Hezbollah will block Israel’s recent offer of humanitarian aid for fear of weakening its domestic support, as well as promoting favor toward further Israeli normalization -- a policy shift that neither the Shiite militant group nor its backer Iran can ideologically accept. On July 6, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israel formally offered Lebanon humanitarian aid through the U.N. peacekeeping force based in Lebanon. While it wasn’t clear what specific type of aid would be included in the offer, Lebanon is grappling with an economic crisis that has made gas, food, medicine and other basic necessities increasingly scarce. The offer came as Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Hassan Diab, called for urgent humanitarian aid from the international community, warning that the country could suffer a “social explosion” without new support. ...
