Lebanese Civil War Veterans Draw Historical Parallels to Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire

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.

Rafic Bazerji, a senior figure in a Lebanese Christian armed group during the civil war, now owns a guesthouse in the mountains southeast of Beirut. He heads the Latin League in Lebanon, which represents Latin Christians. Bazerji taught his two adult sons to shoot.

Lebanon's civil war erupted in April 1975 and lasted until 1990, killing around 150,000 people. Around one million people fled their homes during that period. The Taif Agreement ended the Lebanese civil war but was never fully implemented.

Israel invaded southern Lebanon in 1978 and occupied a strip of southern Lebanon after the invasion. Syria deployed troops to Lebanon from 1976 to 2005. An idea for Syrian troop deployment to Lebanon was floated to Damascus last year.

Hezbollah was founded in 1982 and was the only group to retain arms after the Lebanese civil war ended. Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000. Internal clashes broke out in Lebanon in 2008 and in 2021.

Hezbollah fought a war with Israel in 2024. S. vowed to disarm Hezbollah. Lebanese troops began to confiscate Hezbollah's arms gradually. The Lebanese government's plan to disarm Hezbollah remains unfinished.

Com reported that the current conflict has brought internal splits to the surface, with some Lebanese blaming Hezbollah for pulling the country into war and others criticizing the state for failing to protect citizens.