These Lebanese who dissociate themselves from Hezbollah, at war against Israel

Severely weakened by the bombings carried out by Israel, decried by more and more Lebanese, Hezbollah is going through one of the most serious crises in its history.

In Lebanon, residents are worried about the daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel. Some point the finger at the Shiite militia, accused of dragging the entire country into an all-out war against the Hebrew state. Some Lebanese are very critical of the organization led by Hassan Nasrallah.

Mahan Barazi, an economist, is in a cafe in central Beirut to discuss one of his favorite topics: Hezbollah. “It is no longer a force that is Lebanese, it is an international militia in the service of Iran. Everyone is seeing that Hezbollah is a state within the Lebanese state.”

By bombing northern Israel in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Shiite militia has exposed all Lebanese of all faiths to reprisals. This is what Riyadh, a resident of the capital, denounces: “This is not my war. The majority of Lebanese have nothing to do with Gaza. We have fought for the Palestinians for too long, that’s enough.”

“I lived 52 years of my life in war, I grew up in war and now Hezbollah is at war.”

Ryad, resident of Beirut

to franceinfo

“Enough is enough, the Lebanese man continues. I don’t like to see my people fleeing to the south and seeing them live in fear, leaving with nothing. We can have a civil war because of Hezbollah. And I don’t want Muslims and Christians to kill each other, because both are Lebanese.”

But Hezbollah has continued to grow in power and influence because it has taken advantage of Lebanon’s collapse. The militia has become much more powerful than the Lebanese National Army, Walid points out. “Hezbollah was born out of the weakness of the Lebanese army, because neither Europe nor the United States provided it with adequate military equipment to create the conditions for security and stability in Lebanon,” he analyzes.

“Provide weapons and military equipment to the Lebanese army, support a strong Lebanese state, a strong Lebanese army and you will no longer have Hezbollah in Lebanon. That is the solution!”

Walid, a Lebanese

to franceinfo

Severely weakened by the bombings carried out by Israel, decried by more and more Lebanese, Hezbollah is going through one of the most serious crises since its creation in 1982.