It is both easier and cheaper to fight with the flesh or blood of others in a far country. This is what Iran is doing, with the Lebanese people, in its fight against Israel. This is what it has been doing in Gaza through Hamas.
Similarly, it is less costly, and potentially more rewarding, for Israel to fight Iran on the Lebanese soil; neither in Iran, nor on its own land (despite the bloody tit for tat with the Hezbollah).
Same for the United States (et al.?). Who cares about Lebanon if the latter’s interests with Iran are being preserved, perhaps at the expense of the Land of the Cedars? Who cares for Israel some would even say, even if they may send weapons, boats, or a few soldiers for support?
When it comes to the military-wing of Hezbollah (or what is left of it, at least for now?), it sadly seems to remain unwise, and even suicidal, because it appears to still insist on linking the fate of Lebanon to the one of Gaza, denying the unfolding Lebanese tragedy and, with it, part of the history of the Lebanese civil war (https://tinyurl.com/mpjc5x2r).
In the meantime, the people of Lebanon are, once again, paying the price of a regional fiasco by being held hostage by all these powerful players.
One may be tempted to only blame Israel for the cruelty of its fight for its existence since October 7, 2023, especially now with the insane destruction, killings, and invasion of Lebanon (and earlier with the tragedy in Gaza). However, one would be unfair, and even delusional, without also acknowledging the evil role of the Iranian regime, which has fuelled and/or perhaps triggered the Hamas attack on Israel and the resulting regional fiasco. Of course, one cannot help, but to also notice the weakness of the official Lebanon when it comes, once again, to deciding to initiate or to stop unwanted wars.
If you live in the Islamic Republic of Iran, hating Israel from far away, along with the United States, is cheap. If you are a fan of the regime, you just throw your hand in the air and shout in Farsi: “Death to Israel, death to America“. As mentioned earlier, guess who is paying the price of Iran’s slogans and its conflict with Israel now? Lebanon. Is their anything more unfair than this sad truth?
May God protect Lebanon, which deserves better. May it remain in harmony domestically and, eventually in the far future, learn to become truly neutral with all its neighbours and nations of the world, including those who have fought on or occupied its beautiful land. You may agree or disagree, you are free. So is Bambi who is sick and tired of senseless wars, lack of vision for solutions of endless conflicts, and of worries about loved ones.
