On February 25, 2026, a podcast episode hosted by MERIP’s executive director James Ryan and associate professor Najib Hourani featured Iman Ali, a doctoral candidate in anthropology at Cornell University, discussing her article “Repair Amid Ongoing Ruination—Rebuilding Dahiyeh Once More” published in the Winter 2025 issue of *Middle East Report*. The piece examines the material and political challenges facing Lebanon’s Shi’i community in the aftermath of Israel’s 2024 war and subsequent drone and missile attacks, which have intensified since a November 2024 ceasefire agreement. Ali’s research, conducted through fieldwork in Lebanon, highlights the stark contrast between the current rebuilding efforts in Beirut’s southern district of Dahiyeh and the post-2006 war recovery led by Hizballah under Hassan Nasrallah.
Ali’s analysis underscores the collapse of the financial and political structures that enabled Hizballah’s 2006 reconstruction of Dahiyeh. Following the 2006 conflict, the group secured funding from regional and global partners, including Iran and Syria, and leveraged Nasrallah’s leadership to coordinate rebuilding efforts. Today, however, the community faces a fractured landscape: Hizballah’s leadership has been weakened by targeted strikes, international funding mechanisms remain inaccessible, and the threat of renewed Israeli aggression looms. “The conditions now are fundamentally different,” Ali stated during the podcast. “There is no centralized authority or external support to catalyze recovery, and the psychological and material toll of continuous attacks has left the community in a state of limbo.”
The Dahiyeh district, a historic center of Shi’i culture and political activism, has endured repeated devastation. Israeli airstrikes in 2024, which targeted Hizballah infrastructure, destroyed over 70% of the area’s housing stock, according to a 2025 report by the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies. The same report noted that 85% of residents in Dahiyeh now live below the poverty line, with many relying on informal networks for basic necessities. Ali’s fieldwork revealed that the absence of a unified rebuilding strategy has exacerbated these challenges, as local actors navigate bureaucratic hurdles, limited resources, and the ongoing risk of military escalation.
Hizballah’s diminished capacity to lead reconstruction efforts is tied to its weakened leadership. Nasrallah, who has not publicly appeared since early 2025, is believed to be in hiding following a series of Israeli strikes that reportedly killed key commanders. This vacuum has left the community without a cohesive political voice, while the group’s broader influence has been eroded by internal divisions and international sanctions. “The 2006 recovery was a state-building project in disguise,” Ali explained. “Hizballah used it to consolidate power and legitimacy. Today, the organization is more fragmented, and its ability to mobilize resources is constrained.”
International responses to the crisis have been inconsistent. While the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have issued appeals for aid, funding pledges have lagged behind the scale of destruction. A 2025 UNDP assessment noted that less than 10% of requested reconstruction funds had been disbursed by January 2026, citing geopolitical tensions and bureaucratic delays as barriers. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s government, already crippled by economic collapse, has struggled to allocate resources. “The state is not a reliable actor here,” Ali said. “The burden falls entirely on the community, which is already exhausted.”
The podcast also touched on the broader implications for Lebanon’s Shi’i population, who have long borne the brunt of regional conflicts. Ali referenced historical precedents, including the 1980s civil war and the 2006 conflict, to argue that resistance to Israeli aggression has become a defining feature of Shi’i identity. However, the current phase of violence has strained this dynamic, as younger generations grapple with the costs of prolonged conflict. “There is a sense of disillusionment,” Ali noted. “People are tired of being the frontlines of a regional struggle.”
As of March 2026, the situation in Dahiyeh remains precarious. Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon has increased, with strikes reported near the border in late February. Hizballah has not publicly committed to new rebuilding initiatives, while local leaders continue to advocate for international intervention. The absence of a clear path forward leaves the district’s future uncertain, with its residents caught between the remnants of past resilience and the ongoing realities of ruin.
