Israel made Hezbollah—and now wants it gone

Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon in 1982, followed by its siege of Beirut and direct involvement in the civil war, was a turning point not only for Lebanon but also for the modern history of the Middle East. The Israeli occupation would leave Lebanon—already devastated and plunged into deep chaos—unable to recover. Invading Lebanon to support its Christian allies in their fight against Palestinian resistance groups, Israel was at the same time coordinating with another foreign occupying power that shared common ground with it: Hafez al-Assad’s Syria. The Israeli occupation would last for the next 18 years and end in 2000; Syria, which had invaded Lebanon in 1976 to suppress the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and other resistance movements, would also remain physically present in the country until 2005.

One of the clearest outcomes of Israel’s siege of Beirut was the establishment of the Shiite Hezbollah organization with Iranian backing. As alliances and partnerships constantly shifted on the slippery ground of the civil war, Hezbollah managed to secure solid popular support. When the Taif Agreement, signed in 1989 to end the civil war, decreed that all “irregular” armed groups within Lebanon were to hand over their weapons to the state and that national security would be ensured by official institutions, Hezbollah was, of course, included in this framework. However, Lebanon’s chronic failure to achieve political and social stability, the deepening divisions among religious and ethnic factions, and especially the bridges Iran built through Shiism enabled Hezbollah to preserve its power in the new period.

When former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated in 2005, Hezbollah was the primary “usual suspect.” Yet Israel’s attack on Lebanon in 2006 immediately afterward led to the group regaining popularity, the suspension of accusations against it, and widespread support across the Islamic world. Lebanese Christians also lined up en masse on Hezbollah’s side. The world-famous Lebanese Maronite Christian singer Julia Boutros is a striking example in this regard:

The daughter of a South Lebanese Arab father and a Palestinian Armenian mother, Boutros made her name in the 1980s with songs such as “Ghabat Shams al-Haqq” (The Sun of Truth Has Set) and “Wayn al-Malayin” (Where Are the Millions?), but her real breakthrough came with the single album “Ahbba’i” (My Friends), released in the autumn of 2006. Inspired by a letter written by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah addressing the group’s fighters battling Israel, the song was filled from start to finish with praise for Hezbollah. Amplified by the dominant mood of the time, the song’s fame crossed borders and not only propelled Boutros to ultra-stardom; her husband, Elias Bou Saab, also began rapidly climbing the ranks of Lebanese domestic politics dominated by Hezbollah. After serving as minister of education and then minister of defense, Bou Saab is currently deputy speaker of parliament.

Today, the top item on Lebanon’s agenda is the issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament. Disarmament, the most important condition imposed by the ceasefire agreement signed with Israel last year, is of course not a problem that can be resolved quickly. For despite the serious losses it has suffered over the past two years, Hezbollah still constitutes one of the most significant political and social realities in Lebanon. Considering that internal divisions have reached a level of pre-war tension, the idea that Hezbollah would simply lay down its arms is far from realistic. Moreover, in a context where Israel continues to strike Lebanon at will and without facing any opposition, there are many who argue that Hezbollah must never disarm.

Israel itself created the conditions that made Hezbollah’s emergence possible. Now the same Israel says that Hezbollah, which over the years has penetrated Lebanon down to its capillaries, must be eliminated. Even if Hezbollah appears wounded today, as long as Israel continues to attack like a rabid dog, it will be impossible to erase Hezbollah’s shadow from Lebanon’s army, police, trade, borders, intelligence apparatus, and social and political life.

In fact, the formula is as simple and clear as everyone knows it to be: when would Hezbollah be forced to fully lay down its arms? When Israel completely withdraws from Lebanon.