Image credit: Tanitost/Shutterstock.com

If one were to rely on the western media for an assessment of the degree of support among the Lebanese population for Hezbollah, it would be easy to draw the totally erroneous conclusion that the diverse Lebanese ethnic groups have all rallied around Hezbollah. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. From the Christians to the Druze, and from the Sunnis to the dominant Shiites, there is a massive revulsion being expressed against the Iranian proxy terrorist group Hezbollah that had bullied its way toward becoming a mafia-like state within a state.

For the first time in over four decades, the Lebanese terrorist group, Hezbollah, appears frail. Following the elimination of the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah by an Israeli airstrike on Beirut on Sep 27, the halo around its invulnerable strength against Israel and other regional rivals faded rapidly. Now the group is facing local disgruntlement added to its diminishing ability to get involved in military conflicts around the region including Syria and Yemen.

The terrorist organization–which was once considered to be one of the richest in the world thanks to the influx of narcotics money–is currently suffering its worst crisis and no longer perceived by the Lebanese public eye as a defender of their land.

Even before the death of Nasrallah, the Shia population showed disdain towards Hezbollah and its leader for hijacking their lives and having being forced to obey its Iranian-affiliated command or face dire consequences or death.

Shia Muslim Dissidence Toward Hezbollah and Iran

A major vocal critic of Hezbollah is prominent Lebanese Shia scholar Ali Al-Amin who is influential amongst the Lebanese Shia population. In statements to Al Arabiya News on Oct 10, Al-Amin stressed the necessity of handing over Hezbollah's weapons to the Lebanese army. He added, "In light of the presence of weapons other than those of the state, concern remains."

"We expressed our opinion on this war after it broke out, and we said that it was not beneficial for Gaza and would harm Lebanon and put it in danger. As for saying that the Israeli threats were a clear justification for entering the war, this is an incorrect statement because these threats existed before October 7, 2023, so why didn't Hezbollah declare war because of them?" said Al-Amin.

Lebanese Shia leaders, including Ali Al-Amin, blame Hezbollah for the demise of Lebanon and the hardships that Lebanese people are suffering from there. Most importantly, the Shia opinions and anger towards both Hezbollah and Iran are dramatically increasing in Lebanon with many accusing Iran of throwing Lebanon under the bus through its agent Nasrallah.

Real Anger Against Hezbollah Openly Expressed in the Media

Furthermore, the level of anger amongst average Shia Muslim Lebanese citizens, who were harmed by the terrorist group's decision to go to war, runs deeper.

"Our building is destroyed, orders were issued that we can't go back and bring our clothes, okay just give some clothes and furniture. They tell us, that's your problem work it out! We don't have money to eat, they respond that this is a decision from the security and anyone who goes back home will be shot at. They want to take decisions on our homes on our behalf" said one desperate Lebanese citizen from Beirut's southern district–which is Hezbollah's stronghold–in a viral video online on Oct 17.

"This is not some confiscated money brother, this is my money, I should be go back to my home whenever I want, if I want I will die inside," said the citizen. "They should remove their munition storage from underneath our homes, all day they are going up and down from them (munition storage) till everything was over" added the citizen. "Let them remove their storages from underneath the building which they are keeping inside."

Lebanese Shia Street Criticism of Hezbollah Explodes

But the disdain towards Hezbollah is not just emitting from Lebanese Shia scholars but it far extends into the Shia Muslim population in the country. Some of the more vocal voices against Hezbollah and the Iranian control of the country is political analyst Hadi Murad.

Murad is a disgruntled Shia Muslim analyst who believes that the Lebanese Shia is sent to be slaughtered like sheep in favor of the Iranian regime Mullahs.

"This Iranian expansion is calling for fighting till the last Shia Muslim in Lebanon, who is this Iranian to ask the Lebanese from the Speaker of the House Berri that we would fight for him in the war till the last Shia person. The Iranian is not welcomed to give us orders from above and below so we would fight for him and he is sitting on the negotiation table" said Murad in a short video posted for Lebanese network Al Mashad on his Facebook page on Oct 7th.

Other non-Shia Lebanese citizens called upon the Shia population in Lebanon to seize this crisis as an opportunity to rise against the dominance of Hezbollah and Iran. Lebanese Judicial Commissioner Peter Germanos did just that in an interview for Al Hadath Network on October 10th.

