Entrism and infiltration have us by the throat!

Who ever said Hezbollah thrived only on skirmishes and armed conflict? Since the 1990s, it has been steadily “Lebanonizing” itself—smoothing its rough edges, choosing the language of compromise. Or at least pretending to, simply to muddy the waters.

At the outset—at the moment of its creation—Hezbollah made no effort to hide its hand. It openly proclaimed its ambition to establish a regime modeled word for word on Khomeini’s. From there, it distanced itself entirely from the Lebanese political sphere, dismissing it as an unworthy arena fit only for unbelievers. But then, reconsidering its approach, it embarked—cleverly and deliberately—on a long-term project to burrow into the Lebanese state apparatus. So much so that by 2005 it had secured a fatwa from Sheikh Afif al-Nabulsi legitimizing its participation in government.

A veneer of legality was thus achieved after a long, silent march forward. The self-satisfied and the naïve swallowed the bait whole. In their view, Lebanon’s political “alchemy” had finally managed to reclaim the party of the Islamic Revolution. Hezbollah, they assured us, would become Lebanese at heart, and adopt our prosaic trading mentality, the same one we’ve carried since Phoenician times. Yes, perhaps the Iranian party had diluted its wine a little—but those hopeful souls declared victory far too soon.

Reality would swiftly expose their mistake. Democracy would not emerge the winner in this game. No longer content to remain aloof, Hezbollah infiltrated the public administration to better advance its agenda—short-term and long-term alike. It infused the system with its own subversive logic. And since the state was ripe for capture, the Shiite duo would tame it from the inside out.

Infiltration and Penetration

This strategy of entrism, that classic Marxist-Leninist tactic, consisted of deliberately inserting members of a militant organization into rival structures—or even directly into the so-called bourgeois state itself. What could be simpler than gaining power from within and never letting go? Both the regional and internal environments lent themselves perfectly to such deception. And if Hezbollah remains deeply grateful to President Emile Lahoud, it is precisely because under his presidency it managed to weave itself into every layer of power and administration.

Shielded by impunity and protected by their patrons, these infiltrated pawns—these “sleeping agents”—took root in public institutions and steadily climbed the hierarchy. In day-to-day governance, their allegiance was never in doubt: they followed the directives of their handlers and willingly became accomplices to every transgression.

The Misdeeds of the Conspiracy

The catastrophic double explosion at the port on that fateful August 4 stands as the ultimate proof of a nationwide conspiracy. Are we not still asking the same questions today? How were tons of explosive material allowed to sit in the heart of the city without collusion at every level? Why were so many glaring warnings ignored? How many acts of cowardice—and how many assassinations left unresolved—must still be counted?

What a model public administration indeed! So many institutions looked away—the judiciary, customs, security services alike. And to crown it all: a grand conspiracy of silence.

Well done, gentlemen of Hezbollah: your project of entrism has certainly borne fruit. Never before has infiltration so effectively revealed so many vices and machinations.