Lebanon’s crises force Hezbollah to turn inward

Hezbollah will focus more internally on Lebanon in 2021, as it grapples with a unique confluence of substantial political unrest, an unprecedented financial crisis, and a new wave of health and social challenges, a turn that will intensify political frictions in Lebanon and diminish. the reaching. of the group’s operations in other parts of the Middle East. A political crisis that lasted for years and the large-scale anti-government protests that have gripped Lebanon are now dominating much of Hezbollah’s approach. In an unusual dynamic, some of the protests have targeted the group itself in areas of southern Lebanon where it has almost always had support. Hezbollah is also dealing with substantial economic setbacks due to Lebanon’s unprecedented financial crisis, a decline in funding from Iran (its main external supporter), and recent sanctions implemented by the administration of former US President Donald Trump. To compound these challenges, Hezbollah is now dedicating more resources to COVID-19 …