𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝘇𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗵 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻?

Recently, I was honored to participate in a meaningful initiative — a small but 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴.

A friend and colleague encouraged me to contribute an article to @This is Beirut, a Lebanese news outlet. It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down: to share an Israeli academic perspective on Hezbollah 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗟𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, breaking — even slightly — one of the region’s most enduring barriers.

Before proceeding, I made sure that no one would be put at risk from this collaboration. I had to engage in careful back-channel consultations from my end, while the editorial team confirmed it was a calculated step they were ready to take.

But beyond the symbolism of this publication lies its essence — a hard look at the threat Hezbollah poses, not to Israel this time, but to Lebanon itself. Much of the discourse in Israel and the West focuses on Hezbollah’s regional aggression. This research turns the lens inward, exposing a darker dynamic: the danger of the organization reactivating 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝟭𝟮𝟭 — 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 — to intimidate and eliminate opponents. The chilling message is unmistakable: any attempt to challenge or disarm Hezbollah could be met with silencing, even within the Shiite community.

The result is something I’m deeply proud of — perhaps the first of its kind: 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹𝗶 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗟𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

Thank you to the team at This is Beirut for their courage and for providing a space for this necessary dialogue.

📄 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝘇𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗵 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻?

https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/articles/1332597/will-hezbollah-turn-to-political-assassinations-again