Transcript [00:00] So, it seems that President Trump is [00:02] finally speaking with some clarity about [00:04] the relationship between Iran and [00:06] Hezbollah. [00:07] And uh that is uh [00:10] it's welcome. We've been talking about [00:12] this issue for the last few days, last [00:14] week or two, about how uh tr- you know, [00:18] this this game that they've been playing [00:20] where Hezbollah attacks Israel, Israel [00:22] retaliates, Iran says, "Hey, Israel's uh [00:25] you know, you know, tell Israel to back [00:27] off." The Americans tell Israel to calm [00:29] down and to and to stop bombing. And [00:31] it's all a game because Iran is telling [00:34] Hezbollah to attack Israel to escalate [00:36] so that Israel will will retaliate and [00:38] then the Iranians can uh [00:41] can get the Americans to put more [00:42] pressure on Israel. Well, it seems that [00:44] President Trump is onto their game based [00:47] on the statement that he made today. And [00:49] we're going to get into not just that [00:51] statement, but everything going on in [00:52] Lebanon. There's been some very [00:53] interesting developments there. And and [00:56] and President Trump, I mean, he's [00:58] keeping us all confused. But let's take [01:00] a look. Let's get into the headlines. [01:01] There's lots to talk about in this [01:02] video. All right, so here's a headline. [01:04] Trump demands Iran stop Hezbollah from [01:07] causing trouble, threatens new strikes. [01:10] This is just This is what we've been [01:12] wanting. "If they don't, we'll hit Iran [01:14] very hard again," he added. US President [01:16] Donald Trump warned Iran to stop [01:18] supporting proxies in Lebanon, warning [01:20] that he could resume strikes on the [01:21] country should they fail to do so in a [01:23] Sunday Truth Social post. "Iran must [01:26] immediately stop their highly paid [01:27] proxies in Lebanon from causing [01:29] trouble," Trump wrote. [01:31] "If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard [01:33] again." Additionally, Trump warned Iran [01:36] not to close the Strait of Hormuz. [01:38] In an overnight conversation, Fox News [01:40] reported, "You close it and you won't [01:42] have a country. [01:43] Uh you won't even make it back to your [01:45] effing country." [01:47] Little ex- expletives here. "We may take [01:49] over the strait if we have to," Trump [01:51] commented. "I'll blow the S out of [01:52] them," he added. Moreover, Trump once [01:55] again floated the idea of letting Syria [01:57] fight Hezbollah. [01:59] He's brought this up a couple times [02:01] saying, "Well, you know, if Israel's not [02:02] going to get rid of Hezbollah, let's [02:03] bring the Syrians in." Now, [02:05] side note, Julani, the the guy in Syria, [02:08] has already said he wants no part of [02:09] that, but Trump brought this up again [02:11] today. [02:12] Reportedly being of the belief that its [02:14] forces would be more precise than the [02:16] IDF. Now, this is this is just insanity, [02:18] and we're going to talk about this uh in [02:20] a couple minutes at greater length. [02:22] Trump first publicly suggested letting [02:24] Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fight [02:26] Hezbollah in Israel's place at the [02:28] sidelines of the G7 summit in France [02:31] after having criticized Israel's strikes [02:33] as being too inaccurate. [02:36] This is ridiculous, but let's let's see [02:39] what we have here. This is from Anadolu, [02:40] the Turkish the Turkish media picked [02:43] this up, which is which is interesting. [02:45] Almost no international media picked the [02:47] picked up Trump saying this to Fox News [02:50] again, but the but Turkish media made a [02:52] headline out of it, which is [02:54] interesting. Trump says, "Israel unable [02:56] to put Hezbollah away, suggests Syria [02:58] could do it. I'm disappointed Israel [03:01] cannot put Hezbollah away," US president [03:03] tells Fox News. US President Donald [03:06] Trump expressed disappointment with [03:08] Israel's handling of Hezbollah saying it [03:11] had failed to decisively defeat the [03:13] Lebanese group and relies too heavily on [03:15] destructive military tactics. [03:18] Speaking to Fox News, Trump said Israel [03:19] has been unable to put