Understanding the Dahiya Doctrine: The Destruction of Beirut

Last Friday, Israel carried out an attack targeting Hezbollah leaders in Beirut’s al-Qaem neighborhood. This assassination operation followed the detonation of explosives disguised as pagers and walkie-talkies. The Israeli military boasted of a “precise strike” to strike Hezbollah’s stronghold, resulting in the destruction of a residential building and civilian casualties.

The Dahiya Doctrine allowed Israel to justify massive attacks on civilian infrastructure by labeling areas as military strongholds. This strategy, first implemented in the 2006 war with Hezbollah, is now escalating in Lebanon, with devastating consequences for civilians.

Similarly, in Gaza, the portrayal of everything as a Hamas base justifies indiscriminate attacks on mosques, hospitals, and schools. This erasure of humanity in conflict zones outside Western influence perpetuates disposability of lives for political gain.

Dahiya and its people deserve recognition beyond military labels as vibrant communities with political complexities, not targets of destruction.