Despite blows, Hezbollah’s civilian arm continues radicalization, recruitment

Hezbollah in Lebanon has two main councils: the Jihad Council, which handles terrorist activities, and the Executive Council, which handles civilian affairs.

By David Isaac, JNS

Despite the severe blows inflicted on Hezbollah by the Israel Defense Forces in 2024, the terrorist group is still indoctrinating Shi’ite Lebanese youth through social activities, religious ceremonies and cultural events, preparing the way for a new generation of terrorist recruits, an Israeli NGO reported on Tuesday.

The Alma Research and Education Center, an organization specializing in Israel’s security challenges on its northern border, noted in a post on X that Hezbollah continues to disseminate “the organization’s messages and ideology, as well as those of Iran,” in the Lebanese civilian Shi’ite sphere.

This week, the Shi’ite community in Lebanon marked the birthday of Imam al-Mahdi, a messianic figure in Shi’ite belief, with most of the large-scale events being organized by Hezbollah and its affiliates, Alma reported.

Hezbollah-linked figures gave speeches tying Shi’ite messianic belief to the “resistance,” martyrdom and loyalty to Hezbollah.

Alongside the ceremonies, Hezbollah also held social and civilian initiatives—such as a free health day in Beirut—highlighting its role in providing medical services, “illustrating the organization’s function as a practical substitute for the state,” Alma noted.

“Religious and social events regularly serve as opportunities for Hezbollah to carry out indoctrination, strengthen the Shi’ite identity of its base, and consolidate the organization’s public legitimacy,” the group said.

Hezbollah in Lebanon has two main councils: the Jihad Council, which handles terrorist activities, and the Executive Council, which handles civilian affairs.

The Executive Council is headed by Ali Damush. He was deputy to Hashem Safi al-Din, who was in line to replace Hassan Nasrallah. Safi al-Din was eliminated along with Nasrallah in October 2024.

The U.S. State Department designated Damush a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in January 2017.

As Hezbollah believes in the “principle of non-separation” between its civilian and military activities, the Executive Council acts to assist the Jihad Council.

“The civilian branch of Hezbollah is the enabler for the military branch,” IDF Lt. Col. (res.) Sarit Zehavi, founder and president of Alma, told JNS.

“As long as the civilian branch still exists, it will allow Hezbollah to continue to indoctrinate hate, to hide rockets in homes, and to mobilize young Lebanese Muslim Shi’ites to join the organization,” she said.

This is why Hezbollah puts such a premium on preserving its civilian activities, Zehavi explained, despite its economic difficulties and its crisis of leadership.

Although Hezbollah has less money to throw around now, and Al-Qard al-Hassan, its main financial institution, has come under intense pressure to shut down, education and youth scouts are still included in the budget.

“The United States should demand from the Lebanese government to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, as Sen. Lindsey Graham did in his meeting with the Lebanese army commander,” said Zehavi.

On Feb. 5, Graham abruptly ended a meeting with Lebanese Chief of Defense Gen. Rodolphe Haykal when the latter refused to say that Hezbollah was a terror group.

Unfortunately, Lebanon doesn’t consider designating Hezbollah a terror group a realistic option, according to Zehavi. Lebanese Shi’ites will head to the polls in May without much of a choice.

“There are independent candidates who are very weak and intimidated. An average Muslim Shi’ite going to vote, who will he vote for? The only ones providing him services are Hezbollah or Amal [another Shi’ite party], and they are running together in the elections,” she said.