Nearly two-thirds of Lebanese Shiites surveyed support transferring Hezbollah’s weapons to state control, while more than 70% say decisions on war and peace should rest exclusively with the Lebanese government, according to a poll conducted by Statistics Lebanon.
The September survey found that 66.4% of respondents favored handing Hezbollah’s weapons to the state, compared with 29.6% who wanted the group to retain its arms in their current form.
Support for Lebanese state institutions was also widespread. Confidence in the Lebanese Army stood at 78.5%, while 51.1% identified the military as the institution most capable of providing long-term security. Hezbollah was selected by 16.5%.
On decisions involving war and peace, 71.1% said authority should belong exclusively to the Lebanese state.
Views of Hezbollah’s performance in the war with Israel were largely critical. Among respondents, 67.4% said the group had either failed to achieve its objectives or had achieved them only partially. Another 42.1% reported negative feelings, including disappointment, anger or concern, about Hezbollah’s leadership, its conduct of the war and its consequences.
Hezbollah nevertheless retained significant levels of trust among those surveyed. A total of 37.1% said they had a great deal of confidence in the group, while 22.4% expressed some trust. Varying degrees of distrust were reported by 38.5%.
Asked about Hezbollah’s future, 34% favored limiting it to a political party, while 9.4% supported a political and social role. Another 10% wanted Hezbollah to maintain both political and military activities, and 10.6% supported retaining an armed wing outside state control.
Some form of agreement with Israel received support from 63.3% of respondents, including direct negotiations, mediation or a broader regional agreement.
On specific security arrangements, 17% supported an agreement with Israel guaranteeing border security, while 24.9% favored an agreement reached under the auspices of a third party.
Statistics Lebanon surveyed 800 Lebanese Shiite citizens aged 18 and older from regions across the country.