Hezbollah away. [03:21] "I'm disappointed Israel cannot put [03:23] Hezbollah away," he said. [03:25] He also criticized Israel's military [03:27] approach in Lebanon. "They can't do [03:28] anything without knocking buildings [03:30] down," he said. [03:32] The US president suggested that Syria's [03:34] leadership could be more effective in [03:35] dealing with the group. "I'm close to [03:37] giving this to Syria," Trump said in [03:39] terms of dealing with Hezbollah. Trump [03:41] did not elaborate on what role Syria [03:43] could play or provide further details on [03:45] the remarks. [03:46] His comments come among [03:48] uh amid ongoing tensions along the [03:51] Israel-Lebanon border. [03:53] Okay. [03:54] Now, this is absurdity. [03:58] What he's disappoint [03:59] Let's first level set here. Trump is [04:02] disappointed that Israel has not been [04:03] able to put Hezbollah away, but when [04:06] Israel goes for the gusto and goes after [04:09] the Hezbollah headquarters, and look, [04:11] Israel's got the best intelligence in [04:13] the world, certainly in the region, [04:16] and they know everything about [04:18] Hezbollah. They know what they need to [04:19] do, and it's quite violent. Hezbollah, [04:22] like Hamas, like all these guys do, [04:24] builds their headquarters in underground [04:26] tunnels, which we'll get into in a [04:27] moment. They're in the headlines today. [04:30] Underground tunnels and weapon stores in [04:34] residential buildings and headquarters [04:36] in residential centers. That is what [04:38] they do. [04:39] What is What does he think that the [04:41] Syrians under Ahmad al-Sharaa are going [04:44] to do more effectively against [04:46] Hezbollah? What, they're going to [04:47] destroy less buildings? [04:49] They're going to risk more of their men [04:51] going house-to-house fighting Hezbollah [04:53] guys? What does he think? [04:56] This is an absurd thing to say. Again, [04:58] on the one hand, he's he's telling [04:59] Israel to calm down and restrain itself, [05:02] and and and hold off, and on the other [05:04] hand, he's saying, "How come you haven't [05:05] finished them off yet?" [05:07] It's [05:08] I cannot figure out the messaging. [05:10] But take a look at this. This This will [05:13] set the stage. We will come back to what [05:14] Trump said about Syria at the end of [05:16] this video, cuz something very important [05:18] to understand, and we're going to talk [05:19] about how Trump's suggestion of Syria [05:22] coming in is being viewed in Lebanon, [05:25] and it's critical. Okay, so stick around [05:27] for that, but first, let's talk about [05:29] why Israel hasn't finished off Hezbollah [05:31] yet, and what we're dealing with there. [05:33] What does he [05:34] Maybe Trump thinks it's just a bunch of [05:36] guys running around with Kalashnikovs. [05:38] Check this out. This is a headline from [05:40] today from from yesterday. Okay, this is [05:42] all from yesterday and today, every [05:44] every headline I'm showing you. IDF [05:45] targets Hezbollah nerve center as dozens [05:48] of terrorists hold up in tunnels. One of [05:50] the Israel Defense Forces most [05:52] significant operations in southern [05:53] Lebanon is underway in the village of [05:56] Tebnine. [05:57] Against several dozen Hezbollah [05:59] terrorists hold up in an underground [06:01] compound belonging to the Bader unit. [06:04] The military describes the [06:05] infrastructure found there as the units [06:07] nerve center. [06:09] And exceptional in scope. [06:13] The IDF believes Hezbollah's pressure to [06:14] halt the operation stems from the [06:16] concern over a strike on one of its main [06:18] power centers. [06:20] One of the IDF's most significant [06:21] operations in the sector is now underway [06:23] in the village of Tebnine in southern [06:25] Lebanon. Several dozen Hezbollah [06:27] terrorists are holed up in an area where [06:30] a large underground infrastructure was [06:32] found, which the military defines as the [06:35] nerve center of the terrorist [06:37] organization's Bader unit. The IDF [06:39] describes the infrastructure as [06:41] especially significant and even [06:43] unprecedented. [06:45] The IDF assessment is that Hezbollah is [06:47] not turning to Iran by chance