Hezbollah: Stronger than ever?

The movement ended the war claiming victory and pushing for more power in Lebanon.

Lebanon wall

undefined
About 13,000 United Nations troops are deployed in Hezbollah’s 
traditional centre of power in southern Lebanon [GALLO/GETTY]

In southern Lebanon, Hezbollah’s traditional stronghold, Lebanese soldiers now stand on the front line with Israel.

They are supported by 13,000 United Nations troops after the Unifil deployment and mandate was extended at the end of the war.

No Hezbollah fighters – or their weapons – are anywhere to be seen but everyone knows they are there and still have the upper hand.

In video

undefined
Rula Amin looks at Hezbollah’s position a year after the war with Israel

 

In Maroun al-Ras, a small village less than one kilometre from the Israeli border, the first ground battles of the conflict took place. Hezbollah fighters confronted the Israeli forces face to face and inflicted heavy losses.

But, despite the heavy military presense on the ground, many people are still asking “what are Hezbollah’s capabilities now?”

Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, said last September that the movement had actually grown stronger.

“I am telling all those who want to seal off the seas, the sky and the desert, and the enemy the resistance today has more than 20,000 missiles. Pay attention, more than 20,000,” he said.

Hezbollah weapons

Even Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader and politician in the pro-government March 14 bloc, says he believes Nasrallah’s claims.

“I’ve got to believe him, it’s not a question of numbers, how many rockets, plus or minus, it’s a question of that he is there,” he told Al Jazeera. 

Jumblatt says that the movement should give up its weapons now that Israel has pulled out of the south of the country but Hezbollah’s southern commander does not agree.

“Israel is an enemy with ambitions and is trying to compensate for its military loss in Lebanon,” Sheikh Nabil Qawouk said.

“It is our duty to stay alert and strengthen ourselves to protect Lebanon. Even with all the changes that does not affect our capabilities.”

Some observers say that although Hezbollah has grown militarily since the war it has suffered politically.

In the months after the war Hezbollah’s supporters poured onto the streets of the capital Beirut in an attempt to bring down the government.

Street protests

But, although the demonstrations confirmed Hezbollah’s popularity among its constituency, they have so far failed to hand the movement and its supporters a greater share of power.

“He wanted to topple the government, he failed and he failed when he besieged Beirut,” Jumblatt said.

Your Views

“Unless Lebanese factions put national interests above their factional interests, the country is sleep- walking into a new civil war.”

nehad ismail, London, United Kingdom


 

Send us your views

Hezbollah’s supporters have not given up. They are still camped out in the capital, near the prime minister’s office, more than seven months since the protests began.

Amal Saad Ghoraib of the Carnegie Endowment Institute for International Peace told Al Jazeera that Hezbollah had succeeded in one important goal, to thwart Washington’s plans for the region, by paralysing the Lebanese government.

“This is part of Hezbollah’s grander strategy of confrfonting United States’ strategic objectives in the region, which are to mould a new Middle East, and that has failed,” she said.

“The United States has not been able to push it’s agenda inside of Lebanon. What the US had hoped to achieve was to have a pro-US government inside of Lebanon which would push a US agenda.”

She said Hezbollah is now focused on preparing for what they see as an impending attack on Lebanon, Syria, or even Iran. An they are confident of victory.

Source: Al Jazeera