"Be careful what you wish for; it might come true..."
This simple yet unsettling wisdom rang out across Lebanon and the world in the aftermath of the assassination of Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. The air strike that obliterated the massive compound housing the party's headquarters not only eliminated the remaining senior military leadership of the Iranian-backed militia in Lebanon, it also managed to reset—if not entirely dismantle—many long-held perceptions about Lebanon itself.
Chief among these was the belief that Hezbollah and its Iranian arsenal had become integral to the country and that its representation of Lebanon's Shiite community was as unquestionable as the famous cedar tree depicted on Lebanon's state flag.
In truth, the collapse of Hezbollah's military and political infrastructure has been both swift and alarming. Now is the time to search for an off-ramp to this catastrophe war that has engulfed Lebanon. The country is in a perilous state, unable even to effectively provide and care for 1 million displaced within the country.
An immediate ceasefire is needed to address the humanitarian situation, even if Lebanon unilaterally calls for one. This would end the bloodshed of innocent civilians and Hezbollah fighters stationed on the southern front, whose only fault may be their sincerity and thirst for martyrdom—a sacrifice egregiously taken for granted by Iranian and Hezbollah officials.
Return to the Constitution
From here, Hezbollah's third and fourth-tier leaders—who, over the past ten days, have become the de-facto leadership without prior consultation—should join forces with the Lebanese army and, if possible, try to wean them off the ideology that teaches them their allegiance lies with the militia over the Lebanese state. This proposition might seem too far-fetched, especially given that Hezbollah and its supporters don't seem to grasp the severity of Lebanon's catastrophe.