and that [06:50] the organization's call to stop IDF [06:52] activity in the area stem their calls to [06:55] stop IDF activity activity in the area [06:57] stem from concern over damage to one of [07:01] its most significant power centers in [07:02] southern Lebanon. The military views [07:05] Tebnine as an area of exceptional [07:07] importance to Hezbollah and the [07:09] operation there as a move as a move [07:11] targeting the central infrastructure of [07:13] the organization. And this is ongoing [07:15] now. And Trump is saying, "How come you [07:16] haven't finished them off yet? Come on, [07:18] finish them off." Israel knows what it's [07:19] doing. [07:21] The operation in Tebnine is taking place [07:23] after one of the most difficult [07:25] incidents in the sector in recent weeks. [07:26] On Thursday night into Friday, [07:29] Lieutenant Colonel Dor Gedalia Ben [07:32] Simchon, commander of the 52nd battalion [07:35] and three other soldiers were killed [07:37] when the tank they were traveling in was [07:38] hit in southern Lebanon. [07:40] The IDF clarified that this was not an [07:42] internal malfunction in the tank, but [07:44] rather an external strike on the [07:45] vehicle. [07:46] Hours later, around 4:00 a.m., a [07:48] commando force operating in the Tibnin [07:50] area was hit by a drone. Five soldiers [07:52] were wounded, including one seriously. [07:55] As for the ceasefire, the IDF says the [07:57] political echelon instructed the [07:59] military to halt fire, and that the IDF [08:01] is committed to the ceasefire. At the [08:03] same time, the military stresses that [08:05] the forces continue to operate in the [08:07] security zone south of the yellow line [08:10] published by the IDF last week. [08:12] In practice, the IDF says the forces are [08:15] positioned on the ground along a forward [08:17] defensive line, [08:19] and that no operation will be carried [08:21] out beyond the yellow line, except in [08:22] cases where threats to the forces must [08:24] be removed. [08:27] Okay, that's that's basically what's [08:29] going on here. Okay, let's [08:30] Let me show you something else. Let me [08:32] show you a map. [08:34] Okay, I've to [08:35] pull this up on the screen. [08:37] Um [08:41] I think here we go. [08:44] Let's pull up this picture. So, we'll [08:47] take this down, and we'll put this up. [08:50] Here we go. This is a map of the [08:54] situation. [08:55] Okay? [08:57] So, [09:01] right, when on this map, [09:06] you see here where's Tibnin? Tibnin [09:09] is right here. Okay? [09:12] Here's Tibnin, [09:13] right here. [09:14] From Tibnin [09:16] to the Israeli border [09:19] is about 10 km. That's 6 mi. [09:22] Okay? [09:26] Okay, the [09:27] and [09:28] there's a massive terrorist [09:30] infrastructure here. [09:31] Tunnels. [09:33] Okay? And that's where all this is going [09:34] on. [09:36] Okay? Take a look here. [09:38] So, there's lots of fighting going on in [09:40] this region. This is where and and they [09:42] and basically what they discovered is [09:44] this massive [09:45] headquarters, this underground [09:47] headquarters of Hezbollah there [09:50] that they're dealing with. [09:52] Now, um let's take a look at um [09:55] let's learn a little bit more about [09:56] this, okay? [09:58] So, [10:00] here we go. [10:04] And it the IDF released some footage. [10:07] The IDF takes over massive Hezbollah [10:08] tunnel full of rocket-firing shafts [10:12] in southern Lebanon. [10:15] Okay, and this is just one. This isn't [10:16] even [10:18] this isn't even the same one. This is [10:19] the one in Majdal Zoun. They all kind of [10:21] look the same. These massive These are [10:23] pieces of drones. These are uh you know, [10:25] wings for drones. [10:27] Here, take a look at this video. This is [10:30] what was found This is a tunnel. Okay, [10:33] these are rockets. [10:35] See the rockets on the ground? [10:39] And [10:42] there's ammunition. [10:47] And these boxes are full of These are [10:49] These are all pieces of rockets and [10:51] drones. [10:53] And more rockets. [10:58] Okay, this is These are massive tunnel [11:00] infrastructure [11:02] that was found here in in uh in southern [11:05] Lebanon. [11:07] More weaponry. [11:10] Another room. [11:12] Okay, now the it turns out