Hezbollah confident of poll boost

By James Reynolds
BBC News, in Southern Lebanon

As elections near in Lebanon, the pro-Syrian and Shia Hezbollah movement can expect to maintain its share of political power and influence.

Starting out as a resistance movement to the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, it now has several seats in parliament.

Under the shade of a willow tree in his garden, one of the Hezbollah MPs - Nazih Mansour - meets his constituents.

They sit on plastic chairs, occasionally waving to jeeploads of UN peacekeepers driving past the house.

Hezbollah is very organised and extends good services and tries to complement what the government can't do Christian school head

Hezbollah is the dominant force in this part of Lebanon, so popping in for coffee with the local MP can never hurt.

Mr Mansour's guests this morning include a registrar from the communist party, a retired builder who relies on Hezbollah to pay for his rheumatism medicine and, perhaps surprisingly, the Christian headmaster of a local school.

"Locally, Hezbollah has a very big role in the social services... especially to the impoverished area here," the headmaster says.

"They're very organised and they extend good services and they try to complement what the government can't do."

Withdrawals

On the way to his next appointment, Mr Mansour talks of the day Israel pulled out of southern Lebanon five years ago.

At the side of the road lie abandoned military bases.

Hezbollah's support is based on military victories and public service

There are also proudly displayed placards of the ayatollahs of Iran, the republic which funds Hezbollah.

And on the horizon you can see snow on top of the mountains of the Golan Heights.

In a village hall, a Hezbollah preacher tells the story of the killing of Imam Hussein centuries ago. Dozens of men in the audience begin to sob.

The MP has come to pay his respects to a grieving family.

Hezbollah is popular here. The withdrawal of its ally Syria from the rest of Lebanon does not seem to have affected the movement and its supporters in the south.

Local defenders

Mr Mansour believes that there is no reason for Hezbollah to disarm.

"The arms that we have are only directed against the Israelis," he says.

"If they do anything against us, we have to be ready for that. We are a political party and a resistance movement."

For a clear sign of Hezbollah's military role, all you have to do is drive a mile or so from Nazih Mansour's home to the border fence with Israel.

Within seconds, a Hezbollah soldier in camouflage uniform comes out from a bunker. He carries a walkie-talkie but no gun.

It's Hezbollah that runs this border zone, not the Lebanese army.

The soldier points out sights on the hilltops and he speaks with a clear south Lebanese accent. He is from this area.

And unlike the Syrian army, he and his colleagues from Hezbollah are not packing up and leaving. They're already at home.