By Nohad Topalian | 2026-03-20

Hizbullah's act of retribution for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ignited a fierce, growing wave of opposition within the Shia community.

Following Hizbullah's March 1st missile launch at Israel in vengeance for Khamenei's death, the collective voice of Shia activists and citizens erupted against its actions.

The objectors condemned Hizbullah for plunging Lebanon into a war that exclusively served the Iranian regime's interests.

This conflict has displaced thousands of civilians, devastating their property and the Lebanese economy with its heavy, unbearable cost.

Shia citizens are now openly confronting Hizbullah, channeling their fury through defiant video clips.

In one viral message, political activist Hadi Murad issued a denouncement: "You are a party without a conscience; you are traitors to the Shia sect."

Shouting from his car in Beirut, he continued, "there is nothing left for us to fear. No - the Shia are not with you."

Shia journalist Badia Fahs, a native of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, wrote on her Facebook page: "Say it with me: Hizbullah is a traitor."

A regional conflict

This demonstrates the potent opposition within the Shia community rejecting Hizbullah's betrayal of Lebanon's interests to serve the Iranian regime's regional conflict.

"The Shia majority saw no justification for Hizbullah launching missiles at Israel. Hizbullah has dragged the Shias, and Lebanon, into a needless regional war," Ali al-Amin, a political analyst and opponent of Hizbullah, told Al-Fassel.

Shia dissidents demand the state alone hold arms, in order to guarantee sovereignty, stability and security.

"The citizens, still reeling from the last war, now face a new one, displacement and fresh burdens with absolutely no financial resources," al-Amin added.

Anger among residents

A wave of anger is spreading across southern Lebanon, the Southern Suburbs of Beirut and other regions.

Residents are furious, having been forcibly displaced for a second time by Hizbullah's war with Israel, as the first war was on October 8, 2023.

"The Shia community's soaring opposition to Hizbullah is driven by a stark realization that they are victims trapped in an endless conflict," political writer Ahmed Ayash told Al-Fassel.

"There is profound disillusionment regarding the current war, as well as the sheer scale of the destruction and displacement it has caused," he added.

Hizbullah's glaring failure to serve its base now fuels even more severe, escalating opposition.

The aftermath of this war guarantees the group's inability to meet the Shia community's crucial needs.