What is the position of Lebanon about the presence of the Hezbollah on its territory?

Question

Attention was recently drawn to Lebanon following the actions of Israel against Hezbollah positioned in the southern part of the country.

Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia, Islamist, Iran-backed, organization (from what I could understand) so their presence in Lebanon could have a few reasons:

• Lebanon invited the Hezbollah to stay in the south
• Hezbollah decided unilaterally to come and Lebanon
  • was happy with this
  • was unhappy but whatever
  • was unhappy but due to its situation (disasters, economical state, ...) could not do much
  • actively tried to resist (and failed)

Or is it something else? (I presume so, things are rather complicated in that region so the situation may be much more complex than the above)

Answer 1

One key factor in all this is the Lebanese civil war (1975-1989). Around the time Hezbollah was formed, the country was under the control of various militias (including Palestinian organizations) fighting each other. Without trying to give an overview of the war that would be beyond my knowledge, it's easy to see why it doesn't really make sense to wonder what “Lebanon” thought about it. Presumably, many factions hated it but they also had other things to worry about and complex and shifting alliances (and frequently tried to murder each other's leaders).

In practice, Hezbollah fighters were trained (by Iran) in Zabadani (Syria) and in the Bekaa valley (also under Syrian control from 1976) so other parties couldn't really do anything about it. At the same time, many in the Shi'a population would have welcomed it for several reasons. Many had been displaced from the south (which was invaded by Israel in 1978 and then again in 1982) and felt Amal (the only major Shi'a organization at the time) tacitly endorsed this invasion. Amal was busy fighting the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hezbollah came to be seen as the only “resistance force” (the term used in the Taif agreement), even clashing with Amal over the issue.

This also points to an explanation for current attitudes towards Hezbollah. As the survey cited by @Make StackExchange GREAT 4ever confirms, many Lebanese outside the Shi'a community have a profound dislike and distrust of Hezbollah. At the same time, they remember the suffering from the civil war and they hold Israel at least partly responsible for it (not to mention the 2006 war). They are also wary of anything that could reignite the violence and they know that challenging Hezbollah is especially dangerous. One sentiment I have heard is that Lebanon is a prisoner of a larger conflict and some Lebanese resent Israel (and the US) for putting them in that position. All these opinions need not be exclusive and cannot be neatly summarized as “supporting” or “opposing” Hezbollah.

Answer 2

To answer just the title Q in recent times, despite the various narratives about what Hezbollah [really] is, Hezbollah has become very popular with the Shia in Lebanon.

The popularity of Hezbollah remains sharply divided across sectarian lines. Whereas 34% of Sunnis and 29% of Christians express even a somewhat positive view of Hezbollah, 93% of Shia do so—with 89% saying they have a “very positive” opinion. While these results may be complicated by respondent concerns about polling on sensitive questions, it is worth noting the bump in approval across the board from when last polled in November 2020.

from an article that tries to convince that the Lebanese primarily don't want confrontation with Israel. (There's also a poll Q about the popularity of Hamas there, by the way -- "support for Hamas is more widespread across Lebanese society, although very positive views are especially concentrated in the Shia community. In total, 79% of Lebanese express a positive opinion of Hamas.")

Where the Shias might be found:

Religion map of Lebanon by municipality according to municipal elections data.

Answer 3

Hezbollah is a native Lebanese organization which arose out of opposition from Shia Lebanese against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon in the 1980s. Hezbollah has been aligned with Iran from its beginning, but it overall seems to have broad support by the Shia Lebanese population. Besides being an anti-Israel terror organization, Hezbollah also is a popular political party, and it provides many government functions and social support network in parts of Lebanon.

Lebanon is a deeply sectarian country without much of a unified government. Thus, it is not too meaningful to ask for Lebanon's political position.