Hezbollah in Lebanon

Video Transcript

(Note: This transcript has been edited for readability.)

"Hezbollah, of course, they were a terrorist organization, at least to start. Now they're a part of the government. They're [an] official part of the government. So they perform needed functions. That's one of the things that we're trying to address. One of the things that gives Hezbollah it's strength and its power is that it addresses needs and concerns of the people that the government does not. And so what we're trying to do is empower the LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) to allow them to perform those services and help in those areas to give them the legitimacy and to... Not so much to delegitimize Hezbollah, but at least make them not the preferred choice.<br><br>"When that incursion occurred, by Israel, in the aftermath, when people started going in to start rebuilding and fixing things; Hezbollah was there the next day. If your house was blown up, "Here's 2,000 dollars." If your car was destroyed, "Here's 1,000 dollars." And they were there immediately starting with that sort of support. Nobody else was there. That's the kind of thing we're trying to replace. Not necessarily handing out money, but just providing those services in a way that is immediate and effective so that the LAF gets that legitimacy instead of Hezbollah."

In this video, a military service member discusses Hezbollah.