Some in the international media are misrepresenting the recent round of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist organization, Hezbollah, as a war between Israel and Lebanon. This, however, is not a war between Israel and the Lebanese people. Rather, it is a war between Israel and a heavily armed terrorist group that has created a state within a state in Lebanon and is acting on orders from the mullahs in Tehran to advance their goal of destroying the “Zionist entity.” This war was initiated 11 months ago by Hezbollah in support of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, another Iran-backed proxy based in the Gaza Strip.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas and thousands of “ordinary” Palestinians launched an attack on Israeli communities near the border with the Gaza Strip, murdering 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping more than 240 others. Israel responded by sending troops into the Gaza Strip with two objectives: to release the Israeli hostages and destroy the military capabilities of Hamas, a group whose charter openly calls for waging Jihad (holy war) with the purpose of killing Jews and eliminating Israel.

On October 8, 2023, the very day after Hamas attacked, Hezbollah opened a “second front” against Israel to help Hezbollah’s brothers in Hamas. On October 13, 2023, after the Israeli military offensive in Gaza began in earnest, Hezbollah terrorists began firing hundreds of rockets, drones and guided missiles at Israeli communities along the border with Lebanon. As a result, Israel was forced to evacuate tens of thousands of residents from northern Israel. Since then, the displaced Israeli families have been unable to return to their homes, some of which have been severely damaged or completely destroyed by Hezbollah’s missiles and drones.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government have displayed incredible self-restraint in the face of Hezbollah’s war of attrition. Netanyahu and his government have tried their utmost to avoid a full-scale war with Hezbollah, mainly to avoid harming innocent civilians in Lebanon. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) have repeatedly warned Lebanese civilians to flee north out of harm’s way. The Israeli military’s response to the unremitting daily barrage of rockets and drones fired by Hezbollah over the past 11 months was restricted to airstrikes targeting Hezbollah terrorists and their military installations in southern Lebanon.

How would the US respond if a terrorist organization in Mexico began launching hundreds of missiles and drones into American cities? Would the US tolerate such attacks for nearly a year? Would the US accept a situation where tens of thousands of its own citizens are forced to flee their homes and become refugees in their own country? How would France respond if its cities came under attack from terrorists based in neighboring countries such as Belgium, Spain or Germany? Would the French call for negotiations with the terrorists, or would they practice their right to self-defense?

On September 19, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah promised that his organization’s terrorist attacks on Israel would continue until the war in Gaza ended. Hezbollah, he said, will continue supporting the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip “no matter what the consequences are, what the sacrifices are, what scenarios will unfold.” Nasrallah further threatened that Israelis who have evacuated from their homes will not be allowed to return, implying that Hezbollah might be planning to invade and occupy Israel’s north.

The Hezbollah leader is evidently more worried about the well-being of Hamas than the safety of the Lebanese people. He seems to believe that the war he waged against Israel 11 months ago would save Hamas and allow it to continue ruling the Gaza Strip. Nasrallah and his patrons in Iran are willing to destroy Lebanon and sacrifice many Lebanese citizens to keep Hamas in power. They seem determined to prevent the downfall of one of Iran’s Palestinian terror proxies in the Middle East. Hezbollah, it seems, has made the decision to hold the entire Lebanese population captive to shield the Hamas murderers and rapists who carried out the massacres against Israelis on October 7.

Earlier this week, Israel published photographic evidence of Hezbollah weaponry placed inside of homes in southern Lebanon. Among the weapons siloed in Lebanese homes were cruise missiles, rockets with enormous warheads, and drones. In one instance, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed pictures showing a long-range missile, mounted on a hydraulic launcher, sitting in the attic of a Lebanese family’s home.

This is the same tactic used by Hamas in the Gaza Strip over the past two decades. Like Hezbollah, the Palestinian terror group has also been placing weapons and missile launchers in densely populated areas throughout the Gaza Strip, in homes, hospitals, mosques, United Nations facilities and schools.

Israel’s war primarily aims to prevent Hamas from launching another October 7-style attack against Israelis in the future. Shortly after the attack, senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad declared that his group is prepared to repeat the October 7 attack time and again until Israel is annihilated:

“The Al-Aqsa Flood [the name Hamas uses to call its October 7 attack] is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve, and the capabilities to fight. We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again. Israel is a country that has no place on our land.”

The war in the Gaza Strip could end tomorrow if Hamas would lay down its weapons and release the 101 Israelis hostages it is still holding, only about half of whom are thought to be alive. Hamas, nonetheless, seems to have chosen to fight to the last Palestinian. Hamas evidently does not care if thousands of Palestinians are killed in the war. Its main objective is to hold onto power.

The war in Lebanon could end tomorrow if Hezbollah stopped its rocket and drone attacks on Israeli towns and cities. Hezbollah, however, has so far indicated that it has no intention of halting them.

Many Lebanese people are strongly opposed to Hezbollah’s attempt to drag their country into a war on behalf of Hamas and Iran. Addressing the Hezbollah secretary-general, Lebanese journalist and political analyst Dr. Ghassan A. Bou Diab wrote:

“You have plunged your community and people into a confrontation whose extent only God knows, with the state of Israel, a state that is truly one of the foremost nations in terms of technological and military advancement, enjoying an extensive network of international relations, all under the pretext of supporting the Gaza front.

“The day after the terrorist organization Hamas began its fateful operation, you initiated gunfire into Israeli territory, causing dozens of innocent civilians to flee their homes. You supported the terrorist organization in its horrific crime of kidnapping hostages and using civilians as human shields.

“This was preceded by your constant threats that you would ‘keep the Israelis on one and a half feet,’ and that you were ready to ‘destroy Israel in seven and a half minutes.’

“Your misguided bets have characterized your journey. You gambled that Israel could not withstand a prolonged war, but Israel surprised everyone, and the war has continued for nearly a year. You bet on the collapse of the political, security, and military institutions if fronts were opened, yet Israel has proven to be cohesive. In fact, it forged a new social contract in Israel following the events of October 7, centered around fighting for existence…

“You gambled on direct Iranian intervention in the battle, only to see Khamenei retreat and limit himself to prayer and seeking safety as soon as he witnessed American aircraft carriers, equipped with fifth-generation technologies, sailing with terrifying weaponry capable of annihilating half the globe. You relied on international diplomatic pressure and protests around the world, yet you failed because your axis initiated the aggression.”

Hezbollah has decided to destroy Lebanon and sacrifice a large number of Lebanese civilians to keep Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip. It has left Israel with no choice but to wage a counterterrorism offensive to defend its own citizens. After Hamas brought a nakba (catastrophe) to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah is bringing the Lebanese people another.

Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East. His work is made possible through the generous donation of a couple of donors who wished to remain anonymous. Gatestone is most grateful.