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Hizbullah Struggling to Meet Its Financial Commitments

(Wall Street Journal) Adam Chamseddine - Three months after Hizbullah agreed to a ceasefire, the damage inflicted by Israel's armed forces is becoming clear: Its military has been severely degraded and it is struggling to meet its commitments to followers. Some residents say Hizbullah's primary financial institution, Al-Qard Al-Hassan, in recent weeks has frozen payments for compensation checks that had already been issued. In addition, Lebanon's new U.S.-backed government has been making efforts to stem the flow of cash to the group from Iran. "Hizbullah no longer has the cash to compensate its constituents," said Lina Khatib, an associate fellow at the Chatham House think tank. Loyalty to the group "is likely to wane in the long term when Hizbullah's constituents realize that it can no longer offer them financial, political, or security benefits." Costs for the wounded who need medical treatment are also spiraling. A person familiar with Hizbullah said the group lost 5,000 fighters, with more than 1,000 severely wounded. A person close to Hizbullah said an internal memo was distributed to its combat units, ordering militants who weren't originally from areas south of the Litani river in southern Lebanon to vacate their positions and allow Lebanese army troops to take control of the area in accordance with the ceasefire. He said Hizbullah has partially replenished its ranks with fighters who had been stationed in Syria, and that some restructured units were ready for any resumption of fighting.
2025-02-25 00:00:00
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