“Hezbollah sells us bullshit and drags us into wars”

The campaign between Israel and Hezbollah continues also against the background of the talks that are being held regarding the continuation of the war in Iran, and in Lebanon they express serious concern about the expansion of the war and another upheaval in the country. An active Lebanese politician who talks to N12 reveals the efforts being made in the political system against Hezbollah, expresses hope for the settlement of relations and calls on Israel to take advantage of the political opportunity: “We need Israel to meet us halfway.”

The same political official, who spoke to N12 anonymously since it is illegal for politicians in Lebanon to speak to the media in Israel, expressed the great anger towards Hezbollah that prevailed in large parts of the country’s population. “Hezbollah does not miss any opportunity to gain more political and military power to serve its purpose and that of its masters in Iran, instead of serving the interests of the Lebanese,” he said, adding: “What Hezbollah sells is bullshit – it only drags us into wars.”

The politician claims that Hezbollah’s support base does not want a civil war either, so there is a real possibility of disbanding the organization. When asked if the state would be willing to bear the price of an armed struggle with Hezbollah, he clarified: “We pay the price in any case – so either you pay the price to build a state or you pay the price and chaos is created. Nothing comes for free – you have to pay a price to build a state. If you don’t want to pay a price – in the end you will pay tenfold.”

According to him, there is now an extraordinary political opportunity for an agreement between Israel and Lebanon and the demobilization of Hezbollah, given the circumstances that he claims are fundamentally different from those that existed when the previous cease-fire agreement was signed. “We have a once-in-a-century opportunity to dramatically change the situation in Lebanon. Even though we tried an agreement in 2024 and it failed, we think there is momentum today, and there is a president and a government with a different approach. We need Israel to meet us halfway.”

The same politician expressed frustration that Israel does not convey that it is ready to cooperate with the Lebanese government, and claims that the hawkish Israeli line strengthens Hezbollah’s position in Lebanon: “The majority of the Lebanese population is against the war and against Hezbollah. We have a government and a country that is ready to hold talks with Israel, we have all the positive aspects from Lebanon, and it needs to meet positive messages from Israel so that the people will believe that this is a real option and not believe the propaganda of Hezbollah”.

He added: “This is not something we are seeing at the moment. The Minister of Finance referred to the fact that Israel’s border should be the Litani River. This is echoed in Lebanon and it is claimed that Israel wants to conquer Lebanon and not just fight Hezbollah. These statements harm the internal pressure in Lebanon against Hezbollah, and serve it.”

The political party makes it clear that even the moderate elements in Lebanon will not agree to an Israeli occupation in the south of the country – and that the move could trap the population around the terrorist organization. According to him, such a step may weaken the moderate elements, who are trying to strive for an agreement with Israel and overrun Hezbollah. Alongside this, he clarifies that Lebanon has a great willingness to regulate relations with Israel and to have extensive cooperation in a variety of fields.

Within Lebanon, a public campaign regarding Hezbollah’s role in the country, and the need to disarm it, has begun. President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salem are pushing for unprecedented steps to demobilize the organization and express readiness for a broad agreement with Israel that will regulate relations between the countries. On the other hand, other elements in the Lebanese political system, including the commander of the Lebanese army, Rudolf Haikel, oppose the government’s pressure and refuse to take military action against the organization.

The same politician who spoke to N12 clarifies that Lebanon needs the support of “international allies” to strengthen the Lebanese army and enable it to act against Hezbollah. According to him, there is a need for external intelligence, equipment and logistics assistance, and at the same time economic measures against Hezbollah – to help the country regain full sovereignty.

He says that within the political system, the camp that opposes Hezbollah is trying to promote moves against the organization: “We work every day in all ways to dislodge Hezbollah and avoid war. We exert pressure within the Lebanese parliament and work together with our international partners.”