An artillery shell containing white phosphorus explodes over the village of Dhayra, Lebanon, on Oct. 16, 2023. (Credit: AFP)
Israel has reiterated that it is not at war with the Lebanese, but rather with Hezbollah. This rhetoric certainly privileges ambiguity. What does it mean by Hezbollah? Is Israel referring only to the armed group? Does it include the political party? The group’s social institutions? What does it mean by waging war on Hezbollah when it has a real foothold in the Shiite community? “That’s the problem. Very few commentators and analysts make the effort to differentiate between the ‘members’ of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon [IRL, armed party] and ‘members’ of Hezbollah as a network of institutions and civil associations,” said researcher Aurélie Daher, author of “Hezbollah: mobilization and power” (2014). “That’s why the Israeli army would rather not make the difference when speaking of the number of casualties within Hezbollah’s ranks....
Israel has reiterated that it is not at war with the Lebanese, but rather with Hezbollah. This rhetoric certainly privileges ambiguity. What does it mean by Hezbollah? Is Israel referring only to the armed group? Does it include the political party? The group’s social institutions? What does it mean by waging war on Hezbollah when it has a real foothold in the Shiite community? “That’s the problem. Very few commentators and analysts make the effort to differentiate between the ‘members’ of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon [IRL, armed party] and ‘members’ of Hezbollah as a network of institutions and civil associations,” said researcher Aurélie Daher, author of “Hezbollah: mobilization and power” (2014). “That’s why the Israeli army would rather not make the difference when speaking of the number of casualties...
Humanitarian convoy reaches Rmeish, Ain Ibl, Dibil despite obstacles
