'Ding, Dong the Witch is Dead'

It was a scary moment after the Wicked Witch of the West had been liquidated in the classic 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz.” Because Dorothy and her three friends had no idea how her minions would react. Expecting they’d be blamed and reviled for her demise, it came as a great surprise to see that everyone was so relieved that the evil tyrant was finally gone!

This has to be the way that many Lebanese citizens feel today, who have lived under the oppressive reign of terror since 1992, when Hassan Nasrallah became the leader of Hezbollah, risking the lives of ordinary Lebanese civilians, many of whose neighborhoods became warehouses for his massive arsenal of weapons. 

But the Shia cleric is no more. Similar, to the wicked witch, he, too, came to his end when 83 tons of explosives were dropped on his Beirut bunker, joining the dustbin of others like him who also were forced to make the frightful discovery that instead of 72 virgins awaiting them in paradise, it was, instead, the nightmare of their eternal fate unfolding before them.

The last couple of weeks have been responsible for a major shift in the war which was unexpectedly foisted upon Israel a year ago, and the events have been a stunning turnaround ever since September 17th, when the explosive pager incident occurred, leaving at least 1,500 Hezbollah fighters without sight as well as the loss of limbs. 

The last thing these wounded terrorists were expecting was for their Supreme Leader, Hassan Nasrallah to be eliminated in such a daring move, preceded by the targeting of almost all of his senior cohorts. Now, it’s being widely reported, throughout the region that Hezbollah is in total disarray as they begin a five-day mourning period for their evaporated leader.

“But not all Lebanese civilians are mourning Nasrallah’s death. Some see it as a chance to loosen Hezbollah’s grip on the country.” Among Lebanon’s citizens are those who don’t share the same loyalties towards Iran as Hezbollah does, one of the reasons why there have been three periods of time with no president. The first was from November 2007 to May 2008, the second was from May 2014 to October 2016 and the third was from October 2023 to the present. 

Hezbollah, as an arm of Iran, allowed them to approve any potential candidates. Short of that, no one was able to run. Enabled by Hezbollah, Iran called all the shots, paying for all the services made available, such as social welfare, health utilities, education and pretty much everything else. Now, the death of Nasrallah could finally cut that Iranian tie, and that could begin a process of reclaiming their country. 

Ever since 2005, following the assassination of the Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafic Hariri, an opponent of Hezbollah, there has always been a segment of opposition. Protests emerged in 2015 as well as 2019. “In 2020, a poll showed a drop in Hezbollah’s popularity among the Shiite community, which makes up about a third of the population.” And by the time 2024 rolled around, another poll showed that “only 30% of the population trusted Hezbollah, while 55% said they didn’t trust the group at all. Add to that 9% of Sunnis and Druze and only 6% of Christians who trust the militia.”

Now, with no one at the helm and so many senior leaders eliminated, there may be hope for democratic elections for the first time in a year, but that might largely depend upon how widespread the opposition movement could become. It will undoubtedly take courage for the Lebanese people to take back their country, but if they choose to do so, there is, perhaps, no better time than now as Hezbollah finds itself reeling from these unexpected series of attacks which has weakened it to a point of unprecedented vulnerability.

Although one report refers to Hezbollah as having been decapitated, they maintain that the organization will not totally collapse. Yet the acknowledgment of the joy and relief, albeit, in secret, among many Arab states, cannot be denied, least of which is Saudi Arabia since they are not of the same Shiite ilk. Sweets were actually being distributed by some Syrians as well.

But, one thing is for sure, Iran has lost some of their best proxy fighters against Israel. With a seriously wounded Hamas and Hezbollah, they might be forced to actually get their hands dirty and resume the fight they had others doing for them. There is now speculation that Iran will surely retaliate, while others say that their strength lies in playing the long game, knowing that it would be best to patiently wait and not attack Israel at this point.

No one knows, but without Nasrallah, to hold things together, anything could happen. At the moment, 200,000 Lebanese citizens have been displaced from their homes, and they cannot blame that on anyone but the deceased leader who was responsible for jeopardizing their well-being after months and months of endless rocket fire into Israel’s northern communities. 

With the possibility of an imminent ground invasion by Israel, the people of Lebanon will, surely, come to regret the terror group that has turned them into victims, paying for the actions of those who agreed to dedicate their lives to the annihilation of the Jewish homeland. But this was their inevitable end once they became unable to fight this internal enemy who put their interests last and, just as Hamas, used the locals as a means to an end. 

As Danny Danon, Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations said, “The militant group’s decision to attack Israel, in support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, is a mistake, and the people who will pay the price will be the people of Lebanon.”

Many Lebanese Christians support Israel, but, according to Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), an online news agency, although they are grateful for Israel, “they remain lonely and scared.” Part of that is because they are no longer the majority in Lebanon. 

Yet, they are not really alone in their contempt for Hezbollah. Many other Lebanese are relieved that the tyrant is gone, and there’s, perhaps, no better time than this one to take back their country and liquidate what remains of Hezbollah, now that they have been freed from Nasrallah’s nearly 20-year tight grip of a terror reign, along with the devastating consequences it has brought to them.