Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, known as the Loyalty to the Resistance faction, has 15 lawmakers who are legally recognized in Lebanon even as the group threatens Israel almost daily. The article profiles the bloc’s most prominent members, who use politics, media, and public statements to promote Hezbollah’s line while the organization’s military activity is banned domestically.
The bloc is led by Mohammed Raad, who on Thursday, after the US-Iran memorandum of understanding was signed, said the deadline for Israel’s complete withdrawal from Lebanese territory was “two months from now,” adding that the enemy must stop operations on land, sea, and air and prepare to leave within 60 days without direct negotiations. Raad, whom some Arab outlets have repeatedly described as a possible deputy to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, has never had such a post confirmed by Hezbollah. The group denied a late-2024 report claiming he had been appointed deputy secretary-general, saying any leadership appointments would be announced only through its official media.
Raad, from Jbaa in the South Lebanon district of Iqlim al-Tuffah and born in Beirut in 1955, has headed the faction since 2000 and also writes for Hezbollah-linked newspaper Al-Akhbar. His son Abbas Mohammed Raad was killed in November 2023 in an Israeli strike in Beit Yahoun, along with four other Hezbollah operatives. Qassem attended the funeral, and Raad later told Al-Mayadeen that his son admired Qassem Soleimani and that he had not told him details of his work.
Other key members include Hassan Fadlallah, a former journalist and broadcaster who said the US-Iran memorandum was “a real victory for Iran,” Hussein al-Hajj Hassan, a former agriculture and industry minister who said Israel’s withdrawal was included in an agreement and that Hezbollah would not recognize any lines if it stayed, and Ibrahim Mousawi, a former Al-Manar employee and political council member. Ihab Hamadeh, elected in 2018 and 2022, said the state could not restrain Israel after abandoning force. The faction also includes Amin Sherri, Hassan Ezzedine, Raed Berro, Rami Abu Hamdan, Ali Ammar, Ali al-Moqdad, Hussein al-Jishi, and Ali Fayyad, who on June 10 praised Iran’s support for Hezbollah. Two Sunni independents aligned with Hezbollah, Yanal al-Sahl and Melhem al-Hajiri, also sit in the bloc. Hezbollah additionally has two ministers in the Lebanese government, Health Minister Rakan Nasseredine and Labor Minister Mohammad Bahjat Haidar, though they are not members of the parliamentary faction.
