Is support for Hezbollah growing in Lebanon?

More people believe that Hezbollah's role in the region is "positive", according to a recent poll by the Arab Barometer which highlighted that the latest increase in support was not coming from Shias, whose views on the Lebanese group had not changed much in the past two years.

The survey, conducted between February and April 2024, found that increased support for the group, which has been engaged in cross-border attacks with Israel since the war on Gaza began last October, came from other sects, including Druze, Sunnis and even Christians in the region.

Despite the group's growing popularity, the poll found that relatively few Lebanese support it, with just 30 percent saying they had a great deal of trust in Hezbollah, while 55 percent of Lebanese said they had no trust at all in the group.

The levels of trust varied widely by sect, according to the poll, which found that 85 percent of Shias in Lebanon trusted the group, while just nine percent of the country's Sunnis, nine percent of Lebanese Druze and six percent of Christians agreed.

Hezbollah's regional role

The latest figures found that trust in Hezbollah had risen among Shias in comparison with a poll conducted in 2022, but had remained unchanged among Sunnis, Druze and Christians.

The poll also found that only a third of Lebanese supported Hezbollah's role in regional affairs, saying that they agreed or strongly agreed that the group's actions were good for the Arab world, while some 42 percent strongly disagreed.

Unsurprisingly, 79 percent of Lebanese Shia respondents believed the group's role in regional politics was positive, while only 13 percent of the country's Sunnis, 16 percent of Lebanese Druze and 12 percent of Christians agreed.

The group has launched rockets and conducted military operations against northern Israel since 8 October in support of Palestinians in Gaza, vowing to only stop the attacks when Israel ends its military offensive on the besieged enclave, where over 38,790 people have been killed.

The war on Gaza

The war on Gaza has increased sympathy for Hezbollah's stance against Israel, according to the poll, which found that Lebanese of all sects were horrified by Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

Seventy-eight percent of Lebanese respondents said Israel's onslaught of Gaza was a "terrorist act", while only 11 percent viewed Hezbollah's attacks on northern Israel as "terrorism".

Thirty-six percent of respondents referred to the war as a "genocide" against Palestinians, while 25 percent described it as "massacre".

Despite their support for Palestinians, many Lebanese fear a full scale war breaking out between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon as it grapples with its worst economic crisis in recent history, characterised by hyperinflation, collapsed currency and widespread poverty.

Hezbollah, established in the early 1980s with Iranian support, rose to power as a significant political and military force in Lebanon, gaining influence through its resistance against Israeli occupation and its extensive social services network.

It is the only heavily armed non-state actor in the world, justifying its needs for arms to defend the country against Israeli threats.

It also operates as political party and as a security force, providing basic services, including medical and educational, to those living in areas it governs.

Hezbollah is also designated as a "terrorist organisation" in the US and most Western countries.