“The Diaspora Weeps for Beirut, and the Time Has Come for Madness to End”

Los Angeles, April 9, 2026

The World Lebanese Cultural Union, while hearts of Lebanese women and men in the diaspora are gripped by sorrow, strongly condemns the Israeli air raids on the capital and the victims and destruction they have caused under the machinery of Israeli military madness. It further warns of fears of an occupation of southern lands following the Israeli incursion that has led to the displacement of more than one million family members, many of whom still shelter in schools and public spaces, amid a humanitarian crisis beyond description. As madness has crossed from stones to human beings, the Union believes that the time has come to reclaim our homeland and not leave it as a piece of paper in the hands of others to burn as they please. Accordingly, we announce the following:

• We support the initiative of His Excellency the President of the Republic in calling for direct negotiations, and we also support the position of the Prime Minister, together with the Minister of  Foreign Affairs, that no power in the world, regardless of its influence, has the right to negotiate on behalf of Lebanon. This card was withdrawn from Iran when the Lebanese government reclaimed, through its historic decisions, the authority over war and peace.

• As we mourn the victims of the April 8 massacre in Beirut and other regions, we support the Lebanese government’s decision to deploy the army in the Governorate of Beirut and to disarm violators therein. These are necessary security steps long overdue, and they must lead to declaring Beirut an open, weapon-free city. We call for the army’s deployment not only in the Governorate of Beirut but also in the suburbs, foremost among them the Southern Suburb, now emptied of its residents, as testimony to the world that the state has decisively asserted its authority beginning in the capital and that it alone holds decision-making power.

• As we support Lebanon’s complaint against Israel before the United Nations Security Council for its violation of international laws and norms by targeting civilian sites, we announce that we will coordinate with our allied organizations in decision-making countries to support the Lebanese state and mobilize international backing for its governmental decisions.

• The time has come to implement government decisions to disarm all illegal weapons held by Lebanese and non-Lebanese organizations, foremost among them Hezbollah, in accordance with relevant international resolutions. There is no hope except in the legitimacy of the state, supported by international legitimacy, to rescue Lebanon from the cycle of violence that has persisted since 1967.

May God protect Lebanon and its people, illuminate the paths of the wise among them—how much we need them—so that we may realize that the homeland paper is a hostage, and that true victory is a victory for Lebanon, not a victory over it.