From Europe, the Lebanese diaspora is following these clashes with concern. This is the case of Danny Dacache, who arrived in Belgium almost 25 years ago and who maintains strong links with Lebanon, where his entire family still resides. This Belgian-Lebanese worked in cinema as a screenwriter and director of short films. He is now a creative consultant. Since tensions intensified in Beirut, he has been in daily contact with his brother, sister, mother and cousins who remained in the country.
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“The situation in Lebanon remains unclear and desperate”describes Danny Dacache. “The state has completely disappeared and since the protests of 2019-2021, no real change has occurred despite massive mobilization in the streets. Lebanon was one of the first modern states to collapse. The banking sector collapsed, leading to impoverishment of the population. A large part of the population does not understand the situation. Basic services, such as electricity, are absent. Many families, including part of mine, left the country. The youngest left, while the older ones, having difficulty getting around, stayed. Some still hope for repatriation.”
During this “Lebanese revolution”, Danny Dacache returned to Lebanon to help form political think tanks. What he observes today is that the country is crossed by three great fears. “Since 2006, the situation has evolved. At the time, Israeli bombings were targeted at specific regions, but today Hezbollah has spread like a cancer. They metastasized everywhere. Israel’s strikes are less precise. It is more difficult to predict where Israeli missiles will fall. Part of the population fears an Israeli invasion, but that seems illogical to me. Israel does not have sufficient military capacity to occupy a country. The third point is daily insecurity. Thefts and crimes have only increased since the explosion at the port of Beirut. This situation is exacerbated by the presence of two million refugees.”
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This constant insecurity is compounded by political instability coupled with a great division in society. “Parliament is dominated by Sunnis, while the presidency is occupied by a Christian. Hezbollah, which wishes to impose its rules, contributed to the total blockage of the government. Members of this Muslim movement insist on keeping their weapons, presenting themselves as resistance fighters who fight the enemy. Hezbollah, which has become too powerful, is destabilizing the country. This is why, for some Lebanese, Israel’s attacks against Hezbollah are seen as a solution. Leader Hassan Nasrallah was shot dead. But Hezbollah is still dominated by warlords.”
In current conditions, few young Lebanese people still want to stay in the country. This is the reason why the diaspora has spread across the world. Demographically, the leading Lebanese city today is São Paulo. In the Brazilian megalopolis, the expatriate community is larger than the population remaining on the shores of the Mediterranean.
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