The group, proscribed as terrorists by the west, hands out food, cash and medicines to people displaced in the conflict
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| A portrait of the killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah amid debris from Israeli attacks in Beirut’s southern suburbs, 10 October. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images |
(BD TOP NEWS BLOG)_ When the Sabra family fled Israeli bombardments in the southern Lebanese town of Marjayoun to Beirut’s southern suburbs in October last year, a monthly stipend in U.S. dollars from Hezbollah ensured they wouldn't go hungry. When they were displaced again, this time to the mountains around Beirut due to intensified Israeli attacks on southern Beirut, they received regular deliveries of meals, food parcels, and even cleaning supplies from organizations linked to the group.
They are taking incredible care of us, even with everything going on. They never leave us alone, said Hind Sabra, whose name has been changed. In their household of 14 people, comprising three families, each receives $200 per month in cash, discounted medications, and food parcels containing essentials like rice, oil, tuna, and beans
The support system—providing food, medication, and cash—is part of a broader network that Hezbollah has maintained for years. This network includes a de facto banking system that has thrived despite Lebanon’s prolonged financial crisis. It also features a fund dedicated to families of those killed in battle, as well as a social care organization responsible for distributing payments to the tens of thousands displaced earlier this year, according to a Hezbollah official.
Over the last two decades, Hezbollah has solidified its dominance over the various factions in Lebanon’s fragmented, sectarian political landscape. It also wields considerable influence over key sectors such as agriculture and construction in southern Lebanon. Lina Khatib from Chatham House noted that Hezbollah has expanded its reach to influence and control the state in Lebanon both within state institutions and beyond them. see more:
