Hezbollah shows new signs of weakness, struggling to meet its financial commitments to supporters
Posters of Hezbollah's slain leaders Hassan Nasrallah (L) and Hashem Safieddine are placed amid destruction caused by Israeli strikes against the Iran backed- group in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on December 4, 2024. They were both laid to rest yesterday (Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)
The militant group freezes financial compensation to supporters
BEIRUT—Three months after Hezbollah agreed to a cease-fire, the damage inflicted by Israel's armed forces on the Iran-backed Shiite militant group is becoming clear: Its military has been severely degraded and its finances are strained to the point that it is struggling to meet its commitments to followers, the WSJ reported.
'Hezbollah, designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and several Arab and European countries, has long operated as a vast state-within-a-state in Lebanon, supplying jobs and social services to members. It also pays relatives of Hezbollah fighters killed as well as followers who lose homes or businesses during conflicts,' the WSJ added.
The fall of Syria's longtime president was also a huge blow for Iran and Hezbollah . Both relied on Syria as one of their allies in a bid for power across the Middle East.
The US daily also claimed that Hezbollah has ordered its members to vacate their positions in south Lebanon over the past weeks while also freezing their financial compensations.
The Shiites, a highly respected community in Lebanon suffered the most as a result of Hezbollah's war with Israel. Following the Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas , Israel launched an attack against Hamas in Gaza on October 8, 2023 . Hezbollah then joined its Iran-backed ally in its war against Israel .
Over 47, 000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and over 4000 Lebanese were killed by Israel
The war devastated Hezbollah and its Shiite community , over 1 million Shiites became displaced after tens of thousands of the homes were destroyed .
Hezbollah also lost all its top leaders. Hassan Nasrallah , its leader since 1992 was killed and so was his successor and cousin Hashem Safieddine .
Yesterday a funeral was held in Beirut for both leaders and about 450,000 reportedly attended to mourn them
Hezbollah's current leader Naim Qassem addressed the attendees in a televised speech .
Qassem who fled to Tehran last October did not show up at the funeral, reportedly for fear of being assassinated .
The military wing of Hezbollah is reportedly being managed by the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard , of which Hezbollah is a member
Despite the fact that Hezbollah urged all its members to flock to the funeral , only one-in-three Shiites attended the funeral according to Lebanese observers.
Many observers viewed this as a clear sign that the Shiite community is tired of Hezbollah and its devastating adventures and prefers to live in peace , harmony and dignity . The freezing of financial compensation could speed up the rise of new leadership within the Shiie community whose allegiance will be to Lebanon and not Iran
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