No Separation in Hezbollah Political and Military Wings

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah rose through the ranks of the party's military wing all the way to its top spot. It is the same wing that the European Union recently included on its terrorism blacklist. This fact sheds light on the reasons Nasrallah does not accept the EU’s logic that the party is comprised of two wings: one military and one political.

Throughout the phases of Hezbollah's existence, since its inception in the early 1980s, there are no indications that the party distinguishes between its military, security and political wings. The first and second generations of Hezbollah belonged to an environment that worked in three overlapping areas: security, politics and the military. Currently, members of these two generations control all aspects of the party's leadership. Based on their mentalities, it would be possible for them to draw a distinction between officials from the stated three wings. 

The EU has missed a basic idea. In Hezbollah, the politicians follow the military, not vice versa. The fact is, the party has a major military and security heritage that is widely respected among its base, often to the point of reverence.

Former Hezbollah security chief Imad Mughniyeh — who was assassinated in 2008 — was not only part of Hezbollah’s military and leadership structure, but also helped to draw up its political vision. The same can be said of the security and military leaders who have come to share the responsibilities he held before his death.