Hezbollah’s Support Tested as South Lebanon Votes Under Ceasefire
Lebanon held local elections on Saturday in its southernmost districts of Nabatieh and South Lebanon, concluding the country’s first municipal vote in nearly a decade. The elections unfolded under extraordinary circumstances, as thousands of residents remain displaced following the months-long border war between Hezbollah and Israel. With heavy security concerns, limited public services, and a fragile ceasefire, the vote was widely seen as both a political test and a logistical trial for a government trying to reassert control over war-torn regions.
Polls opened in areas heavily damaged by Israeli airstrikes, including the border village of Kfar Kila, which was nearly leveled during the conflict. Because many towns remain empty or under threat, polling stations were relocated to safer cities like Tyre and Nabatiyeh. The Lebanese Interior Ministry said 37 out of 60 border villages are still uninhabited. Despite these obstacles, turnout was strong in many districts, including areas under Hezbollah and Amal control, where the two parties ran joint lists and often faced no opposition.
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President Joseph Aoun toured the region and voted in his hometown of Aaichiyeh, saying, “The will of life is stronger than death and the will of construction is stronger than destruction.” Hezbollah legislator Ali Fayad said, “Southerners are proving again that they are with the choice of resistance.”
Saturday’s vote followed months of violence triggered by Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on Israel after the October 7 Hamas-led assault. An estimated 4,000 people were killed in Lebanon during the war, while Israel lost over 130 soldiers and civilians. A ceasefire brokered by the US and France took effect in November 2024.
