Hezbollah

Hezbollah (lit. “Party of God”), is a Shi'a Islamist group that emerged in Lebanon in 1982 and gained the status of a cohesive organization when it formally stated its goals in 1985. While U.S. and Israeli policymakers consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization, in Lebanon it is known not only for its political and militant activities but also for providing charitable social services and operating hospitals and schools.

Led since 1992 by Hasan Nasrallah, its secretary-general, Hezbollah's spiritual leader is the Supreme Leader of Iran, previously Ayatullah Khomeini, and currently Ayatullah Khamenei. The organization has two parts: the first composed of those playing an official governing role and the second of Lebanese Shi'i who are loosely affiliated with Hezbollah and support its causes. A legitimate political party in Lebanon, Hezbollah has participated in the Lebanese political system since 1992.

The Shi'i are only one of several religious communities in Lebanon. As minorities, the Lebanese Shi'i have struggled for political representation. Globally, the dominant Sunnī Muslim community, disapproving of Shi'a Islam, has discriminated [Page 515]against Arab Shi'i, contributing to Arab Shi'a poverty and political marginalization.

Several events mobilized the Shi'i in Lebanon, leading to the creation of Hezbollah. In 1978, Lebanon's leading Shi'a cleric, Musa al-Sadr, who had demanded greater political rights for the Lebanese Shi'i, disappeared in Libya under suspicious circumstances. The primary locus of inspiration for Hezbollah's foundation was the 1978 to 1979 Iranian Revolution, which inspired Shi'i everywhere to struggle against imperialism and oppression. Other factors include the 1982 Israeli invasion and occupation of southern Lebanon, in which thousands of Lebanese civilians were killed as a result of bombing raids.

Hezbollah's primary goal was to actively resist Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in 2000. This group also opposes Israel's occupation of what it believes to be Palestinian territory. Hezbollah's primary enemies are the United States and Israel, which are believed by Hezbollah to have caused suffering to the Shi'i, the Palestinian people, and the broader Muslim community.

Hezbollah's violent tactics have divided (and at times polarized) Muslims as well as non-Muslims, provoking both support and condemnation. In the foundational period of Shi'a sacred history, key Shi'a leaders fought against Sunnī enemies and suffered a martyr's death. This collective Shi'a memory of struggle and martyrdom likely contributes to Hezbollah's insistence on active resistance, including its willingness to sponsor suicide missions.

In 1983, Hezbollah bombed the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people. That year, they also attacked U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut with truck bombs, killing more than 200 U.S. servicemen, and in another assault, 58 French paratroopers were killed. In 1985, they hijacked a TWA (Trans World Airlines) flight. Hezbollah has carried out many attacks against Israeli occupying forces, playing a part in Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon. In the summer of 2006, Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers, triggering a 34-day war between Lebanon and Israel, leaving more than 100 Israelis and more than 1,000 Lebanese dead.