Hezbollah

Hezbollah (pronounced / ˌhɛzbə
ˈlɑː/ ; [20] Arabic : ﺣﺰﺏ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ Ḥizbu 'llāh , literally "Party of Allah" or "Party of
God")—also transliterated Hizbullah ,
Hizballah , etc. [21] —is a Shi'a Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon .[22][23] Hezbollah's
paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, [24] and its political wing is
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 group is considered a terrorist organization by the governments of the United States , Israel , Canada , the
Arab League , [25] the Gulf Cooperation Council , [26][27] along with its military/security wing by the United Kingdom ,
Australia and the European Union.
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 founded in the early 1980s as part of an Iranian effort to aggregate a variety of militant Lebanese Shi'a groups under one roof. Hezbollah acts as a proxy for Iran in the ongoing Iran–Israel proxy conflict . [28] Hezbollah was conceived by Muslim clerics and funded by Iran primarily to harass the Israeli occupation. [5] 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, [29] 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". [30]
Hezbollah waged a guerilla campaign in South Lebanon and as a result, Israel withdrew from Lebanon on 24 May 2000, and SLA collapsed and surrendered. Backed by Iran, Hezbollah fighters fought against
Serbian forces during the Bosnian War .[31] Hezbollah's military strength has grown so significantly [32][33] that its paramilitary wing is considered more powerful than the Lebanese Army .[34][35] Hezbollah has been described as a "state within a state ", [36] 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. [37][38][39] 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, [40] while Sunnis have disagreed with the group's agenda. [41][42] Hezbollah also finds support from within some Christian areas of Lebanon that are Hezbollah strongholds. [43] Hezbollah receives military training, weapons, and financial support from Iran, and political support from Syria. [44] Hezbollah and Israel fought each other in the 2006 Lebanon War .
After the 2006–08 Lebanese protests [45] and clashes, [46] 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. [23] 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). [47] 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. [48][49] It has deployed its militia in both Syria and Iraq to fight or train local forces to fight against ISIS. [50][51] Once seen as a resistance movement throughout much of the Arab world, [22] 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. [37][52][53]
History
Main article: History of Hezbollah
Foundation
After the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, Israel occupied a strip of south Lebanon , which was controlled by the South Lebanon Army (SLA), a
militia supported by Israel. Hezbollah was conceived by Muslim clerics and funded by Iran primarily to harass the Israeli occupation. [5] 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, [29] which was in occupation of Lebanon at the time.
Scholars differ as to when Hezbollah came to be a distinct entity. Various sources list the official formation of the group as early as 1982 [54][55][56]
[57] whereas Diaz and Newman maintain that Hezbollah remained an amalgamation of various violent Shi'a extremists until as late as 1985. [58] Another version states that it was formed by supporters of Sheikh
Ragheb Harb , a leader of the southern Shia resistance killed by Israel in 1984. [59] Regardless of when the name came into official use, a number of Shi'a groups were slowly assimilated into the organization, such as Islamic Jihad, Organization of the Oppressed on Earth and the
Revolutionary Justice Organization [citation needed] . These designations are considered to be synonymous with Hezbollah by the US, [60] Israel [61] and Canada . [62]
1980s
Main articles: Lebanese civil war and South Lebanon conflict (1982–2000)
Hezbollah emerged in South Lebanon during a consolidation of Shia militias as a rival to the older Amal Movement. Hezbollah played a significant role in the Lebanese civil war , opposing American forces in 1982–83 and opposing Amal and
Syria during the 1985–88 War of the Camps . However, Hezbollah's early primary focus was ending Israel 's occupation of southern Lebanon [5] following Israel's 1982 invasion and siege of Beirut .[63] Amal, the main Lebanese Shia political group, initiated guerrilla warfare. In 2006, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak stated, "When we entered Lebanon … there was no Hezbollah. We were accepted with perfumed rice and flowers by the Shia in the south. It was our presence there that created Hezbollah". [64]
Hezbollah waged an asymmetric war using suicide attacks against the
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli targets outside of Lebanon. [65] Hezbollah is reputed to have been among the first Islamic resistance groups in the Middle East to use the tactics of suicide bombing, assassination, and capturing foreign soldiers, [29] as well as murders[66] and hijackings. [67] Hezbollah also employed more conventional military tactics and weaponry, notably
Katyusha rockets and other missiles. [66][68] At the end of the
Lebanese Civil War in 1990, despite the Taif Agreement asking for the "disbanding of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias," Syria, which controlled Lebanon at that time, allowed Hezbollah to maintain their arsenal and control Shia areas along the border with Israel. [69]
After 1990
