Nasrallah's Speeches: Charting Cognitive and Psychological Goals

By Tal Beeri.

Two main methods can be identified through which Hezbollah messages and narratives are transmitted. The first are the speeches of Nasrallah. The second is through social networks and traditional-official media.

Nasrallah's speeches are generally divided into two types. The first type includes traditional speeches and interviews, usually during Muslim (Shia) holidays or to commemorate important events in Lebanon and the region.

The second type is in response to important events in the area.
It seems that since October 2023, when the current war broke out, the two types of discourse have merged.

Nasrallah's speeches, in general, and his wartime speeches in particular, can be characterized by three main features:

1. Target different audiences
2. Central motives
3. The 'Palestinian ideology':

Target Audience Mapping

Nasrallah's speeches can be divided according to the target audience: the Shiite base that supports him in Lebanon (a central objective in Hezbollah's cognitive warfare is to preserve and maintain the base), Hezbollah's opponents in Lebanon, the Israeli audience , Arab countries, Western countries, etc.

For example, Nasrallah's speech on August 6 (one week after the targeted elimination of Hezbollah's top military commander, terrorist commander Fuad Shukr), highlighted his messages to the Lebanese public who oppose Hezbollah, just like his speech to the Arab countries:

«There are those in Lebanon They need to understand the magnitude of the dangers of what is happening in the region, and they express concern about what will happen if the resistance wins the battle, and I tell them that they must fear the victory of the enemy. … To those who do not support us in Lebanon, we ask you not to stab the resistance in the back and not to participate in psychological warfare against us.

"If the resistance in Gaza is defeated, Israel will not protect Islamic or Christian holy sites, and Palestine, Jordan, its ruling regime or Syria will continue to depend on Egypt... It is the duty of all nations in the region set the goal of preventing 'Israel' from winning this battle and eliminating the resistance and the Palestinian question. What is required is a confrontation without hesitation and without surrender... in the face of the Israeli threat.

It is no coincidence that Nasrallah chose to specifically mention Jordan and Egypt, which have peace agreements with Israel.

Central motifs

Nasrallah's speeches consist of several central motifs, and sometimes he uses all of them and other times only parts of them.

These motifs reappear frequently and form the basis of Hezbollah's messaging and narrative:

1. Glorification of the 'resistance army': Hezbollah positions itself as the protector of Lebanon. Hezbollah presents itself as the organization that will stop Israel and prevent it from achieving its objectives.
• Demoralization of IDF soldiers: Addressing the simple soldier, mocking and ridiculing the operational capabilities of IDF soldiers.
• Contempt towards the IDF: trivialize its strength and capabilities of the Israeli army and highlight its shortcomings.
• Issue of threats: Emphasizing the threat to Israel and Hezbollah's operational and geographic control over Israeli citizens, especially in northern communities.
• Glorification of the 'heroes and martyrs of the resistance': highlighting Hezbollah 'celebrities'.
• Connection with religion: The connection between Hezbollah's policy and the Shiites in Lebanon is deep and evident.

In the speech on August 6, Nasrallah glorified the “celebrity” in whose honor the speech was given: Fuad Shukr.

Nasrallah detailed and praised Shukr's military qualities, capabilities and contributions to Hezbollah.

Nasrallah also used motifs to glorify the resistance army, ridicule the IDF, and emphasize the threat to Israel. Nasrallah did not miss the opportunity to take advantage of the attack with Shahed 101 unmanned aerial vehicles [drones] powered by electric motors that infiltrated the Nahariya area in northern Israel on the afternoon of August 6 (a few hours before the speech) to amplify these narratives.

'Palestinian ideology'

The need to maintain the 'Palestinian ideology', as defined by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, is evident.

This supposed ideology aims to close the ideological gap between the Shiite axis and the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood, represented by Hamas. The 'Palestinian Ideology' creates a common interest in the eyes of the Iranian Supreme Leader, forming a basis for cooperation.

Publicly, Shiite Hezbollah and Sunni Hamas demonstrate a unity of interests primarily against Israel, despite their ideological differences. Common interest allows the radical Shiite axis led by Iran to cooperate with the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood represented by Hamas. Instead of a different religious ideology, a common ideological framework is created: the “Palestinian ideology.”

Nasrallah's numerous statements serve the narrative of the 'Palestinian Ideology'. The August 6 speech was also full of statements that serve this narrative: the danger posed by Israel requires "continued resistance in Gaza and the West Bank from a point of view of shared blood, jihad in the future, and the people fair with more patience and resilience… The support fronts in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen will continue to support Gaza despite the sacrifices…”

Hezbollah's cognitive and psychological warfare campaigns are consistent and display a unique ideological foundation as well as prior planning. Nasrallah's speeches are a central component of this war.

However, it must be remembered that Hezbollah's great strength derives from the strong belief of its Shiite base in it and its path. Hezbollah depends on Shiite base in Lebanon: the Shia inhabitants of southern Lebanon, the Beqaa and Beirut. Most of Hezbollah's military infrastructure is deployed within Shiite population centers, serving as human shields.

Hezbollah's capacity depends on the support of the Lebanese Shiite population. Maintaining the support base is a strategic objective of utmost importance, much more so than any tactical achievements on the ground.

We do not claim that the entire cognitive and psychological warfare campaign is directed solely inward, but we do maintain that this is its first and central objective.

(This article is partially based on an article on Hezbollah's cognitive warfare that we published on September 1, 2021).

Source: Alma Research and Education Center