The Israel-Lebanon Conflict: Understanding the War and its Impact on ASU Students

On the streets of Lebanon, videos displayed plumes of smoke rising from the piles of gray rubble where buildings used to stand.

Over the past two months, Israel’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon erased villages from the map and displaced an estimated 1.2 million people.

The war has attracted attention and criticism globally, especially from student activist groups such as those at Arizona State University.

The Goal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the purpose of the incursion into Lebanon was to eliminate Hezbollah, the Iran-backed paramilitary group that has been attacking Israel since Oct. 8, 2023.

Hezbollah has a long history of conflict with Israel; the group was formed in response to Israel’s 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon.

Because of this, anti-Zionism and antisemitism are defining characteristics of Hezbollah.

“It would be virtually impossible [to eliminate Hezbollah] because as long as there is what is perceived to be some kind of oppression by [Israel], there will always be some kind of resistance to it,” said Shirvin Zeinalzadeh, a graduate teaching associate at ASU with expertise in Middle Eastern diplomacy.

Though the nation celebrated the assassination of longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in September, experts at ASU suggest that killing its members does little to dismantle the group.

“Hezbollah is more than just a group of fighters,” Zeinalzadeh said. “It's more than just a resistance movement. It's an ideology.”

However, Israel has remained determined to dismantle Hezbollah through force.

The Strategy

Israel first used the Dahiyeh doctrine, named after the suburb of Beirut that functions as Hezbollah’s headquarters, in the 2006 Lebanon War.

“This Israeli doctrine is summarized by ‘if you throw a rock at me, I will come at you with a tank and wipe you out,’” said Mirna Lattouf, a professor of Middle East studies at ASU.

Proponents of the doctrine said it would cause civilians to tire of the war and turn against Hezbollah.

However, Hezbollah’s popularity rose after the 2006 war and many analysts considered it a loss for Israel as it failed to dismantle the group.

Even if the civilians in Dahiyeh reject Hezbollah, “all it will do is push them to other places,” Zeinalzadeh said.

Regardless of whether or not it’s effective, the doctrine is widely unpopular.

The United Nations accused the Israeli government of committing war crimes such as mass displacement, destruction of civilian property and wilful killing.

The Student Impact

Worldwide concerns about these human rights abuses have motivated students at ASU to take a stand.

The school has seen its fair share of student protests since the Oct. 7 attack last year.

The ASU Students for Justice in Palestine group has made it a priority to ensure other students know the impact they have on the conflict.

“A lot of people kind of see it as this foreign war happening overseas and they don't really pay much attention to it,” SJP co-chair Hayden Nguyen said. “But I want people to know that… their money goes directly to fund this genocide.”

SJP’s other goals include getting the university to stop funding any companies that support or profit from Israel’s wars and to stop suppressing student protests.

“We want… [ASU] to be a space that fights for students and not for foreign powers,” Nguyen said.

However, this space has often been hostile toward Jewish students.

A member of the Jewish organization Chabad at ASU, who preferred to remain unnamed due to the tense political situation, said that the war has led to heightened antisemitism.

Despite this, the conflict has provided an opportunity for a stronger sense of community among Jews.

“Obviously the war needs to end, but if there’s one good thing that’s come out of it, it’s that I’ve bonded with other Jews more,” he said.

Regardless of disagreements on what or how things should be done, most students agree that the fighting needs to stop.

“War is ugly, and every life is valuable,” he said.