A week ago, in a video address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Lebanese with the following question: "Do you remember when your country was called the "Pearl of the Middle East"?". Meanwhile, Hezbollah has turned the country into an Iranian military base. "Stand up and take back your country," Netanyahu said.
In fact, Hezbollah should not even exist in its current form, writes ARD in an extensive publication on the subject. UN Resolution 1701, adopted after the last war in Lebanon in 2006, provides for the disarmament of militias such as Hezbollah. The Lebanese army was supposed to regain control, but it never happened - probably because it was too weak, the German publication said.
Instead, Hezbollah has continued to arm itself with the help of Iran and now controls large areas in the eastern and southern parts of the country. Despite massive Israeli airstrikes and ground operations, it is still capable of firing rockets at Israel and sending deadly drones, as was the case last Saturday, ARD recalls.
Hezbollah does not enjoy full support, but it is still influential
In Lebanon, a growing number of voices are calling for the implementation of Resolution 1701. At the end of the week, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is Sunni, announced that his government would demand a "complete and immediate ceasefire" in the UN Security Council in exchange for a commitment to implement Resolution 1701.
Makram Rabah, a historian at the American University of Beirut, sees this as an opportunity: "I believe that sooner or later the Lebanese will take such a position. They are currently paying the price for Iran's adventures," he told ARD.
Drew Michael of the American Institute "Tahrir" is skeptical: "The more attacks there are in the country, the greater the support for Hezbollah - and that is catastrophic." After all, Netanyahu is calling on people to take up arms. This is undemocratic and counterproductive, he adds.
Merin Abbas, who heads the "Friedrich Ebert" in Beirut, also doubts that sentiment in the country is turning against Hezbollah: "Villages are being systematically destroyed. There are calls for the evacuation of areas up to 60 kilometers from the Israeli border. "It's not just Shiites, not just Hezbollah supporters, but Christians, Sunnis and Druze," he says
It is true that Hezbollah has lost some of its credibility. However, in view of the Israeli ground offensive in the southern part of the country, many people still see the organization as the only force that can defend the country, the German publication emphasizes.