Hezbollah’s continued strength

Some of the fiercest grown battles in the 2006 war took place here in this southern Lebanese town. Hezbollah is still very popular here, despite the fact that most houses are still being rebuilt. Hezbollah made Israelis realize that they can’t just come in and take what they want, says this citizen. Party flags and pictures of Hezbollah’s leader mark the landscape everywhere. Hezbollah’s capture of two Israeli soldiers in 2006 sparked the fighting in Lebanon with Israel. The Hezbollah leader called the upcoming prisoner exchange for those two Israeli soldiers a victory. Here in Hezbollah’s stronghold there’s no question whose victory this is. this woman who lost several family members in the fighting says she considers this a victory for Hezbollah and also adds that no one from the Lebanese government helped her after the war, only Hezbollah. This man says all of Lebanon’s politicians are trying to take things away from southern Lebanon. But critics say it’s Hezbollah in particular that’s hindering progress in southern Lebanon. This analyst says Hezbollah has reached the pinnacle of its political power and accuses the group of fomenting civil war. He says the time has come for Hezbollah to disarm. There are conflicting statistics about how popular Hezbollah is. analysts say Hezbollah may soon find itself the odd man out, considering Israel’s recent negotiations with Hamas and Syria.