Hezbollah: Flags and surrender

In the case of the recent war in Lebanon that ended with a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, it can be said that both sides lost if we look at the final result from a human and moral perspective. The destruction of infrastructure and civilian casualties reflects a failure to achieve any victory, while claiming victory on the ruins of this destruction is a misleading interpretation of reality and a departure from facing the facts. This war ended between two losing parties: one “withdrawing” and the other “surrendering”.

Wars are often defined as a game of numbers and losses, but political discourse seeks to shape the concept of victory and defeat on different bases. In the case of Hezbollah, the idea of ​​victory was promoted based on the resistance’s steadfastness in the face of a much larger military force, namely Israel, suggesting that the Lebanese group as a force is capable of confronting Israeli hegemony.

However, if we look at the numbers and material reality, we find comprehensive destruction in southern Lebanon, widespread displacement of the population, and enormous damage to the economy and infrastructure. How can this be considered a victory?

The great paradox in these ideological political discourses and Hezbollah’s discourse in this war is the disregard for the human aspect, as thousands have been killed and the lives of millions destroyed, with the political discourse then coming to transform all of that into “sacrifices for victory.” In this context, the human being becomes a mere tool in a political game, and his pain and suffering are used to justify policies and consolidate power.

Worse still, Hezbollah’s repeated discourse in every war to promote the “alleged victory” may lead to the normalization of defeat, as the masses become accustomed to losses and accept them, as long as the political narrative offers them a false hope of victory. This was evident in the scene of the masses’ joy after the ceasefire was announced and the waving of the Hezbollah flag in jubilation, which the group’s followers still see as “yellow” while the world sees it as white!

In this context, we can understand how defeat is portrayed as a victory in political discourse, even if the results are catastrophic on the ground. The most obvious example is the 2006 Lebanon War, which witnessed widespread destruction of infrastructure in southern Lebanon and thousands of casualties, both dead and wounded. However, the parties involved in the war came out to declare victory, based on symbolic or moral criteria, without acknowledging the extent of the human tragedy or material losses.