that the [11:14] tunnel infrastructure here [11:17] is huge. Okay? There is [11:20] it's it might it They say that it might [11:22] be more extensive [11:24] than even what was in Gaza. [11:27] And now as you as you saw, there's this [11:29] fight going on this is battle going on [11:31] and there's something like 30 Hezbollah [11:33] guys stuck underground in a tunnel. [11:37] And during all of this, you have [11:38] President Trump saying that Israel needs [11:40] to calm it down. You see, these are [11:42] boxes that have drones and missiles in [11:43] them. [11:45] Okay, this is all the weaponry they [11:47] found and this is just in one tunnel. [11:49] This is from one tunnel and there's more [11:50] videos. The IDF has released a number of [11:52] videos like this. They all kind of look [11:54] the same. Look at these boxes and boxes [11:56] of ammunition. [11:57] And this is all just literally a couple [12:00] miles [12:01] from the Israeli border. [12:04] Okay? It's 10 km into southern Lebanon. [12:07] The tunnel was 200 m long, 25 m deep, [12:11] had four firing shafts to launch [12:12] rockets. They could launch rockets right [12:14] out of the tunnel. [12:15] They just come out They look like they [12:16] come out of the ground. You can't even [12:17] see where they're coming from. [12:19] And they use them to target Israel. [12:24] Okay? That it it's it's a just this is [12:26] just incredible. [12:28] But here there's an article done by the [12:29] Alma Center. The Research and Education [12:31] Center is a think tank in Israel. It's a [12:33] think tank. It focuses on the north. A [12:35] lot of their work focuses on the north. [12:38] Hezbollah's land of tunnels, a strike on [12:40] one of its strategic assets in southern [12:42] Lebanon. They published this today. [12:45] Okay. Over the [12:47] Look what it says. Over the past several [12:49] days, the IDF has been carrying out a [12:50] necessary offensive operation on the Ali [12:53] al-Taher Ridge, which in effect serves [12:56] as a lower elevation extension of the [12:58] Beaufort Castle Ridge to the northwest. [13:01] Let me explain where that is. [13:03] Okay? Let's uh [13:06] that Beaufort Castle Ridge is right [13:08] around here. [13:09] Uh yeah, right around here. [13:13] And they're carrying out this massive [13:14] operation in this area. [13:16] Okay? [13:18] So, um sorry, I didn't show you where it [13:19] is. Let me Let me pull up Let me pull it [13:21] up again and show you where it is. I [13:22] just realized I didn't show you. [13:24] Beaufort Castle. [13:29] Here's Beau Fort Castle. Beau Fort [13:31] Castle Ridge, it's all up here in this [13:32] in this region here. [13:34] Okay, this is where Beau Fort Castle is. [13:36] So, they're carrying out a massive [13:38] operation. I told you there's a big [13:39] tunnel network. Here's Here's Tebnine. [13:42] That with that tunnel where the where [13:43] the Hezbollah guys are stuck. Here's [13:44] Beau Fort Castle. So, this is where the [13:46] this is where the the thrust of the [13:48] fighting [13:49] is is going on uh [13:52] is going on right now. [13:54] Okay? [13:55] So, let's go back to our story from Alma [13:57] from the Alma Center. [13:59] So, in the area where the IDF is [14:00] conducting ground operations on the Ali [14:02] al-Taher Ridge, located approximately [14:04] 4.5 km northwest of Beau Fort Castle, [14:09] and north of the village of Tibnin, [14:11] Hezbollah built, most likely with [14:13] Iranian and North Korean assistance, a [14:16] massive strategic underground [14:18] infrastructure complex that currently [14:20] serves as the main headquarters of the [14:22] Bader unit. [14:23] Combination of Hezbollah's loss of [14:25] control over Beau Fort Castle area and [14:28] the Ali al-Taher Ridge, together with [14:30] the damage inflicted on its key [14:32] underground infrastructure, constitutes [14:34] a blow to a major center of power that [14:36] Hezbollah invested significant efforts [14:38] over time to preserve and defend. [14:41] The Iranians understand this very well, [14:43] which is why they are leveraging threats [14:45] to halt negotiations with the United [14:47] States and even close the Strait of [14:49] Hormuz. Understand what we're seeing [14:51] here. I I cannot stress