In the United States, Hezbollah is a ticking time bomb. Since Oct. 7, 2023, its flags have been spotted at protests around the country. Its logos are seen on T-shirts worn on campuses. Its officials have spoken directly to American students on Zoom. One of them even disclosed plans to “invest in the Western students” protesting for “Palestine” and use them to infiltrate “the heart of Western societies.”
These recruitment efforts come in numerous guises. Ali-Hajj Hassan, head of the Youth Section of Hezbollah’s Cultural Mobilization Department, encouraged “student organizations and youth activists in the West” to “fill the public squares and universities, and the social media platforms in their countries.” In a webinar for international students, he called for turning them into “a movement of resisting youth … who bear the spirit of the Mujahideen.”
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At another webinar last month, Hussein Mughniyeh, the son of Hezbollah arch-terrorist Imad Mughniyeh, spoke with American students from the University of Washington about his father’s role in the 1983 Marine barracks truck bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American servicemen. He praised this attack as one of the “greatest and largest attacks” ever. Mughniyeh, the elder, killed in Damascus in 2008 in a joint U.S.-Israel strike, was one of the most high-profile FBI’s most wanted terrorists. Hussein Mughniyeh went on to reveal that at the time of his death, his father had been “about to help Syria build its own nuclear plant” with “the aid of some North Korean scientists, their knowledge and their information.”
Most Americans know little about Hezbollah. They consider the 1983 Marine barracks bombing old news. For Hezbollah, though, that attack is a template for future efforts. Hezbollah MP Nawaf Mousawi warned in a recent interview, “We are the same people we were in 1982. … Today, there are a dozen times more martyrdom seekers.” Hezbollah has killed more U.S. service personnel than any other terrorist organization except for al Qaeda on 9/11. The State Department deemed it the most technically capable terrorist group in the world and a continued security threat to the U.S.
Before his death, the group’s leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, said of the “many people demonstrating in America” that “we should salute them and be grateful to them.” Sympathizers have been identified in Michigan, New York, Texas, California, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Florida, and elsewhere.
One supporter born and raised in the U.S. is Hadi Matar, who was convicted on July 29 of attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah and other terrorism charges, for his 2022 attempted murder of author Salman Rushdie. In the case, the prosecution claimed Matar had committed an act of terrorism “in the name of Hezbollah.” Prosecutors showed jurors a selfie of Matar wearing a Hezbollah shirt and saluting, an essay he wrote praising the organization, and a video he created featuring a 2006 speech by Nasrallah. Photos of a Hezbollah fighter were found on his phone’s home screen, and two others were posted the morning of the attack.
Nasrallah would have been pleased with such support. His funeral, in February 2025, was attended by Americans with ties to his organization. Memorial ceremonies are still being held for him across the U.S. Just a few weeks ago, a Houston Mosque commemorated him along with Khamenei and Hamas leaders. In addition, a March 2026 pro-Hezbollah rally in New York City included speakers praising Nasrallah and participants chanting, “We Support Hezbollah Here,” and “USA Go To Hell.”
Another Hezbollah leader mourned in the U.S. was Nasrallah’s deputy, Fuad Shukr, a founding member and U.S. Marine barracks bombing mastermind, killed in July 2024. The Democratic Socialists of America eulogized him together with slain Hamas leaders, writing: “We mourn and honor the martyrs of Lebanon and Palestine and express our unwavering solidarity with their popular resistance movements.” The post was later deleted.
The largest pro-Hezbollah hub in the U.S. is Dearborn, Michigan. As Amer Zahr, a Dearborn activist, declared at a rally there in August 2024, “We are not ashamed to say the word Hezbollah. We are not ashamed to say that we stand very strongly with the Lebanese resistance.
At a June 19, 2026, ceremony at the Hadi Institute, poet Hassan Salamey had worshipers recite a chapter of the Quran for the “martyred leaders of Islam,” including Nasrallah. Earlier this month, Hadi Montessori School administrator Ahmad Charara shared a video documenting his visit to Nasrallah’s shrine in Beirut. Just last weekend, a marcher in a Hezbollah headband was spotted in the Shi’ite Arbaeen procession in the city.
At one pro-Hezbollah rally in Dearborn held in front of the city’s police department following Nasrallah’s killing, supporters carried signs showing Nasrallah’s infamous hand gesture and the words “You will be returned horizontally.” This refers to his warning that “American soldiers and officers” in the Middle East will return home in coffins — as they did from the 1983 Marine barracks bombing.
There have been multiple cases of Hezbollah supporters in Dearborn attempting to attack its Jewish community. Last year, locals marched, pogrom-style chanting, “Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Muhammad will return” — evoking the slaughter of the Jews of the Arabian Peninsula by the army of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, synagogues, restaurants, schools, and prominent figures have been the target of violent attacks there. One was the March 12, 2026, “Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism” deliberately targeting the largest Reform synagogue in the U.S., perpetrated by a Hezbollah supporter intending to kill as many as possible, including children at the synagogue’s preschool.
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Furthermore, eight alleged pro-Palestinian conspirators were indicted on federal charges on June 10, 2026, for allegedly threatening University of Michigan officials and businesses, and also threatening the Jewish Federation. They had discussed using poison, bombs, and psychological torture.
Hezbollah is here in America. Its recruitment and influence campaigns among American students, activists, and organizations should be investigated, as well as firm enforcement of laws already on the books regarding support for designated terrorist organizations. Blinking lights are everywhere. It shouldn’t take a mass terrorist attack for this threat to be addressed.
Steven Stalinsky is Executive Director of MEMRI.
