How to use HIZBALAH CASH and WhatsApp groups to support power

After her son, a Hezbollah military officer, was killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon last year, Umm Hassan Dabbis Sadr was made from his image to commemorate him. When the pain was at its worst, she told herself that he chose this path.

Umm Hassan, 56, was used by the expensive private school that her grandchildren will attend thanks to Hizballah’s Short. Although she was not a party member, she said that the group “did not leave anyone behind.”

However, her faith was mixed with the enlarged ranks of Hezbollah, with the leaders of the Mediterranean who remained away from the front lines, and said that the Israeli collaborators: “It was not bad if there was no trait.”

HezbollahThe most powerful political and military power in Lebanon, suffering from the worst defeat ever. More than a year ago conflict Before the November ceasefire, Israel not only killed thousands of fighters, destroyed its supreme leadership, but caused tremendous destruction in the majority Shiite societies from which Hezbollah derives support. The fall of Bashar al -Assad’s ally in neighboring Syria dealt with another blow, which cut off vital supply chains between Hezbollah and its sponsor Iran.

With pressure now on pressure, keeping voter faith like Umm Hassan is vital for its future. A centralization is in this effort in the sprawling hizballah network of social welfare institutions including schools, hospitals and jihad jihad in its arm, which has deployed hundreds of engineers to survey damaged homes and start reforming their heart.

“Hezbollah raises questions.. About its organizational structure, because their role has changed, and the task has changed from regional to home.”

The Financial Times has spoken with more than 20 people how Hizballah enhances its base, including local officials, residents who benefit from the group’s social welfare system and people who have party thinking.

After its last war with Israel in 2006, Hezbollah deepened support by achieving the vow of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, to rebuild “better than before.” With the money from Iran, its private commercial institutions and state compensation payments, the party -related institutions played a prominent role in reconstruction.

But today the organization faces much greater destruction and is without Nasrallah, which was killed by Israel last year. Israel’s attack, which began after Hezbollah began to launch missiles across the border after Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and reached its peak in an invasion in October 2024. More than 4000 people were killed in Lebanon and at least 140 from Israel.

However, the post -war reform system is in full swing. A local official said that in the south that is beaten, a committee has been appointed with about ten engineers. These committees searched more than 270,000 homes in late January, according to jihad jihad.

Once the reviews are reviewed by the headquarters of Jihad al -Jihad between Beirut, the residents are required to pick up compensation checks and spend them in their local branch from the microfinance lender in Hezbollah, which the Israelis injured more than 30 branches. Strokes.

In the central market of Balbeek, a paper mark is fluttering from the ruins of what was previously one of its offices: “We are pleased to welcome you in our branch on the road!”

FT review messages sent by the local Hizballah official to a group of WhatsApp in a southern Lebanese village: multiple pages of complete data schedules with the names and numbers of registration.

“Hello everyone, these are the names of the people whose checks have arrived,” the official said in a voice note. “You can come and collect it tomorrow morning.”

“Just no one complains,” Oh, no check came, “these are just the checks that have arrived so far,” he went in a tiring voice. “Also, the names that were struck are people who are not from (the village). I don’t think I am removing a certain person.”

According to Pro-Heizballah Daily Ohhbar, the party distributed compensation payments worth $ 400 million over approximately 140,000 people. People who have lost their entire homes get between $ 12,000 to 14,000 dollars, and aim to cover a year of rent elsewhere and destroy furniture.

But the official’s defense came as some in Lebanon were glowing because of this process. In Hezbollah in the Becca Valley, the outskirts of southern Lebanon and South Beirut described both supporters and non -supporters what they see stingy or slow practices in assessing and compensating damage.

For example, Ahmed’s apartment was destroyed in Baalbek when an Israeli missile targeted the apartments below, which said that the owner had rented the members of the military wing.

It was sure that the damage was at least 10,000 dollars, but the check that arrived was $ 2,500. Ahmed was angry. “We live at home, and we are trying to fix what we can ourselves, but it is difficult – we do not even have running water,” he said. “We have no confidence in the state, and we hate the parties, but the parties made us hate the state.”

Many linked what they saw as Hezbollah’s narrow payments to its new geopolitical reality, drying its treasures after the Israeli attack and the fall of Assad, which cut off the Syrian supply routes linking it to the Iranian resistance axis, which once had a star.

Others described how Hezbollah has cast bureaucratic obstacles, such as receipts or vehicle records, which the residents believed to be designed to take so long that they would surrender. A man said he rejected a $ 905 check, without an accurate appreciation.

“Their teams operate day and night,” Hezbollah told FT. The group said: “When people find that there is a problem with the amount of compensation, they object and consider their objection if he justifies it.” “Everyone will get what they deserve.”

South residents said that Hezbollah’s bureaucracy was more interested in the state. They cited free medical care from health organizations at Hizballah and aid payments that were transferred to the displaced throughout the war.

However, many say that Hezbollah and its sponsor Iran lack the means of reconstruction this time, given the task scale. The war caused at least $ 3.4 billion in physical damage, according to the World Bank. Even Hezbollah leader Naymis Qassem stressed the responsibility of the state, saying in December: “Basically, restoration and reconstruction will be the government to follow up and we will be beside it.”

Hezbollah also dealt with a political blow last month by choosing a president and the prime minister, which is seen as committed to reducing its influence in Lebanon. Their nominations, which the West and the Arab countries defended, can help facilitate international reconstruction funding that analysts expect to transfer away from Hezbollah.

Hizballah and Allied Party Amal also failed to negotiate a banned minority in the cabinet appointed by these leaders on Saturday, which reduced their influence over government decisions.

But Hezbollah may not be marginalized so easily. Hussein Kamalidin, a local official in the southern village of Serva, said the group’s local networks were smart. He said that the party was keen to put his beneficiaries and smooth the differences because he knew the risks.

He said, “Military, they have been drained.” “They need time. But they have institutions.”

Imagine data by Iditi Bahandari