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Source: https://nationalinterest.org/feature/hezbollah-has-become-middle-east%E2%80%99s-weak-horse-173671
Has Hizbullah Become the Middle East's Weak Horse?
(National Interest) Michael Rubin - Nabatieh is Hizbullah's heartland, 15 miles from Lebanon's border with Israel. Locals say there are three types of Hizbullah members: the true ideologues, those who initially embraced Hizbullah's mission but are now embarrassed by its actions and antics, and those who just signed up for the money. Hizbullah members may still receive salaries far above the local rate, but Iran's financial troubles have led to the payments being reduced by half. Locals also point to the 4,000 Hizbullah members dead in Syria and question why an organization that depicted itself as Lebanese allowed its members to serve as mercenaries for Iran in Syria. While some proclaim the "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran to be a failure, in the heart of Hizbullah country, residents say cash-poor Hizbullah has lost its luster. The question is whether the new U.S. administration will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by pumping resources into the Islamic Republic of Iran, which will benefit groups like Hizbullah. The writer is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.