A Hezbollah supporter at the funeral of a victim of the party's beeper blasts, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Sept. 18, 2024. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
"This is not the right time to talk politics." These words, spoken on Tuesday by Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea, sum up the mood of Hezbollah's detractors after the double wave of explosions of pagers and other communications equipment belonging to the party on Tuesday and Wednesday. These attacks left at least 20 people dead and thousands injured, mainly in the ranks of Hassan Nasrallah's party.
In the aftermath, compassion has replaced the usual politician's maneuvering and harsh criticism of Hezbollah's unilateral decision to get involved in the Gaza war from south Lebanon, giving way to calls for solidarity and even blood donations. But no one is under any illusions. Everyone is aware that this compassion in no way eliminates the political differences between the party and its detractors, who are more convinced than ever of their position on the political chessboard. They therefore intend to press for a rapid re-launch of the debate surrounding its illegal arsenal.
At a time when Hezbollah was still reeling from the massive hacking of its pager network on Tuesday, LF leader Samir Geagea said he was "saddened" to "see thousands of Lebanese families in hospital," barring the way to a political debate deemed "inappropriate." "This is not a radical change in our discourse. Quite simply, no one can express political positions when thousands of Lebanese are injured,” Christian party spokesman Charles Jabbour told L'Orient-Le Jour.
Geagea's reaction contrasts with the heightened political polarization that has intensified in recent days following polemical remarks by former Hezbollah MP Nawaf Moussaoui. The latter (once again) attacked Bachir Gemayel, the former Lebanese president who was assassinated on Sept. 14, 1982, by Habib Chartouni, a former member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, which Moussaoui described as a "national duty." This led to an outcry against Hezbollah, particularly in the ranks of the Christian opposition. But for the LF, all this could be settled at a later date. "We'll talk about it later," stressed Jabbour.
Other figures in the anti-Hezbollah camp, such as Fares Souhaid, former MP for Jbeil known for his radical opposition to Hezbollah, also had similar reactions. "It's time for solidarity, far from politics," he wrote on X on Tuesday evening. Even the Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai, increasingly critical of the party for its involvement in the war, condemned in a statement issued on Wednesday "the catastrophe that struck nearly 3,000 Lebanese." "We denounce this attack and all aggression against the Lebanese and Palestinian people," he added.
'Not with Hezbollah'
At the same time, other players were not content with just words. They have taken action. This is especially true of the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Gebran Bassil. Although he was one of the first to express his opposition to the opening of the southern front, the Christian leader nevertheless made a personal visit to Beirut's southern suburbs to offer his condolences to Ali Ammar, a Hezbollah MP whose son was killed in the explosions. "In politics, we can converge or diverge. But in the face of the enemy, we support you without hesitation," wrote the FPM leader on his X account, calling on his supporters to come to the aid of the wounded.
MPs and party executives were quick to respond. Several FPM MPs donated blood. Similarly, senior party officials, including the Vice-President for External Affairs, physician Naji Hayek, known for his radical opposition to the party, operated on the wounded in hospitals.
It's not just the Christians who have reacted with surprise, but also the Sunnis, a community historically on the opposite side of Hezbollah, even though groups such as the al-Jamaa al-Islamiya are taking part in the fighting against the Israeli army. Nonetheless, residents of Tripoli and Tariq al-Jadideh (two strongholds of the Future Movement, the main Sunni formation) flocked to hospitals to donate blood. "Sunnis have two enemies: Iran and Israel. But in the face of such large-scale attacks, we have to stand by the Lebanese," commented a Sunni member of parliament to L'Orient-Le Jour, requesting anonymity. "Sunnis have shown compassion for the people and civilians injured, not for Hezbollah," added Mustafa Alloush, former vice-president of the Future Movement.
'Hezbollah is more exposed than ever'
This point of view is shared by several protagonists of the opposition, who are convinced that, contrary to what one might be tempted to believe, "the spontaneous reaction of the Lebanese has not strengthened the popularity of the Shiite party. Quite the contrary, in fact. After the two attacks, Hezbollah is more exposed than ever, and the famous balance of terror it claims to have established [against Israel] has fallen by the wayside," said Charles Jabbour.
He added that “Today more than ever, the debate surrounding the party's arsenal and the application of resolutions 1559 [2004, calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Lebanon and the disarmament of all militias] and 1701 [which put an end to the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel] is topical, and will be brought back to the table once this sequence is over."
"Today, Hezbollah is paying the price for its decision to take part in the war without regard for the position of the Lebanese state. And that's why we'll continue to confront them in the presidential elections, for example," said the LF official.
Without going that far, Ali Amine, an anti-Hezbollah journalist, said he hopes that the compassion of the Lebanese will resonate in the circles of the Shiite party, which "should reach out to the rest of the protagonists and make them partners in strategic decisions." "This should be the party's new attitude," he said.
All the more so as some Lebanese are still reluctant to show their support for a party they accuse of having assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, as well as several other leading figures of the Future Movement and anti-Iran intellectuals in recent years. They therefore attacked Hassan Nasrallah's party on X, saying they were convinced that justice would be done sooner or later.
This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour.
