Hezbollah obeys Israel but defies Lebanon’s sovereignty and people |
The recent confirmation that Hezbollah is no longer present south of the Litani River marks a pivotal moment in Lebanon’s long and painful struggle with armed non-state actors. Under the terms of the 2024 ceasefire, Hezbollah has reportedly conceded to Israel’s long-standing demand to vacate the area south of the Litani – a demand Tel Aviv has insisted upon since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Observers now describe this withdrawal as the completion of the first phase of weapons consolidation led by the Lebanese Army. Yet, while Hezbollah appears willing to comply with Israel’s dictates, it remains adamantly opposed to submitting to the authority of the Lebanese state or the will of its own people.
This contradiction exposes a fundamental truth that many Lebanese have long understood but that Hezbollah’s rhetoric has sought to obscure: the organization is not a national resistance movement, nor is it a political institution rooted in Lebanese sovereignty. It is a regional proxy force that prioritizes its own survival, ideological commitments, and external patrons over the interests of Lebanon and its citizens.
Hezbollah has already made clear, through carefully orchestrated leaks to Lebanese media outlets, that it will not surrender “a single bullet” north of the Litani River. In other words, while it is prepared to execute Israel’s security demands, it refuses to even engage with domestic calls for full disarmament. This posture fundamentally undermines its long-claimed role as a protector of Lebanon. If Hezbollah truly represented national resistance, it would answer first and foremost to Lebanese institutions, not foreign powers or battlefield realities imposed by its adversaries.
The Lebanese people are not demanding symbolic gestures confined to geographic lines drawn for........