Hezbollah increases clout in Lebanon, but at a cost

Violent methods raise bitterness

A Lebanese man walked past houses in Aita al-Shaab, Lebanon, destroyed in the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Mohammed Zaatari/Associated Press)

AITA AL-SHAAB, Lebanon - In this dusty village on the front lines of Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed guerrilla group looks as strong as ever. But even as it reaches the zenith of its power in Lebanon, Hezbollah is generating new perils along the way.

Tales of heroism by Hezbollah fighters still make the rounds in Aita al-Shaab, the streets are adorned with portraits of the group's "martyrs," and yellow Hezbollah flags fly from lampposts. Villagers, still rebuilding from the devastation of the war, profess unswerving devotion to the Shi'ite Muslim group and its charismatic leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

"I am 90, but if they ask me to fight Israel, I will," said Hassan Marai, a tobacco farmer.

"Hezbollah is our only protector," Marai declared at his home, reduced to rubble in the war but now partly rebuilt with money from Hezbollah and the wealthy Gulf state of Qatar.

Hezbollah, or the "Party of God," is both a military and political movement with members in Lebanon's parliament. A close ally of Iran and Syria, it emerged with a winner's swagger after holding off Israel's 2006 onslaught.

Now, nearly two years into a power struggle with Lebanon's US-backed government, the party is poised to gain what it long demanded - greater say in the politics of this fractured nation.

With this added muscle, Hezbollah could block any attempt to disarm its fighters, ensuring its hold along the border with Israel. Hezbollah also could better counter US influence in Lebanon and increase the sway of Shi'ites, who are believed to constitute the country's largest sect but have long felt squeezed out by Sunni Muslims and Christians.

However, Hezbollah's gains come at a cost. Its violent methods have deepened the bitterness among its political opponents in Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's camp.

Hezbollah's military also has less room to maneuver, given that Israel gained a better picture of the militia in the 2006 war and will probably answer any provocation with massive retaliation. And many Lebanese - perhaps even some Hezbollah supporters in south Lebanon - could blame the movement if there is yet another destructive war.

Meanwhile, Israel and Syria are holding indirect talks through Turkish mediators, and Israel would be unlikely to accept any deal that doesn't curtail Syria's backing for Hezbollah.

The two-year power struggle in Lebanon came to a head in May when Saniora's government ordered the dismantling of Hezbollah's private telephone network - which the group maintains is its warning system against Israeli attack - and fired the pro-Hezbollah security chief at Beirut's international airport.

Hezbollah reacted strongly. Its fighters seized Sunni districts in Beirut and battled militias loyal to the government in the hills above the city and in the country's north. Eighty-one people were killed, and Saniora was forced to rescind the two decisions in a humiliating defeat.

Under an Arab-mediated deal sealed in Doha, the Qatar capital, the government agreed to form a unity government that would essentially give Hezbollah a veto over Cabinet decisions. The United States considers Hezbollah a terrorist group, but faced with the prospect of more deadlock and bloodshed, gave the planned government its blessing.

Hezbollah's new power was gained, however, by violating Nasrallah's longstanding pledge not to take up arms against other Lebanese factions, awakening memories of Lebanon's 15-year sectarian civil war that ended in 1990.

"Hezbollah did something it had vowed it will never do," said Mohan Abedin, a London-based expert on Shi'ite politics in the Middle East. "It will never get away with it. Its enemies in Lebanon have strong backers and access to massive funds," he added, referring to US and Saudi support for Saniora.

A new government was formed Friday after six weeks of wrangling.

Hezbollah has not made clear its next step but is busy trying to counter criticism of the May violence. Its supporters insist the group was only defending itself against a government move to uproot it.