As far as the people of Lebanon are concerned, this is a war that nobody wants – even members of the Iran-backed militia, Hezbollah.
Regardless, the people of Lebanon have been swiftly dragged into this fast-expanding conflict.
“Nobody wants this, but it’s happening,” one Lebanese businesswoman told me with heavy sigh.
Hezbollah said it fired rockets and drones at a missile facility in northern Israel, “in retaliation” for the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
But if you were thinking that members of the Lebanese Shia community, who form Hezbollah’s support base, were on board with that decision, you would be wrong.
Naim Kassem, the then-deputy leader of Hezbollah (right), greets the then-IRGC Commander-in-Chief Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi in 2007. Kassem now leads the militant group. Pic: AP
On the streets and in the cafes of southern Lebanon and in Beirut’s southern suburbs, people have been expressing their frustration and anger.
“It’s so stupid,” said one. “What exactly they are trying to prove?”
If they have proven anything over the past 24 hours, it is their intrinsic weakness as a political-military organisation.
In response to Hezbollah’s attack, the Israelis have hit targets in Dahieh section of Beirut, as well as the Bekaa Valley and villages in the south. They have also ordered the residents of 55 towns and villages to evacuate.
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And that follows a 13-month conflict fought by both sides through 2024 where Hezbollah was both battered and humiliated.
Its ranks were infiltrated by Israeli intelligence, and its senior leadership were assassinated in mass airstrikes.
The war caused much damage, and many thousands of people – both civilians and combatants – died as result.
Nawaf Salam, Prime Minister of the Lebanese Republic, has distanced himself from Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel. Pic: AP
Members of the Lebanese government, of which Hezbollah forms a part, are furious.
The country’s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, said the militia group’s attack on Israel was “a violation of cabinet decisions”.
He called on the cabinet to “ban Hezbollah’s military activities”, and “limit its role in the political sphere”.
Why then did Hezbollah do it?
Khamenei was a revered religious figure and inspired deep devotion in some.
Furthermore, some within the militia, like current leader Naim Kassem, may be trying to keep it aligned with Iran. Alternatively, he may be following orders issued by the regime after the supreme leader was killed.
Hezbollah gave another justification for its attack on the base in northern Israel. It said Israel could not, “continue its aggression, which has persisted for 15 months, without receiving a deterrent response…”
Hezbollah supporters gather to mourn the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Beirut. Pic: AP
Their reasoning reflects a reality that has received little attention since the two sides officially concluded the 13-month conflict.
Despite an official ceasefire signed at the tail-end of 2024, the Israelis have been launching military operations into Lebanon – including airstrikes and ground incursions – on a near daily basis since the deal was signed.
What’s more, Israeli soldiers still occupy a number so-called ‘strategic’ hilltop sites in southern Lebanon.
Israel’s top military chief Eyal Zamir has accused Hezbollah of ‘reopening’ the war on their northern border. Pic: AP
That was not something Israeli officials were prepared to acknowledge however, when their military chief, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir blamed Hezbollah for “reopening” the war when it targeted the missile facility.
“Hezbollah opened a campaign against Israel overnight and is fully responsible for any escalation,” he said.
However, the truth is this – the war never stopped.
