Hezbollah

Social political party Hezbollah ( ḥizbu- illāh (i) , literally " Party of God ") is a Shi'a Islamist political and paramilitary organisation based in Lebanon . Hezbollah is now also a major provider of social services, which operate schools, hospitals, and agricultural services for thousands of Lebanese Shi'a, and plays a significant force in Lebanese politics . It is regarded as a resistance movement throughout much of the Arab and Muslim world . Many governments, including Arab ones, have condemned actions by Hezbollah while others have praised the party. Several western countries, including the United States, regard it in whole or in part as a terrorist organization. Hezbollah first emerged as a militia in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon , also known as Operation Peace for Galilee , in 1982, set on resisting the Israeli occupation of Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war . Its leaders were inspired by Ayatollah Khomeini , and its forces were trained and organized by a contingent of Iranian Revolutionary Guards . Hezbollah's 1985 manifesto listed its three main goals as "putting an end to any colonialist entity" in Lebanon, bringing the Phalangists to justice for "the crimes they [had] perpetrated," and the establishment of an Islamic regime in Lebanon. Hezbollah leaders have also made numerous statements calling for the destruction of Israel, which they refer to as a " Zionist entity ... built on lands wrested from their owners." Hezbollah, which started with only a small militia, has grown to an organization with seats in the Lebanese government, a radio and a satellite television-station , and programs for social development . Hezbollah maintains strong support among Lebanon's Shi'a population, and gained a surge of support from Lebanon's broader population ( Sunni , Christian , Druze ) immediately following the 2006 Lebanon War , and is able to mobilize demonstrations of hundreds of thousands. Hezbollah alongside with some other groups began the 2006–2008 Lebanese political protests in opposition to the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora . A later dispute over Hezbollah preservation of its telecoms network led to clashes and Hezbollah-led opposition fighters seized control of several West Beirut neighborhoods from Future Movement militiamen loyal to Fouad Siniora. These areas were then handed over to the Lebanese Army . A national unity government was formed in 2008, giving Hezbollah and its opposition allies control of eleven of thirty cabinets seats; effectively veto power. Hezbollah receives its financial support from the governments of Iran and Syria , as well as donations from Lebanese people and foreign Shi'as. It has also gained significantly in military strength in the 2000s. Despite a June 2008 certification by the United Nations that Israel had withdrawn from all Lebanese territory, in August of that year, Lebanon's new Cabinet unanimously approved a draft policy statement which secures Hezbollah's existence as an armed organization and guarantees its right to "liberate or recover occupied lands ." Since 1992, the organization has been headed by Hassan Nasrallah , its Secretary-General . In English the stress is most commonly placed on the final syllable, as suggested in the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (this is in accord with the Persian pronunciation, of Iran); in the Arabic of Hezbollah's theatre of operations it is most commonly placed on the second syllable. Hizb (party) is the Modern Standard Arabic pronunciation, and hezb is closer to Persian and Lebanese dialect . The name is derived from a Qur’anic ayat (verse) referring to those who belong to and follow the "party of God " [1] . حزب الله ḥizbu-'llāh(i) -u nominative case marker in iḍāfa , initial "a" (written as "alif" ا) in Allāh (الله) is silent. Initial letter alif (ا) is usually dropped in this situation. Final i (unwritten "kasra") (often dropped - is the genitive case marker). The 1st word ends in -u (unwritten ḍamma) in nominative case, -a in accusative, -i in genitive. ḥizb u -'llāh(i) - nominative ḥizb i -'llāh(i) - genitive ḥizb a -'llāh(i) - accusative Jamail, Dahr (20 July 2006). Council on Foreign Relations . 13 September 2008 . Iran and Syria continue to support resistance The Jerusalem Post (17 July 2006). EUobserver . : |access-date= requires |url= ( help ) "Who are Hezbollah" . The New York Review of Books . Iranian official admits Tehran supplied missiles to Hezbollah Frykberg, MelL (29 August 2008). And if there is one thing that ideologically and diametrically opposed Hezbollah and Israel agree on, it is Hezbollah's growing military strength. : Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= ( help ) "Security council endorses secretary-general's conclusion on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as of 16 June" .

Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council. After the death of Abbas al-Musawi in 1992, the organisation has been headed by Hassan Nasrallah , its Secretary-General . The United States , France , the Gulf Cooperation Council , United Kingdom , Australia , Canada , the Netherlands , and Israel have classified Hezbollah as a terrorist organization , though in early 2015 an assessment from the U.S. director of National Intelligence removed it from the list of terrorist threats against the United States. The European Union and New Zealand have proscribed Hezbollah's military wing, but do not list Hezbollah as a whole as a terrorist organization. Hezbollah was conceived by Muslim clerics and funded by Iran following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, and was primarily formed to offer resistance to the Israeli occupation. Its leaders were followers of Ayatollah Khomeini , and its forces were trained and organized by a contingent of 1,500 Iranian Revolutionary Guards that arrived from Iran with permission from the Syrian government. After the 1982 invasion, Israel occupied a strip of south Lebanon , which was controlled by a militia supported by Israel, the South Lebanon Army . Hezbollah waged a guerilla campaign against them; with the collapse of the SLA, Israel withdrew on May 24, 2000. Hezbollah has grown to an organization with seats in the Lebanese government, a radio and a satellite television-station , programs for social development and large-scale military deployment of fighters beyond Lebanon's borders. The organization has been called a " state within a state ". Hezbollah is part of the March 8 Alliance within Lebanon, in opposition to the March 14 Alliance . Hezbollah maintains strong support among Lebanon's Shi'a population, while Sunnis have disagreed with the group's agenda. Following the end of the Israeli occupation of South Lebanon in 2000, its military strength grew significantly, such that its paramilitary wing is considered more powerful than the Lebanese Army. Hezbollah receives military training, weapons, and financial support from Iran, and political support from Syria. Hezbollah also fought against Israel in the 2006 Lebanon War . After the 2006–2008 Lebanese political protests and clashes , a national unity government was formed in 2008, giving Hezbollah and its opposition allies control of eleven of thirty cabinets seats; effectively veto power. In August 2008, Lebanon's new Cabinet unanimously approved a draft policy statement which secures Hezbollah's existence as an armed organization and guarantees its right to "liberate or recover occupied lands ". Since 2012, Hezbollah has helped the Syrian government during the Syrian civil war in its fight against the Syrian opposition , which Hezbollah has described as a Zionist plot and a "Wahhabi-Zionist conspiracy" to destroy its alliance with Assad against Israel. Once seen as a resistance movement throughout much of the Arab world , this image upon which the group's legitimacy rested has been severely damaged due to the sectarian nature of the Syrian Civil War in which it has become embroiled. Hezbollah's anti-Western militancy began with attacks against Western targets in Lebanon, then expanded to attacks abroad intended to exact revenge for actions threatening its or Iran's interests, or to press foreign governments to release captured operatives. Based upon these beliefs, Hezbollah became vehemently anti-West and anti-Israel. Hezbollah is anti-West and anti-Israel and has engaged in a series of terrorist actions including kidnappings, car bombings, and airline hijackings. The Collins English Dictionary . Other transliterations include Hizbollah , Hezballah , Hisbollah , Hizbu'llah and Hizb Allah . Council on Foreign Relations . 13 September 2008 . The New York Review of Books . Never before have Hezbollah guerrillas fought alongside a formal army, waged war outside Lebanon or initiated broad offensives aimed at seizing territory. Hasan Nasrallah has called the deployment of his fighters to Syria a 'new phase' for the movement, and it marks the first time the group has sent significant numbers of men outside Lebanon's borders. Israel, Round 1: Assessments & Lessons Learned" . Defense Industry Daily . 13 September 2013 . The Christian Science Monitor . And if there is one thing that ideologically and diametrically opposed Hezbollah and Israel agree on, it is Hezbollah's growing military strength. Hezbollah, stronger than the Lebanese Army, has the power to drag the country into war without a government decision, as in 2006, when it set off the war by capturing two Israeli soldiers Morris, Loveday (12 June 2013). Hezbollah, which has a fighting force generally considered more powerful than the Lebanese army. From 2000 to 2006, Iran contributed a hundred million dollars a year to Hezbollah. Its fighters are attractive proxies: unlike the Iranians, they speak Arabic, making them better equipped to operate in Syria and elsewhere in the Arab world. The New York Times . The New York Times . Hezbollah has portrayed the Syrian uprising as an Israeli-backed plot to destroy its alliance with Mr. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy . By siding with the Assad regime, the regime's Alawite supporters, and Iran, and taking up arms against Sunni rebels, Hezbollah has placed itself at the epicenter of a sectarian conflict that has nothing to do with the group's purported raison d'être: 'resistance' to Israeli occupation.

Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation) . Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese parliament . Since the death of Abbas al-Musawi in 1992, the group has been headed by Hassan Nasrallah , its Secretary-General . The organization or its military wing are considered terrorist organizations in eighteen countries, as well as by the Arab League and the European Union (see section below). Hezbollah was founded in the early 1980s as part of an Iranian effort to aggregate a variety of militant Lebanese Shia groups into a unified organization. Hezbollah acts as a proxy for Iran in the ongoing Iran–Israel proxy conflict . Hezbollah was conceived by Muslim clerics and funded by Iran primarily to harass Israel. Its leaders were followers of Ayatollah Khomeini , and its forces were trained and organized by a contingent of 1,500 Revolutionary Guards that arrived from Iran with permission from the Syrian government , which was in occupation of Lebanon at the time. Hezbollah's 1985 manifesto listed its objectives as the expulsion of "the Americans, the French and their allies definitely from Lebanon, putting an end to any colonialist entity on our land", submission of the Christian Phalangists to "just power" and bringing them to justice "for the crimes they have perpetrated against Muslims and Christians" and permitting "all the sons of our people" to choose the form of government they want, while calling on them to "pick the option of Islamic government". Hezbollah waged a guerilla campaign in South Lebanon , and as a result Israel withdrew from Lebanon on 24 May 2000, and the South Lebanon Army (SLA) collapsed and surrendered. Hezbollah organised volunteers who fought on the Bosnian side during the Bosnian War . Hezbollah's military strength has grown so significantly since 2006 that its paramilitary wing is considered more powerful than the Lebanese Army . Hezbollah has been described as a " state within a state " and has grown into an organization with seats in the Lebanese government , a radio and a satellite TV station , social services and large-scale military deployment of fighters beyond Lebanon's borders. Hezbollah is part of the March 8 Alliance within Lebanon, in opposition to the March 14 Alliance . Hezbollah maintains strong support among Lebanon's Shi'a population, while Sunnis have disagreed with the group's agenda. Hezbollah also finds support from within some Christian areas of Lebanon that are Hezbollah strongholds. Hezbollah receives military training, weapons, and financial support from Iran and political support from Syria. Hezbollah and Israel fought each other in the 2006 Lebanon War . After the 2006–08 Lebanese protests and clashes , a national unity government was formed in 2008, with Hezbollah and its opposition allies' obtaining eleven of thirty cabinets seats, enough to give them veto power. In August 2008, Lebanon's new Cabinet unanimously approved a draft policy statement that recognized Hezbollah's existence as an armed organization and guarantees its right to "liberate or recover occupied lands" (such as the Shebaa Farms ). Since 2012, Hezbollah has helped the Syrian government during the Syrian civil war in its fight against the Syrian opposition , which Hezbollah has described as a Zionist plot and a " Wahhabi -Zionist conspiracy" to destroy its alliance with Assad against Israel. It has deployed its militia in both Syria and Iraq to fight or train local forces to fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The group's legitimacy is considered to have been severely damaged due to the sectarian nature of the Syrian Civil War in which it has become embroiled. Hezbollah's anti-Western militancy began with attacks against Western targets in Lebanon, then expanded to attacks abroad intended to exact revenge for actions threatening its or Iran's interests, or to press foreign governments to release captured operatives. Based upon these beliefs, Hezbollah became vehemently anti-West and anti-Israel. Hezbollah is anti-West and anti-Israel and has engaged in a series of terrorist actions including kidnappings, car bombings, and airline hijackings. Trials of the Diaspora: A History of Anti-Semitism in England . Dictionary of Antisemitism from the Earliest Times to the Present . "Hezbollah provides Iraq with its combat experience to liberate Tal Afar" (in Arabic). Hizballah (Party of God)". Morocco cuts ties with Iran over Sahara weapons dispute , AP 1 May 2018 "Listed Terrorist Entities – Currently Listed Entities" . Hizballah's External Security Organisation was proscribed March 2001 and in 2008 the proscription was extended to Hizballah's Military apparatus including the Jihad Council. "Archived