Editing Hezbollah (section)

=== Public opinion ===
As of 2024, Hezbollah's support within Lebanon is limited, especially after being blamed for the [[2020 Beirut explosion|2020 Beirut port explosion]] and the obstruction of accountability efforts. According to a 2024 [[Arab Barometer]] survey, 55 percent of Lebanese have "no trust at all" in the group. Support remains concentrated primarily among the [[Lebanese Shia Muslims|Shiite population]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stroul |first=Dana |date=2024-09-23 |title=Israel and Hezbollah Are Escalating Toward Catastrophe |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/israel-and-hezbollah-are-escalating-toward-catastrophe |access-date=2024-09-29 |work=Foreign Affairs |language=en-US |issn=0015-7120}}</ref>

According to [[Michel Samaha]], Lebanon's minister of information, Hezbollah is seen as "a legitimate resistance organization that has defended its land against the Israeli occupying force, and consistently stood up to the Israeli army".<ref name="nybooks"/> Samaha was sentenced for smuggling explosives to carry out terrorist attacks in Lebanon with the help of the Syrian regime.<ref name="meo20feb">{{cite news |date=20 February 2013 |title=Lebanon military court seeks death penalty for Samaha, Mamlouk |url=http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=57089 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000835/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=57089 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |accessdate=20 February 2013 |newspaper=Middle East Online}}</ref><ref name="muir">{{cite news |last=Muir |first=Jim |date=9 August 2012 |title=Syria crisis: Lebanese detention highlights faultlines |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19200058 |accessdate=29 December 2012 |newspaper=BBC |location=Beirut}}</ref>

According to a survey released by the "Beirut Center for Research and Information", of 800 citizens polled between 24 and 26 July 2006, during the [[2006 Lebanon War]], "showed 87 percent support for Hizbullah's{{Sic}} retaliatory attacks on northern Israel".<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Beirut Center for Research and Information |date=29 July 2006 |url=http://www.beirutcenter.info/default.asp?contentid=692&MenuID=46 |title=Poll finds support for Hizbullah's retaliation |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060830210321/http://www.beirutcenter.info/default.asp?contentid=692&MenuID=46 |archive-date=30 August 2006 }}</ref> a rise of 29 percentage points from a similar poll conducted in February.{{Citation needed|reason=What Poll?|date=September 2024}} More striking, however, was the level of support for Hezbollah's resistance from Sunni communities. "Eighty percent of [[Christianity in Lebanon|Christians]] polled supported Hizbullah{{Sic}} along with 80 percent of [[Lebanese Druze|Druze]] and 89 percent of [[Lebanese Sunni Muslims|Sunnis]]."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0728/p06s01-wome.html |first=Nicholas |last=Blanford |work=The Christian Science Monitor |title=Israeli strikes may boost Hizbullah base |date=28 July 2006 |access-date=29 July 2006}}</ref>

In a poll of Lebanese adults taken in 2004, 6% of respondents gave unqualified support to the statement "Hezbollah should be disarmed". 41% reported unqualified disagreement. A poll of Gaza Strip and West Bank residents indicated that 79.6% had "a very good view" of Hezbollah, and most of the remainder had a "good view". Polls of Jordanian adults in December 2005 and June 2006 showed that 63.9% and 63.3%, respectively, considered Hezbollah to be a legitimate resistance organization. In the December 2005 poll, only 6% of Jordanian adults considered Hezbollah to be terrorist.<ref name="an">{{cite news |url=http://arabnews.us/index.php/en/home/9-2013-04-30-13-59-49/295-what-led-to-the-rapid-increased-popularity-of-hezbollah-in-lebanon-search-by-dr-khader-hawthorn |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150203073712/http://arabnews.us/index.php/en/home/9-2013-04-30-13-59-49/295-what-led-to-the-rapid-increased-popularity-of-hezbollah-in-lebanon-search-by-dr-khader-hawthorn |archive-date=3 February 2015 |title=What led to the rapid increased popularity of Hezbollah in Lebanon |newspaper=Arab News |access-date=3 February 2015 |author=Zarour, Khoder}}</ref>

A July 2006 ''USA Today''/Gallup poll found that 83% of the 1,005 Americans polled blamed Hezbollah, at least in part, for the 2006 Lebanon War, compared to 66% who blamed Israel to some degree. Additionally, 76% disapproved of the military action Hezbollah took in Israel, compared to 38% who disapproved of Israel's military action in Lebanon.<ref name="Pollingreport" /> A poll in August 2006 by ABC News and ''The Washington Post'' found that 68% of the 1,002 Americans polled blamed Hezbollah, at least in part, for the civilian casualties in Lebanon during the 2006 Lebanon War, compared to 31% who blamed Israel to some degree.<ref name="Pollingreport">[http://www.pollingreport.com/israel.htm "Israel/Palestinians."] PollingReport.com. 10 December 2006.</ref> Another August 2006 poll by CNN showed that 69% of the 1,047 Americans polled believed that Hezbollah is unfriendly towards, or an enemy of, the United States.<ref name="Pollingreport" />

In 2010, a survey of Muslims in Lebanon showed that 94% of Lebanese [[Shi'a Islam in Lebanon|Shia]] supported Hezbollah, while 84% of the [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunni]] Muslims held an unfavorable opinion of the group.<ref>[http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/03/muslims-offer-mixed-views-on-hamas-hezbollah-reject-al-qaeda/ Muslims offer mixed views on Hamas, Hezbollah, reject al Qaeda] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206053238/http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/03/muslims-offer-mixed-views-on-hamas-hezbollah-reject-al-qaeda/ |date=6 December 2010 }}, CNN. 3 December 2010</ref>

Some public opinion has started to turn against Hezbollah for their support of Syrian President Assad's attacks on the opposition movement in Syria.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/08/10/158525814/sunni-cleric-rises-to-challenge-hezbollah-in-lebanon |title=Sunni Cleric Rises To Challenge Hezbollah In Lebanon |publisher=NPR |date=10 August 2012 |access-date=25 August 2012}}</ref> Crowds in Cairo shouted out against Iran and Hezbollah, at a public speech by Hamas President Ismail Haniya in February 2012, when Hamas changed its support to the Syrian opposition.<ref>{{cite news|last=Akram|first=Fares|title=In Break, Hamas Supports Syrian Opposition|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/world/middleeast/hamas-leader-supports-syrian-opposition.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/world/middleeast/hamas-leader-supports-syrian-opposition.html |archive-date=2022-01-03 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|newspaper=The New York Times|date=24 February 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==== View of Hezbollah ====
A November 2020 poll in Lebanon performed by the pro-Israel, American [[The Washington Institute for Near East Policy|Washington Institute for Near East Policy]] declared that support for Hezbollah is declining significantly. Below is a table of the results of their polls.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/lebanon-poll-shows-drop-hezbollah-support-even-among-shia-plurality-back-israel | title=Lebanon Poll Shows Drop in Hezbollah Support, Even Among Shia; Plurality Back Israel Boundary Talks }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style=text-align:right;
! rowspan=2 | Religion
! colspan=5 | View (%)
|-
! Very<br /> positive
! Somewhat<br /> positive
! Somewhat<br /> negative
! Very<br /> negative
! Unsure
|-
| [[Christianity in Lebanon|Christian]]
| 6
| 10
| 23
| '''59'''
| 2
|-
| [[Shia Islam in Lebanon|Shia]]
| '''66'''
| 23
| 10
| 2
| 0
|-
| [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunni]]
| 2
| 6
| 32
| '''60'''
| 0
|}