Israel's Alma Research Centre has alleged that a Beirut-based Sunni charitable association headed by Sheikh Ahmad al-Qattan provides services to Hezbollah and seeks to influence Sunni communities, allegations the group denies.
The Alma Centre, an Israeli research body, has named the Qolona wa al-Amal association, based in Bar Elias in the Bekaa Valley, as part of what it describes as Hezbollah's soft power reach into Sunni areas. The association operates in education, social welfare and assistance to the needy.
Al-Qattan, a member of the Assembly of Muslim Scholars, is known for appearances on the channel al-Manar and his alignment with Hezbollah's stated positions. He has not hidden his visits to the Iranian embassy in Beirut or his public support for the party and calls to resist Israel, alongside other Sunni clerics active across Lebanon.
The Alma report does not establish that the association receives direct Iranian funding or has formal ties to Hezbollah or the so-called axis of resistance, according to An-Nahar. The group participates in activities marking Jerusalem Day and supports Palestinian causes.
In a statement to An-Nahar, al-Qattan said the organisation would not withdraw from its humanitarian and social work and he would continue to stand with those fighting Israel. "We will not retreat," he said, adding that resistance to Israel is not confined to one sect and that southerners and the army are "people of honour".
Some Sunni sources close to political developments told An-Nahar that the Alma report overstates al-Qattan's influence. While his association works in the Bekaa, he lacks the capacity to create significant fractures within the Sunni community or shift opinion outside the broader sectarian framework, they said.
The sources noted that Sunni clerics aligned with Hezbollah have seen their role diminish owing to shifts on the ground in Lebanon and the region. Most, however, maintain their conviction that Lebanese must unite against Israel and that support from Iran or others opposing Israeli projects in the region should not be rejected.
