity outside Hezbollah’s formal hierarchy, exemplifies one way Hezbollah endures: outsourcing part of the cost of sustaining – and retaining – its Shiite base. Israel eliminated its seniormost military and political leadership, over 5,000 fighters, and significant parts of its arsenal, while its finances are strained.
Two Years After Nasrallah’s Death, Hezbollah Is Outsourcing its Survival and Revival
Two years after Israel assassinated Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah finds itself commemorating its dead leader from a weaker position. Israel has killed thousands of Hezbollah fighters and occupies part of southern Lebanon. The terror organization’s finances are also constrained: though Iran sent Hezbollah more than $1 billion in 2025, the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria constricted its transfer routes.
Why only some rare-earth sources are economically viable
Editor’s note: Critical minerals will be featured in sessions at the 2026 E-Scrap: The Longevity Conference Oct. 26-28 in New Orleans. Rare-earth recycling economics depend on the material being recovered, where it is located, how consistently it can be collected and how much labor is required before chemical processing begins. It does not become commercially viable at a single price or on a single date.
Who should pay for lithium-ion battery fire damage?
Editor’s note: Fire safety and electronics recycling will be featured in sessions at the 2026 E-Scrap: The Longevity Conference in New Orleans October 26-28. A lithium-ion battery tossed into the wrong bin can travel unnoticed until a compactor, shredder or sorting machine punctures it. By then, the person who discarded the battery is gone, the manufacturer is far removed and the recycling operator is left fighting the fire. The scale of the problem is alarming.
How Hezbollah reframed the battle for Ali al Taher as Israel advanced
Nearly a week after demolishing Hezbollah’s underground complex at Ali Al Taher in south Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces on September 16 disclosed new details about its roughly three-month battle for the ridge. At the outset of the battle, forces from the Maglan and Egoz commando units capturedthe village of Mazraat Ali al Taher below the heights and began climbing toward the 600-meter ridge, where commanders said roughly 50 Hezbollah fighters were entrenched in a fortified tunnel network.
Is Hezbollah finished, or just adapting?
Hezbollah no longer owns every road in South Lebanon. In mixed villages that kept the group out and brought the Lebanese Army in, daily life looks almost normal—and Israel’s deployment in Lebanon bends around instead of through them. This could mark the start of Lebanon asserting its sovereignty in the south, spelling the beginning of the end of Hezbollah’s demise. But given Beirut’s inertia, it’s equally plausible Hezbollah will adapt and wait it out.
How Hezbollah reframed the battle for Ali al Taher as Israel advanced
Footage released by the IDF on September 16 shows soldiers from the Yahalom Unit “operating to dismantle the underground tunnel routes under the Ali al-Taher Ridge.” Nearly a week after demolishing Hezbollah’s underground complex at Ali Al Taher in south Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces on September 16 disclosed new details about its roughly three-month battle for the ridge.
America’s critical-materials buildout has a feedstock problem
Editor’s note: Critical minerals and electronics recycling will be featured in sessions at the 2026 E-Scrap: The Longevity Conference in New Orleans October 26-28. The United States is investing heavily in critical-minerals capacity, driven by concern that batteries, semiconductors and advanced weapons depend on supply chains concentrated abroad. Building plants, however, does not guarantee that those facilities will have enough material to process.
LAF-Hezbollah coordination and the limits of Lebanon’s disarmament effort
Israel assesses with “fairly high probability” that the Lebanese military is coordinating its activity in Lebanon’s disarmament pilot zones with Hezbollah, Israel’s Channel 14 reported on September 14.
IDF destroys Hezbollah underground command complex at Ali al Taher, withdraws from ridge
A screenshot from an IDF video of the demolition of underground infrastructure in the Ali al Taher Ridge area. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on September 10 that its 36th Division destroyed more than two kilometers of Hezbollah underground infrastructure beneath southern Lebanon’s Ali al Taher Ridge, one week after announcing “operational control” above and below ground. The IDF identified the facility as a central command complex and “nerve center” of Hezbollah’s Badr Unit.
Lebanese Army details pilot zone arms seizures, claims operational control
The emblem of the Lebanese Armed Forces. (Venturi365 via Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0) The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on September 9 issued what appears to be its first official, public accounting of weapons and munitions confiscated during operations in Zawtar al Gharbiyeh, Froun, and Srifa in southern Lebanon.