this enough. [14:53] Israel, with all of everything Israel's [14:56] done in Lebanon over the last couple [14:57] months, moving their forces into this to [15:00] this zone that's behind that yellow [15:02] line. Okay, let's pull that up again. [15:05] Moving their forces in here, right, and [15:07] all across the whole area. And and [15:10] finally, you know you know getting the [15:12] high ground with Beau Fort Castle, Beau [15:14] Fort Castle overlooks the whole area, [15:17] and that's why it's it was a strategic [15:18] point going all the way back to the [15:20] times of the Crusaders. I mean, it's it [15:21] was always been a strategic point up [15:22] there. [15:24] And [15:25] and they [15:26] and they're and they're zeroing in on [15:28] the main headquarters, the main nerve [15:30] centers of Hezbollah. [15:32] And then Hezbollah starts panicking, [15:34] Iran starts panicking, and that's why [15:35] Iran has ramped up the rhetoric and uh [15:39] and and you know, and trying to use the [15:41] situation with America to get Israel to [15:43] back off because now Israel is finally [15:46] getting to the nerve center of the whole [15:48] Hezbollah thing and is and and can [15:51] actually [15:52] deal like really critical blows to [15:55] Hezbollah and its entire infrastructure. [15:57] Meanwhile, throughout all of this, the [15:59] last week and a half or so, the [16:00] Americans have been complaining every [16:02] time Israel strikes, telling Israel to [16:04] calm it down and we want quiet up there [16:06] and don't and you you you know, stop [16:08] retaliating so hard. [16:10] And then Trump says today that he's [16:12] disappointed that the Israelis haven't [16:14] finished Hezbollah off yet. It's [16:16] insanity. [16:18] But this is what we're dealing with [16:19] right now. [16:21] Okay? [16:22] So, [16:24] let's go back to this piece. It's very [16:25] this there's a lot of good information [16:26] in this article. You can go to their [16:29] uh Israel Alma.org and you can you can [16:31] see their work. [16:33] Uh so so who's the Bader unit? Who's [16:35] who's tunnel this is? Who's tunnel [16:37] headquarters this is? It's the most [16:38] significant and central Hezbollah unit [16:41] operating against IDF forces in southern [16:43] Lebanon. [16:45] Okay, that's that's what this is. The [16:47] IDF is currently conducting ground [16:49] operations. [16:50] And um against their against their [16:53] primary underground infrastructure [16:55] located 10 km from the Israeli border [16:57] near Metula. Again, it's like 6 mi if [16:59] you if you go in miles. It's nothing. [17:02] You can drive that in a couple minutes. [17:04] People drive that to go to the store. [17:07] This facility serves as the main [17:08] headquarters of the Bader unit and in [17:10] all likelihood can be used to launch [17:12] weapons and conduct attacks into Israeli [17:14] territory. The infrastructure includes [17:16] several underground subcomplexes, [17:19] the largest of which extends for more [17:21] than 1 km. [17:23] It can be assessed that, similar to [17:25] other underground facilities exposed in [17:27] recent years, this complex contains [17:29] underground underground command and [17:32] control rooms, weapons and supply [17:34] depots, field clinics, and dedicated [17:37] launch shafts used for firing various [17:40] types of missiles including rockets, [17:42] surface-to-surface missiles, anti-tank [17:44] missiles, and anti-aircraft missiles. [17:46] These shafts are concealed and [17:48] camouflaged, making them undetectable [17:50] from above ground. In addition, the [17:52] tunnel network enables the movement of [17:54] forces from one location to another for [17:57] reinforcement or offensive operations in [18:00] a secure, protected, and concealed [18:02] manner. It is possible that some [18:04] sections of the tunnel system are large [18:06] enough to accommodate motorcycles, [18:08] all-terrain vehicles, and other small [18:10] vehicles. [18:12] These are big tunnels. It should be [18:14] noted that during May and June of 2025, [18:16] a year ago, the area containing this [18:19] infrastructure was targeted from the air [18:21] at least three times. However, those [18:23] strikes failed to destroy it, and [18:25] Hezbollah