copy" ヒズボラ - 国際テロリズム要覧（Web版） - 公安調査庁 (in Japanese). Ministry of Justice of Japan . The Collins English Dictionary . Other transliterations include Hizbollah , Hezbolla , Hezballah , Hisbollah , Hizbu'llah and Hizb Allah . Washington Institute for Near East Policy . The New York Review of Books . Israel in the Middle East . "After the atrocities committed against Muslims in Bosnia, it is no wonder today's jihadis have set out on the path to war in Syria" . And if there is one thing that ideologically and diametrically opposed Hezbollah and Israel agree on, it is Hezbollah's growing military strength. Hezbollah, stronger than the Lebanese Army, has the power to drag the country into war without a government decision, as in 2006, when it set off the war by capturing two Israeli soldiers Morris, Loveday (12 June 2013). Hezbollah, which has a fighting force generally considered more powerful than the Lebanese army. Israel, Round 1: Assessments & Lessons Learned" . Defense Industry Daily . 13 September 2013 . Never before have Hezbollah guerrillas fought alongside a formal army, waged war outside Lebanon or initiated broad offensives aimed at seizing territory. Hasan Nasrallah has called the deployment of his fighters to Syria a 'new phase' for the movement, and it marks the first time the group has sent significant numbers of men outside Lebanon's borders. The Christian Science Monitor . From 2000 to 2006, Iran contributed a hundred million dollars a year to Hezbollah. Its fighters are attractive proxies: unlike the Iranians, they speak Arabic, making them better equipped to operate in Syria and elsewhere in the Arab world. The New York Times . The New York Times . Hezbollah has portrayed the Syrian uprising as an Israeli-backed plot to destroy its alliance with Mr. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy . By siding with the Assad regime, the regime's Alawite supporters, and Iran, and taking up arms against Sunni rebels, Hezbollah has placed itself at the epicenter of a sectarian conflict that has nothing to do with the group's purported raison d'être: 'resistance' to Israeli occupation.

Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation) . Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament . Hezbollah was established in the wake of the 1982 Lebanon War by Lebanese clerics who had studied in Najaf . It adopted the model set out by Ayatollah Khomeini after the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and the party's founders adopted "Hezbollah" as the name chosen by Khomeini. The organization was created with the support of 1,500 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps instructors, and aggregated a variety of Lebanese Shia groups into a unified organization to resist the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon . During the Lebanese Civil War , Hezbollah's 1985 manifesto listed its objectives as the expulsion of "the Americans, the French and their allies definitely from Lebanon, putting an end to any colonialist entity on our land". From 1985 to 2000, Hezbollah also participated in the 1985–2000 South Lebanon conflict against the South Lebanon Army (SLA) and Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and fought again with the IDF in the 2006 Lebanon War . During the 90s, Hezbollah also organised volunteers to fight for the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War . Since 1990, Hezbollah has participated in Lebanese politics, in a process which is described as the Lebanonisation of Hezbollah, and it later participated in the government of Lebanon and joined political alliances. After the 2006–08 Lebanese protests and clashes , a national unity government was formed in 2008, with Hezbollah and its opposition allies obtaining 11 of 30 cabinet seats, enough to give them veto power. In August 2008, Lebanon's new cabinet unanimously approved a draft policy statement that recognizes Hezbollah's existence as an armed organization and guarantees its right to "liberate or recover occupied lands" (such as the Shebaa Farms ). Hezbollah is part of Lebanon's March 8 Alliance , in opposition to the March 14 Alliance . It maintains strong support among Lebanese Shia Muslims , while Sunnis have disagreed with its agenda. Hezbollah also has support in some Christian areas of Lebanon . Since 2012, Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian civil war has seen it join the Syrian government in its fight against the Syrian opposition , which Hezbollah has described as a Zionist plot and a " Wahhabi -Zionist conspiracy" to destroy its alliance with Bashar al-Assad against Israel. Between 2013 and 2015, the organisation deployed its militia in both Syria and Iraq to