Recent suicide bombings in Beirut's southern suburbs and the town of Hermel, especially the Feb. 1 al-Aytam gas station attack, indicate that the perpetrators' targets are not simply Hezbollah strongholds, or even military targets, but civilians in general. The attacks — retaliation for Hezbollah's participation in the Syrian war alongside the Bashar al-Assad regime — were planned to result in the largest number of victims possible in an attempt to alter an environment currently supportive of Hezbollah. Moreover, the attacks are aimed at creating a rift between the party and its base.

The questions these days include: Will these attacks lead to restlessness among the Shiites in targeted areas that support Hezbollah, causing a rift within the party's current supporters? Alternatively, contrary to what those planning the attacks are seeking, will the bombings further unite Shiites despite the political and religious differences among them?

Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan, vice president of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council, described the bombing in Hermel as "a terrorist act carried out by a malicious criminal party that only knows the language of murder, destruction and resentment. They use terrorism as a method and approach for killing people. Today, their crimes are aimed at hitting the largest number of unsuspecting innocent people."

Shiite scholar Sayyed Ali Fadlallah said that the bombing targeting the gas station was another face of the "brutality that emerged in earlier bombings. It confirms, once again, that humanitarian, educational and social institutions, as well as innocent civilians, have become direct targets for this aggression, which does not differentiate between humane and inhumane institutions." The al-Aytam station belongs to a charitable foundation run by Fadlallah, and the proceeds from it go toward helping orphans. Fadlallah is independent of Hezbollah and has had differences and disputes with the group.