Hezbollah’s civilian arm has continued to operate in Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, a pilot zone under the protection of the Lebanese Armed Forces, according to the Alma Research and Education Center.
As previously reported, Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Organization was able to operate within the zone only days after the LAF deployed to the village. Since then, the center has identified the presence of the Hezbollah-affiliated Wataawanou Association (the Cooperate with One Another Association). The association claims to provide water, food rations, and medical treatment to displaced persons, though it is closely affiliated with Hezbollah.
The association established a temporary center as early as July 29, according to the center, where it hosts the village council and provides services to support the returning residents of the village.
Hezbollah’s own Al Manar TV reported in late July that the association carried out its work in “cooperation with the social work sector of Hezbollah,” and the head of the association, Afif Shuman, also known as Abu al-Fadl, was previously identified by the center as a Hezbollah operative. Following the initial report by the center, Shuman confirmed to L’Orient Today that the group does “support the resistance.”
Lebanese media sites have described Wataawanou as linked to Hezbollah
Other Lebanese media sites, including L’Orient Today, have also frequently described the group as linked to Hezbollah and the financial company Whish Money, which is licensed by the Central Bank of Lebanon, suspended the association’s account in 2025 for failing to provide documentation verifying the origins and destination of donations.
The center claimed that the operation of Wataawanou was to further create the conditions needed for Hezbollah to hold social and economic influence and dependency. It also allows Hezbollah to raise donations for the restoration of both its civilian and military infrastructure, the center alleged, including through an account at Hezbollah’s al-Qard al-Hasan bank.