subsequently restored and [18:26] rehabilitated the facility. [18:29] As of the time of writing, that's it was [18:30] published today, dozens of Hezbollah [18:32] operatives are reportedly surrounded [18:34] within the underground complex. [18:38] Until the outbreak of the war in October [18:40] 2023, the area north of the Litani River [18:42] under the control of the Bader unit was [18:44] designated as the second line of [18:45] defense. [18:47] The area south of the Litani was the was [18:49] designated as the first line of defense. [18:51] So, the underground infrastructure was [18:53] built in the years following the Second [18:55] Lebanon War 2006 as part of Hezbollah's [18:58] second line of defense in southern [18:59] Lebanon within the framework of [19:01] Hezbollah's Land of Tunnels project, [19:04] which was implemented throughout Lebanon [19:07] in general and southern Lebanon in [19:09] particular with assistance from North [19:11] Korean and Iranian personnel. They [19:13] published a study on this back in 2021. [19:16] According to various testimonies and [19:18] indications, Hezbollah carried out and [19:20] and or planned underground construction [19:22] projects in numerous geographic areas [19:25] across southern Lebanon. [19:28] And then it gives some locations where [19:29] they were. [19:31] We We possess a 2008 map of southern [19:34] Lebanon covering the geographic area [19:36] between Sidon in the west Sidon is on [19:38] the coast Lake Qaraoun in the east and [19:41] Marjayoun in the Nabatieh region. That's [19:43] this whole southern area that I was [19:44] showing you in the map in the yellow [19:45] line. [19:47] On the map, an unknown party marked [19:49] polygon circles around approximately 36 [19:51] geographic areas and localities. In our [19:54] assessment, it's likely that the map [19:55] depicts the planned construction layout [19:57] of the land of tunnels. [20:00] Okay. All right. Good. So, [20:02] why am I showing you all this? [20:05] Why am I showing you all these details? [20:06] To understand how complex this is up [20:08] there. [20:09] Understand what we're dealing with. [20:10] Fighting Hezbollah is not just like, [20:13] you know, chasing guys down and having [20:14] them run, you know, run to the north. [20:17] This is a They have underground cities. [20:20] All of the towns in southern Lebanon, [20:23] you know, the Israel's ambassador to the [20:25] United States, Yigal Lidor, [20:28] posted on on X I think yesterday or [20:31] a list of towns in southern Lebanon that [20:34] Hezbollah has fired drones from in the [20:37] last week. [20:39] They fire from residential areas. It's [20:40] the same playbook as Gaza. And they have [20:42] this tunnel network and they have these [20:44] and and these tunnels are not like [20:45] little tunnels that you crawl through. [20:47] They are significant. You can drive [20:49] vehicles through them. They have They [20:50] have missiles in them. [20:52] They have command centers. They have [20:54] They have They have medical clinics. [20:56] They can move troops from one tunnel to [20:58] another because they have [21:00] you know, they're It's a massive [21:01] underground land of tunnels that they've [21:03] been building with the help of the [21:04] Iranians and the Koreans. [21:07] So, when you talk about getting rid of [21:09] Hezbollah [21:11] and saying, you know, that Israel should [21:12] use a softer touch was the language [21:14] Trump used, it's just ridiculous. [21:18] You can't have it both ways. [21:20] If we want to get rid of Hezbollah, and [21:22] everyone does, the Lebanese certainly [21:24] do, [21:26] Trump says that it's, you know, you [21:28] know, according to the the Trump [21:29] administration's foreign policy, we're [21:30] supposed to disarm Hezbollah. Hezbollah [21:32] is supposed to be removed from Lebanon. [21:34] And then he says he's disappointed that [21:35] Israel hasn't because he's been holding [21:37] us back. Israel knows exactly what we [21:39] need to do. If everyone would stop [21:41] accusing us of all sorts of crimes in [21:43] Lebanon and saying that we're that we [21:44] need a ceasefire between Israel and [21:46] Lebanon, even though we're not at war [21:47] with Lebanon, and that, you know, if [21:50] everyone would