A Pyrrhic Victory?

The Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah stood in the Bint Jbeil sports stadium, a mere kilometer from the Israeli border. This was the same spot where, in 2000, Hassan Nasrallah, the group's then leader, declared victory over Israel's 18-year occupation of south Lebanon. Now, in 2023, Fadlallah declared a different kind of victory.

"Today we come to announce from Bint Jbeil and with confidence that we have won over the Israeli killing machine," he told journalists.

But this victory came at a heavy cost. The stadium, once a symbol of resistance, was now riddled with shrapnel. Nasrallah was dead. Bint Jbeil, the "capital of resistance," lay in ruins.

a missile for a missile, a fighter for a fighter.

But the equation seemed to work against them. For every Hezbollah rocket, Israel responded with four strikes. Hundreds of Hezbollah fighters were killed, while Israeli casualties remained low.

Hezbollah unveiled new weaponry, including drones that evaded Israel's Iron Dome and an anti-aircraft missile that forced an Israeli jet to retreat. Nasrallah promised this was only "10%" of their capabilities.

The world watched, believing that even if Hezbollah couldn't defeat Israel, they could inflict enough damage to deter a full-scale war. Nasrallah, with his charisma, convinced many that Hezbollah could protect Lebanon.

But the retribution never came. The remaining 90% of Hezbollah's arsenal was either never deployed or never existed. Thousands were injured by exploding pagers planted by Israeli intelligence. Hundreds of thousands were displaced by airstrikes. By September, Nasrallah was dead.

Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire, leaving south Lebanon in ruins. The war had killed almost 4,000 people, displaced over a million, and caused billions in damages.

Hezbollah's air of invincibility was shattered. Their domestic opponents called for disarmament and for the state to reassert control in the south.

Hezbollah, however, insists this was a victory. They survived, they didn't surrender, and they believe they held off the "Israeli killing machine." They are keen to reassert their presence in the south, distributing aid and playing their anthems.

For some residents, like Mohammed from Bint Jbeil, this is enough. "As long as the resistance is here, the Israelis will not be able to enter," he says. "Then we have won."

at what cost?