Beyond Sectarianism: Hezbollah and the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood’s Evolving Alliance in the Context of the Al-Aqsa Flood

Year 2025, Volume: 27 Issue: 1, 36 - 53, 15.06.2025

Talha İsmail Duman

https://doi.org/10.17335/sakaifd.1642480

Abstract

This article examines the historical and evolving relationship between Hezbollah and Jama’a al-Islamiyya, the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, with a particular focus on the military collaboration between Hezbollah and Jama’a al-Islamiyya’s armed wing, the Fajr Forces, following the October 2023 Al-Aqsa Flood operation. While ideological and sectarian differences exist between the Shia Hezbollah and Sunni Jama’a al-Islamiyya, these groups had previously cooperated. However, following Lebanon’s growing political polarization after 2005, they began aligning with opposing political camps, and these divisions became even more apparent with the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War. The study adopts a qualitative case study approach, drawing on media analyses, official statements, and academic literature to investigate the political and strategic factors enabling this renewed cooperation. Key drivers include the shared perception of Israel as a common threat, leadership transitions within Jama’a al-Islamiyya that reduced Saudi influence, and Hamas-mediated dialogue that helped facilitate this coordination. Contrary to sectarian-based interpretations, the findings show that this partnership reflects how political and military needs can override sectarian reflexes. It does not signal ideological convergence but rather a willingness to cross sectarian boundaries under certain conditions. The article also contributes to broader discussions on sectarianization and de-sectarianization by illustrating how political actors often shape and redefine sectarian identities in the Middle East in response to changing geopolitical realities. In this context, the Hezbollah–Fajr Forces cooperation offers a compelling example of how cross-sectarian alliances can emerge in dynamic conflict environments and reshape local political-military landscapes.

Keywords

Middle Eastern Studies , Hezbollah , Jama’a al-Islamiyya , Lebanon , Sectarianism , Fajr Forces

Mezhep Sınırlarını Aşan İttifak: Hizbullah ve Lübnan Müslüman Kardeşler Hareketi’nin Aksa Tufanı Bağlamında İş Birliği

Abstract

Bu makale Hizbullah ile Müslüman Kardeşler’in Lübnan kolu olan Cemaat-i İslamiyye arasındaki tarihsel ilişkileri, Aksa Tufanı Operasyonu bağlamında ortaya çıkan Hizbullah ile Cemaat-i İslamiyye’nin silahlı kanadı olan Fecr Kuvvetleri arasındaki askeri iş birliğine odaklanarak incelemektedir. Hizbullah ve Cemaat-i İslamiyye arasındaki ideolojik ve mezhepsel farklılıklara rağmen, bu hareketler geçmişte birlikte hareket etme iradesi göstermişti. Ancak 2005 yılından sonra Lübnan’da artan siyasi kutuplaşmayla birlikte karşıt siyasi kamplarda yer almaya başladılar ve bu ayrılık Suriye İç Savaşı’nın patlak vermesiyle daha da belirgin hale geldi. Çalışma, 7 Ekim sonrası yenilenen bu işbirliğini mümkün kılan siyasi ve stratejik faktörleri araştırmak için medya haberlerinden /analizlerinden, resmî açıklamalardan ve akademik literatürden yararlanarak nitel bir vaka çalışması yaklaşımını benimsemektedir. Söz konusu iş birliğini mümkün kılan temel etkenler arasında İsrail’in ortak bir tehdit olarak algılanmasının, Suudi Arabistan etkisini azaltan Cemaat-i İslamiyye içindeki liderlik değişiminin ve koordinasyonu kolaylaştırmaya yardımcı olan Hamas’ın aracılık ettiği diyaloğun yer aldığı tespit edilmiştir. Mezhep temelli okumaların aksine, bulgular, bu iş birliğinin siyasi ve askeri ihtiyaçların mezhepsel reflekslerin önüne nasıl geçebileceğini yansıttığını göstermektedir. Bu ortaklık, ideolojik bir yakınlaşmaya değil, belirli koşullar altında mezhep sınırlarını aşma isteğine işaret etmektedir. Makale, aynı zamanda, Ortadoğu’da mezhepsel kimliklerin değişen jeopolitik gerçeklikler karşısında siyasi aktörler tarafından nasıl şekillendirildiğini ve yeniden tanımlandığını göstererek, “mezhepleştirme” ve “mezhepleştirmeden arın(dır)ma” konusundaki daha geniş tartışmalara katkıda bulunmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, Hizbullah-Fecr Kuvvetleri iş birliği, dinamik çatışma ortamlarında farklı mezhepsel gruplar arası ittifakların nasıl ortaya çıkabileceğine ve yerel siyasi-askeri manzaraları nasıl yeniden şekillendirebileceğine dair ilgi çekici bir örnek sunmaktadır.

