I’m a staunch critic of Hezbollah—one of the many reasons I was forced out of Lebanon. In the lead-up to Joseph Aoun’s election as president and Nawaf Salam’s appointment as prime minister, I resumed my activism and campaigning at full force. Both were my top picks, and I’m extremely happy about the outcome. But while it’s a massive step forward, it’s just one step on a long and difficult road.

My opposition to Hezbollah intensified when they intervened in Syria, though I never supported them before that. The Mar Mikhael agreement with the Free Patriotic Movement was one of the reasons I left the FPM as a young, idealistic teenager that thought they were progressive and different from the rest. But after witnessing Hezbollah’s actions in Syria, I became certain: as long as they control our fate, Lebanon will see nothing but pain, suffering, death, and humiliation.

Being so strongly anti-Hezbollah, it’s easy to focus on their overwhelming influence in Lebanon and overlook the rest. But to truly address Lebanon’s challenges, we must also scrutinize the roles of other major political parties. While they may not be equally culpable, they have all benefited from and contributed to the status quo. It’s time to hold everyone accountable.

In today’s piece, I’ll carefully call out the rest of Lebanon’s political establishment while avoiding the trap of false equivalence. You know the one—where the moment you criticize a party, someone jumps in with, “Yeah! They’re all the same, so just lump them together!” But they’re not all the same, and pretending they are only lets the worst actors off the hook. And that’s something I will never do.

Why Now?

Before diving into each party, let me explain why I’m addressing this now. In the past few weeks, disinformation about the cabinet formation has been spreading at breakneck speed, disillusioning many—including friends of mine. And who can blame them? After a lifetime of business as usual, it’s hard to expect a different outcome, even when the variables have changed and the opportunity for real change is finally within reach—if we seize it.

This wave of disinformation isn’t just coming from Hezbollah, Amal, and their mouthpieces. Groups like the Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement are just as guilty. You can spot their game when they say things like, “Oh! If Hezbollah gets the Finance Ministry” (which Nawaf has repeatedly denied), “then I want X, Y, and Z ministries.”

That kind of opportunism makes me livid. Hezbollah is finally being forced to reckon with the reality they created, yet their former partners and lackeys are trying to reposition themselves—acting like saints who were merely bystanders instead of active participants in the destruction of an entire generation’s future, all under Hezbollah’s boot. Not under my watch!

The Role of the Lebanese Forces

Geagea has positioned himself as the de facto leader of the anti-Hezbollah camp—and with one of the largest parliamentary blocs, who can blame him? But no matter how much the Lebanese Forces want you to forget, they were partners with Hezbollah in the disastrous election of Michel Aoun in 2016. That decision not only accelerated Lebanon’s collapse but also enabled the weaponization of the judiciary in ways that would make Bashar al-Assad proud.

As much as they try to sell it as a move made for Lebanon’s sake, the reality was far more self-serving—Gebran Bassil promised Samir Geagea a deal to divide public positions between them in a classic scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours arrangement. But, of course, Bassil being Bassil, that promise was never kept.

In a way, it was poetic karma. The LF thought selling Lebanon to Hezbollah was a fair trade as long as they got their share of ministries and forest guardian posts to hand out to their followers. Turns out, when you make a deal with the devil, you don’t get to negotiate the terms.

So today, when we say Hezbollah can’t have the ministry it wants, that doesn’t mean the LF should either. Yet the so-called “pragmatic” leadership of the party seems to have conveniently forgotten its own accountability. Just as Hezbollah doesn’t get to pick and choose exactly what it wants, the LF’s letter to Santa shouldn’t be a guarantee either.

After all, they stood alongside Hezbollah in forcing Michel Aoun—and his son-in-law—down Lebanon’s throat. That betrayal isn’t erased. They are not redeemed yet. So maybe it’s time they started acting like it.

The Free Patriotic Movement

These guys are among the worst culprits—second only, perhaps, to the Amal Movement. Michel Aoun’s complicity in Hezbollah’s brutality will never be forgotten, nor forgiven. For the sake of a few illicit paydays and the reckless squandering of public funds, the FPM paved the way for Lebanon’s collapse. They didn’t just enable the downfall—they ensured, as Aoun himself put it, that we would “go to hell.”

I won’t waste much time on them—I’ve already spent enough of my life fighting them. Their shameful, Assad-style crackdown on me has earned them a permanent spot on my blacklist.

But now, we’re seeing “leaked info” suggesting that Gebran Bassil is getting five ministries, despite his bloc crumbling. It’s nothing more than a pathetic disinformation stunt from his camp—an attempt to inflate his relevance and manipulate public opinion into believing he still holds real power. Five ministries? Please.

Gebran’s dreams of the presidency evaporated the moment he chose Hassan Nasrallah over his own people. And if there’s one thing I’m most proud of—despite the cost—it’s making sure he will never be president.

So if Hezbollah doesn’t get to pick and choose, neither do you, Gebran. Shame on you for even dreaming of it at this point—when you’ve done nothing to even begin undoing the damage you inflicted as Nasrallah’s lapdog.

The Future Movement

I will never understand how, after the Special Tribunal for Lebanon found Hezbollah guilty of assassinating his own father, Rafik Hariri, Saad Hariri still chose to remain a useful tool in Nasrallah’s belt. I’ll never forget him standing before the STL, still insisting he wanted to work with Hezbollah.

Then again, money speaks louder than honor—even louder than justice for his own father’s murder. As long as his trusted contractors got their cut alongside Berri’s and Bassil’s networks, all was well. Now, even though Future and Hariri have been significantly weakened, they still cling to relevance as part of the so-called anti-Hezbollah camp—when in reality, they were partners in corruption, collaborators against the Lebanese people.

So if Hezbollah isn’t getting the Finance Ministry, you sure as hell aren’t getting the Interior—or whatever else you had your eyes on.

The Progressive Socialist Party

I know you’re expecting a joke about Walid Jumblatt’s legendary flip-flopping, but I’m not that funny. The truth is, Jumblatt has mastered the art of sensing which way the wind is blowing and adjusting his sails accordingly. Despite not being a major force, he has perfected the role of kingmaker in Lebanon’s tightly divided political landscape—always managing to secure a share far larger than he deserves.

But not this time. The PSP’s consistent support and collaboration with Hezbollah mean that if Hezbollah doesn’t get everything it dreams of, neither does the PSP.

Conclusion

I’m not gonna go into the rest, because these are the ones that matter most right now.

So, while Hezbollah's role is the major one, we must hold all political parties accountable.

Killon Ya3ne Killon.

Each has played a part in our current reality, and each must contribute to our future.

True progress requires collective responsibility and shared sacrifice.

If Hezbollah isn’t getting the ministry they want the most, the rest, who have all worked under and with Hezbollah, also cannot get what they want and must defer to Nawaf Salam and Joseph Aoun in this transition period.

So, stop spreading WhatsApp broadcasts, we all know you were Hezbollah assets, and now that Hezbollah is reduced to a husk, you don’t get to pretend like nothing happened. You need to pay back some of what you cost us. So, for once, do the right thing and don’t stand in the way of progress.

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Beyond Hezbollah: The Need for Broader Accountability in Lebanese Politics

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