As war reaches the South, families are fleeing their homes in search of safety. Across Lebanon, doors are opening. Schools, churches, apartments, and spare rooms are welcoming those who have nowhere else to go. People are offering what they can, a mattress, a meal, a sense of security.
This is who we are.
But beneath the solidarity lies a difficult truth. Many Lebanese did not choose this war. For years, warnings were ignored. Voices calling for neutrality and full state sovereignty were dismissed. The consequences so many feared are now unfolding.
Political and military decisions, particularly by Hezbollah, were made despite deep internal opposition. Today, the entire country is paying the price. Some argue this outcome was predictable, that when armed power operates beyond the authority of the state, escalation eventually returns home.
If Lebanon is to break this cycle, we must confront a deeper issue. We cannot continue functioning as competing factions. We must build a real state, where the decision of war and peace belongs to national institutions, not political parties. A state with one army, one authority, and one clear national interest.
Acknowledging that reckless choices led us here does not mean abandoning displaced families. It means understanding that compassion and accountability can exist at the same time.
Compassion does not erase responsibility. Responsibility is how we begin building the country we deserve.
