Hezbollah is seeking to broaden its support base within Lebanon’s Christian community through an initiative called the Christian Independents for Lebanon, according to a recent analysis by the Alma Research and Education Center. The group provides a platform for disseminating messages aligned with Hezbollah’s ideology in a demographic where backing for the organization’s “resistance” efforts has traditionally been limited.

In late September, the Independents for Lebanon organized the “Christian Conference in Support of the South,” which was attended by prominent officials including Bishop Elias Nassar, a representative from Bkerke, and Elias Bou Saab, Deputy Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament. The center emphasized that the event was not an official activity sanctioned by the Maronite Church.

At the conference, Israel was portrayed as the primary national threat in southern Lebanon, a narrative that downplayed Hezbollah’s role in ongoing hostilities. The group was framed as part of a national resistance effort rather than as a faction aligned with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This distinction serves to position Hezbollah’s military capabilities as a broader Lebanese imperative rather than solely a Shi’ite militia interest.

Delegations tied to the Christian Independents have engaged directly with Hezbollah leadership, meeting with Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah in 2024 and hosting Hezbollah representatives at their headquarters last year. Dr. Zoe Levornik from the Alma center highlighted the strategic value of the group to Hezbollah, stating that its significance lies not in election results but in its capacity to voice Hezbollah-sympathetic views among Christians. She noted that when Christian figures emphasize Israel as the main threat and frame resistance as essential to Lebanon’s national security, it strengthens Hezbollah’s argument for maintaining its armed presence beyond sectarian lines.

Despite these developments, a May poll conducted by the International Information Company indicated that a majority of Lebanese Christians remain skeptical of Hezbollah’s narrative. The survey found that 77% of Maronite Christians and 72% of Orthodox Christians expressed support for a peace agreement with Israel, and slightly more than half attributed responsibility for the recent conflict to Hezbollah.

Attempts by Hezbollah to expand its influence among other sectarian groups in Lebanon—including Christians, Druze, and Sunnis in the Bekaa Valley—have been reported sporadically in Lebanese media over the past decade, reflecting the group’s ongoing efforts to solidify a nationwide resistance front.