There are two things you can always count on in the Middle East:

1. somebody’s going to launch a rocket,
2. and somebody’s going to swear it was “totally justified, absolutely necessary, and incredibly precise.”

It’s like the region’s version of “eat, pray, love,” except it’s more “threaten, strike, retaliate.”

Recently Israel carried out a pinpoint airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Hezbollah territory. According to Israel, the target was a Hezbollah militant. According to Hezbollah, well… Hezbollah never did anything wrong, officer. And according to the poor civilians living there, it was just another day of “Why is the sky on fire again?”

Conservatives like me believe in national security and the right of nations to defend themselves. Israel absolutely has the right to stop attacks from an Iranian-backed militia that’s built more tunnels than a determined gopher convention.

But dropping bombs in dense civilian neighborhoods, even “precisely,” is like performing brain surgery with a chainsaw. You might hit what you were aiming at… but you’re also going to hit a whole lot of everything else.

And Lebanon’s government? If the state can’t control Hezbollah — a group with more weapons than half the world’s national armies — then it shouldn’t be shocked when Israel decides to do the job itself. A government that lets an armed militia run part of its country is basically putting a sign on the border that says: “If attacked, please direct complaints to the heavily armed non-governmental organization in the basement.”

The Bible says, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
Lebanon, Israel, Hezbollah… guys… this is the opposite of that.

Everyone’s Got Faults — So Let’s Call Them Out Fairly

• Israel has the right to defend itself. Absolutely. But it has the responsibility to do so without escalating into a region-wide war every six months. Precision matters, but restraint matters too.
• Hezbollah uses civilian neighborhoods for military activity, then cries foul when civilians are put at risk. That’s not resistance. That’s reckless endangerment.
• Lebanon keeps trying to pretend it’s in charge while Hezbollah drives the car, changes the radio station, and occasionally aims a rocket out the window.
• The U.S., Iran, and friends keep treating Lebanon and Israel like chess pieces rather than places loaded with actual human beings.

The Real Losers (Spoiler: It’s Not the Politicians)

The ones suffering most here are the civilians: Lebanese families who just want electricity that works more than two hours a day, Israelis living under rocket threat, and everyone who’s tired of hearing world leaders solemnly promise “restraint” five minutes before another explosion.

At the end of the day, peace requires two things the region often lacks:

1. Accountability (which Hezbollah has dodged since forever), and
2. Self-restraint (which every actor seems allergic to).

We don’t need more speeches. We need grown-ups at the table.

A Prayer and a Hope

As the Psalmist writes: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6). And frankly, we could add: “Pray for the peace of Beirut too, because those folks are exhausted.”

My hope? Israel defends itself wisely, Lebanon takes responsibility for what happens within its borders, Hezbollah stops using “we’re freedom fighters” as a get-out-of-accountability card, and the region chooses de-escalation over mutual destruction.

A tall order, sure. But hey, if we can get politicians in Washington to agree on anything (and yes, both Democrats and Republicans need a time-out sometimes), then maybe, just maybe, the Middle East can manage a cease-fire that lasts longer than a congressional promise to cut spending.