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Lebanon finds itself in the crossfire of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Israel intensified its bombing campaign in south Lebanon after the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah launched rockets at it earlier last week. The Lebanese government says the war has displaced more than 100,000 people and killed nearly 300. Hezbollah enjoys wide popularity in Lebanon, but as NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi reports, frustrations are mounting.
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: George Shibli is the owner of the Comfort Hotel in the Christian-majority neighborhood of Hazmieh just outside Beirut.
GEORGE SHIBLI: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: It was founded by his grandfather in 1958. Today Shibli looks exhausted and confused. An Israeli strike has turned his hotel to rubble.
SHIBLI: There was four rooms. It was here, four rooms, OK? But when the bomb...
AL-SHALCHI: He points to a mattress that belonged to his receptionist.
SHIBLI: Did you see the blood here?
AL-SHALCHI: She was in the room at the time of the attack and died a day later. Shibli says he doesn't want to talk politics, but he's tired of Lebanon being helpless and not having control over its own affairs.
SHIBLI: We are a small country, and when we get our orders from outside...
AL-SHALCHI: He shrugs and doesn't want to elaborate. But orders from outside in Lebanon means being told what to do by other countries, including Iran. For decades, Iran has funded the militant group Hezbollah, which has now dragged Lebanon into another war Lebanese leaders say it can't afford. For decades, Hezbollah has been seen by many Lebanese as a resistance movement to fend off Israeli aggression and occupation in the south.
Today, the Lebanese government is trying to distance itself from Hezbollah, as Iran itself is now under attack from Israel and the U.S. One man at the forefront of this push to rid Lebanon of Hezbollah is Justice Minister Adel Nassar. In an unprecedented move, the minister instructed security authorities to issue arrest warrants for those who launched the rockets at Israel last week.
ADEL NASSAR: Unfortunately, they gave this pretext to Israel. Although we condemn, without any reservation, the reaction of Israel, it remains that we have a major problem with Hezbollah.
AL-SHALCHI: Also for the first time, the minister has proposed to charge Hezbollah's leader, Naim Qassem, with, quote, "dragging Lebanon into war and tampering with security." It's the sharpest rebuke any Lebanese government official has made against Hezbollah. Even in its own stronghold, patience is wearing thin with the militant group.
UNIDENTIFIED MAYOR: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: That's a mayor from a town in southern Lebanon. The region where Hezbollah was founded runs its military and offers civil services like health care and education. He doesn't want us to use his name because he's afraid of repercussions for speaking out about politics. The mayor says even his own community was shocked and angry when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel this time. He believes Hezbollah should only act in defense.
UNIDENTIFIED MAYOR: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "We won't accept Hezbollah's decision to avenge the Iranian supreme leader's death or be in solidarity with Iran," he says. The mayor says the group didn't think about the consequences for their own people and Lebanon's people overall. This mayor is among tens of thousands of Lebanese who are now displaced. Many are forced to sleep on the streets, huddled in makeshift tents.
Iran gives at least $700 million annually to Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to the U.S. State Department. And this mayor says that means Iran calls the shots.
UNIDENTIFIED MAYOR: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "If Hezbollah didn't get involved in this battle, the Iranians will say, what use are they to us," he says. But being at war with Israel for years, the mayor says those in the south have no other choice but to look to Hezbollah for defense.
UNIDENTIFIED MAYOR: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "The resistance," meaning Hezbollah, has become a necessity and a burden on the South, the mayor says. The Lebanese government recently banned all Hezbollah military activity, but Lebanese political analyst Ali Rizk says it's just paying lip service to the U.S.
ALI RIZK: To prove themselves to the Americans - but as you see, the rockets and missiles are still being fired from south Lebanon. So Lebanese state can only do so much. It remains outgunned by Hezbollah.
AL-SHALCHI: And until real solutions are found, hotel owner George Shibli says it's people like him who will continue to suffer.
Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Beirut.
(SOUNDBITE OF HERMANOS GUTIERREZ'S "MESA REDONDA") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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