Keywords

Orta Doğu Çalışmaları , Hizbullah , Cemaat-i İslami , Lübnan , Mezhepçilik , Fecr Kuvvetleri

References

• Abdel-Latif, Omayma. “Lebanon’s Sunni Islamists‒A Growing Force”. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (January 2008). https://carnegie-mec.org/2008/02/04/lebanon-s-sunni-islamists-growing-force-pub-19882
• Abdo, Geneive. The New Sectarianism: The Arab Uprisings and the Rebirth of the Shi'a-Sunni Divide. New York, Oxford Academic, 2017.
• Acar, Özlem. “Lübnan Direniş Tugayları’nın Sünni Kanadı: Fecr Güçleri”. Ortadoğu Etütleri 16/1 (July 2024), 45-66. https://doi.org/10.47932/ortetut.1426078
• Akil, Ridwan. “السعودية مهتمة بترتيب “البيت السني” في لبنان”. Al-Nahar (June 9, 2016).
• Akkan, İbrahim - Aksu, Fuat. "Suriye Krizinde Mezhepçiliğin Araçsallaştırılması". Marmara Üniversitesi Siyasal Bilimler Dergisi 11/1 (Mart 2023), 154-179. https://doi.org/10.14782/marmarasbd.1212968
• Alaaldin, Ranj. Sectarianism, Governance, and Iraq's Future. Doha: Brookings Doha Center Analysis Paper, 2018. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Sectarianism-governance-and-Iraqs-future_English.pdf
• Altaweel, Rawia. “Gaza War 2023–2024 and Reactions from Neighboring Countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria”. Gaza Nakba 2023–2024: Background, Context, Consequences. ed. Hiroyuki Suzuki - Keiko Sakai, 141-163. Singapore: Springer, 2024
• Al Jamaa, "الجماعة الإسلامية تزور السفير السعودي وتؤكد على العمق العربي للبنان" (August 21, 2021).
• Al Jazeera Arabic. “لقاء اليوم | الجماعة الإسلامية وأحداث المنطقة العربية | الأمين العام للجماعة الإسلامية في لبنان”. YouTube. March 11, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSxa_QqAnZE
• Al Jazeera Arabic, “أمين عام الجماعة الإسلامية بلبنان للجزيرة نت: سنواصل مقاومتنا دفاعا عن لبنان وغزة” (October 21, 2023).
• Al Manar, “لقاء بين السيد حسن نصرالله والشيخ محمد طقوش.. تأكيد على التعاون اسناداً لغزة وأهلها الشرفاء” (June 28, 2024). https://www.almanar.com.lb/12155002
• Al Manar. “قوات الفجر.. تاريخ من مقاومة العدو من 1982 إلى 2024” (July 22, 2024). https://www.almanar.com.lb/12253760
• Al Mayadeen English. “Islamic Group mourns al-Fajr Forces commander after Israeli strike” (July 18, 2024). https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/islamic-group-mourns-al-fajr-forces-commander-after-israeli
• Al Sharq Youth. “قوات الفجر وحزب الله.. جبهة لبنانية مشتركة ضد إسرائيل| بودكاست الشرق”. YouTube. July 12, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76dHODunt3o
• Betts, Robert Brenton. The Sunni-Shi'a Divide: Islam's Internal Divisions and Their Global Consequences. Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2013.
• Choucair, Chafic. “الجماعة الإسلامية في لبنان: نموذج مشرقي على التحول في الدور والهوية”. Al Jazeera Centre For Studies (February 1, 2019).
• Clark, Janine A. “Threats, Structures, and Resources: Cross-Ideological Coalition Building in Jordan.” Comparative Politics 43/ 1 (October 2010), 101-120. https://doi.org/10.5129/001041510X12911363510475
• Daher, Aurélie. “Militant Islamism in Lebanon and the War on Gaza”. Mediterranean Politics (December 2024), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2024.2439685
