Pro-Government Militias

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Lebanese Hezbollah (Syria)

Basic Group Information

Name assigned by coder: no
PGM ID Number: 543
Country: Syria
Date formed: Jan. 1, 2011
    Accuracy of date formed: year
Details of Formation: The Lebanese Hezbollah had been allied with the Assad regime over the past decades, especially since 2005. The group became a Syrian PGM when it began fighting alongside the Syrian forces in the Syrian Civil War in 2011. At first, the Lebanese Hezbollah denied involvement in Syria, despite ample evidence pointing to its activities there. Only in April 2013 did Hezbollah officially announce its participation in the Syrian Civil War.
Date dissolved: Unknown
    Accuracy of date dissolved: day
Details of Termination: The Lebanese Hezbollah was still a PGM as of 2015 (Amnesty International).
Termination Type(s): not terminated

Former and Successor Group Information

Predecessor group(s): none
Successor group(s): none
Private Military Company? no
Former Group? yes
    Former Armed Group? yes
Former Rebel Group? no
    Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: none
PGM Becomes Rebel Group? no
    Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: none

Government Relation, Support, and Training

Government Relation: informal (type 1)
Created by the Government?: no
    Main Creating Government Institution: none
Government Link(s): person/minister
    If link to party, name of party: None
Training and Equipment: yes
Shared Information and Joint Operations: yes
Shared Personnel: no
Type(s) of Material Support: domestic government; Foreign government; foreign support
State Sponsor(s): Iran
Other Connection(s):

Group Characteristics

Membership: ethnic; religious; foreign nationals
Primary Membership: religious
Alternative Primary Membership: no information
Location: Primarily Lebanese-Syrian border areas
Force Strength: [7000, 10000]
Target(s): rebels, insurgents, or other armed group
Purpose(s): protect state, national or religious institutions; protect state, national or religious leader(s); protect national borders and integrity; fight insurgents

Ethnic Characteristics

Ethnic Target(s): none
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: not applicable
Ethnic Membership: Shi'a Muslims (Lebanon)
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: given
Ethnic Purpose: none
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: not applicable

Other Information

Other Information: Hezbollah was re-listed as 'foreign terrorist organization' by U.S. Treasury Department for its support of the Assad regime in October 2012.

New Variables from Meta-Analysis

Purpose

Purpose: The main purpose of the Lebanese Hezbollah in Syria is to support the Syrian government in the Syrian civil war. This implied assisting Syrian forces against political opposition, training the Syrian military and fighting against insurgents.
Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use unknown

Treatment of Civilians

Treatment of Civilians: The Lebanese Hezbollah has participated in Syrian military actions against civilian anti-government protest.
Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: unknown

Reasons for Membership

PGM Members Coerced? no information
PGM Members Paid? no information
Reasons for Membership: Some members are Shiite Lebanese living in villages located in Syria close to the Lebanese border. These members joined Hezbollah to defend themselves against other armed groups.
PGM Members Killed? often

PGM Size

Size: According to an estimate dated 2014, the Lebanese Hezbollah in Syria had approximately 7,000 to 10,000 fighters.

Weapons and Training

Weapons and Training: In years prior to the Syrian civil war, Hezbollah had received training by Assad’s military and could operate training camps on Syrian soil. It also received training by Iran. Since its involvement in the Syrian war, Hezbollah has directly trained personnel of the Syrian government and has facilitated the training of Syrian forces by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Organisation

Organisation: Hezbollah has historically strong ties to the Assad regime, which supported it in various ways prior to the Syrian civil war. Hezbollah’s assistance to Assad during the war is considered a repayment of its debt to Assad. The Lebanese Hezbollah depends on Assad for the shipments of weapons originating in Iran. The group is considered a key ally of Assad’s regime. The Lebanese Hezbollah is coordinating its support to the government with the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and senior Syrian government officials. Its leader is Hassan Nasrallah.

Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis

Amnesty International. 2016. “Madaya shocked the world but this story isn't over.“ https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/01/madaya-shocked-the-world-but-this-story-isnt-over/

The New York Times. 2013. “Hezbollah Aids Syrian Military in a Key Battle.” May 19. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/world/middleeast/syrian-army-moves-to-rebel-held-qusayr.html?pagewanted=all

Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD

Evidence