One Year After the Beirut Blast

The Lebanese Army is still in one piece, though weak and useless in protecting Lebanon against Iran and ‘Hezbollah. However it is organized and could interface with the Israeli military, to transfer to hard hit communities very much needed help. I am confident the Israelis would assist.

I have noticed that most or almost all reports on Lebanon’s plight in the international media avoid mentioning the elephant in the room, the direct culprit in last year’s port explosion. That is Hizbullah. The Americans and French must know who is the direct culprit. But they will not blame the Hizb. And for that reason, all of Macron’s ostensibly helpful plans and suggestions are worthless. He wants the political class to make reforms, to take action to do this or that. But the Hizb holds a pistol to everyone’s head who might threaten their chokehold on the country. Yet Macron talks his silly gab as if Lebanon could pull itself out of the Hizb’s bear hug or chokehold all by itself. Western press commentators point to the confessional as the big problem to be gotten out of the way. But the Hizb would not allow that unless it could retain its control. Aoun too knows what his limits are. Last year, after the blast, he must have thought that he could do something to improve the economy while the Hizb seemed to be disoriented. His daughter spoke of some kind of modus vivendi with Israel. He himself agreed with US diplomats to try to reach an accord with Israel on a maritime border so that Lebanon could lease offshore zones for oil and gas drilling, and thus get payments and a cash flow from oil & gas companies. Unfortunately, the Hizb soon shot down the ensuing negotiations. But will Paris or Washington ever acknowledge the truth that the Hizb is an obstacle to Lebanon’s recovery? And then take appropriate actions?