• Duman, Talha İsmail. “Lübnan: Müslüman Kardeşler ve El-Cemaat’ul İslamiyye”. Küresel İhvan: Müslüman Kardeşler’in Rejimlerle İlişkileri ve Ulusötesi Niteliği. ed. Abdulgani Bozkurt - Mehmet Rakipoğlu. İstanbul: Ketebe, 2023.
• Duman, Talha İsmail. Ortadoğu'daki İslâmî hareketlerin siyasal entegrasyonu: Mısır İhvanı, Hizbullah ve Hamas örnekleri. Sakarya Üniversitesi, Ortadoğu Enstitüsü, Doktora Tezi, 2023.
• El Helwe, Dima. Shifting Ideological Commitments and Political Practices in Al-Jama’a Al-Islamiyya: From Radicalism to Moderation and Back. Stockholm: Stockholm University, Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Master’s Thesis, 2024. http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1896007 &dswid=1240
• Fawaz, Mohamad. Al-Jama’a Al-Islamiya in Post-War Lebanon: Political Appeal and Performance. Beirut: Lebanese American University, School of Arts and Sciences, Master’s Thesis, 2023.
• Fawaz, Mohammed. “الجماعة الإسلامية تشقّ مسارها الخاص”. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (July 30, 2024). https://carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/diwan/2024/07/the-jamaa-al-islamiyya-charts-its-own-course?lang=ar
• Gause III, F. Gregory. Beyond Sectarianism: Th¬e New Middle East Cold War. Doha: Brookings Doha Center Analysis Paper, 2018. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/English-PDF-1.pdf
• Gambill, Gary C. “Islamist Groups in Lebanon”. Middle East Review of International Affairs 11/4 (December 2007), 38-57.
• Goenaga-Sánchez, Amaia. “Lebanon: Islamism, Communities and Spillover of the Arab Spring”. Political Islam in a Time of Revolt. ed. Ferran Izquierdo Brichs etc., 57-80. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.
• Hashemi, Nader - Postel, Danny. “Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East”. The Review of Faith & International Affairs 15/3 (August 2017), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2017.1354462
• Homsi, Nada. “‘We're with the resistance’: Hezbollah allies the Fajr Forces join Lebanon-Israel front”. The National (October 30, 2023). https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2023/10/30/fajr-forces-hezbollah-lebanon-israel/
• Imad, Abdul Ghany. “A topography of Sunni Islamic organizations and movements in Lebanon”. Contemporary Arab Affairs 2/1 (March 2009), 143-161. https://doi.org/10.1080/17550910802576213
• Jawhar, Suohayb. “Quwwat al-Fajr and Hezbollah: Unlikely Allies Against Israel”. Sada (June 11, 2024), https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/2024/06/quwwat-al-fajr-and-hezbollah-unlikely-allies-against-israel?lang=en
• Khalil, Hassan. “هل انتهت مغامرة الإخوان في لبنان؟”. Hafryat (January 22, 2025).
• Koss, Maren. "Flexible Resistance: How Hezbollah and Hamas Are Mending Ties". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (July 11, 2018). https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2018/07/flexible-resistance-how-hezbollah-and-hamas-are-mending-ties?lang=en&center=middle-east
• Kürüm, Rahime Süleymanoğlu. “Uluslararası İlişkilerde Nitel Yöntemlerle Makale Yazımı: Vaka Analizi ve İncelikleri”. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi 42 (February 2021), 149-169.
• Mabon, Simon. “Desectarianization: Looking Beyond the Sectarianization of Middle Eastern Politics”. The Review of Faith & International Affairs 17/4 (November 2019), 23–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2019.1681776
