Hezbollah building Christian ‘independent’ support base in Lebanon - Alma

In Lebanon, the Christian Independents for Lebanon initiative is providing Hezbollah an outlet to disseminate ideology-aligned messages within a community where support for the group's "resistance" is limited, according to a recent assessment from the Alma Research and Education Center. In September, the group organized the "Christian Conference in Support of the South," drawing several officials like Bishop Elias Nassar and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab, though the event was not an official Maronite Church function.

The conference framed Israel as the primary threat to Lebanon's southern region, distancing Hezbollah from responsibility for the ongoing war and positioning the Iran-backed group as part of a unified Lebanese "resistance" rather than an extension of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Prior to the conference, Hezbollah officials met with Christian leaders, and a Hezbollah delegation visited the organization's offices in 2024.

Hezbollah's strategy to gain Christian backing for its resistance against Israel lies not in electoral strength but in its capacity to voice Hezbollah-aligned sentiments within the Christian community. Dr. Zoe Levornik of the Alma Center explains that when Christian figures portray Israel as the main threat and the resistance as a national necessity, it enables Hezbollah to argue that the justification for its weapons extends beyond the Shiite community, representing a broader Lebanese perspective.

According to a May poll by the International Information Company in Lebanon, 77% of Maronite Christians and 72% of Orthodox Christians would back a peace agreement with Israel, with more than half blaming Hezbollah for reigniting the conflict. Over the last ten years, Lebanese media has intermittently reported on Hezbollah's efforts to recruit Christians, Druze, and Sunnis from the Bekaa Valley.