just stop and let Israel [21:52] do the job, this would be over very [21:54] quickly and Lebanon would be free from [21:56] Hezbollah once and for all. But the [21:58] whole world's playing this game, [21:59] condemning Israel and criticizing Israel [22:01] for what they're doing in Lebanon, [22:02] telling Israel to back off, and the only [22:05] way to do this, it's surgery. The only [22:07] way to do this is to let Israel do the [22:09] job. It's insanity. [22:13] The last thing I want to show you is [22:14] this. [22:16] And I was just looking for a a headline [22:18] that would cover it. I was going to talk [22:19] about it from like Wikipedia stories and [22:21] stuff. This is a whole thing. [22:23] When Trump first said that the Syrians [22:24] should come in and deal with Hezbollah, [22:26] they might do a better job, I was like, [22:28] holy moly. So, here's the history. In [22:30] 1975, [22:33] the Lebanese Civil War broke out. Why? [22:35] Because there were these Palestinian [22:38] terrorist groups, like the PLO. The PLO [22:40] had been kicked out of Jordan. They set [22:42] up shop in South Lebanon, and they [22:43] basically took over part of South [22:45] Lebanon, became like a state within a [22:47] state, and used it as a base as a base [22:49] to launch attacks into Israel. [22:51] This they became [22:53] there broke out this whole civil war, [22:56] um, [22:58] between various terrorist groups. It's [22:59] way too complicated to get into [23:02] who was fighting who cuz basically [23:04] everyone was fighting everyone and the [23:05] Syrians jumped into the Lebanon Civil [23:07] War in 1976. [23:10] From 1976 to 2005, [23:13] okay, we're talking [23:15] 30 years. [23:17] The Syrians basically occupied [23:21] Lebanon. [23:23] Oh, wait a second. Didn't we say the [23:24] Hezbollah occupied Lebanon? Yes, [23:26] Hezbollah was founded in the '80s. [23:28] Hezbollah was [23:30] uh started building itself up and was [23:31] operating out of a Syrian controlled [23:34] area in Lebanon. [23:36] Hezbollah took control of Lebanon with [23:38] the help of the Assad regime. [23:40] Okay, the [23:41] So, the Syrians when they came into [23:44] Lebanon and they and there was all kinds [23:46] of people went missing and there was [23:47] lots of a lot of oppression of Lebanese [23:50] by the Syrians. The Lebanese people have [23:53] very dark associations with the Syrians [23:56] coming into their land because they know [23:58] that when foreign armies, you know, the [24:00] Syrians [24:02] uh at the time Assad, not this Assad who [24:05] just ran away, his father was talking [24:07] about uh you know, [24:09] from the Syrian perspective they viewed [24:11] Lebanon as part of Syria and they wanted [24:12] to conquer it. They considered it part [24:14] of greater Syria. [24:16] Uh so, they took control of part of [24:17] Lebanon but they basically controlled [24:19] Lebanese politics until about 2005 and [24:22] they helped Hezbollah rise to power. [24:25] And then when they when they left, they [24:27] were it [24:29] there was an assassination of the [24:31] Lebanese president [24:33] in uh was it president or prime [24:35] minister? It was Rafic Hariri. When he [24:37] was assassinated [24:39] um [24:42] when he was assassinated in uh in in um [24:47] in 2005, they were the the Syrians were [24:51] pushed out. [24:54] Okay, that's that's um [24:56] let me make sure I got that right. Yeah, [24:58] Prime Minister Lebanese Prime Minister [25:00] Rafic Hariri was assassinated in [25:02] February 2005 [25:05] and it was widely blamed on Syria and [25:07] Hezbollah. [25:09] The The Syrians denied involvement, but [25:11] that led to a UN Security Council [25:13] resolution demanding that Syria [25:14] withdraw. So, Syria pulled back its [25:17] troops by April 20 [25:19] 2005, [25:21] but then they continued assisting [25:24] Hezbollah and that's when the [25:25] relationship settled into what it became [25:28] until the Assad regime fell, which is [25:31] that the Syrians would basically help [25:32] Hezbollah. Syria is the land bridge [25:35] between [25:37] you know, Iran, Iraq, across Syria into [25:40] Lebanon. That was the way that the [25:42] weapons went from Iran to Hezbollah. [25:46] Syria assisted in that. [25:49] But, basically