In the 1990s, Hezbollah transformed from a revolutionary group into a political one, in a process which is described as the Lebanonisation of Hezbollah. Unlike its uncompromising revolutionary stance in the 1980s, Hezbollah conveyed a lenient stance towards the Lebanese state. [70]
In 1992 Hezbollah decided to participate in elections, and Ali Khamenei , supreme leader of Iran, endorsed it. Former Hezbollah secretary general, Subhi al-Tufayli , contested this decision, which led to a schism in Hezbollah. Hezbollah won all twelve seats which were on its electoral list. At the end of that year, Hezbollah began to engage in dialog with Lebanese Christians. Hezbollah regards cultural, political, and religious freedoms in Lebanon as sanctified, although it does not extend these values to groups who have relations with Israel. [71]
In 1997 Hezbollah formed the multi-confessional Lebanese Brigades to Fighting the Israeli Occupation in an attempt to revive national and secular resistance against Israel, thereby marking the "Lebanonisation" of resistance. [72]
Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO)
Whether the Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO) were a nom de guerre used by Hezbollah or a separate organization, is disputed. According to certain sources, IJO was identified as merely a "telephone organization", [73][74] and whose name was "used by those involved to disguise their true identity." [75][76][77]
[78][79] Hezbollah reportedly also used another name, "Islamic Resistance" (al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya ), for attacks against Israel. [80]
A 2003 American court decision found IJO was the name used by Hezbollah for its attacks in Lebanon, parts of the Middle East and Europe. [81] The US, [82] Israel [83] and Canada [84] consider the names "Islamic Jihad Organization", "Organization of the Oppressed on Earth" and the "Revolutionary Justice Organization" to be synonymous with Hezbollah.
Ideology
Main article: Ideology of Hezbollah
Back in the 1980s, the ideology of Hezbollah was described as radical. It is presented in the 1985 manifesto . The first objective was fighting against American and Israeli imperialism, freedom of the occupied Southern Lebanon and all other occupied territories. The second objective was to gather all Muslims in the concept of ummah ; then Lebanon would continue the 1979 Revolution of Iran. It also declared it would protect all Lebanese communities except the ones which collaborated with Israel, and supported all national movements—Muslim or non-Muslim—throughout the world. The Ideology has been changed, and today Hezbollah is a left-wing political entity focused on
social injustice . [85]
The ideology of Hezbollah has been summarized as [according to whom?]
Shi'i radicalism ; [86][87][88] Hezbollah follows the Islamic Shi'a theology developed by Iranian leader Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini .[89] Hezbollah was largely formed with the aid of the
Ayatollah Khomeini 's followers in the early 1980s in order to spread Islamic revolution[90] and follows a distinct version of Islamic Shi'a ideology (Valiyat al-faqih or Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists) developed by
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini , leader of the "Islamic Revolution" in Iran .[22]
[83] Although Hezbollah originally aimed to transform Lebanon into a formal Faqihi Islamic republic, this goal has been abandoned in favor of a more inclusive approach. [5]
1985 manifesto
On 16 February 1985, Sheik Ibrahim al-Amin issued Hezbollah's manifesto. Translated excerpts from Hezbollah's original 1985 manifesto read:
Online Media
There are several YouTube channels that support Hezbollah such as the
Electronic Resistance
Attitudes, statements, and actions concerning Israel and Zionism
See also: Hezbollah foreign relations , Islamic Resistance Support Organization , Lebanon hostage crisis , and Hezbollah armed strength
From the inception of Hezbollah to the present, [30][91] the elimination of the State of Israel has been one of Hezbollah's primary goals. Some translations of Hezbollah's 1985 Arabic-language manifesto state that "our struggle will end only when this entity [Israel] is obliterated". [30] According to Hezbollah's Deputy-General, Naim Qassem, the struggle against Israel is a core belief of Hezbollah and the central rationale of Hezbollah's existence. [92]
Hezbollah says that its continued hostilities against Israel are justified as reciprocal to Israeli operations against Lebanon and as retaliation for what they claim is Israel's occupation of Lebanese territory. [93]
[94][95] Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, and their withdrawal was verified by the United Nations as being in accordance with resolution 425 of 19 March 1978, however Lebanon considers the Shebaa farms
—a 26-km² (10-mi²) piece of land captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 war and considered by the UN to be Syrian territory occupied by Israel—to be Lebanese territory. [96][97] Additionally, Hezbollah claims that
three Lebanese prisoners are being held in Israel. [98] [disputed ] Finally, Hezbollah consider Israel to be an illegitimate state. For these reasons, they justify their actions as acts of
defensive jihad. [99]
Attitudes and actions concerning Jews and Judaism
Main article: Ideology of Hezbollah § Attitudes, statements, and actions concerning Jews and Judaism
Hezbollah officials have said, on rare occasions, that it is only "anti-Zionist" and not anti-Semitic. [100] However, according to scholars, "these words do not hold up upon closer examination". Among other actions, Hezbollah actively engages in
