How much support does Hezbollah have in Lebanon?published at 11:13 British Summer Time
Carine Torbey
BBC Arabic correspondent, in Beirut
In Lebanon, divisions cannot be easily reduced to a clear split between those who are pro-Hezbollah
and those who are anti-Hezbollah.
There are
many layers to consider.
Lebanon is
a multi-sectarian country where religious identity strongly impacts people’s
politics.
For example, many of
Hezbollah’s supporters are Shia Muslims, and a large number of its critics and
opponents are non-Shia, including Sunni Muslims and Christians.
But this is
only accurate to a certain extent.
There are significant groups with different
religious and ideological affiliations that are completely opposed to
Hezbollah.
Most of
them consider it to be an Iranian proxy that dictates whether Lebanon is at war
or peace and undermines the country’s government. They call for the disarmament
of its powerful military.
Until
recently, one of Hezbollah’s main political allies was the then-biggest Christian
party, the Free Patriotic Movement. For years the groups had a pragmatic
agreement to support each other.
Though the
agreement has since broken down, it illustrates how different groups in Lebanon
can create alliances across religious lines.
While some
call for Hezbollah’s disarmament, others are more supportive of the party
because its fighting force is so powerful.
Hezbollah’s
military strength and the weakness of Lebanon’s national army means that a lot
of people – even those outside its core base – believe it is necessary that it
continues to be armed.
Israel
invaded Lebanon in 1982, occupied the south of the country until 2000 and still
occupies part of it.