Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: The Anniversary of the Syrian Army’s Withdrawal from Lebanon Is Marked by Defeat and Disappointment Elias Bejjani/April 26/2025
Moses looked north, toward the mountains of Lebanon, and said, “And this mountain?” God answered and said, “Close your eyes. This mountain is my own property (endowment -glebe). Your feet shall not tread upon it, neither you nor he who comes after you (Deuteronomy-Old testament)
It was reported that Ka‘b al-Ahbar said: “Mount Lebanon is one of the eight mountains that will carry the Throne on the Day of Judgment.” It was also reported that Abu al-Zahiriyya said: “Mount Lebanon is one of the eight bearers of the Throne on the Day of Judgment.
April 26, 2005, is not merely a date to remember—it marks the end of a long and painful chapter that began in 1976, when the Syrian army entered Lebanon and began suppressing the free will of the Lebanese people. Today, the Lebanese commemorate the withdrawal of the Assad regime’s brutal army from their homeland—a retreat marked by humiliation, defeat, and disgrace. This historic exit was the result of persistent, peaceful, and honorable pressure by the Lebanese people of the Cedar Revolution, backed by international and regional support. However, the vacuum left by the Syrian occupation was swiftly filled by the Iranian army’s proxy—Hezbollah, a terrorist, sectarian militia that now occupies Lebanon, strips it of its sovereignty, and suppresses its free citizens and their independent leaders.
The key difference between these two brutal occupations lies in their form: the Syrian Ba’athist occupation was carried out by a foreign force supported by traitorous Lebanese factions. That regime has now collapsed, its atrocities—including those against its own people—fully exposed. In contrast, the Iranian occupation continues through Hezbollah—an armed gang composed of our own people from the Shiites community, who have been misled and manipulated. Their decisions, allegiance, funding, arms, culture, and ideological direction are entirely dictated by Iran’s clerical regime. Since 1982, this regime has worked tirelessly to dismantle the Lebanese state and replace it with a theocracy governed by the concept of Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist).
Despite countless international, Arab, and regional resolutions—and despite almost daily, devastating Israeli strikes—Hezbollah remains in a state of arrogant denial. It refuses to acknowledge the defeat reflected in the ceasefire agreement and continues its threats and provocations. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s new leadership—its president and cabinet—remain hesitant and submissive, appeasing Hezbollah instead of taking a firm stand to set a clear timeline for disarmament or to impose it by force. Hezbollah’s weapons are not pointed at Israel—they are aimed at the Lebanese people.
Therefore, the Iranian occupation, executed through the treacherous, criminal, jihadist, and Persian-backed Hezbollah, is far more dangerous than the previous Syrian Assad occupation. Hezbollah was crushed in its confrontation with Israel, and the myth of its so-called resistance has been shattered. For this reason, every patriotic Lebanese citizen who believes in a Lebanon of peace, coexistence, and sovereign purpose must rise against this occupation. They must reject and expose every official, politician, or religious leader who enables its survival.
Ultimately, evil can never triumph over good. Lebanon represents goodness, while the Iranian jihadist occupation embodies evil. And because of that truth, Lebanon will prevail—no matter how long the struggle takes. All occupying forces will eventually suffer defeat, disgrace, and destruction.
Yet even more dangerous to Lebanon’s identity, culture, and future than foreign occupations are the shameful, narcissistic behaviors of many current and former Lebanese politicians, clerics, and officials. Their hatred and envy resemble that of Lucifer—the fallen angel cast out of heaven for defying the greatness of God. These figures have similarly fallen, betraying Lebanon for personal gain and power.
Yes, the Syrian army withdrew on April 26, 2005. But its domestic mercenaries remain—especially Hezbollah, along with the toxic remnants of radical leftist groups, Arab nationalists tainted by Nasserism, and frauds who continue to deceive the public with empty slogans of resistance and liberation. These forces, blinded by primitive instincts, hatred, and ignorance, are the true enemies of Lebanon. They cloak themselves in hypocrisy and lies, peddling slogans about “resistance,” “defiance,” and “throwing Jews into the sea,” all while functioning as Trojan horses undermining Lebanon from within. With malice, corruption, and violence, they actively sabotage efforts to restore sovereignty and freedom—resorting to assassinations, invasions, terrorism, and mafia-like intimidation.
Lebanon, with its divine message, ancient civilization, and sacred identity, has endured for over 7,000 years. It is a flame that burns the hands of those who try to destroy it. And in time, it will always rise up to crush those who insult its dignity, freedom, and people.
On this solemn and truly national day, let us bow our heads in prayer for the souls of our martyrs, for the return of our heroic, honorable refugees living in exile in Israel, and for those still forcibly disappeared in the Assad regime’s criminal prisons.
In the end, sacred Lebanon will endure—despite hardship and suffering—because angels guard it, and because the Virgin Mother intercedes lovingly on its behalf. Just as the Syrian occupation fell, so too will the Iranian one—whether sooner or later, by God’s will.