Holocaust denial and spreads anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. [100]
Various anti-Semitic statements have been attributed to Hezbollah officials. [101] Amal Saad-Ghorayeb , a Lebanese political analyst, argues that although Zionism has influenced Hezbollah's anti-Judaism , "it is not contingent upon it "because Hezbollah's hatred of Jews is more religiously motivated than politically motivated. [102] Robert S. Wistrich , a historian specializing in the study of anti-Semitism, described Hezbollah's ideology concerning Jews:
Conflicting reports say Al-Manar , the Hezbollah-owned and operated television station, accused either Israel or Jews of deliberately spreading HIV and other diseases to Arabs throughout the Middle East. [104][105][106] Al-Manar was criticized in the West for airing "anti-Semitic propaganda" in the form of a television drama depicting a Jewish world domination conspiracy.[107]
[108][109] The group has been accused by American analysts of engaging in Holocaust denial.[110]
[111][112] In addition, during its 2006 war, it apologized only for killing Israel's Arabs (i.e., non-Jews). [100]
In November 2009, Hezbollah pressured a private English-language school to drop reading excerpts from
The Diary of Anne Frank , a book of the writings from the diary kept by the Jewish child Anne Frank while she was in hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. [113] This was after Hezbollah's Al-Manar television channel complained, asking how long Lebanon would "remain an open arena for the Zionist invasion of education?" [114]
Organization
Organizational chart of Hezbollah, by Ahmad Nizar Hamzeh
At the beginning many Hezbollah leaders have maintained that the movement was "not an organization, for its members carry no cards and bear no specific responsibilities," [115] and that the movement does not have "a clearly defined organizational structure." [116] Nowadays, as Hezbollah scholar Magnus Ranstorp reports, Hezbollah does indeed have a formal governing structure, and in keeping with the principle of
Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists (velayat-e faqih ), it "concentrate[s] ... all authority and powers" in its religious leaders, whose decisions then "flow from the ulama down the entire community."
Since the Supreme Leader of Iran is the ultimate clerical authority, Hezbollah's leaders have appealed to him "for guidance and directives in cases when Hezbollah's collective leadership [was] too divided over issues and fail[ed] to reach a consensus." [117] After the death of Iran's first Supreme Leader, Khomeini, Hezbollah's governing bodies developed a more "independent role" and appealed to Iran less often. [117] Since the Second Lebanon War , however, Iran has restructured Hezbollah to limit the power of Hassan Nasrallah, and invested billions of dollars "rehabilitating" Hezbollah. [118]
Structurally, Hezbollah does not distinguish between its political/social activities within Lebanon and its military/ jihad activities against Israel. "Hezbollah has a single leadership," according to Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's second in command. "All political, social and jihad work is tied to the decisions of this leadership ... The same leadership that directs the parliamentary and government work also leads jihad actions in the struggle against Israel." [119]
In 2010, Iran's parliamentary speaker
Ali Larijani said, "Iran takes pride in Lebanon's Islamic resistance movement for its steadfast Islamic stance. Hezbollah nurtures the original ideas of Islamic Jihad." He also instead charged the West with having accused Iran with support of terrorism and said, "The real terrorists are those who provide the Zionist regime with military equipment to bomb the people." [120]
Funding
Main article: Funding of Hezbollah
See also: Operation Smokescreen
Money comes from Lebanese business groups, private persons, businessmen, the Lebanese diaspora involved in African diamond exploration, other Islamic groups and countries, and the taxes paid by the Shia Lebanese. [121] Hezbollah says that the main source of its income comes from its own investment portfolios and donations by Muslims, however, Western sources maintain that Hezbollah actually receives most of its financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid from Iran and
Syria .[69][82][122] Iran is said to have given $400 million between 1983 and 1989 through donation. The situation has been changed due to economic problems, but Iran still funds humanitarian actions carried on by Hezbollah. [121] According to reports released in February 2010, Hezbollah received $400 million from Iran.[123]
[124][125] The US estimates that Iran has been giving Hezbollah about US$60–100 million per year in financial assistance. [126] Other estimates are as high as $200 million annually. [citation needed ] In 2011 Iran earmarked $7 million to Hezbollah's activities in the region.[127] Hezbollah has relied also on funding from the
Shi'ite Lebanese Diaspora in West Africa, the United States and, most importantly, the Triple Frontier, or tri-border area, along the junction of
Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. [128] U.S. law enforcement officials have identified an illegal multimillion-dollar
cigarette-smuggling fund raising operation[129] and a drug smuggling operation. [130][131][132] However, Nasrallah has repeatedly denied any links between the South American drug trade and Hezbollah, calling such accusations "propaganda" and attempts "to damage the image of Hezbollah". [133][134]
