- 08:30
More than half of Ici Beyrouth and This is Beirut’s audience lives between France, North America and Africa. Those of you reading from these far-off lands are lucky enough not to be, like us, lulled from dawn to dusk by the relentless hum of drones.
Yes, they are back. And this time, they are flying even lower. Beirutis have gone all out, dressing to impress for the countless photos these drones are taking of us. If only all that data could be put to use by traffic authorities, it might actually ease the city’s gridlock and save us hours of pointless jams at every intersection.
Some of my more naïve friends ask why the “resistance” hasn’t taken them out yet. Who? Oh, right. Hezbollah. The group does not go after anyone stronger. It sharpens its weapons while refusing to hand them over to those who dare to insist that a normal country should have only one army. The nerve, really, trying to imitate the rest of the world. Let’s stay uniquely ourselves all the way to the last one.
So why have the drones resumed their humming patrols? To update the target database, say the experts. Ah, right. That certainly does not bode well. It must be said that this warning did not come out of nowhere. Western powers, led by the Americans and Europeans, along with Arab countries, have been insisting relentlessly on the disarmament of the pro-Iranian militia. Otherwise, the Israelis will step up their attacks on an arsenal already deemed illegal by decisions of the Lebanese Cabinet, not to mention UN resolutions.
But Hezbollah doesn’t see it this way. The more it is told that the law should take the reins of the country, the more it answers off-topic. A serious hearing problem. The result is a dialogue of the deaf:
“Please hand over your weapons before a tragedy unfolds.”
- Never. Start with the reconstruction.
- But we do not have a penny to rebuild. Give up your weapons and international conferences will rush to Lebanon’s aid.
- No way. We want an Israeli withdrawal first. Besides, we have rebuilt our forces and are ready for another ‘divine victory.’
- Listen, you signed a ceasefire agreement that stipulates your disarmament.
- Wrong. We signed to foil the Israelis’ plans!!! (no laughing)”
In short, it has been like this for months on end.
The latest claim is that Hezbollah operates in autonomous cells. The Israelis are said to have wiped out the first three levels of command. As a result, no one supposedly knows where the remaining weapons caches are. Hard to believe, but perhaps not entirely untrue. The solution: let the Lebanese Army cut through this jungle of steel.
On the political front, the Lebanese president recently said the country should not stay on the sidelines of the regional upheavals and should start talks with Israel.
Since then, the dialogue of the deaf has been back in full swing.
Meanwhile, Syria, ready to sign agreements with Israel, has started tallying the cost of its reconstruction – over $200 billion – and sent the estimate to the international community, which can’t stop praising Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Hamas has agreed to release Gaza from its grip, and Arab-Muslim countries are queuing up for normalization.
In the end, only Lebanon will stand alone, like the last village pushed by the Iranian mullahs and their allies to keep pretending to “resist” endlessly… except that in this story, we have no magic potion.
Guillaume Apollinaire once said, “It is high time to relight the stars.”
The deception must end. We will no longer be the fools of the Middle East.
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