"This is an opportunity for the esteemed Shia sector in Lebanon. We know as Lebanese who have a lot of friends that many Shia advocates don't support Hezbollah and many other who used to sympathize with Hezbollah and today, they realized that Iran exploited that situation and there is an Iranian betrayal and that is apparent," said Germanos. He added that "All factions are requested not accept the presence of Hezbollah but also separating between Hezbollah and the Shia sector. Hezbollah is one thing and the Shia sect is another."

Germanos went on to call for an uprising by Lebanese Shia against Iran.

"What is required now is a Shia uprising, the key to the solution for this (crisis) is a genuine Shia uprising for Shias not have their sons killed for the sake of the Iranian nuclear program," said Germanos.

"We know that the Iranian arms are stretched in the region whether they are Popular Mobilization Force (Iraq), Syrian militias or Hezbollah or Houthis (Yemen), they are an extension of the Iranian empire or the Khomeni Republic they don't take decisions," he added. "When the pagers exploded in Lebanon ... one of them exploded in the hands of the Iranian ambassador which means that Iran practically leads the operations in Lebanon," said Germanos.

"When (former President) Michel Aoun who was Tehran's man in Lebanon was elected during what was called the 'Presidential settlement' and the rest of the faction leaders signed on this ominous Presidential settlement, Hezbollah infiltrated the Lebanese deep state entirely" said Germanos.

New Exposés of Hezbollah Operations and Its Use of Human Shields

The "Lebanese Survivor" YouTube channel, which is operated by former Lebanese army General Tabet Tabet, has been exposing Hezbollah secret operations for years. A report from October 17th said "What Hezbollah leaders, media and politicians used to say that if you (Israel) attack us we will attack you and march on Galilee and Jerusalem, but the fact today is that when you (Israel) hits us, we run away. And yesterday, we had Mohamed Raad (a Hezbollah-affliated MP) and Wafiq Safa (Hezbollah's Coordination and Liaison Officer) shamelessly hide among civilians in Beirut."

"You have Hezbollah storing its weapons and munitions inside civilian homes," said the report.

Mohamed Shoieb is a Lebanese activist and founder of the Southern Independent People Front. His daughter was once kidnapped by Hezbollah and three commercial stores he owned were shut down by order of Hezbollah. As a Shia resident of southern Lebanon, he is fed up with Hezbollah policies.

"Take it from me and I am responsible for every word I say; more than 95 percent of the southern Lebanon population are objecting the rule of Hezbollah but they are afraid" said Shoeib in an interview in September.

"I am one person whom they (Hezbollah agents) circulated a ban on my store for years and they close down three of my stores," added Shoeib. They stuck posters of Nasrallah on them and told him "The payback is near."

"The people of Palestine should liberate Palestine, why we as Lebanon would carry this burden and Arab states are just observing" said Shoeib "I said it before the opening of the southern (Lebanon) front (against Israel) was to let Iran on the negotiating table," added Shoeib.

Is this the Beginning of the End for Hezbollah?

At this stage, even though Hezbollah has taken a beating by the Israelis, it is far too premature to announce the permanent demise of Iran's most favored terrorist proxy in the Middle East. For years, few dared to criticize Hezbollah for fear of losing their lives. Hezbollah had no qualms about executing Lebanon's leaders, journalists, Christians and Druze nor for that matter, as demonstrated by their savagery in Syria, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians at the order of Syria's Assad. Still, the open criticism of Hezbollah's reign of terror by leading Lebanese from all religious backgrounds signals the possibility that Iran's chokehold over Lebanon may finally be coming to an end.

IPT Senior Fellow Hany Ghoraba is an Egyptian writer, political and counter-terrorism analyst at Al Ahram Weekly and a regular contributor the BBC. He is the author of Egypt's Arab Spring: The Long and Winding Road to Democracy He is a writer and contributor for over a dozen international outlets, periodicals and networks including Newsmax, OANN, BBC Radio, CSP, MEF, American Spectator, American Thinker, Arab Weekly and Al Arabiya News.

Copyright © 2024. Investigative Project on Terrorism. All rights reserved.