- 08:30
The famous Georges Brassens song, adapted to Lebanon’s reality, manages to make you both smile and cry.
On Tuesday, while the government carefully navigated the minefield surrounding Hezbollah’s weapons, trying to find wording that could pass as a compromise, the secretary-general of the pro-Iranian militia spoke openly, without holding back.
The fact that the Council of Ministers met at the exact same time as the latest speech from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s chosen representative is no coincidence. Because, in truth, Qassem was speaking on behalf of Lebanon, nothing less: “Lebanon will never give up its power,” “Forget about the issue of a disarmament timetable.”
What’s even more striking is that he accused the official Lebanese state of failing to reclaim its sovereignty, a sovereignty that is actually being held hostage by its own militia’s actions. On top of that came the threats and the calls for sacrifice.
This is the biggest hostage situation in history. One unofficial group is holding 4.5 million people captive in a war-driven agenda that will only bring more suffering, death and destruction. That is the harsh reality. There is no other way around it. Otherwise, watch out, they’ll be happy to tear everything apart!
While the world moves on, alliances shift, people grow exhausted and states reposition themselves, some remain firmly rooted in their dogmas, happy to look the other way, as if stuck in some virtual reality. Hezbollah, the undisputed master of armed stagnation, digs in and doubles down.
We’ve heard this tune before. It’s been looping since 2006. And like any tired old refrain, it stopped resonating a long time ago. What once fooled a few diehard fans now plays like a cheap parody of itself.
Some naïve souls, yours truly included, thought that maybe, just maybe, the pro-Iranian militia would consider dialing things down a notch, that it might try to ease the burden on an exhausted population by finding a way to let go of its weapons without losing face. After all, Hezbollah has already claimed plenty of “victories” against Israel. They never stop reminding us.
Well, no. Not even close. The show must go on.
You’d think that, in the real world, these weapons would at least serve some purpose. That they might have protected someone, somewhere. But no. As the fiasco of the so-called “war of support” for Gaza clearly showed, they’re useless.
The problem is, over in Tehran, the record is scratched too. Iran, humiliated back in June after 12 days of targeted strikes on its own soil, keeps blowing into the same tired war trumpet. Sanctions keep falling like October rain in Scotland, but nothing changes. It’s business as usual.
Endless threats, theatrical military drills, revolutionary slogans. All of it collapsing under the weight of reality. The regime is losing its grip, its proxies are running out of steam and its influence is cracking, held together only by a repressive police state.
In lockstep, Hezbollah keeps repeating the same old tune. It covers its ears, which, by the way, doesn’t stop it from hitting all the wrong notes. It closes its eyes and sticks to one thing: its weapons are off limits. Even if those weapons are sinking Lebanon’s economy, wrecking its diplomacy, damaging its relationships with other Arab countries and bringing down harsh sanctions. Even if Lebanon is bleeding out, listed on more and more blacklists around the world, with no real government or functioning institutions left. Even if most Lebanese just want one thing: to live in peace.
Only a handful of diehard supporters of the pro-Iranian militia still parade around proudly on their motorbikes, thinking they’re intimidating people with their threats. There’s a tragic irony in their stubbornness. While the region undergoes an unprecedented geopolitical shift, with Sunni states – including Syria – waiting for the right moment to normalize ties with Israel, old red lines fading into blurry boundaries and the war in Gaza reshaping priorities, Hezbollah keeps playing its 1980s war game. An armed anachronism stuck in a long-expired pose.
And where does Lebanon fit into all of this? It watches, helpless and resigned, as a militia faction gambles with the future of the entire country and its people, who bear the brunt of a political-military agenda that has long abandoned any claim to Lebanese sovereignty.
The Council of Ministers came up with a two-step defusing plan. The Lebanese army is supposed to present a plan on the “monopoly of weapons” by August 31, aiming to implement it by the end of the year. This Thursday, the government will resume discussions on the so-called “American document” from Tom Barrack, a next step, but certainly not the last.
Slicing the problem into smaller pieces to make the solutions easier to swallow. Without ever mentioning the word “Hezbollah.” All to avoid ending up back at square one. Despite all efforts made, the Iranian-backed militia launched a fierce attack on the state as early as Wednesday. In a statement, Hezbollah declared: “We will act as if the government’s decision does not exist.” Because, yes, time changes nothing. And when you’re stubborn, you stay stubborn until everything blows up.
Brassens had it right, “Honor is like a match. It only burns once.” In Lebanon, some keep the lighter lit permanently, right on top of a powder keg.
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