Political Forces Warn of Nasrallah’s Monopoly over Lebanon’s Decision of War and Peace

London-based Energean’s drill ship begins drilling at the Karish natural gas field offshore Israel in the east Mediterranean May 9, 2022. Picture taken May 9, 2022. (Reuters)
London-based Energean’s drill ship begins drilling at the Karish natural gas field offshore Israel in the east Mediterranean May 9, 2022. Picture taken May 9, 2022. (Reuters)
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Political Forces Warn of Nasrallah’s Monopoly over Lebanon’s Decision of War and Peace

London-based Energean’s drill ship begins drilling at the Karish natural gas field offshore Israel in the east Mediterranean May 9, 2022. Picture taken May 9, 2022. (Reuters)
London-based Energean’s drill ship begins drilling at the Karish natural gas field offshore Israel in the east Mediterranean May 9, 2022. Picture taken May 9, 2022. (Reuters)

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasralla’s recent remarks over the marine demarcation dispute between Lebanon and Israel have raised alarm in Beirut that he would act alone should disagreements remain unresolved.

Nasrallah had set a September deadline for an agreement to be reached over the marine border, warning that he would act should the dispute linger.

Political forces condemned his remarks, saying the “Nasrallah is again monopolizing the state’s decision of war and peace.”

Earlier this month, the Israeli military said it shot down three unmanned aircraft launched by Hezbollah heading toward an area where an Israeli gas platform was recently installed in the Mediterranean Sea. Hezbollah confirmed it had launched three unarmed drones toward the disputed maritime area.

The launch of the drones appeared to be an attempt by Hezbollah to influence US-brokered negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over their maritime border, an area that is rich in natural gas.

Lebanon claims the Karish gas field is disputed territory, while Israel says it lies within its internationally recognized economic waters. The United States has been mediating indirect negotiations since October 2020.

US energy envoy Amos Hochstein is expected in Beirut by the end of the month as part of efforts to resolve the border dispute.

Strong Lebanon bloc MP Elias Bou Saab said on Tuesday: “Lebanon is carrying out the border negotiations from a position of strength.”

He added that the negotiations are positive and a solution could be reached, vowing that Beirut will not abandon its rights or partner with Israel, an enemy of Lebanon.

On Monday, Nasrallah warned that if Israel were to begin extracting gas from the Karish field in September, before Lebanon claims its rights, “then we are headed towards a problem.”

“We have set our goal and we will march firmly towards it,” he said in televised remarks.

“The Lebanese state is unable to take the right decision that would protect Lebanon and its wealth and so, the resistance [Hezbollah] will have to take that decision,” he added.

Observers interpreted Nasrallah’s remarks as consolidation of his armed party’s hegemony over the state and all aspects of life.

Vocal Hezbollah critic MP Ashraf Rifi warned that such rhetoric will lead to Lebanon’s “demise”.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon is a diverse country and no one single party can use regionally-backed weapons to eliminate the state and impose its will over others.

“Nasrallah’s agenda is based on weakening the state ahead of its elimination and leading the country towards complete collapse, so that in the end he would claim that he is the state,” he added.

“He must understand, however, that Lebanon has never been and will never be a part of Iran,” Hezbollah’s main backer, continued the former minister.

The forces of opposition and change will organize their ranks at parliament and government to confront this agenda, stressed Rifi.

Former MP Fares Soaid interpreted Nasrallah’s remarks as alarming sectarian rhetoric.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Nasrallah attempted to claim that “his [Shiite] sect is unique from others in Lebanon because of its struggle for Lebanon.”

“It is as if he is saying that he is the ultimate ruler and that he has the right to accuse other sects of treason,” he added.

He noted that Nasrallah had in the past accused Sunnis of being terrorists, and now, he is accusing Christians of being Israeli agents, citing the arrest of a cleric who was detained after returning from the Palestinian Territories.

“Keeping up such rhetoric will lead Lebanon to a boiling point. Past experience has shown that no one party can impose its views on all other Lebanese,” Soaid stressed.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib had expected that a final agreement between Lebanon and Israel could be reached by September, but Nasrallah’s remarks have cast doubt over the prospect.

Former Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra said Nasrallah is “aware that his party will find itself in crisis after the Russian war on Ukraine and as the balance in the region returns to the Arab countries' favor.”

“He is fearful that Iran would stop support to its militias in the region,” he added.

President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, had notably not issued a statement to comment on Nasrallah’s remarks.

Zahra said it was no surprise.

He noted how Nasrallah had initially said that the state was in charge of the border negotiations. He then followed that up by launching the drones towards Karish, in a move that was aimed at restoring Hezbollah’s role in the negotiations.

He remarked that Hezbollah chose to launch the drones just as progress was reportedly achieved in the negotiations.

