Israel Is Trying To ‘Weaken’ Hezbollah As A Political And Economic Force

By Kian Sharifi

(RFE/RL) -- Israel's weekslong aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Lebanon has targeted the leadership and military capabilities of Hezbollah.

Now, Israel has expanded its targets and hit civilian infrastructure, including banks, affiliated with Hezbollah, an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.

Experts say Israel's aim is to erode Hezbollah not just as a military power but also a political and economic force in Lebanon. Hezbollah is a U.S.-designated a terrorist organization, although the EU has only blacklisted its military wing.

"Beyond the degradation of the military capabilities, personnel, and armaments, there is certainly an Israeli attempt to weaken Hezbollah politically, socially, and financially," says Eran Etzion, a former Israeli diplomat and ex-deputy head of Israel's National Security Council.

On October 21, Israeli air strikes targeted the branches of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association (AQAH), which is affiliated with Hezbollah.

The bank offers financial services to civilians in areas where Hezbollah has strong support. But Israel and the United States accuse it of serving as a front for the group to fund its military activities.

Israel's targeting of the AQAH branches "marks an expansion in terms of the types of targets that Israel is hitting," says Etzion. But it does not mean Israel is attempting to completely dismantle Hezbollah, he adds.

Experts say destroying Hezbollah is not Israel's objective, not least because that is an unrealistic goal. Instead, they said, Israel is trying to degrade its military capabilities and political base.

"Hezbollah is the predominant political power in Lebanon, and if it is militarily significantly weakened, that would also reduce its political power," says Joost Hiltermann, director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at the Belgium-based International Crisis Group.

Under Lebanon's sectarian political system, the president is a Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of parliament is a Shi'ite Muslim.

Hezbollah, whose power base is among Shi'a, has representatives at the ministerial and parliamentary levels. Its alliance with non-Shi'ite parties also gives it further political clout.

Hiltermann questioned whether Israel had the ability to effect political change in Lebanon. Iran-backed Hezbollah is more powerful than even the Lebanese Army, and smaller political factions in Lebanon do not have the military force or political clout to push it out completely, he said.

After invading Lebanon in 1982, Israel attempted and failed to reshape Lebanon's political scene by bringing a pro-Israeli Christian party to power.

"There is a recognition that Israel's abilities in that particular sphere are limited," says Etzion.

For Netanyahu, It's Personal

Observers say Israel's civilian and military leaders are split over how to approach the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah.

One camp wants to wind down the war and secure a political settlement based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701. That would include Hezbollah fighters retreating from near the Israeli border and UN peacekeeping forces ensuring security along the border.

The other camp, which includes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is looking to expand the conflict into a "full-fledged regional war" involving both Iran and the United States, Etzion says.

Israel has vowed to strike Iran in retaliation for Tehran's massivemissile attackon October 1. Manyworrythat an Israeli attack will result in an escalating cycle of tit-for-tat strikes that will spiral into a warengulfingthe entire region.

Netanyahu's primary goal "is to sustain his grip on power and to make sure he's not ousted," Etzion says. "He has a clear political, personal, and criminal interest in perpetuating the war."

Netanyahu's critics blame him for the security lapses that resulted in the October 7 attack by U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

Netanyahu is also facing serious corruption charges, and his detractors say the prime minister is trying to indefinitely postpone his own trial.