Lebanese Shiite Muslims increasingly blame Hezbollah for destruction in Lebanon

The Hezbollah terrorist organization, one of Iran's proxy groups in Lebanon, primarily draws its support from the local Muslim Shiite community and constitutes a significant portion of the country's population.

However, some Lebanese Shiites increasingly blame Hezbollah for the widespread destruction and deaths in Lebanon after more than one year of conflict with Israel.

While many Lebanese welcome the American-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel announced on Wednesday, many Lebanese citizens believe a similar truce could have been reached months ago.

Lebanese Shiite cleric Ali Al Amin blasted Hezbollah's leadership for forcing a war on Lebanon despite opposition from the majority of the Lebanese population. 

"Ask your leaders why they brought this destruction on Lebanon," Al Amin reportedly stated, according to the Saudi Al Arabiya network. "Opening a front in support of Hamas in Gaza only hurt Lebanon," he added, referring to Hezbollah’s alliance with the Hamas terrorist organization, which launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 of last year.

Al Amin called for national unity among Lebanon’s politically, religiously and ethnically diverse population. 

At least 3,500 people have reportedly been killed in Lebanon since the war began last year. While the majority of fatalities are Hezbollah terrorists, hundreds of Lebanese civilians have reportedly been killed and approximately one million people have been forced to evacuate their homes, mainly southern Lebanon.

Furthermore, Hezbollah’s conflict with Israel is estimated to have inflicted a financial burden of at least $8 billion on Lebanon’s already fragile economy.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah forces began on Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched an unprovoked missile attack on northern Israel, officially to display solidarity with Hamas, which led to a deadly surprise invasion and terror attack in southern Israel one day prior. Hamas terrorists stormed the border with Israel, massacring 1,200 men, women and children and abducting 251 people – dead and alive – into the Gaza Strip.

Between October 2023 and November 2024, Hezbollah's attacks on Israel escalated from initial skirmishes to more severe confrontations.

Over the past two months, Israel Defense Forces' ground operations have targeted Shiite towns and villages in southern Lebanon, areas from which Hezbollah militants have launched thousands of rockets and drones at Israel. These attacks were carried out while Hezbollah forces embedded themselves in civilian structures – a war crime under international law. 

Criticism of Hezbollah is even more pronounced among non-Shiite Lebanese citizens. Sunni Muslim Lebanese legislator Waddah Sadek argued on 𝕏 that an earlier ceasefire could have saved Lebanon from “destruction, martyrs and losses worth billions (of dollars).”

Bahaa Al Hariri, the son of the former assassinated Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al Hariri, also criticized Hezbollah’s divisive conduct in Lebanese society. 

"Lebanon's Independence Day falls at a historic and critical moment this year, in which the country stands at a crossroads that would determine its future," Hariri wrote on 𝕏. "The greatest challenge is our internal divisions and the attempts of some to replace the state and its institutions, especially its military," he continued in a veiled reference to Hezbollah.

The late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated in a car bomb attack in 2005, an act attributed to Hezbollah operatives.

"The Lebanese people, of all sectors, must join the rebuilding of Lebanon," the younger Harari stated. 

Until recently, Hezbollah rejected a ceasefire with Israel and vowed to continue its attacks as long as IDF troops continue to target Hamas in Gaza.

It was only after Israel delivered severe blows to Hezbollah forces that its leadership began expressing interest in a ceasefire deal.

In late September, the Israeli military eliminated Hezbollah’s top leader, Sec.-Gen. Hassan Nasrallah, in an aerial strike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in southern Beirut.

The IDF estimates that, in the past two months, it has eliminated at least 2,000 Hezbollah terrorists and most of its rocket and missile arsenal.