The purest form of self-defense

While the Lebanese puppet government complains to the United Nations about what they call “Israeli aggression on Lebanon”, as a Lebanese person, I tell you that every Lebanese person who isn’t brainwashed to hate Jews knows that Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s complaint is disingenuous.

We all know that the reality is quite simple: Israel needs to protect its citizens and that requires ending Hezbollah attacks on Israel. As Israeli President Isaac Herzog said, “Israel does not seek war. But we have the right and the duty to defend our people.”

The war between Israel and Hezbollah is the purest form of self-defense. Hezbollah has absolutely no legitimate reason to attack Israel, and Israel has absolutely no aim in Lebanon other than to end Hezbollah attacks on Israel.

Israel has no interest in taking Lebanese land. Even when Israel occupied Lebanese land in the past, it didn’t built a single settlement on that land. Israel has no interest in destroying Lebanon. Israel even offered to help Lebanon in the past. Israel would be ready to sign a peace agreement with Lebanon at any time, but it is Lebanon that has steadfastly refused.

Even after Hezbollah started attacking Israel following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, it took Israel over eleven months to finally start responding to Hezbollah attacks in a way that might result in deterrence of Hezbollah. Israel is not even interested in a ground invasion of Lebanon, and it would engage in that only as a last resort.

The war objective that Israeli officials at every level are explaining repeatedly is quite simple: the safe return of residents of Israel’s north to their homes. Even the leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, who is often highly critical of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, unequivocally supports that objective and the strikes on Hezbollah.

In Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour, editor-in-chief Anthony Samrani wrote that “Nasrallah has brought Lebanon to the edge of the abyss” and “Hezbollah is losing this war, and Lebanon along with it. But, Nasrallah will not admit it.” Yet Samrani does not state the core truth of this war.

He asks the question “How to end this war once it starts?”, but he doesn’t answer it. Perhaps he is afraid of what Hezbollah might do to him if he does. So, I will say it for him: Hezbollah can end the war at any time by agreeing to no longer attack Israel. That must be stated, repeatedly.

But instead of stating that obvious truth, Samrani took refuge in blaming Israel. He wrote, “It is Netanyahu who now wants to push us over the edge. Just like in Gaza, the policy of systematic destruction will only fuel hatred and the desire for revenge.”

Hatred and revenge are clearly what drives Hezbollah. He is correct about that, but while Israel’s attacks may fuel hatred, Hezbollah and therefore Lebanon (because, let’s be honest, Lebanon has allowed Hezbollah to become what it is today) have left Israel no other choice. So, by demonizing Israel further, Samrani is helping Hezbollah even though he recognizes the damage that they have done to his country.

Hatred of the Jews, which led to hatred of Israel, is at the very core of the conflict between Israel and the Arab world, and that root cause must be eliminated, but Israeli citizens can’t wait for that centuries-old hatred to dissipate before they can return to their homes. They need Hezbollah to be deterred now.

Demonizing Israel is not solving Lebanon’s problems. It only makes them worse by encouraging Hezbollah. If Samrani and others want to save Lebanon, they should apply the pressure where it needs to be applied. While Israel is putting military pressure on Hezbollah, diplomatic pressure must be applied on Hezbollah as well. It is only by deterring Hezbollah that Lebanon can be saved from further destruction.