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Hezbollah’s Diversionary War in Lebanon: Continuity and Change in the Threat Perception

Year 2023, , 168 - 186, 22.09.2023
https://doi.org/10.12658/M0715

Abstract

Hezbollah intervened in the civil war in Syria when the Assad regime was under threat of overthrow. Its intervention caused criticism from Lebanese actors and therefore required the organization to find legitimate foundations upon which to base its involvement. Discourse and rhetoric were the first elements that changed following the organization’s decision to intervene. Hezbollah revised its traditional discourse of security, which refers to Israel as the main threat, in 2013 and added an external enemy, the takfiris, which referred to fundamentalist groups in the civil war, as a new threat. However, it returned to its traditional discourse due to the domestic criticisms that followed. This study aims to explain the changing rhetoric of Hezbollah during the civil war in Syria through the frame of the diversionary theory of war. This theory claims that Hezbollah used a diversionary tactic to justify its intervention in the civil war and invented an external enemy as a threat to Lebanese security and territorial integrity.

References

  • Alagha, J. (2013). Hezbollah’s DNA and the Arab Spring. KW Publishers.
  • Aziz, J. (2014, August 11). Arsal: The battle that begins a long war. Al-Monitor, https://www.al-monitor.com/ originals/2014/08/arsal-dela-militants-lebanon-army-government.html Date Accessed: 14.08.2021
  • Badar, M., Masaki, N. & Tiphanie, T. (2017). The radical application of the Islamist concept of takfir. Arab Law Quarterly, 31, 132-160.
  • Bianchi, K. (2018). Letters from home: Hezbollah mothers and the culture of martyrdom. CTC Sentinel, 11(2), 20-24.
  • Blanford, N. (2013). The Battle for Qusayr: How the Syrian Regime and Hizballah tipped the balance. Combating Terrorism Center. https://ctc.usma.edu/the-battle-for-qusayr-how-the-syrian-regime-and-hizballah- tipped-the-balance/ Date Accessed: 15.12.2021
  • Cashman, G. (2014). What Causes War? An Introduction Theories of International Conflict, Rowman & Littlefield.

Hizbullah'ın Lübnan'daki Taktiksel Savaşı: Tehdit Algısında Süreklilik ve Değişim

Year 2023, , 168 - 186, 22.09.2023
https://doi.org/10.12658/M0715

Abstract

Hizbullah, Suriye’de hükümet devrilme tehdidi altındayken Suriye’deki iç savaşa dahil olmuştur. Hizbullah’ın iç savaşa dahli, Lübnanlı aktörlerin eleştirilerine neden olmuş ve bu nedenle örgütün iç savaşa dahlini meşru gerekçelere dayandırma gereği ortaya çıkmıştır. Örgütün söylem ve retoriği, iç savaşa dahlinin ardından değişen ilk unsurlar olmuştur. Hizbullah, İsrail'i temel tehdit olarak gören geleneksel güvenlik söylemini 2013’te revize etmiş ve yeni bir tehdit olarak Suriye’de faaliyet gösteren radikal gruplara atfettiği tekfirciler söylemini öne çıkarmıştır. Ancak daha sonraki dönemde içeriden gelen eleştiriler nedeniyle geleneksel söylemine geri dönmüştür. Bu çalışma, Suriye’deki iç savaş sırasında Hizbullah’ın değişen söylemini, şaşırtmacı/taktiksel savaş teorisi çerçevesinde açıklamayı amaçlamaktadır. Hizbullah’ın iç savaşa müdahalesini meşru göstermek amacıyla taktiksel bir yöntem kullandığını ve Lübnan’ın güvenliği ve toprak bütünlüğü için bir tehdit olarak bir dış düşman icat ettiğini iddia edecektir.

References

  • Alagha, J. (2013). Hezbollah’s DNA and the Arab Spring. KW Publishers.
  • Aziz, J. (2014, August 11). Arsal: The battle that begins a long war. Al-Monitor, https://www.al-monitor.com/ originals/2014/08/arsal-dela-militants-lebanon-army-government.html Date Accessed: 14.08.2021
  • Badar, M., Masaki, N. & Tiphanie, T. (2017). The radical application of the Islamist concept of takfir. Arab Law Quarterly, 31, 132-160.
  • Bianchi, K. (2018). Letters from home: Hezbollah mothers and the culture of martyrdom. CTC Sentinel, 11(2), 20-24.
  • Blanford, N. (2013). The Battle for Qusayr: How the Syrian Regime and Hizballah tipped the balance. Combating Terrorism Center. https://ctc.usma.edu/the-battle-for-qusayr-how-the-syrian-regime-and-hizballah- tipped-the-balance/ Date Accessed: 15.12.2021
  • Cashman, G. (2014). What Causes War? An Introduction Theories of International Conflict, Rowman & Littlefield.
There are 6 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Middle East Studies, International Relations (Other)
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Nail Elhan 0000-0002-5058-0280

Publication Date September 22, 2023
Published in Issue Year 2023

Cite

APA Elhan, N. (2023). Hezbollah’s Diversionary War in Lebanon: Continuity and Change in the Threat Perception. İnsan Ve Toplum, 13(3), 168-186. https://doi.org/10.12658/M0715