During Israel's 2006 invasion of Lebanon, the predominately Shiite suburbs of south Beirut were the focus intense bombardment by Israel's Air Force. None of these suburbs was hit harder than Dahiyah, which was home to Hezbollah's headquarters. Three years later, the area is thriving and surprisingly moderate. It's a remarkable testament to Hezbollah's ability to rebuild. 

For more check out Hamza Hendawi's recent article for AP.

In most countries, when a party loses an election its political power diminishes. Well, Lebanon isn't "most countries" and Hezbollah isn't your average political party. Mohamad Bazzi has an excellent article in Foreign Affairs on how Hezbollah, inspite of its electoral defeat by the March 14 Alliance in June, has managed to remain the strongest party in Lebanon's splintered political system:

       Since the June 7 Lebanese parliamentary elections, an alluring but simplistic narrative has emerged in the West: because Hezbollah and its allies were defeated at the polls, the militant group would lose some of its luster and a pro-American political coalition would rule Lebanon. In fact, Hezbollah remains the country's dominant military and political force. Moreover, it holds the key to both domestic and external stability -- its actions will determine whether there is another war with Israel or if Lebanon will once again be wracked by internal conflict. By losing the election, Hezbollah also avoided being held accountable by Lebanon's other sects -- without power, there is little responsibility.