Despite the losses of the war, Hezbollah uses this vote as an opportunity to show that it still has political influence.
Voters in southern Lebanon are throwing votes in local elections, which are considered a test of support for Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim political and armed group.
Saturday’s vote in most Shia regions where Hazbollah is allied with Amal (the party led by Congressional Speaker Nabi Beli) marks the final stages of Lebanon’s local elections.
It comes after the November 2024 ceasefire between the group and Israel was supposed to end months of the attack. But Risrael has been on a sporadic strike recently, like on Thursday, when air raids hit multiple locations in the south.
Both Hezbollah and Amal are widely expected to dominate the race of local governments, and have already not secured control of many councils.
In a border village that was abolished last year in conflict, residents of Kfar Kila, a town that was almost equalized by Israeli attacks, voted in nearby Nabatier, with high turnout. Others in the surrounding area voted on tires.
“The will of life is stronger than death, and the will of construction is stronger than destruction,” Lebanese President Joseph Aung told reporters on Saturday. He said he voted for the first time in 40 years in his hometown of Aaicheye.
Some people heading for the polls had still recovered from a series of Israeli attacks in September 2024.
“The Southerners are once again proving that they have a choice of resistance,” Ali Feiyad, a Hezbollah MP who represents the border village, told Nabatier.
Hezbollah still has political influence
Voting comes at a critical time for Hezbollah. The group emerged from the conflict with declining military capabilities and declining political leverage, but elections provide a platform to reaffirm the impact in the region.
“Lebanon has yet to fully recover from the war between Hezbollah and Israel last year. In fact, Israel continues to target Hezbollah despite a ceasefire,” according to a report from Nabatier, Israel continues to target Hezbollah.
“Hezbollah, it definitely weakened militaryly during the conflict. It has lost much of its military power, but these elections are still using it as an opportunity to show that they have political influence,” Khodr added.
Many feel that Hezbollah could not protect them during the war, but fears of isolation continue, she said. “They feel vulnerable not only to Israel but also to deeply divided countries, and they feel that Hezbollah’s opponents are alienating the entire community.”
The new Lebanon government has pledged to create a national monopoly, increasing pressure to disarm Hezbollah as needed under a US-brokering ceasefire with Israel.
Lebanon is currently facing massive challenges of reconstruction after the 14-month war, with the World Bank estimated its reconstruction needs at over $11 billion.
In October 2023, Hezbollah launched a rocket campaign in Israel in support of the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip.
Israel responded with artillery and air attacks on Lebanon before the ceasefire took effect in late November.
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