“Nasrallah wanted to declare that he had the final say over the issue,” explained Zahra, a move that ultimately undermines the president, who has jurisdiction in such negotiations and in approving treaties and spending.



Khiam: The Center of Arab-Israeli Conflict Faces ‘Fourth Wave of Destruction’

Intense Israeli airstrike targets Khiam, Lebanon (AFP)
Intense Israeli airstrike targets Khiam, Lebanon (AFP)
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Khiam: The Center of Arab-Israeli Conflict Faces ‘Fourth Wave of Destruction’

Intense Israeli airstrike targets Khiam, Lebanon (AFP)
Intense Israeli airstrike targets Khiam, Lebanon (AFP)

Residents of Khiam in southern Lebanon, hit by 12 airstrikes on Wednesday morning, see the attacks as yet another wave of destruction for a town scarred by conflict.
“Khiam has been devastated repeatedly, enduring pain with each blow over decades,” residents say. The town has already been destroyed three times since 1948 and faces new fears amid an intense military campaign and assault attempts.
Khiam, the largest town in the Marjayoun district, houses 35,000 people and over 5,000 homes.
Since 2006, it has expanded significantly, becoming a tourist spot with guesthouses known as “chalets.”
Since Oct. 2023, parts of these buildings, mainly on Khiam’s southern and eastern edges near Israel’s Metula settlement, have been damaged.
A Historic Staging Point Against Israel
Perched on high ground overlooking the Galilee, Khiam is open from the east, west, and south, providing a strategic link to the Golan Heights, Jordan, and northern Israel.
The town is known as the “last major Shia community” near Lebanon’s southern border, neighboring Christian, Druze, and Sunni areas.
This position made Khiam a focal point for Arab fighters against Israel since the 1940s and a regular flashpoint.
Historian Dr. Munzer Jaber says Khiam and other border villages have long faced displacement and Israeli bombardment.
In the 1940s, Khiam became a base for the Arab Salvation Army, which gathered volunteers from southern Lebanon and Syria, including units from Majdal Shams and Deir ez-Zor, led by Abdul Salam al-Ajili.
Since then, Khiam has seen frequent clashes with Israel due to its proximity to Metula, which Israel considers a strategic stronghold, Jaber noted to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Adding to the tensions, overlapping property claims among Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinians, and Jewish residents often lead to disputes.
The repeated destruction and conflict in Khiam have driven waves of migration to Beirut, especially after Palestine fell, cutting off jobs for southern Lebanese. Key markets in Marjayoun, Bint Jbeil, and Khiam shut down, leaving the local economy in decline.
Khiam lost its political and economic role until 1965, when the first Palestinian guerrilla operation against Israel shifted its focus to militant activity. Palestinian and leftist groups gained influence, sparking local divisions and causing many residents to leave as Palestinian forces moved in.
Jaber told Asharq Al-Awsat that this conflict created a strong pro-guerrilla movement among Khiam’s youth, leading to clashes with local leaders.
The growing Palestinian presence gave Israel a reason for airstrikes and security raids, which intensified in late 1973, pushing more residents to flee.
The Khiam Massacre
Israel intensified its military operations in Khiam over the years. In September 1977, Israeli forces entered the town, leading to fierce clashes with the pro-Israel militia led by Saad Haddad and Lebanese-Palestinian joint forces.
Israel officially occupied Khiam on March 14, 1978, during the first invasion of southern Lebanon, following three days of heavy bombardment.
Just a few days later, on March 17, Haddad’s militia carried out a massacre, killing 61 people, the youngest being just 60 years old. Residents reported widespread displacement and complete destruction of the town.
Ongoing Destruction
For five years, residents did not return, as Khiam became unlivable. After Israel's occupation, some residents slowly returned as a security zone was established.
The “South Lebanon Army,” led by Antoine Lahad, took over the notorious Khiam prison.
In the 1980s, Israel turned the town into a training ground for urban warfare, conducting drills that left it in a state of sustained destruction for 15 years, until Israel withdrew in 2000.
After the liberation of southern Lebanon, Khiam began to expand as residents returned, rebuilding homes and starting businesses.
However, around 40% of these new structures were destroyed during the 2006 war, marking the third wave of destruction.
The conflict saw Hezbollah destroy several Israeli Merkava tanks in the Khiam plains.
Once again, residents rebuilt, creating a more modern town with new mansions, schools, and healthcare facilities, making it a key hub in the region.
2023 Conflict
The situation in Khiam is once again dire as Hezbollah launched its war in support of Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023. Official sources report that by Sept. 23, more than 550 residential units had been destroyed.
Each day, Khiam faces artillery shelling and Israeli airstrikes, with the frequency of these attacks rising recently. Israeli forces have begun a ground operation to take control of the town and its elevated areas.