Hezbollah's Youth Camps Train Children for Armed Conflict, Threatening Regional Peace

Hezbollah’s Imam al-Mahdi Scout program, founded in the mid-1980s and officially recognized in 1992, runs summer camps that combine ordinary games with religious indoctrination supporting Iran’s “guardianship of the jurist.” Funded largely by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the camps enroll about 75,000 youths who perform community service and, after age 16, receive “literacy training” in basic weaponry. Teenagers also travel to Iran for events such as the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khameini.

The organization publicly commemorates former scouts who have died fighting Israel, highlighting a pipeline that feeds Hezbollah’s ranks. Recent large-scale gatherings, like a 2025 jamboree honoring Hassan Nasrallah, demonstrate the group’s recruitment strength despite recent losses. Critics argue that unless Lebanon bans the Mahdi Scouts and the U.S. imposes sanctions, the youth pipeline will continue to jeopardize any peace settlement.