Hezbollah in Syria: An Insurgent’s Ideology, Interest, and Survival

Ideology and interest often contradict each other in the lives of individuals, organizations, and states, but the contradiction ceases when survival is at stake. This study demonstrates that even longstanding insurgencies undergo major shifts when they find it difficult to maintain ideological purity. While ideology plays a significant role for these insurgencies, context makes it imperative to be flexible and put interest first in fluid circumstances. This is certainly the case with Hezbollah. The group pronounced Israel its sole enemy from the start and mobilized its resources for the state’s destruction. The Syrian civil war altered this perception. The fall of the regime constituted an existential threat for Hezbollah; therefore, it turned its guns toward the Syrian opposition to keep Bashar al-Assad in power.