'Occupation came before weapons': Netizens slam Lebanon FM over tirade against Hezbollah, Iran

Lebanon’s foreign minister faced a storm of online backlash after blaming Hezbollah and Iran for instability in the country, with social media users emphasizing that Hezbollah was born to resist the Israeli occupation and aggression. 

In two posts on X on Monday, Lebanon's Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji accused the country’s resistance group of having “brought occupation onto Lebanese territory” through its weapons- a claim that ignited a storm of push-back from netizens who framed his words as a distortion of Lebanon’s history and struggle

Echoing demands largely pushed by Israel and the United States, Rajji said Hezbollah’s arms “must be handed over to the Lebanese State.”

In another post, the top Lebanese diplomat claimed that the Islamic Republic's "role is extremely negative, and its policies are among the chief sources of instability in Lebanon and the region.”

Users on X, however, cited historical facts, arguing that Israel’s repeated invasion of Lebanon long predated Hezbollah’s formation, making the resistance group a response to occupation rather than its cause.

Activist Raed Jamal wrote that Hezbollah’s “weapons were a direct result of the occupation,” adding, “You are the foreign minister of the country. Your stance must rise above petty local politics.”

Another X user said Hezbollah “led the resistance that forced Israel to withdraw in 2000, stopped its advance in 2006, and in 2024 limited its ground incursion despite Israel’s overwhelming air superiority.”

The user added that “the deeper Israeli penetration in late 2024 actually occurred after the Lebanese Army deployed under the ceasefire agreement, not due to major violations by Hezbollah.”

Award-winning journalist Hala Jaber refuted the Lebanese foreign minister's statement as baseless accusation with a historical breakdown. She wrote, “Hezbollah’s official declaration was 1985. Israel was invading Lebanon long before it existed. Occupation came FIRST. Resistance was the RESPONSE.”

Referring to Rajji’s call for Hezbollah’s disarmament, Jaber said: “Disarm without ending occupation? Lebanon would face the same fate as Syria: disarmed, attacked, and stripped of sovereignty.”

Other users echoed the sentiment. Shima wrote that if it were not for Hezbollah, “there would be no Lebanon left today.”

She added that the resistance movement stopped terrorist groups Daesh, al-Nusra as well as Israel from tearing the country apart while the “state stood absent and powerless.”

Journalist Courtney Bonneau said Israel “brought occupation to Lebanon — not just occupation, but daily terrorism and death,” adding that Hezbollah “formed out of necessity.”

Iranian-born writer and analyst Trita Parsi warned that “Lebanon is about to be bombed by Israel beyond what we have seen yet,” but the foreign minister “doesn’t dare to say a word about that, and instead complains about Iran.”

“Some elements of Lebanon seem to think it must embrace defenselessness under Israeli impunity,” he added.

Another user said the Lebanese foreign minister “seems to imagine that denouncing Iran might grant Lebanon absolution in the eyes of Israel — a familiar ritual of disavowal performed in hope of recognition from the very order that denies one’s sovereignty.”

Endthewest, a netizen said that Arab politicians "feel better about themselves once they start yelling and conspiring against Iran."

He said they "think that sovereignty is when they’re silent about Zionist bunker busters that shred their own citizens but keep shrieking hysterically at the Islamic Republic so they might get a treat from Trump or so."

During a recent interview with Saudi-owned al-Arabiya, the Lebanese foreign minister claimed that Hezbollah “will not hand over its weapons without an Iranian decision.”

“Right now, [Hezbollah] is concerned with preserving itself and regaining power,” he said, downplaying Israel’s repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty and its occupation of the country's land over decades.

With almost daily Israeli airstrikes, experts say that Hezbollah remains the only credible military force capable of challenging the occupation and deterring further Israeli incursions.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem reiterated on Saturday that the movement would never lay down its weapons, warning, “Lebanon will cease to exist with surrender. It will have no future, and its history will be erased entirely.”

Meanwhile, Iran has reaffirmed its support for Hezbollah, saying that the Islamic Republic is prepared to back Lebanon and its resistance at all levels.

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