ColumnsTashjian's Take
A long war of attrition may await Lebanon
Over the past few weeks, security events have dramatically accelerated Israel’s aggression on Lebanon. On October 8, 2023, Hezbollah, a paramilitary political party in Lebanon (also known as the Islamic Resistance) backed by Iran, opened a front against Israel to assist Hamas in its conflict with Israel following its “al-Aqsa Storm” operation. The Lebanese front remained “managed” as Israel and Hezbollah engaged in limited clashes.
This equation changed starting on September 17, 2
Or, subscribe now for unlimited access
By submitting your email address you agree for Hairenik Association, Inc. to send you communication by email.
Already a subscriber?Log in here
This story is FREE for you...
Create a free account to access this and four more articles, and get more sent to you with our e-newsletter.By submitting your email address you agree for Hairenik Association, Inc. to send you communication by email.
Lebanon, like Armenia, surrounded by predatorial powers, is a victim of its geography and is practically cursed. Both countries are in a worse predicament than Poland, which was in the same situation for centuries, but recovered, when most of its neighbors became civilized and its neighborhood peaceful, and is protected as a NATO member and is prospering as a EU member. With Lebanon and Armenia, such a happy outcome looks at this stage like a fantasy. And Lebanon used to be a prosperous, relatively stable and safe country, until its denominational conflicts and powerful aggressive neighbors caused the Lebanese Civil War, reducing that country to ruins.
The Lebanese Armenians, as well as the Syrian and Iraqi Armenians, must be the unluckiest in the Armenian Diaspora, having survived and fled the Armenian Genocide, ending up in these three countries, only to flee again, when they turned into war zones and hellholes.
I know its difficult for the Lebanese Armenians but if I was there I would immediately move to Armenia .
If Israel moves in lebanon on a full scale war they will not hesitate to bomb all of Beyrouth , and they could care less if they bomb the Armenian section under the pretext that they were arab terrorists there. Remember Israel send their drones to the Azeri to kick out the armenians from Artsakh.
Yes, indeed. Israel is bombing central Beirut and its Christian districts, and even Christian towns and villages north of Beirut, on the pretext that Hezbollah militants escaped to hide there, stash their weapons and entrench themselves. Since Israel is bombing these areas indiscriminately, hundreds of Lebanese civilians have been killed, including Christians in predominantly Christian districts of Beirut and in Christian towns and villages. Since 95% of the 150,000 Lebanese Armenians live in the extremely densely populated 2.5 sqkm Bourj Hammoud district in northeastern Beirut, they are in serious danger of becoming victims of Israeli bombardments and also of a potential Second Lebanon Civil War, because Lebanon is on the brink of collapse. It is very hard for Lebanese Armenians to leave everything behind and also because of poverty, but having astonishingly barely survived the Lebanese Civil War thanks to maintaining strict neutrality, the second time they may not be so “lucky”, and should escape Lebanon when they can find the opportunity.
Sometimes war comes to ones home regardless of whether one personality agitated for conflict. Indeed there were some Syrian Armenians displaced by the war there who had gone to Armenia and were granted land in NK and surrounding parts of Azerbaijan under Armenian control rendered refugees once again. Israel being no friend of Armenia and currently on the warpath isn’t going to be sentimental towards the Armenian population in Lebanon either even if not focusing on them.