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Violence Reported as Deadline Passes for Troop Withdrawal in Lebanon

Violence Reported as Deadline Passes for Troop Withdrawal in Lebanon

And in neighboring Syria, rebels toppled an Iran ally, the dictator Bashar al-Assad, cutting off Hezbollah’s land bridge for receiving weapons and cash from Iran.

These blows have loosened Hezbollah’s once iron grasp on political power in Lebanon, shifting the country’s political sands for the first time in decades. Earlier this month, Lebanese lawmakers elected a new president, Mr. Aoun, after years of political gridlock that many analysts had attributed to Hezbollah. Days later, lawmakers named Mr. Salam, a prominent diplomat whom Hezbollah had long opposed, as prime minister.

In a country where no major political decision had been made without Hezbollah’s blessing for years, those developments underscored just how much ground the group has lost.

But Middle East experts have warned against writing off Hezbollah’s political weight just yet. And if Israel continues to occupy Lebanon, it could revitalize the group’s mostly Shiite Muslim support base as it looks for a patron and protector against Israeli forces.

“I believe neither parties have an interest in resuming the war,” said Sami Nader, the director of the Institute of Political Science at Saint Joseph University of Beirut. “But as long as Israel is occupying Lebanon, it’s reviving the narrative of Hezbollah.”

Sara Chaito contributed reporting.

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