As the Middle East crisis deepens, Lebanon has again become a target for imperialist slaughter. Hours after State-Terrorist-in-Chief Donald Trump threatened that Iranian “civilization will die tonight,” the war between the U.S.-Israel and Iran reached a fragile ceasefire.Whatever happens next, the conflict has already spiraled into a global crisis. From soaring fuel prices and disruptions of vital global supply chains to the disintegration of U.S. alliances, these events bring the spectre of world war ever closer. 

The so-called ceasefire excludes Lebanon. Backed by the U.S. imperialist Reich, the Israeli Zionist regime persists in its attacks on southern Lebanon, killing 1,500, injuring 4,800 and displacing 1.3 million. 

There are no good sides in the bosses’ wars, only rival rulers using workers as cannon fodder. No ruling class will save us—not the Lebanese bosses, not Iran, not China, not Russia, and certainly not the U.S. or Israel. The solution lies within the working class. That’s why workers, soldiers, and students must turn this imperialist war into a class war. Progressive Labor Party is building toward that communist future.  

A triangle of misery in crisis ridden world

Our class siblings in Lebanon are trapped inside a trinity of misery: U.S.-Israel imperialism, the failing Lebanese government itself, and the bosses of Hezbollah, the fundamentalist, Iranian-backed political party and paramilitary.

While the Israeli bosses claim to be targeting Hezbollah, they are bombing our class into oblivion. The Zionazis are proudly using the genocidal “Gaza Model” to destroy homes and infrastructure, exile 600,000 residents, and possibly occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River. Nearly one of five people in the country are displaced. All of Litani’s major bridges have been bombed in order to sever the area from the rest of the country. 

Seventy percent of Lebanon’s population lives in poverty (World Bank Report, 2024).Its currency has lost nearly all of its value, and healthcare and electricity are next to nonexistent. Consumed by “political gridlock among Lebanon’s sectarian leadership,” this war could bring Lebanon to the brink of collapse (Foreign Affairs, 4/3). 

And then there’s the Shiite Muslim organization Hezbollah, often described as a “state within a state” (Council of Foreign Affairs, 3/2). It grew as a result of the Israeli invasion of 1982 and the subsequent 18 years of occupation. Hezbollah functions as a proxy for Iran and vehemently opposes Israeli and Western imperialism. The Hezbollah bosses cynically foment religious divisions and resentments. They are not for workers’ liberation; they’re just funded by a different set of regional imperialists, Iran.  

Crossroads

As imperialist powers compete for dominance, war becomes inevitable. U.S. imperialism is in decline, weakened by decades of failed wars and deep internal splits within its ruling class. But declining empires do not go peacefully. At the same time, rivals China and Russia are pushing their influence. 

For the U.S., Israel functions as a pillar of regional power, a counterweight to Iran, which is allied with Russia and China. Iran, in turn, rules via its proxies, including Hezbollah. Lebanon borders Syria and Israel, and its coastline on the Mediterranean makes it a geopolitical flashpoint. 

Lebanon’s fragility is rooted in the legacy of colonial rule,  where government power was systematically divided along religious lines. “By controlling newspapers, schools, higher education and cultural institutions,” French and British imperialists divided the Arab population (Daily Sabah, 2/17/22). Workers were stripped of power by class collaboration and religious misleaders. This is the standard imperialist playbook—sow divisions while weakening local government, which keeps it vulnerable to imperialist control. 

Today’s war builds on that foundation. As U.S. imperialism weakens, it becomes more volatile and dangerous. When Trump launched Operation Epic Fury on Iran without a plan or consultation, it deepened rifts with European allies—first by excluding them, then by blaming them for withholding support, and now by insisting that they deal with the consequences (The Hill, 4/4). These allies are “left searching for better ways to navigate the new world order where Trump whipsaws friends and foes alike” (NY Times, 4/8). U.S. allies are scrambling to delay the inevitable, which is a bigger war. 

War brings misery to workers everywhere

Imperialist wars hit workers everywhere. As wars spread across the region, the disruption of energy supplies, especially through the Strait of Hormuz, is driving up fuel prices and the cost of living worldwide. That means higher costs for food, transportation, fertilizer, rent, life-saving medications, and more. Workers who were already struggling are being squeezed even harder. 

At the same time, Trump is proposing a $1.5 trillion war budget, the largest funding increase since World War II, while telling workers to make do with less (Reuters, 4/3). Under the profit system, there is always money for war and more racist cops and ICE Gestapo, but never enough for housing, healthcare, or education. 

Choosing between ruling-class murderers is a trap. The only force capable of ending this capitalist nightmare is the international working class. 

By organizing across the bosses’ borders and rejecting nationalist divisions, workers can begin to fight for a communist future. We need all of society to be organized to serve the needs of the many, not the profits of a few. There is nothing “natural” about the carnage of war; it’s a necessity of capitalism. 

Wherever we are, we must organize to smash the bloodsucking bosses.  And to make that victory last, you need to join PLP. March with us on May Day!