Between War and Despair: The Everyday Lebanese Response to Netanyahu’s Address

 

War-weary and disillusioned, many Beirut residents find themselves caught in a cycle of violence that feels beyond their control. Netanyahu’s video address, urging the Lebanese to rise against Hezbollah, was met with a mixture of apathy, skepticism, and frustration.

For people like Mohammed Khair, who experiences daily life in a barber shop while war rages close by, the idea of turning against Hezbollah at Netanyahu’s request is absurd. “Nobody here wants this war, but nobody is going to be turned against Hezbollah by something Netanyahu said in a video,” he said.

Similarly, those in Christian neighborhoods like Achrafieh see no realistic pathway for change through external influence. Netanyahu’s address, while strategically aimed at stoking internal opposition, failed to resonate with a population exhausted by political paralysis, economic collapse, and military conflicts.

This highlights a broader issue: the Lebanese people’s deep disillusionment with both Hezbollah’s actions and Israel’s military aggression, and the futility of external solutions being imposed on an already fragile state.