Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or working at EY, you’d know that electronics of all kinds followed by missiles of all kinds have been exploding inside Lebanon.
First came the exploding pagers, blowing the genitals or hands (or both, if they were in the same place). Then came walkie-talkies with their explosive transmissions. And now, it’s raining missiles launched by Israel, targeting Hezbollah operatives inside Lebanon.
Who is Hezbollah?
But who is Hezbollah? Why are they in Lebanon, and why is yet another Middle Eastern country turning into silica?
The short and simple answer is – religion. But I do not have the time (and the expertise) to explain the entire story from its supposed pre-biblical times. For that, you’d be better off reading this iconic book about the birth of Israel as a nation-state.
All we need to know is that the Muslims do NOT like the Jews, and the feeling is mutual.
Jews fought for the creation of a Jewish nation-state, creating Israel out of erstwhile Palestinian territory, and have been fighting for its survival (and sometimes for its illegal expansion) over multiple wars with the rest of the Arab world.
This is the newest chapter in one of the bloodiest conflicts in one of the holiest of lands. The word “irony” might have its origins here.
The Current Conflict in Lebanon
Now, if you can’t point out on a world map where all this exploding is taking place, I wouldn’t blame you. It’s tiny.
Here’s a primer:
- Israel: The place where some of the world’s best tech is created.
- Lebanon: The place where some of the world’s most antiquated wireless technology went to explode.
- Hezbollah: The group of people who lost hands, faces, and genitals in the exploding tech. They are also part of the Lebanese government.
Interestingly, the official armed forces of Lebanon, whose head is a Christian (GASP!), aren’t a part of this brand-new chapter of flying limbs. Yet.
The Hezbollah (“Party of God”. What else?) are a Shia Islamist political party AND paramilitary group in Lebanon. They were established by Lebanese clerics in 1982 when Israel invaded Lebanon. Supported by Iran (the biggest Shia Muslim country in the Middle East), they’ve received training, weapons, and funding ever since.
Hezbollah’s Rise and the Current Scene
Since their establishment, Hezbollah has grown steadily in the Lebanese political scene, legitimising their presence through participation in electoral politics in this Shia Muslim majority country. They have played an active role in resisting unauthorised Israeli expansion in southern Lebanon through small-scale wars and suicide bombings.
Now, you have a pretty clear idea of the “where” and “who.”
Why is Hezbollah at War with Israel Now?
This is an extension of the conflict where Hamas (the Palestinian political-military group) flew in on paragliders, massacred Israeli communities, raped & killed partygoers, paraded the victims in the backs of their trucks while locals danced rounds them, and took a few hundred hostages just to be sure.
Israel, facing medieval war tactics, retaliated as it always does—by flattening Gaza with enough explosives to leave shell remnants embedded in any potential reconstruction.
Iran, which hates Israel and supports both Hamas and Hezbollah, saw Hamas being heavily targeted and, in response, Hezbollah started launching rockets into Israel. Their goal might have been to create a two-front war for Israel, but they underestimated Israel’s grit and sense of retribution.
Israel’s Response to Hezbollah’s Attacks
Israel, having intercepted Hezbollah’s pager supplies and booby-trapped them even before the conflict escalated, remotely detonated their communication devices, wiping out most of Hezbollah’s leadership.
But Israel wasn’t done. Much like Hamas, Hezbollah had a habit of storing their weapons inside civilian infrastructure, such as homes, schools, and hospitals. So, fresh from their “collateral damage be damned” mindset, Israel started targeting Lebanon.
One strike on a residential building killed ~15 high-ranking Hezbollah operatives.
Conclusion: The Endless Middle Eastern Conflict
So here we are in 2024. Humans are still killing each other in horrific ways in the name of God where despite the divine figure’s supposed benevolence, mutilated orphans and raped partygoers have been left as mere casualties.
In case you’re wondering why Iran, despite being so far away, supports Hezbollah while closer countries do not, it’s because Iran is a Shia Islamic country and Lebanon has a Shia majority. (And as mentioned earlier, Iran hates Israel.) Meanwhile, most of the remaining Arab world is Sunni Islamic.
You might wonder now why Hezbollah (Shia) started bombing Israel in support of Palestine (93% Sunni), and why Iran (Shia) supports a predominantly Sunni Hamas.
Apparently, intra-faith rivalries can wait when there are Jews to kill.
The bloodshed in the Middle East continues.