Hezbollah

**Hezbollah** (, meaning *Party of God*) is a Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary organization based in Lebanon. It was formed in Lebanon in 1982, during the Lebanese Civil War. The leader of Hezbollah is Naim Qassem.

Hezbollah's main goals during the Lebanese Civil War were to fight against Western influences and protect Lebanon's Shia Muslim population. Its members are mostly Shia Muslims. The group also supports Arab nationalism. It wants freedom for the Palestinian people in Palestine. Because of this, it believes that the State of Israel should not exist, and fights against it. Over the years, the Hezbollah militia has fought a guerrilla war against the Israeli Army along the border in southern Lebanon. It often attacks Israeli military and civilian positions by firing rockets across Israel's northern border.

Hezbollah is supported by Syria, Iran, Russia, Lebanon, Houthis and Hamas.

## History 
### Founding 
Hezbollah was officially founded in 1985, following the 1982 Lebanon War. Lebanese Shia clerics who had received education in Najaf came together to form Hezbollah as a movement of resistance against Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982. They were influenced by Ayatollah Khomeini's model established after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The party's founders adopted "Hezbollah" as the name chosen by Khomeini which means 'Party of God'. Hezbollah is also part of the movement spreading the Islamic Revolution beyond Iran.

## Opposition 
To destroy Hezbollah bases, Israel has responded in different ways; for example, air strikes on sites in Lebanon and sending ground troops into Southern Lebanon. In 2000, Israel withdrew its troops from the "security zone" in Southern Lebanon, but not from a sliver of land called Shebba Farms. This fertile area was kept under Israeli occupation. The border stayed relatively quiet until July 2006, except for targeted assassinations and kidnappings by Israel. In July 2006, Hezbollah killed three Israeli soldiers and captured an additional two. This led to the 2006 Lebanon War.

Several foreign governments consider Hezbollah a terrorist group.The global majority including Russia and China do not. Among those who consider it to be a terrorist group are the United States, Bahrain, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and Israel. The European Union and the United Kingdom consider Hezbollah's military branch to be a terrorist group, but not the political party. Iran and Lebanon considers Hezbollah to be a legitimate resistance movement. This view is shared by Syria, Iran and all other countries in the Arab world. while China remains neutral, and maintains contacts with Hezbollah. Other countries that do not consider Hezbollah a terror organization includes Cuba, Iraq, North Korea, and others. Hezbollah has received armed and logistics support from the government of Iran and its leader Naim Qassem maintains close ties with the Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Hezbollah forces in Syria were also commanded by the now deceased Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. Hezbollah participated in the Syrian civil war, fighting alongside Syrian government forces of the former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Since October 2023, Hezbollah has been engaged in a border war with Israel in southern Lebanon, which they attribute to the alleged Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip.

## Ideology 
Hezbollah follows an ideology based mainly on Shia Islam and resistance against foreign influence in the Middle East. The group believes that religion should play an important role in politics and society. Many of its ideas were influenced by the Iranian Revolution and by Iranian religious leader Ruhollah Khomeini. Hezbollah was largely formed with the help of Khomeini’s followers in the early 1980s in order to spread the ideas of the Islamic Revolution which started in 1979. Because of this influence, Hezbollah has close political and religious ties with Iran and receives financial, military and political support. The group has been influenced by Iran’s Islamic system, including the concept of Wilayat al Faqih, which has been developed by Ruhollah Khomeini. This is the idea that a senior Islamic religious scholar or jurist should have political authority and lead the government. Hezbollah first wanted to turn Lebanon into an Islamic republic. Later, it changed its position and accepted working within Lebanon’s political system together with different religious groups. Hezbollah believed that it was important for Muslims to work together against Israel and the occupation of Arab lands. Because of this, the group usually avoided criticizing Saudi Arabia, although this changed later after the Saudi participation in the Yemeni civil war.

## What Hezbollah Does 
Hezbollah is frequently referred to as a state within a state in the sense that it does most of what the Lebanese government does.

* Politics: Hezbollah has been a political party since 1992. They have representatives in the Lebanese Parliament and the Cabinet. 
* Military: In addition to the official Lebanese Army, Hezbollah possesses its own army that many experts deem to be stronger than the official army. 
* Social Services: They operate a massive system of schools, hospitals and charities to benefit Shia Muslims in Lebanon.

## Recent Conflicts (2023–2026) 
During recent years the Hezbollah participated in a few major wars: 

* 2023-2024 war: Following the October 7 attacks in Israel by Hamas, Hezbollah commenced rockets into northern Israel. This led to a large-scale war. At the end of 2024, Israeli airstrikes killed many of the best leaders of the Hezbollah, including Hassan Nasrallah. 
* Ceasefire in 2024: In November 2024, a ceasefire was declared. Hezbollah was even meant to withdraw its fighters on the border with Israel. 
* 2026 Lebanon War: Early 2026 ceasefire failed. Following attacks on the U.S and Israel in February 2026 (which killed the Iranian leader Ali Khamenei), Hezbollah initiated new attacks on Israel. This saw another Israeli invasion on the southern Lebanon in March 2026.

## International View 
Hezbollah is viewed differently in different countries: 

* Terrorist Group: Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom and the European Union. 
* Resistance Movement: They are regarded as a Resistance group which keeps Lebanon under the guard of Israel by some people in Lebanon and other Arab nations.

## Key Facts Table 
## References 
## Other websites 
*Official website 
*Another official Hezbollah website 
*UN Press Release SC/8181 UN, September 2, 2004
*Yahoo - *Hezbollah*  directory category