fight or train local militias to fight against the Islamic State . In the 2018 Lebanese general election , Hezbollah held 12 seats and its alliance won the election by gaining 70 out of 128 seats in the Parliament of Lebanon . From 2006, the group's military strength grew significantly, to the extent that its paramilitary wing became more powerful than the Lebanese Army . Hezbollah has been described as a " state within a state " and has grown into an organization with seats in the Lebanese government , a radio and a satellite TV station , social services and large-scale military deployment of fighters beyond Lebanon's borders. The group currently receives military training, weapons, and financial support from Iran and political support from Syria, although the sectarian nature of the Syrian war has damaged the group's legitimacy. In 2021, Nasrallah said the group had 100,000 fighters. Either the entire organization or only its military wing has been designated a terrorist organization by several countries, including by the European Union and, since 2017, also by most member states of the Arab League , with two exceptions – Lebanon , where Hezbollah is one of the country's most influential political parties, and Iraq . Russia does not view Hezbollah as a "terrorist organization" but as a "legitimate socio-political force". "Fadlallah Hits Back at March 14 over Karam Release, Marouni Slams "Treason Accusations" " . Islamist Terrorism and Democracy in the Middle East . Hezbollah's anti-Western militancy began with attacks against Western targets in Lebanon, then expanded to attacks abroad intended to exact revenge for actions threatening its or Iran's interests, or to press foreign governments to release captured operatives. Based upon these beliefs, Hezbollah became vehemently anti-West and anti-Israel. Hezbollah is anti-West and anti-Israel and has engaged in a series of terrorist actions including kidnappings, car bombings, and airline hijackings. Trials of the Diaspora: A History of Anti-Semitism in England . Dictionary of Antisemitism from the Earliest Times to the Present . Agencies, The New Arab Staff & (18 October 2021). "Hassan Nasrallah says Hezbollah has 100,000 fighters" . english.alaraby.co.uk/ . "Hezbollah is the Long Arm of Iran - Factsheet 5" . 20 September 2019 . "Why Assad's alliance with Iran and Hezbollah will endure" . 8 February 2019 . "Iraq admits Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian RG fight alongside Iraqi security forces" . 9 November 2014. "Qatar finances Hezbollah terrorism, declares 'Jews are enemies' - report" . 18 July 2020. The Collins English Dictionary . Other transliterations include Hizbullah , Hizballah , Hizbollah , Hezbolla , Hezballah , Hisbollah , Hizbu'llah and Hizb Allah . Lebanon, battleground of the Middle East. The New York Review of Books . Israel in the Middle East . "After the atrocities committed against Muslims in Bosnia, it is no wonder today's jihadis have set out on the path to war in Syria" . The New York Times . The New York Times . Hezbollah has portrayed the Syrian uprising as an Israeli-backed plot to destroy its alliance with Mr. Al Monitor 25 November 2014 "Factbox: Hezbollah and allies gain sway in Lebanon parliament" . And if there is one thing that ideologically and diametrically opposed Hezbollah and Israel agree on, it is Hezbollah's growing military strength. The New York Times . Hezbollah, stronger than the Lebanese Army, has the power to drag the country into war without a government decision, as in 2006, when it set off the war by capturing two Israeli soldiers Morris, Loveday (12 June 2013). Hezbollah, which has a fighting force generally considered more powerful than the Lebanese army. Israel, Round 1: Assessments & Lessons Learned" . Defense Industry Daily . 13 September 2013 . The New York Times . Never before have Hezbollah guerrillas fought alongside a formal army, waged war outside Lebanon or initiated broad offensives aimed at seizing territory. Hasan Nasrallah has called the deployment of his fighters to Syria a 'new phase' for the movement, and it marks the first time the group has sent significant numbers of men outside Lebanon's borders. From 2000 to 2006, Iran contributed a hundred million dollars a year to Hezbollah. Its fighters are attractive proxies: unlike the Iranians, they speak Arabic, making them better equipped to operate in Syria and elsewhere in the Arab world. By siding with the Assad regime, the regime's Alawite supporters, and Iran, and taking up arms against Sunni rebels, Hezbollah has placed itself at the epicenter of a sectarian conflict that has nothing to do with the group's purported raison d'être: 'resistance' to Israeli occupation.