A very serious incident occurred last week, when a Hezbollah truck transporting weapons to Beirut turned over in the nearby Christian village of Kahaleh. What the episode showed, above all, is that while Hezbollah remains powerful militarily, its cross-communal support in Lebanese society no longer exists.
While the sequence of events is not absolutely clear, armed Hezbollah members accompanying the truck tried to force villagers away once the vehicle had turned over. When the villagers realised the truck was carrying weapons, they began throwing rocks at the armed men. One villager, Fadi Bejjani, started firing on them, killing one of the Hezbollah members, before his comrades shot and killed Bejjani.
To many people in the Christian community, this is the third time that Hezbollah has done them harm in the past three years. Christians hold the party responsible for the ammonium nitrate explosion at Beirut port in August 2020, which destroyed large swathes of Beirut, mostly Christian-majority quarters. Hezbollah is suspected of having stored the material.
Just over a year later, in October 2021, armed demonstrators from Hezbollah and the allied Amal movement entered the Christian neighbourhood of Tayyouneh as part of their protest against an investigation of the port explosion. The investigator, Tarek Bitar, had displayed courage in pursuing his inquiry, and Hezbollah and Amal sought to show that if he was allowed to continue, this might provoke conflict with Christians.
The problem is that the young men in Tayyouneh began firing on the demonstrators, killing at least one of them. Later on, several more were killed by snipers, widely believed to belong to the Lebanese army. The army never acknowledged this, but off the record military personnel stated they had averted a serious sectarian clash.
Kahaleh completed this triptych. Hezbollah, which tried so hard to secure Christian support in 2005 and divide its enemies after the departure of the Syrian army from Lebanon, by allying with the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) of Michel Aoun, must realise its strategy has failed. Mr Bejjani appears to have been an Aounist, while FPM members are as outraged by what happened in Kahaleh as other Christians are.
Little is likely to change Hezbollah’s behaviour. The party will continue to act as a state within a state and hijack national decision-making on behalf of its sponsor Iran. However, it should be careful. Some of the directions it is taking today cannot possibly succeed without broad and solid backing within Lebanese society.
Earlier this year, for example, Hezbollah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, supported what he called the “unity of the fronts” against Israel. What this meant is that Hezbollah would work with Palestinian organisations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad to create a situation in which Israel could face co-ordinated attacks from Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria in response to Israeli military operations.
The hitch is that this is highly controversial, even within Lebanon’s Shiite community. Many Shiites recall the heavy price they paid in the late 1960s and 1970s when Palestinian guerrillas attacked Israel from southern Lebanon. For Hezbollah to again tie the south’s security to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is risky, even more so if it is strongly rejected by other Lebanese sects.
The reason is simple. In the event of a new war, Israel will provoke major destruction in Lebanon, Shiite areas in particular. This will displace hundreds of thousands from the community. While during the war of 2006 the Shiite displaced were hosted in non-Shiite areas, given sectarian polarisation today, the reaction from the other communities may be much less tolerant.
Two things may happen as a result of a war with Israel. The destruction in Shiite areas could turn many in the community against the party, while the anger of other communities against Hezbollah could cast doubt on the durability of the Lebanese communal contract. Already, there is a strong secessionist mood among Christians because of Hezbollah’s hegemony. A war could push this to the point of no return.
Either of those outcomes – Shiite resentment of the party or the break-up of Lebanon – would pose a major challenge to Hezbollah. Already today, without a national consensus behind what Hezbollah calls “the resistance”, the party is operating on shifting sands, which limits its options when it comes to Israel.
Yet Iran is perturbed by Arab normalisation with the Israelis. This represents a strategic threat to Tehran regionally, and its mobilisation of Hezbollah and Palestinian organisations against this trend is an attempt to retain leverage over the process.
More importantly, Hezbollah is thinking ambitiously. The sectarian pushback at home appears to have led the party to try reshaping the disintegrating Lebanese order – a result of the financial collapse of 2019 – around its interests. This reflects hubris. As Hezbollah imposes its way, Lebanon’s other communities will increasingly resist whatever the party initiates.
Hezbollah has never respected Lebanon’s treacherous sectarian system, even if ignoring it has cost other communities in the past – notably, the Maronite Christians and Sunnis. Trying to push the country in directions it does not want to go will only exacerbate existential fears among minorities – and every community in Lebanon is a minority – prompting them to defend themselves.
For Hezbollah, a civil war would be fatal, burying it in a destructive conflict that would soon draw in regional actors. Hezbollah has broken the wall of consensus once protecting it, and is operating without a net. This can lead in unpredictable directions.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Asian Cup 2019
Quarter-final
UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
HAJJAN
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The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match info
Karnataka Tuskers 110-3
J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16
Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs
K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
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UAE%20SQUAD
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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SPEC%20SHEET
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
Concrete and Gold
Foo Fighters
RCA records
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
