Query: Syria provided political support to Hezbollah.

Relevant passages:
Hezbollah <=SEP=> Hezbollah ( pronounced -LSB- ˌhɛzbəˈlɑː -RSB- حزب الله , literally `` Party of Allah '' or `` Party of God '' ) -- also transliterated Hizbullah , Hizballah , etc. -- is a Shi'a Islamist militant group and political party based in Lebanon . Hezbollah 's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council , and its political wing is Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese parliament . After the death of Abbas al-Musawi in 1992 , the group has been headed by Hassan Nasrallah , its Secretary-General .   After the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 in support of the Free Lebanon State , Israel occupied a strip of south Lebanon , which was controlled by the South Lebanon Army ( SLA ) , a Lebanese Christian militia supported by Israel . Hezbollah was conceived by Muslim clerics and funded by Iran primarily to harass the Israeli occupation . 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 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 May 24 , 2000 , and SLA collapsed and surrendered . Backed by Iran , Hezbollah fighters fought against Serbian forces during the Bosnian War . Hezbollah 's military strength has grown so significantly 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 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 , which gives them veto power . In August 2008 , Lebanon 's new Cabinet unanimously approved a draft policy statement which 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 ISIS . 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 status as a legitimate political party , a terrorist group , a resistance movement , or some combination thereof is a contentious issue . The Arab League , United States , France , the Gulf Cooperation Council , Australia , Canada , the Netherlands , and Israel have classified Hezbollah as a terrorist organization . The European Union , New Zealand and the United Kingdom have proscribed Hezbollah 's military wing as a terrorist organization , while making a distinction with Hezbollah 's political wing . Russia considers Hezbollah a legitimate sociopolitical organization . The People 's Republic of China remains neutral , and maintains contacts with Hezbollah .