‘Mafia tactics’: how Hezbollah intimidates Christians and steals southern Lebanese property | The Jewish Press – JewishPress.com | Pesach Benson / TPS | 28 Elul 5784 – Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Photo credit: IDF spokesperson/TPS-IL

The phone rests on the car’s dashboard, filming nothing out of the ordinary as it passes the green meadow of the southern Lebanese village of Aanquon. The driver carefully picks up the phone, as if he wants to take a selfie, but there is no cheerful smile on his face. In the background, over his shoulder—on the other side of the street, in front of a small house—is a rocket launcher attached to a truck. It disappears from view as the car drives by.

But it is unmistakable.

The video, shared with The Press Service of Israel, is emblematic of the “mafia tactics” Hezbollah has employed in southern Lebanon, entrenching its forces in Christian communities, stealing property and extorting business owners.

“For nearly two decades, Hezbollah groups have systematically oppressed Christians in southern Lebanon, seizing homes and factories for use by Hezbollah members,” a southern Lebanese Christian told TPS-IL after being evacuated to Beirut.

He works in healthcare in the city of Marjayoun, but otherwise insists on anonymity. “I will be murdered along with my relatives on charges of collaboration with Israel, without trial or justice, (but with) executions in public squares.”

Elias Zarina, co-founder and community manager of the Jerusalemite Initiative, a Jerusalem-based nonprofit that encourages Arabic-speaking integration into Israeli society, has heard similar stories from his contacts in Lebanon. Zarina is also a researcher and specialist in the Christian and other minority communities in the Middle East.

“Hezbollah is using mafia tactics in southern Lebanon,” he told TPS-IL. “We are talking about extortion, forcing Christians to pay protection money, burning houses and cars and kidnapping businessmen. Those are the tactics they use. The Lebanese government is doing nothing. It is dominated by Hezbollah.”

Lebanon’s 2.24 million Christians make up a third of the country’s population.

“The Lebanese avoid sharing these stories because they are afraid. If there is an attack from Israel, if Hezbollah sees you filming, they will take your phone or camera and destroy it. Not only Christians, but also Muslims. They will get into trouble. Everyone is scared,” Zarina said.

‘They appear in the village’
Explaining the video, Zarina told TPS-IL: “Hezbollah stores the trucks and launchers in a factory in, says Nabatieh. When they are ready to fire, they appear in the village and choose a time to launch the fire.” The house next to the launch vehicle is Christian, he added.

“Radical Islamic terrorists all have the same strategy,” Zarina explained. They always want to put pressure on Christians to force Western countries to go against Israel. They want to put Christians between them and Israel to portray Israelis as Nazis.”

Aanquon is a microcosm of what Hezbollah is trying to achieve.

“In 2000, before Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon, Aanquoun was about two-thirds Christian,” says Zarina. “Today the share of Christians is about 18%. From 2000 to today, the Christian population has shrunk. Hezbollah has tried to take over the houses and force them to leave. Hezbollah’s goal is to take control of all of southern Lebanon and store rockets in private homes. The more properties they control, the safer it is for Hezbollah figures to operate.”

The anonymous healthcare worker told TPS-IL: “The Christian world must understand that Christians in Lebanon in general – and in the south in particular – have become an ethnic minority after being masters of this land. Iran occupied Lebanon through its arm,” referring to Hezbollah.

The evacuation from southern Lebanon has exacerbated these tensions. A respected southern Lebanese Christian who tweets anonymously under the name Sobalaan wrote on Friday: “They are monitoring vacant apartments and expat homes, and there may be subsequent attempts to break in.”

Zarina adds that his contacts have shared reports of empty Christian homes looted by Hezbollah.

When Israeli forces abruptly withdrew from southern Lebanon in May 2000, members of the South Lebanese Army, a Christian militia that collaborated with Israel, fled mainly to Israel or North America. But the Christians who were not involved in the SLA stayed because “they thought they were safe,” Zarina said. “But they are the ones being pressured to sell their properties to Hezbollah.”

When asked if he has a message for the Israelis, the resident told TPS-IL: “We trusted them (Israelis) and fought together against the terrorists, and in the end they betrayed the alliance and gave southern Lebanon to the Shiites. ‘ without explaining.

Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, Iran-backed Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones at communities in northern Israel, killing 49 people. According to figures released by the government on September 29, more than 68,000 residents of northern Israel have been driven from their homes. Hezbollah leaders have repeatedly said they would continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes.

Israel’s war objectives include returning the residents of the north safely to their homes.

Israeli officials are demanding that Hezbollah be disarmed and removed from southern Lebanon, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War. This includes all areas south of the Litani River, such as the cities of Nabatieh and Tyre. such as the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.