Hezbollah as a domestic and foreign political actor

This study aims to examine Hezbollah, one of the most influential forces in Lebanon, where there are 18 official sects that stand out with their ethnic and religious differences, in the context of being a domestic and foreign political actor. In accordance with this purpose, the study first examined the sociological and ideological foundations of Hezbollah, together with the historical and social factors that created Hezbollah, and then dealt with it made a hermeneutic approach within the framework of historical narrative and literature review methods, together with the activities of Hezbollah as a domestic and foreign political actor with an interpretative approach within the framework of historical narrative and literature review methods. The study, which makes use of primary and secondary sources in Turkish and English, has used the concept of actor, which has been on the agenda since the 20th century in the discipline of International Relations, in two different ways, as domestic and foreign political actors, since it better defines Hezbollah. Findings revealed that Hezbollah, which stands out with its social, cultural, economic and military activities has turned into a domestic political actor that has a key role in Lebanese political life. The findings also revealed that Hezbollah has turned into a foreign policy actor with independent foreign policy reflexes, which became more evident during its struggle against Israel and the Syrian Civil War. The study also emphasized that Hezbollah could pursue its own political goals and take operational steps within this framework, even in some foreign political events where the Lebanese state is officially neutral, and could come to such a position due to the unique conditions of the Lebanese state. Keywords: Hezbollah, Shiism, Lebanon, political actor, Islamic Resistance