In Lebanon, Discontent Grows With Hezbollah's Political, Military Might

AMMAN - There is growing discontent among Lebanese with political and military powerhouse Hezbollah calling the shots in the country.

Analysts say a 2006-style confrontation with Israel, which bolstered its militia image then, is not an option for Iran-backed Hezbollah now, as it's seen as part of the problem. Even Lebanon's influential Maronite Catholic Patriarch is calling on the beleaguered country's army to "confront Hezbollah for the sake of Lebanon."  Lebanese analyst Dania Koleilat Khatib, with the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, said that as "Hezbollah has been accumulating and projecting power, it has simultaneously increased discontent among its opponents and positioned itself as a threat to others," seen most recently in a revenge killing involving a Sunni Muslim Arab tribe.    Writing in the Saudi Arab News daily, she said the incident "showed that Hezbollah is not as invincible as it once seemed, and that it can be intimidated. This encouraged protesters to chant anti-Hezbollah slogans at the commemoration" last week of the deadly 2020 Beirut bombing, Khatib said, with "fingers pointing at the group for illegally bringing tons of ammonium nitrate into Beirut port."