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Lebanese Civil War Veterans Draw Historical Parallels to Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire
Lebanese who experienced the 1975-1990 civil war report echoes of past divisions in the ongoing conflict with Israel. A temporary ceasefire follows weeks of strikes that displaced 1.2 million people and killed nearly 2,300. U.S.-hosted peace talks between Lebanon and Israel are set for Thursday.
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A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect last week after more than five weeks of Israeli strikes that killed nearly 2,300 people across Lebanon. 2 million people, surpassing the one million who fled during the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war. -hosted peace negotiations between Lebanon and Israel on Thursday.
Hezbollah fired into Israel on March 2, 2026, sparking a war that has deepened internal divisions in Lebanon. A Christian politician was killed in an Israeli strike this month, and armed Christian men fired in the air during the funeral.
Ziad Saab, who fought alongside Lebanon's Communist Party during the civil war, heads Fighters for Peace, an organization founded by former combatants. He received a certificate from the Soviet Ministry of Defence after participating in military training in the Soviet Union during the Lebanese civil war. Saab showed the certificate in his home in Beirut on April 14, 2026.
Saab also received a handwritten letter in 1981 from a friend on the frontline detailing Israeli bombardment on southern villages. 'This letter could be written today,' said Ziad Saab, speaking to Reuters at his home in Beirut. 'Don't repeat our experience.
Because you'll be surprised where it will take you,' he added. Patrick Baz, a Lebanese photographer who learned his craft in the civil war's early days and spent his adulthood documenting it, commented on current tensions. 'I'm sure if you go to universities today and you tell them to carry guns and go and fire at your political opponents or someone you don't like, they will do it,' said Patrick Baz.
