When the Sabra family fled Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese town of Marjayoun to the southern outskirts of Beirut last October, they had no fear of going hungry because of the monthly dollar stipend from Hezbollah. When a wave of Israeli military attacks on southern Beirut forced them to seek refuge in the mountains surrounding the capital for the second time, regular deliveries of meals, food parcels and even cleaning supplies from organizations associated with the group kept them afloat. I was able to move on with my life.
“No matter what happens, they are incredibly attentive to us. They never leave us alone,” said Hind Sabra, who has changed his name. The 14-person house is home to three families, each of whom receives a monthly cash transfer of $200 (£150), as well as food parcels containing reduced-price medicine, rice, oil, tuna and beans. There is.
The food, medicine and cash are all part of a de facto bank that has flourished during Lebanon’s years of financial crisis, a fund that cares for the families of those killed in fighting, and a support network that Hezbollah has maintained for years. be. Hezbollah officials say social welfare organizations were responsible for distributing cash to tens of thousands of displaced people earlier this year.
Over the past two decades, Hezbollah has come to dominate the various groups that make up Lebanon’s fractured sectarian politics, and has come to dominate key industries such as agriculture and construction in the south. Chatham House’s Lina Khatib said the group’s status has grown to “influence and control the Lebanese state from within and outside state institutions.”
Western countries, including the United States and Britain, consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization and have imposed sanctions on it. Meanwhile, the group, which is made up of militias and political parties, maintains a support base primarily among Lebanon’s working-class Shiite Muslim communities, who see Hezbollah as a defender of their interests. and considers it an essential protector of Israel’s military power.
Even if we lose our home, we know it will be rebuilt. It may take a long time, but it will happen eventually Mona Talib, teacher
Lebanese Shiite believers who have been forced to flee in recent weeks due to increased Israeli shelling across southern Lebanon are confident that Hezbollah will not only protect them, but will also rebuild their homes and compensate them in the future. He said he was confident that he would do so. However, according to the Lebanese government, more than 1 million people are currently evacuated, there is little sign of an imminent ceasefire, and with Israeli assassinations targeting Hezbollah leadership, the current escalation could mean that Hezbollah is in a long-term situation. It may test your ability to support that base.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled a shift in Israel’s objectives in Lebanon, calling on the Lebanese people to “rise up and take back their country” from Hezbollah. Prime Minister Netanyahu suggested that Israel could seek to change the country’s political leadership rather than attack Hezbollah’s presence in the south.
“We have a chance to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will bring the kind of destruction and suffering that we are seeing in Gaza,” he told the country, adding that there is a chance of saving the country before it falls into the abyss of a protracted war that could bring even greater destruction and suffering. hinted at a much broader purpose. The battle period will be longer.
Life continues on the streets of Beirut as Israeli attacks escalate in the city last week. Photo: Anadolu/Getty ImagesSam Heller, an analyst at the Century International think tank, said much will depend on how far Israeli forces can advance in southern Lebanon and on the clarity of Israeli leaders’ own objectives. If Israel reoccupied parts of southern Lebanon and left homeless hundreds of thousands of people who make up Hezbollah’s support base, “it would cause real suffering, weaken the organization and destroy the population. “I think it’s likely to significantly complicate our ability to provide the welfare of these people,” he said.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 killed around 1,200 people in Lebanon and injured more than 4,400, a third of them children. About 900,000 people were evacuated during the month-long war.
Fears that an Israeli attack could last far longer and cause even more damage than the 2006 war prompted the 42-year-old, whose name was also changed, to flee Dahieh for the safety of the mountains around Beirut. teacher Mona Talib is worried. Safety. But she said Lebanon’s Shiite community has confidence in Hezbollah and its track record of recovery after fighting ended in 2006, expressing what she called “deep confidence” in the organization’s eventual victory. ”.
“Even if we lose our home, we know it will be rebuilt. It may take a long time, but it will happen eventually,” she said. “People strongly believe that their homes will be rebuilt again, whether in the southern suburbs of Beirut, in southern Lebanon or in the Bekaa Valley. We will build our future based on this.”
Talib said he saw the experience of a close friend who lived in the center of Dahieh, where “whole buildings were destroyed” during the 2006 war. “They got the house back. I visited her old house and saw the new one with my own eyes. I’ve seen and know people who lived in that era. It’s simple. ” she said.
Hahem Haidar, who heads the Lebanese government’s regional development agency known as the South Lebanon Council, was less convinced. He said Israeli shelling continues to destroy towns near the de facto border with Israel, making it “difficult to assess the extent of the damage.” As for whether Hezbollah would later compensate those who lost their homes, as it recently promised, “I honestly don’t know,” he said.
Palestinians will be evacuated from Gaza City on Saturday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Lebanese of the possibility of “destruction and suffering like those seen in Gaza.” Photo: Omar Al-Qatta/AFP/Getty Images
Ahmad Noureddin, 26, whose name has been changed, spent several days in a makeshift shelter run by Hezbollah, and although necessities such as food, water and medicine were covered, the place was overcrowded and It became such an unpleasant experience that he moved elsewhere.
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Like Talib, Noureddin currently owes money to Qad al-Hasan, a microfinance institution and de facto bank that was sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2007 for its ties to Hezbollah.
In sanctioning seven Hezbollah’s “shadow bankers” in 2021, the Treasury Department said that Qad al-Hasan “masqueraded as a non-governmental organization” while providing banking services that supported Hezbollah and circumvented regulations. “Hezbollah is hoarding much-needed foreign currency.” Lebanese Economy”.
Noureddine said he was not concerned about his obligation to repay the $6,000 loan from Qad al-Hasan, meaning he could be asked to repay it during wartime.
“They will be flexible about payment,” he says. “They’re very honest and God-fearing. They’re not interested.”
Talib, who took out a $3,000 loan, said she had no plans for Qad al-Hasan to pay it back until the fighting was over, citing friends who had received the cash value of gold deposits destroyed in an airstrike 20 years ago. I’m sure you won’t have to ask for it.
“People trust this institution. Trust is even more important than protection,” she said, adding that fighting has continued for months and the area in southern Beirut where her branch is located has been hit by Israeli airstrikes. Even so, he added, he doubted whether he would start demanding repayment of the loan.
The Israeli government, which has long viewed Iran’s proxy group Hezbollah as a threat, says it will fire rockets into northern Israel starting October 8, a day after a Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. The organization’s decision further worsened that view.
Israel initially said the attack on Hezbollah was aimed at ensuring the return of thousands of Israelis to their homelands near the Lebanese border, but the growing escalation has raised fears of a regional war.
Talib said Lebanon’s displaced Shiite community, huddled in makeshift shelters and dilapidated apartments, may be feeling the shock of the displacement in the short term, but evidence suggests He noted Hezbollah’s record in rebuilding much of southern Lebanon and fighting Israel’s previous occupation of the region. It can take care of them for a long time. “This party, this special party, liberated their land and gave them the opportunity to return to their villages and enjoy life. They will stay with the party no matter what, even if they lose their leaders from nowhere. Yes,” she said.
“Even if we lose the battle, we don’t lose the war,” she added. “People believe in the party based on past experience. There is no war without losses, but the winner is the one who wins the last battle.”
