Hezbollah’s Involvement in the Syrian Civil War
One of the most controversial decisions of Nasrallah’s leadership was Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian Civil War. When the conflict broke out in 2011, Nasrallah aligned Hezbollah with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Hezbollah deployed fighters to Syria to support Assad’s forces in their battle against rebel groups, many of which were backed by regional powers such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Nasrallah justified Hezbollah’s intervention by framing it as a fight against Islamist extremism and terrorism. He argued that if Assad’s regime fell, Lebanon and the entire region would be overrun by groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS. However, Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria was highly controversial within Lebanon. Critics accused Nasrallah of dragging Lebanon into a foreign war that had little to do with defending Lebanese interests.
The Syrian Civil War further entrenched Hezbollah’s relationship with Iran, as both Tehran and Hezbollah sought to preserve Assad’s regime, which was a key ally in the regional “axis of resistance” against Israel and the West.