from the from the Let me [25:51] back up. From the perspective of the [25:54] Lebanese people, [25:56] they want Hezbollah gone [25:59] because they want their sovereignty [26:00] after 50 years of civil war and [26:04] terrorists and foreign governments like [26:06] the Iranians and the Syrians [26:08] in their in their space, taking over [26:11] their country, occupying their country, [26:13] destroying their country. What they What [26:15] the Lebanese want is their sovereignty [26:17] and their independence. They want [26:18] Hezbollah gone and have the Lebanese [26:21] people [26:23] take control of their country once and [26:25] for all. So, when Donald Trump stands up [26:27] there and says, "Let's invite the [26:31] Syrians [clears throat] [26:31] in to fight Hezbollah." What the [26:33] Lebanese people hear is you're inviting [26:36] in more civil war, more militias [26:39] fighting each other, a foreign army [26:41] coming in to fight Hezbollah instead of [26:44] They know They know They know that the [26:46] Israelis just want to destroy Hezbollah. [26:47] The Israelis don't want to occupy [26:49] Lebanon. [26:50] And [26:52] so it [26:53] It's the last thing bottom line is [26:56] as the CNN story puts out why Trump's [26:58] proposal for Syria to fight Hezbollah [27:00] will send shudders across Lebanon. And [27:02] in this piece it talks about how that [27:05] that period the period of Syrian [27:08] occupation of Lebanon from 1976 to 2005 [27:12] was marked by thousands of [27:13] disappearances and deaths shaping [27:15] Lebanon's distrust [27:18] and complicating feelings towards Syria. [27:20] Any renewed Syrian intervention inside [27:22] Lebanon is likely to be very unpopular. [27:26] So [27:27] why is Trump doing this? And I think [27:30] and with this I'll end the video [27:32] that this has to do with the Turks. [27:35] You see the Iranian regime [27:37] is now on its back foot. [27:39] They're being they're being weakened, [27:41] they're being pressured, and Erdogan [27:43] sees himself as the new hegemon and he's [27:46] trying to set up shop everywhere. He's [27:47] got militias and he's he's got he's got [27:50] forces in in Libya and forces in Somalia [27:54] and of course a Shara in Syria that was [27:56] basically a Turkish takeover of Syria. [27:59] So I think especially with this story [28:02] being amplified by Turkish state media [28:05] that Erdogan likes this and it might [28:07] have even come from Erdogan. It could [28:08] even be an Erdogan suggestion for Trump [28:10] to suggest it. [28:12] It could be Erdogan said to Trump, "Hey, [28:13] you know, maybe the Syrians should come [28:15] in and deal with Hezbollah." Because [28:17] there's nothing that Erdogan would want [28:18] more than for him to move his guys in [28:22] and let him occupy Lebanon. Lebanon [28:24] hasn't had sovereignty for most of its [28:26] history. It always has other people [28:27] coming in [28:29] and biting off pieces of it and taking [28:31] over. [28:31] But I think that that's what might be [28:33] going on here and uh [28:36] it's the wrong message from Trump. Uh [28:38] you shouldn't be calling on the Syrians [28:40] to come in and the and the thought that [28:42] they would do a better job than the [28:43] Israelis in fighting Hezbollah is just [28:45] absurdity. [28:47] It's insanity. [28:49] Um and the the only reason that Israel [28:51] hasn't been able to finish them off is [28:53] the combination of how complicated it is [28:55] with this massive tunnel network that [28:58] gets us into that whole type of urban [29:00] combat with people in tunnels. Although [29:02] thankfully unlike Gaza, there's no [29:04] Israeli hostages in those tunnels. [29:07] Uh and the fact that the Americans [29:11] have been allowing and and also [29:13] participating in this pressure on Israel [29:15] to back off while at the same time [29:18] everyone wants Hezbollah gone. So, [29:21] that's our situation. [29:22] Uh [29:23] that's our situation in Lebanon right [29:25] now as of today. [29:27] With the way the news is moving, every [29:28] single day brings a new uh you know, [29:30] brings new twists and turns. So, stay [29:32] glued to this channel. I'll keep [29:34] bringing you uh updates and analysis as [29:37] best I can. God bless.