The truth about America’s munitions crisis
Conflicts continue in Europe and the Middle East, and Beijing is sprinting to prepare for potential aggression in the Pacific. Meanwhile, the United States confronts a military munitions crisis—but few Americans understand what is really going on. What is the true nature of America’s munitions crisis? What are the consequences of the current challenges? How did we get into this position?
The UK Sanctions Hezbollah’s Shadow Bank. Lebanon Should Shut It Down.
The United Kingdom has put Hezbollah’s shadow bank in its crosshairs. On September 8, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced sanctions on “Lebanese Hezbollah’s financing arm, al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH).” Britain joins the United States and six Gulf states, which jointly designated AQAH through the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center in June.
Lebanese Army intensifies Nabatieh deployment as report says mission excludes Hezbollah disarmament
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is reinforcing its presence in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh after several days of intensified Israeli military operations. Lebanon’s Al Modon newspaper reported that the step followed coordination among Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, as well as discussions between Aoun and LAF Commander General Rodolphe Haykal.
Lebanese Army intensifies Nabatieh deployment as report says mission excludes Hezbollah disarmament
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is reinforcing its presence in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh after several days of intensified Israeli military operations. Lebanon’s Al Modon newspaper reported that the step followed coordination among Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, as well as discussions between Aoun and LAF Commander General Rodolphe Haykal.
ITAD providers should choose their data-center niche
Editor’s note: Electronics recycling will be featured in sessions at the 2026 E-Scrap: The Longevity Conference in New Orleans October 26-28. While PCs and endpoint devices have been central to ITAD for some three decades, data-center decommissioning has since become a more consequential service line as AI infrastructure is changing the equipment entering retirement projects. Colocation adds further complexity.
Israel claims control of Ali al Taher after weeks of Hezbollah attacks and failed handover efforts
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on September 3 that its 36th Division had cleared Hezbollah personnel from two underground routes beneath south Lebanon’s Ali al Taher Ridge, the site of a strategic underground installation built by the group, and achieved “operational control” above and below ground. The reported takeover occurred despite a lull in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that has been in effect since June 19.
Dell, HP show enterprise PC spending separating from unit volume
Editor’s note: Electronics recycling will be featured in sessions at the 2026 E-Scrap: The Longevity Conference in New Orleans October 26-28. In its earnings call with analysts on September 1, 2026, Dell Technologies confirmed the message HP delivered in its own earnings report a few days prior: Large enterprises are still refreshing their PC fleets, but the broader market is becoming less dependable as a source of physical units.
How HP’s strategy shift affects ITAD
HP’s fiscal third-quarter earnings point to a market that is shrinking in unit volume even as it grows in dollar value, a split that could affect how disposition vendors should plan intake. HP CFO Karen Parkhill told analysts that roughly 70% of the Windows 11 refresh cycle is complete. That cycle has driven a large share of enterprise displacement volume flowing into ITAD channels since 2024. Small and medium businesses are still catching up.
Are the U.S. and Israel misunderstanding Hezbollah and Lebanon?
VIDEO David joins The Erin Molan Show to discuss why Hezbollah cannot simply be dismissed as a foreign Iranian occupation of Lebanon, why significant Lebanese Shiite support for Hezbollah matters enormously, and why Lebanon’s unique political system makes disarming Hezbollah far more complicated than many Western observers suggest.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Finance Crackdown May Be Designed to Fail
Lebanon’s campaign against Hezbollah’s finances may be designed to look tougher than it is. Under pressure from Washington and international regulators, Beirut has done enough to claim progress by tightening the regulated financial sector against Hezbollah-linked entities, but without seriously threatening Hezbollah’s parallel financial apparatus, which operates largely outside it.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Finance Crackdown May Be Designed to Fail
Lebanon’s campaign against Hezbollah’s finances may be designed to look tougher than it is. Under pressure from Washington and international regulators, Beirut has done enough to claim progress by tightening the regulated financial sector against Hezbollah-linked entities, but without seriously threatening Hezbollah’s parallel financial apparatus, which operates largely outside it.
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