The Role of Hezbollah in Lebanese Domestic Politics

Iran-Hezbollah Alliance Reconsidered: What Contributes to the Survival of State-Proxy Alliance?

“…Furthermore, Hezbollah has acted as a force multiplier for the Iranian military (Norton, 2007a). Its campaign of attacks, bombings, hijackings and direct military confrontations with Israel in the 1990s and 2000s have helped Tehran achieve its strategic objectives in the Middle East without any direct military confrontations with neighbouring enemy states (Kızılkaya, 2019;Norton, 2007a). Iran has also adroitly crafted narratives that have helped to build a strong relationship with Hezbollah based on mutual trust and cooperation.…”

“…In 1982, a Hezbollah member drove a car laden with explosives into an Israeli intelligence headquarter and killed 75 officials, including soldiers and Arab prisoners. During the 1990s, Hezbollah carried out an attack on the Israeli embassy in Argentina in which dozens of people, most of them Jews, were killed (Norton, 2007a). During the 1980s and 1990s, Hezbollah also devoted itself wholeheartedly to suicide attacks inside and outside Lebanon, which killed hundreds of civilians and troops.…”

“…After the withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon, Hezbollah toned down its attacks against Israel proper for a while. However, the hostility against Israel and the targeting of Israeli civilians and soldiers in foreign countries continued (Norton, 2007a). For instance, during the 2000s and early 2010s, Hezbollah operatives with the assistance of their facilitators and supporters targeted Israeli civilians in several countries including Turkey, Azerbaijan, Greece, Jordan, Egypt and Europe (Levitt, 2013(Levitt, , pp.…”

“…Over time, Iran and Hezbollah have not only maintained their alliance but also built a stable and trustworthy relationship. Scholars have inquired about the alliance’s ‘effectiveness,’ ‘growth,’ ‘identity,’ ‘global tentacles’ and its role in Lebanese domestic politics (Childs, 2011; DeVore & Stähli, 2015; Leuprecht, Walther, Skillicorn, & Ryde-Collins, 2015; Norton, 2007b; Salamey & Pearson, 2007), but overlooked the longevity of the alliance. The present study aims to address the logic of survival of the Iran-Hezbollah alliance and asks these questions: How Iran and Hezbollah have maintained their partnership for over three decades and escaped collapse?…”

(Re-)emergent orders: understanding the negotiation(s) of rebel governance

“…This was especially the case with the Lebanese Communist Party, 44 and Amal, its main competitor, which Hezbollah confronted militarily in the famous War of the Camps between 1985 and 1989. 45 Once defeated, Amal has survived as an ordering structure, with Hezbollah recognising that it has legitimacy and influence, and that should it be destroyed, predictable (and useful) patterns of order would be disrupted, which may also damage Hezbollah's authority and legitimacy. Hezbollah prefers to work with Amal, create space for it and to benefit from co-habitation.…”