Future flags and 'Manuel,' the Armenian killed in battle: When Hezbollah invents fake supporters
More isolated than ever, Hezbollah has been resorting to clumsy methods.
L'Orient Today / By Malek Jadah,
20 April 2026 19:37
Hezbollah supporters protest against direct negotiations with Israel in Raouche, Beirut, on April 10, 2026. (Credit: Tasnim Chaaban/L'Orient Today)
Hezbollah appears more isolated than ever locally. Three years after opening a controversial support front for Hamas in Gaza, its decision in early March to join the regional war alongside Iran has done little to improve its domestic standing.Since then, Sunni and Christian allies have either distanced themselves or fallen largely silent.Despite this, Hezbollah maintains that its involvement is driven by “Lebanese calculations” and continues to claim cross-sectarian backing, particularly in rejecting any direct negotiations with Israel. Though the evidence it cites has often proved tenuous.At a protest two weeks ago in downtown Beirut against direct negotiations with Israel, protestors flying Future Movement flags — the main Sunni-majority party, which has withdrawn from political life since 2021 — were presented by Hezbollah-linked...
Hezbollah appears more isolated than ever locally. Three years after opening a controversial support front for Hamas in Gaza, its decision in early March to join the regional war alongside Iran has done little to improve its domestic standing.Since then, Sunni and Christian allies have either distanced themselves or fallen largely silent.Despite this, Hezbollah maintains that its involvement is driven by “Lebanese calculations” and continues to claim cross-sectarian backing, particularly in rejecting any direct negotiations with Israel. Though the evidence it cites has often proved tenuous.At a protest two weeks ago in downtown Beirut against direct negotiations with Israel, protestors flying Future Movement flags — the main Sunni-majority party, which has withdrawn from political life since 2021 — were presented by...
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