Hezbollah’s Mobilization Strategy: How Hassan Nasrallah Instrumentalized Communal Fear, Shia Narratives and Incentives to Foster Support for Intervention in Syria

This article analyzes Hezbollah’s mobilization strategy for the participation in the Syrian conflict. It rests on a thematic analysis of 52 speeches of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in the period 2011 to 2023 to uncover political patterns in the group’s mobilization strategy. It argues that Hezbollah exploited people’s fears, important Shia narratives and symbols to foster an incentive structure to step up mobilization for the war in Syria. This mobilization was instrumentally connected to Hezbollah’s previous experiences, e.g., conflict against Israel, to highlight continuities in the struggle against the enemy, broadly construed. The article shows that these patterns ensured continuous mobilization to fight “takfiri” groups in Syria, but could also provide avenues for mobilization to future causes. Critical in this process was the credibility of Hassan Nasrallah whose speeches concentrated on the existential risks and threats posed by “takfiri” groups by highlighting problems, suggesting solutions and calling members to action.