• Mena Research Center, “The Gaza War Strengthening the Muslim Brotherhood in Lebanon?” (September 9, 2024). https://www.mena-researchcenter.org/the-gaza-war-strengthening-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-lebanon/
• Naharnet. “Head of Jamaa Islamiya says coordination with Hezbollah vital to fight Israel” (March 26, 2024). https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/304218-head-of-lebanon-s-jamaa-islamiya-says-coordination-with-hezbollah-vital-to-fight-israel
• Nasr, Vali. The Shi’a Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006.
• Nepstad, Sharon Erickson - Bob, Clifford. “When Do Leaders Matter? Hypotheses on Leadership Dynamics in Social Movements”. Mobilization: An International Journal 11/1 (July 2006), 1-22.
• Örgev, Gizem. Ortadoğu'da güç mücadelesi çerçevesinde bir kimlik çatışması olarak mezhepçilik. İstanbul: İstanbul University, Social Sciences Institute, PhD Dissertation, 2019.
• Qasem, Qasem S. “حماس تجمع حزب الله والجماعة الإسلامية”. Al-Akhbar (June 17, 2021). https://al-akhbar.com/Politics/308826
• Rabil, Robert G. “Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyah and Fathi Yakan: The Pioneer of Sunni Islamic Activism in Lebanon”. Religion, National Identity, and Confessional Politics in Lebanon: The Challenge of Islamism. ed. Robert G. Rabil, 30-39. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.
• Sadiki, Larbi. "Huntington in the Middle East", Al Jazeera. (August 16, 2014). https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/8/16/huntington-in-the-middle-east
• Salisbury, Peter. Yemen: Stemming the Rise of a Chaos State. London: Chatham House, 2016.
• Salloukh, Bassel F. “The State of Consociationalism in Lebanon”. Nationalism and Ethnic Politics 30/1 (March 2023), 8-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/13537113.2023.2187970
• Saad-Ghorayeb, Amal. Hizbu’llah: Politics and Religion. London: Pluto Press, 2002.
• Saouli, Adham. “Sectarianism and Political Order in Iraq and Lebanon”. Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism 19 (April 2019), 67-87. https://doi.org/10.1111/sena.12291
• Stake, Robert E. The Art of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1995.
• The White House-Office of the Press Secretary. Remarks by the President and First Lady on the End of the War in Iraq (December 2011). https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/14/remarks-president-and-first-lady-end-war-iraq
• Turan, Yıldırım - Hoang, Lan Nguyen. "Beyond Sectarian Identity Politics in the Middle East: The Case of Iran-Saudi Arabia’s Rivalry". Akademik İncelemeler Dergisi 14/2 (Ekim 2019), 77-120. https://doi.org/10.17550/akademikincelemeler.494934
• Valbjørn, Morten - Hinnebusch, Raymond. “Exploring the Nexus between Sectarianism and Regime Formation in a New Middle East: Theoretical Points of Departure”. Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism 19 (April 2019), 2-22. https://doi.org/10.1111/sena.12293
• Wimmen, Heiko. “The Sectarianization of the Syrian War”. Beyond Sunni and Shia: The Roots of Sectarianism in a Changing Middle East. ed. Frederic Wehrey. 61-86. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.