Israeli tanks and military vehicles driving on a road between destroyed houses in southern Lebanon, April 25, 2026. (Credit: Jalaa Marey/AFP)
A divide has settled within Lebanese society. It opposes discourses, demarcates places, distinguishes regions, and divides hearts. It is as if, having reached a breaking point, two contradictory visions of the state and the fate of Lebanese society have seized people’s minds.On one side, an official discourse put forward by the head of state proposes a return to a rationality hitherto set aside: that of the logic of institutions internally and of negotiation with Israel externally. On the other side, an activist discourse, proclaimed by the leader of Hezbollah’s militia-party, makes resistance against Israel — unyielding oppressor and invader — a raison d’être and the cement of a people of fighters. This landscape of division and deadlock is the result of the wear and tear of time on a society broken by mistrust and distance. Another...
A divide has settled within Lebanese society. It opposes discourses, demarcates places, distinguishes regions, and divides hearts. It is as if, having reached a breaking point, two contradictory visions of the state and the fate of Lebanese society have seized people’s minds.On one side, an official discourse put forward by the head of state proposes a return to a rationality hitherto set aside: that of the logic of institutions internally and of negotiation with Israel externally. On the other side, an activist discourse, proclaimed by the leader of Hezbollah’s militia-party, makes resistance against Israel — unyielding oppressor and invader — a raison d’être and the cement of a people of fighters. This landscape of division and deadlock is the result of the wear and tear of time on a society broken by mistrust and distance. ...
