On the anniversary of its proclamation greater Lebanon grows smaller

Greater Lebanon was proclaimed on September 1, 1920, largely defining the borders of the country we know today. Yet 106 years later, the anniversary comes as parts of Lebanese territory remain under Israeli occupation, southern villages lie beyond full state control, and families continue to pay the price of a war Lebanon never chose through its institutions.

The irony is stark: a country called “Greater” for the size of its territory now marks its anniversary while state sovereignty does not extend across all of it.

Israel killed, destroyed, displaced, and kept forces inside Lebanon. Hezbollah, meanwhile, spent years holding the power to decide war and peace outside the state. Between an external occupation and an internal force claiming the right to make military decisions, the South has paid the highest price.

More than a century later, the question is no longer only where Lebanon’s borders lie, but who has the authority within them.

The real challenge is for the state to regain both the land and the decision, so Lebanon can be sovereign not only on the map, but in practice.