Hezbollah’s shifting battlefield

ENAR

The evolution of Hezbollah’s public discourse on its emerging role in Syria over the past year illustrates the organization’s deft ability to shape a narrative acceptable to its core Shia constituency to ensure its continued loyalty. Despite Hezbollah’s ideological and logistical ties to Iran, the party understood long ago that its survival as a powerful player in Lebanon was dependent on retaining the support of Lebanon’s Shia community.  When the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad broke out in March 2011, Hezbollah officials were initially dismissive and expected it to end quickly. By September 2011, rumors were beginning to circulate that Hezbollah fighters were operating in Syria and that slain combatants were being buried quietly in Lebanon. Hezbollah officials said that the accusations were “completely baseless” and an “attempt to incite political strife”. In November 2011, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, articulated the party’s position more clearly, saying that the Assad