Technically, it’s only Israel bombing its neighbour. However, at this point, it’s hard to tell the difference.
Israel’s Lebanese campaign is part of the Israeli-American war against Iran, and the US is Israel’s main weapons supplier.
Benjamin Netanyahu could not have taken action without US authorisation.
Lebanon has never been as miserable as Gaza. But the heavy toll Bibi and Trump are exacting brings the two countries closer.
The sheer scale of the destruction is indistinguishable. Images of displaced persons fleeing north invite parallels with the Nakba.
As shocking as this all sounds, the details are even worse:
The New York Times: “Since March 2, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 31 health professionals and wounded 51 others, the Lebanese health ministry said on Saturday. Israel has carried out at least 37 attacks against emergency medical workers, the ministry said.”
Al Jazeera: “A ‘double-tap’ Israeli strike…at Beirut’s seafront area of Ramlet al-Baida, where displaced families were seeking respite from relentless bombing, killed eight people and wounded 31, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.”
UNICEF: “According to the latest reports, at least 83 children have been killed and 254 wounded since 2 March, as hostilities have intensified. On average, more than 10 children have been killed every day across Lebanon over the past week, with approximately 36 children injured each day.”
Democracy Now!: “More than 800,000 people have been displaced by Israeli attacks across Lebanon, with 687 people killed in less than two weeks.”
Netanyahu and his public relations team insist that this isn’t a war against Lebanon but against the Shi’ite militant group Hezbollah.
However, given the degree of terror Israel has imposed on the country, no one can take that excuse very seriously. Civilians of all sects appear to be under fire.
Lebanese worry this is an attempt not just to immiserate them but to reoccupy the south. They have good reason to be fearful.
Lebanon isn’t the only country facing the heat of bombs and rockets.
The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar have faced retaliatory strikes from Iran. But keep in mind, these are rich countries with friends in high places. Lebanon is something else entirely.
Consider this: Iran and Israel have something in common, which they also share with Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
They’re all run by corrupt, highly militarised governments, which favour certain ethnic and religious groups over others.
Israel enforces apartheid over Palestinians in the Occupied Territories through the IDF, security services, military courts and settlers.
Iran is a harsh Islamic theocracy and, much like Saudi Arabia, has a morality police.
Turkey has protected ‘Turkishness’ at the expense of Kurds and Armenians, and treats Syrian refugees like second-class citizens.
The Lebanese are not victims of a tyrannical government. If anything, they lack a centralised political system. State weakness allows sectarianism to flourish. Hence, Hezbollah is considered a state within a state.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have oil. Israel has high tech and the backing of the world’s biggest superpower.
Lebanon exerts no such economic might in the world. There’s not even enough electricity to go around.
Conflict has increased food scarcity.
The International Relations Review said, “The World Bank has classified Lebanon’s financial downturn as one of the most severe crises of the twenty-first century. Public institutions were unable to cushion the impact, and households faced extreme shortages in fuel, food, and medicine.”
Things were bad enough before the Israeli-American war against Iran began.
The resilience of the Lebanese people isn’t just found in their survival tactics but also in their dedication to their country’s splendour. Nowhere else in the region boasts as much history, life, and diversity in so little space.
The beaches, the food, the mountains, the music, the awe-inspiring cedar groves. Beirut’s legendary nightlife. It’s hard to imagine that the Lebanon of today is the same country.
In Tyre, one minute you’re passing by a Hezbollah funeral, the next you’re drinking cold Almaza beer in the Mediterranean with bikini-clad women by a World Heritage site.
It’s as though Spartan Israel and the Christian crusader spirit of the United States are at war with beauty.
Iran can fight back militarily and economically. Just look at what’s going on in the Strait of Hormuz. Lebanon can neither fight back nor argue that it’s a priority, as Iran is.
To its credit, France, the country’s former coloniser, has increased aid to Lebanon. Solidarity is always appreciated. But it’s no substitute for peace and economic assistance.
Photograph courtesy of Joel Schalit. All rights reserved.
