Nasrallah commemoration can't hide Hezbollah's lost standing - interview

Tens of thousands turned out in Lebanon to commemorate the second anniversary of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's death, but the event highlighted the group's waning influence, according to Lt.-Col. (Res.) Dr. Moran Levanoni, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies. The majority of the attendees mourned Nasrallah at his burial site in southern Beirut, while government officials largely stayed away.

Levanoni pointed out that Hezbollah's political standing in Lebanon remains precarious, with the group losing ground.

Levanoni suggested that Hezbollah's attempt to regain prominence by organizing the mass gathering in Beirut fell short. The group's failure to compensate residents of southern Lebanon for the losses incurred during the war it waged on Iran's behalf further eroded public support. Even within its Shiite base, the refusal to hand over the Ali al-Taher Ridge to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which Israel subsequently seized, has cost Hezbollah significant backing.

Lebanese journalist Hasan Illaik claimed, based on his observations, that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun instructed all security agency chiefs not to send representatives to the commemoration. Illaik accused Aoun of harboring deep-seated animosity towards Hezbollah, opposing the group's interests, and pressuring the families of child martyrs to refrain from commemorating their sons in Martyrs Square.

Illaik also criticized Nawaf Salam's United Nations speech as filled with hatred towards the war's victims and the people of southern Lebanon, and ready to support Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu personally against them. Aoun's speeches, according to Illaik, further demonstrate the divide between Hezbollah and other political factions in Lebanon.

Despite these accusations, no high-ranking officials from outside Hezbollah attended the first anniversary events for Nasrallah last year. Prime Minister Salam even pushed for legal action against Hezbollah for projecting an unauthorized image of Nasrallah onto Beirut's Raouché Rock. The divide between Hezbollah and the legitimate authorities in Lebanon was further evident when Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem delivered a scathing speech against Beirut, accusing the government of "contributing to the Israeli project instead of opposing it."

Qassem directly criticized Aoun, calling for a head of state who is an "arbiter and a unifying figure, not a party to the conflict," and insisted that Hezbollah would continue to disregard Lebanese law by pursuing its "path of resistance."

The article also highlights the reality of Hezbollah's diminished power, as noted by Lt.-Col. (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, founder and president of the Alma Research and Education Center. Zehavi stated that while Hezbollah maintains a "solid" support base, the voices against the group need to translate into concrete action against it. The center also reported tensions over whether Hezbollah should prioritize the needs of the displaced or continue to showcase its strength through grand displays.

Plans to expand Nasrallah's tomb were ultimately rejected by Nasrallah's son, Jawad Nasrallah, who argued that a grand complex should not be built while the group's support base grapples with a lack of housing.