Hezbollah has launched a recruitment drive aimed at bringing hundreds of young Lebanese and Syrians into its ranks and expanding its network of auxiliary fighters, Lebanese security sources told Erem News, as the group seeks to rebuild its military and organizational capabilities after its war with Israel.

The campaign includes efforts to recall former fighters, recruit people with no previous experience in armed groups and expand the ranks of Hezbollah’s “Resistance Brigades,” which draw members from Lebanon’s Sunni, Druze and Christian communities. The sources said the initiative coincided with the resumption of salary payments and financial allowances, as well as the launch of compensation and housing assistance programs for people affected by the war.

According to the sources, Hezbollah is financing recruitment and training with support and oversight from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. The assistance reportedly includes monthly salaries and medical coverage for the families of some recruits as part of a broader effort to restore the group’s military and organizational strength.

The recruitment drive extends beyond Hezbollah’s traditional Shiite support base, targeting young people from other Lebanese religious communities, Syrian refugees, particularly Shiites, and residents of villages along the Lebanese-Syrian border, the sources said.

A New Generation of Recruits

Hezbollah is pursuing two parallel recruitment tracks, according to the sources. One involves recalling former fighters and assigning them to new positions, while the other seeks to enlist new members, particularly Syrian refugees and residents of border areas.

The sources estimated that hundreds of Syrians had recently been recruited. Some were reportedly sent to closed training courses lasting at least a month at camps established in the Bekaa Valley and other parts of Lebanon.

Monthly payments for local recruits operating within Syrian networks range from $150 to $300, according to the information provided, although some categories receive higher allowances. Hezbollah is also reportedly arranging medical care for the families of some members through hospitals with which it has agreements in the Bekaa Valley.

Lebanese researcher and political analyst Ali Hamadeh told Erem News that security information circulating in Lebanon pointed to recruitment operations that had continued since the end of the first war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2024, under the supervision of advisers from Iran’s Quds Force.

Hamadeh said Hezbollah had increasingly sought to recruit a new generation of Lebanese and Syrians as it faced difficulties attracting large numbers of Lebanese fighters, including from within its traditional Shiite constituency.

He cautioned, however, that some details of the recruitment campaign still required independent confirmation.

From Large Formations to Smaller Cells

The effort to recruit new members is only part of a broader shift in Hezbollah’s military organization, Hamadeh said. After suffering extensive damage to its infrastructure and military capabilities, the group is seeking to develop a different structure rather than recreate its former system of large fighting units.

“Hezbollah can no longer simply rebuild its previous military structure,” Hamadeh said in his assessment, describing a shift toward small and medium-sized cells that could conduct guerrilla warfare or limited operations against Israeli forces.

The change could also make Hezbollah’s armed groups harder for Israel to detect and target, he said. The war exposed vulnerabilities in the group’s traditional military formations, raising concerns within the organization about the extent to which they had been penetrated.

Hamadeh also raised concerns about the possible recruitment of minors. He said his review of the names and ages of people killed in recent clashes indicated that dozens were boys or young men, some between the ages of 14 and 18.

The figures, he said, raised serious questions about whether Hezbollah was recruiting underage fighters. The allegations could not be independently verified.

Resistance Brigades Expand Their Reach

Recruitment activity has reportedly been concentrated in the northern and western Bekaa Valley and parts of northern Lebanon, where prospective recruits have been approached under the banner of protecting villages from security threats.

The sources said financial incentives, training opportunities and weapons were being offered to young people facing unemployment and worsening economic conditions.

In southern Lebanon, the Resistance Brigades have undergone an organizational review and vetting process since the war, with Hezbollah seeking to retain auxiliary groups whose members come from different religious communities.

Hamadeh said the Resistance Brigades were distinct from Hezbollah’s core combat formations. By recruiting members from Sunni, Druze and Christian communities, the groups help maintain the organization’s presence beyond its traditional support base.

Their reported functions include surveillance, intelligence gathering and other security activities within those communities, he said.

The brigades are not necessarily designed as a force to fight Israel directly, Hamadeh added. Instead, they form part of a wider support network that could also be used in Lebanon’s internal conflicts.

Their continued activity depends heavily on funding, he said, making the renewed flow of money essential to retaining existing members and attracting new recruits.

Iranian Funds Help Finance the Rebuilding Effort

The recruitment drive coincides with reports that fresh Iranian funding, estimated at around $200 million, has reached Hezbollah. The timing also overlaps with the group’s launch of its “Waad wa Iltezam,” or “Promise and Commitment,” program to provide compensation and housing allowances to people whose homes were damaged or who were otherwise affected by the war.

The security sources said the additional funding had enabled Hezbollah to resume spending on its military and organizational needs while continuing to meet its social commitments. Part of the money allocated for compensation was also reportedly being directed toward recruitment.

Hamadeh said rebuilding military capabilities and financing military activities appeared to rank high among Hezbollah’s spending priorities, given the scale of its losses during the conflict.

He estimated that the two wars had resulted in between 14,000 and 15,000 deaths, including civilians, fighters and logistics personnel. The figure could not be independently verified and should not be considered an official death toll.

Hezbollah’s Networks in Syria Remain Unclear

Hamadeh said information indicated that networks and operatives linked to Hezbollah and Iran’s Quds Force continued to have a presence inside Syria.

He stressed, however, that the extent of their current deployment and the scale of their activities remained unclear.

The reported recruitment campaign suggests Hezbollah is seeking to restore its manpower and security infrastructure while potentially relying more heavily on auxiliary groups that operate outside its traditional military structure.