A Lebanese friend writes to me: “The country is lost”published at 2:05 p.m. British Summer Time

14:05 BST

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent in Beirut

image source, Reuters

The powerful and influential Hezbollah, which means “Party of God,” is described in Lebanon as a state within a state. She has considerable support here, but also resistance.

As Hezbollah carried out cross-border attacks on Israel almost daily for nearly a year, many outside its base feared that Lebanon, already struggling to recover from years of back-to-back crises, would be drawn into a conflict it did not choose battle.

The economy has virtually collapsed and the political stalemate has left the country without a president for almost two years.

There are still memories here of the last war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, when parts of southern Lebanon and Dahieh, the group's base in Beirut's southern suburbs, were razed to the ground.

“The country is lost,” a Lebanese friend writes to me. Another writes: “If you ask me what's coming, my answer is that there will be very long and hard days ahead.” And a third says: “We just have to hope for the best.”

Certainly Hezbollah's rivals will not be disappointed to see a weakened group that, many say, is interested in defending its own interests – and those of its main backer, Iran.

However, there is still uncertainty about what happens next. It remains unclear whether Hezbollah can still organize a significant and coordinated response. It continues to fire rockets at Israel, but not with the same intensity.

Meanwhile, this country is under pressure, grappling with the sheer number of casualties from Israeli airstrikes and a million people already displaced.