Resentment is growing among Hezbollah’s popular support base in wake of the latest war against Israel and as more families begin to realize the extent of the damage incurred by their properties during the conflict.
Hezbollah supporters have in private spoken about their resentment, but now some have started to speak openly about refusing to return to their homes in the southern suburb of Beirut, known as Dahiyeh, or even rebuilding their houses in the South because they fear the eruption of a new war that will leave their livelihoods in ruin yet again.
Some residents of Dahiyeh, the South and eastern Bekaa region have opted to return to homes that were not destroyed, while others have refused to return to regions that will likely be targeted again in any future war. So, they have started to seek alternatives due to a growing conviction that they no longer want to be fodder for any new conflict.
Ali Shehab, whose house in Dahiyeh was slightly damaged, has decided to seek a “safe area” where he can rent a house for the coming years.
He took the decision even though his house could be renovated swiftly. Hezbollah had inspected the house and decided against offering him temporary lodging until it can be renovated at the party’s expense.
Shehab said the party would not compensate him for the solar panels that he lost during the war.
Hezbollah had announced that it would offer compensation to families whose homes were damaged or destroyed. The party offered 12,000 dollars, divided equally in covering a year’s rent and buying necessities for the rented property.
It also asked owners of damaged houses to carry out the renovations themselves and that it would later repay them. However, the repayment process is slow, complained affected owners.
Shehab told Asharq Al-Awsat that resentment is growing among Hezbollah’s Shiite support base. The party has tried to appease them by offering these compensations, he revealed.
He predicted that the resentment will only grow if the compensations do not satisfy the people.
The resentment, he explained, is rooted in fears over the future. The prevailing sentiment is “we don’t want to rebuild our homes to lose them again in another war ten or 15 years from now. We don’t want to start over again. So families are asking themselves: do we rebuild or not? Do we return to Dahiyeh or seek a safer area?”
“Anyone who has an alternative has not and will not return to Dahiyeh,” stressed Shehab.
Losses in two wars
Hussein A. told Asharq Al-Awsat that his family lost his house in Dahiyeh and in the southern border town of al-Khiam. He is now residing in Zahle and his relatives in another region. “We will not return to Dahiyeh any time soon,” he revealed.
He said that no one has approached his family about compensation.
Moreover, Hussein stressed that this was not the first time he loses his home because of a war between Hezbollah and Israel. Back in 2006, his family did not receive compensation from the party in Khiam because it refused to raise the Hezbollah flag over their homes.
“We don’t care for what they have to offer,” he stated. “My brother’s house was destroyed in the strike that assassinated Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. My house is no longer livable after a strike hit a nearby warehouse. We were told it was storing wood, but it turned out to be a Hezbollah warehouse.”
“We are not Hezbollah supporters who are forced to suffer the consequences of its decisions. We were born Shiite. At one point we used to support the party as they liberated our land, but we no longer tolerate wars,” Hussein said.
“What have we gained from the latest war? They kept on telling us that Israel will not succeed in occupying villages and yet, 20 days since the ceasefire, we haven’t been able to visit them,” he added.
Hussein said he only had one wish, that his children live in their village and “that they do not end up being displaced the way we were.”
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was seriously considering immigrating from Lebanon, “which is no longer ours.”
He said he wanted to raise his children in a safe environment. “We can no longer tolerate more losses,” he added, while criticizing Hezbollah for “engaging in wars that have nothing to do with us”
Alternatives
Political analyst Ali al-Amin said Hezbollah and its supporters in Dahiyeh, the South and the Bekaa are confronted with the massive destruction and a crisis of finding alternative housing for residents whose homes have been destroyed.
They also must deal with restoring services and removing the rubble.
On the growing resentment, he explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that that stems from the shaky ceasefire, noting that Israel continues to carry out military operations in the South.
The supporters namely want compensation for their losses so that they can rebuild and renovate their homes, while it seems that Hezbollah is not really taking any initiative to do so.
Hezbollah officials have even started to throw this responsibility on the state, raising fears that the people will be left to fend for themselves with no one to rescue them from this disaster, Amin remarked.
Furthermore, he noted that some 30 villages along the border with Israel have been completely destroyed. It remains to be seen if Israel will allow the residents to return or even rebuild their homes.
This had led to a growing sense of pessimism about the coming days, he continued.
Wealthy families in the South have sought houses in areas outside of Hezbollah’s influence, while others have opted to immigrate.
Complaints have also been made against Hezbollah over its perceived shortcomings in dealing with the people’s losses and delays in paying compensation, Amine added.
