Hezbollah ignites blowback from its base as over 1 million flee war with Israel

"We did not even change our clothes, we fled with our pajamas. I had women and children with me. Ali, who had to leave his home in Marjeyoun, in south Lebanon, and is now staying with family in Beirut, said he felt blindsided by Hezbollah's decision and the humanitarian crisis it created."

"They see Hezbollah as the organization that has represented their interests and their security. But they also are realizing that Hezbollah is leading them into conflicts that exact a very high cost on them. A non-state actor needs some legitimacy to exist. If that is missing, it turns only into a self-interested organization."

"The rising public anger is saddling Hezbollah with double-layered existential challenge: Even as some Israeli officials vow to use the current war to destroy the group militarily, Hezbollah's leaders are at risk of losing political legitimacy within their base, as displaced residents fear that south Lebanon could suffer the same fate as the Gaza Strip."

Shiite Muslims in Lebanon, who form Hezbollah's political base, are growing angry with the Iranian-backed group for initiating conflict with Israel. Hezbollah's attacks to avenge Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's death triggered severe Israeli airstrikes, displacing over 1 million people, many for the second time in two years. Residents fled hastily with minimal possessions, feeling blindsided by Hezbollah's actions. This crisis creates a dual threat: Israel seeks military destruction of Hezbollah while the group simultaneously risks losing political legitimacy among its own supporters. Displaced Shiites fear south Lebanon could become devastated like Gaza. The community faces a critical reckoning, caught between supporting Hezbollah as their traditional representative and recognizing the organization's conflicts impose devastating costs on their lives.

Read at The Washington Post