by Taylor Thomas
Some Lebanese question disarmament, but Israel views Hezbollah's weapons as a direct security threat.
 |
Hundreds of men beat their chests in unison. They sing with their hearts in their throats. They sing, and they weep. They weep openly. This Monday, the streets of Beirut's southern suburbs were filled with tears, chants, and lamentations. The funeral for Hezbollah's second-in-command, Haytham Ali Tabatabai, was the catalyst for it all.
“We are sad because we have lost a treasure,” one of the attendees at the burial of the military chief, along with two other fighters from the Lebanese Shiite group, told The Media Line.
The previous afternoon, several missiles killed them and two other people while they were in an apartment in the heart of the Beirut suburbs.
From the side, one can admire the precision of the impacts. Six projectiles pierced the building, vaporizing its fourth and fifth floors. Civil defense teams are still throwing concrete and iron debris into the street, where life goes on. Even the shops in the same building remain open.
Meanwhile, a question lingers amid the gray dust that still hangs in the air: Will Hezbollah respond to this latest Israeli attack?
“We will continue opening, and we will continue living our lives, which is what bothers the enemy the most,” she told The Media Line, standing next to her colleague Mariam.
There's no need to mention its name. In every corner of Beirut's southern suburbs, everyone knows that when mentioning the enemy, it can only mean Israel.
Sunday's attack, which killed five people and wounded 28 more, is the latest in the capital since last July and was the third attempt to assassinate Tabatabai.
Tabatabai was appointed to lead Hezbollah's operations against Israel
According to the Israeli military, Tabatabai was appointed to lead Hezbollah's operations against Israel and served as its military chief after last November. It also states that he joined the group in the 1980s and held various high-level positions, including command of the elite Radwan Force unit and oversight of Hezbollah's operations in Syria.In 2016, the US State Department designated him a global terrorist, establishing a $5 million reward for his capture. The Israeli prime minister’s office claims that Tabatabai “led the organization’s military development and rearmament,” an accusation that Israeli authorities have been repeating for weeks.
In the last month, Israeli strikes have escalated. Last week saw the deadliest attack to date since the ceasefire came into effect on the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein El Helweh, which killed 13 people.
Beginning on October 8, 2023, Hezbollah launched missiles into Israel, causing extensive damage, deaths, and mass displacement of residents from communities in the north of the country, who have only returned with the advent of the ceasefire.
The Israeli army chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, has said that his troops could renew fighting in areas where they have previously operated. At the same time, a surprise drill was held on Monday to prepare troops for sudden events on the border between the two countries.
In early November, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Hezbollah must disarm or face military strikes: “We expect the Lebanese government to uphold its commitments, namely, to disarm Hezbollah. But it’s clear that we’ll exercise our right to self-defense as stipulated in the ceasefire terms,” said the premier. “We won’t let Lebanon become a renewed front against us, and we’ll do what’s necessary.”
“We are not afraid. We are calm and relaxed,” said Nadia, with a surprising composure.
“Nothing that might happen is in our hands, so why be afraid?” asked Mariam from behind the counter.
Since the start of the truce on Nov. 27, 2024, Israel has carried out frequent strikes against Lebanon, claiming that Beirut has not adequately prevented Hezbollah from rebuilding its infrastructure and posing a threat across the border.
More than 340 people have died in Lebanon this year, according to local media.
Fatima, an elderly woman from Beirut and the mother of two young men, cannot hold back her tears as she speaks.
“All our youth are gone. Our young people have been taken from us,” she lamented. “It’s very important that we stay here, because otherwise we wouldn’t have our homes, and we’re willing to sacrifice ourselves for them. It’s our land,” she told The Media Line, with tears in her eyes.
Mariam and Nadia don’t shy away from expressing their opinions on the main controversial topic dominating the Lebanese political agenda over the past year.
“Honestly, I don’t agree with giving up our weapons, because it would be seen as an invitation for the Israelis to come occupy our land,” said Nadia.
“Who would defend us if not the resistance?” she asked, using the popular term for Hezbollah.
“The Lebanese army is not going to do it, and the Lebanese state does not take care of us,” her friend Mariam responded.
During Tabatabai’s funeral, dozens of young men dressed in military and Boy Scout uniforms fought back tears as they buried yet another Hezbollah officer killed by Israel. They know that could soon be their own fate.
Military and religious leaders, like Ali Daamoush, the chairman of the group’s Executive Council, have given speeches that have done away with the traditional slogans of “Death to America! Death to Israel!”
Now, Hezbollah is considering responding to the attack, but its supporters aren’t urging it to.
After confirming the death of a high-ranking Hezbollah member, Deputy Chairman of the group’s Political Council Mahmoud Qamati said in a press conference Sunday that “the senior leadership is assessing the results of the strike and our response.”
When asked whether retaliation against Israel is possible, Qamati replied: “Everything is possible.” He also added that Hezbollah is coordinating its next steps with the Lebanese government and army.
“They understand the military picture and will decide for themselves whether to respond,” said Mariam from behind her counter on a battered—but not defeated—street in Dahieh, the term locals use for Beirut’s southern suburbs, which in Arabic simply means “suburbs.”
“But what everyone can see is that it is they [Israel] who are attacking us, while the resistance [Hezbollah] does not act,” she concluded.
Taylor Thomas
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-875120
No comments:
Post a Comment