Members of the Venezuelan government have been accused of providing financial aid to Hezbollah by the United States Department of the Treasury .[135] According to the testimony of a former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roger Noriega ,
Hugo Chávez 's government gave "indispensable support" to Iran and Hezbollah in the Western Hemisphere. [136] In an article by the conservative think tank the American Enterprise Institute, Noriega explained how two witnesses alleged that Ghazi Atef Nassereddine, a Venezuelan diplomat in Syria, was an operative of Hezbollah who used Venezuelan entities to launder money for Hezbollah with President Nicolas Maduro 's personal approval. [137]
Social services
Main article: Hezbollah social services
Hezbollah organizes an extensive social development program and runs hospitals, news services, educational facilities, and encouragement of
Nikah mut'ah . [123][138] One of its established institutions, Jihad Al Binna's Reconstruction Campaign, is responsible for numerous economic and infrastructure development projects in Lebanon. [139] Hezbollah has set up a Martyr's Institute (Al-Shahid Social Association), which guarantees to provide living and education expenses "for the families of fighters who die" in battle. [125] An IRIN news report of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted:
According to CNN, "Hezbollah did everything that a government should do, from collecting the garbage to running hospitals and repairing schools." [140] In July 2006, during the war with Israel, when there was no running water in Beirut , Hezbollah was arranging supplies around the city. Lebanese Shiites "see Hezbollah as a political movement and a social service provider as much as it is a militia." [140] Hezbollah also rewards its guerilla members who have been wounded in battle by taking them to Hezbollah-run amusement parks.[141]
Hezbollah is, therefore, deeply embedded in the Lebanese society . [29]
Political activities
Main article: Hezbollah political activities
Hezbollah-controlled areas in July 2006, most of Lebanon's majority Shi'a areas.
10 December 2006 anti-government rally in Beirut
Hezbollah along with Amal is one of two major political parties in Lebanon that represent Shiite Muslims .[142] Unlike Amal, whose support is predominantly in the south of the country, Hezbollah maintains broad-based support in all three areas of Lebanon with a majority Shia Muslim population: in the south, in Beirut and its surrounding area, and in the northern Beqaa valley and Hirmil region. [143] It holds 14 of the 128 seats in the Parliament of Lebanon and is a member of the Resistance and Development Bloc . According to Daniel L. Byman, it's "the most powerful single political movement in Lebanon." [144] Hezbollah, along with the Amal Movement, represents most of Lebanese Shi'a . However, unlike Amal, Hezbollah has not disarmed. Hezbollah participates in the Parliament of Lebanon.
Hezbollah has been one of the main parties of the March 8 Alliance since March 2005. Although Hezbollah had joined the new government in 2005, it remained staunchly opposed to the
March 14 Alliance .[145] On 1 December 2006, these groups began
a series of political protests and sit-ins in opposition to the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora . [45]
On 7 May 2008, Lebanon 's 17-month-long political crisis spiraled out of control. The fighting was sparked by a government move to shut down Hezbollah's telecommunication network and remove Beirut Airport's security chief over alleged ties to Hezbollah. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the government's decision to declare the group's military telecommunications network illegal was a "declaration of war" on the organization, and demanded that the government revoke it. [146] Hezbollah-led opposition fighters seized control of several West Beirut neighborhoods from Future Movement militiamen loyal to the backed government, in street battles that left 11 dead and 30 wounded. The opposition-seized areas were then handed over to the Lebanese Army .[46] The army also pledged to resolve the dispute and has reversed the decisions of the government by letting Hezbollah preserve its telecoms network and re-instating the airport's security chief. [147] At the end, rival Lebanese leaders reached consensus over Doha Agreement on 21 May 2008, to end the 18-month political feud that exploded into fighting and nearly drove the country to a new civil war. [148] On the basis of this agreement, Hezbollah and its opposition allies were effectively granted veto power in Lebanon's parliament. At the end of the conflicts, National unity government was formed by Fouad Siniora on 11 July 2008, with Hezbollah controlling one ministerial and eleven of thirty cabinet places. [23]
Hezbollah currently[when? ] sits in the opposition March 8 alliance. However, they withdrew from the government citing inability to discuss issues over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon .
Media operations
Hezbollah operates a satellite television station, Al-Manar TV ("the Lighthouse"), and a radio station, al-Nour ("the Light"). [149] Al-Manar broadcasts from Beirut , Lebanon. [149] Hezbollah launched the station in 1991[150] with the help of Iranian funds. [151] Al-Manar, the self-proclaimed "Station of the Resistance," ( qanat al-muqawama ) is a key player in what Hezbollah calls its "psychological warfare against the
Zionist enemy"[151][152] and an integral part of Hezbollah's plan to spread its message to the entire Arab world. [151] In addition, Hezbollah has a weekly publication, Al Ahd, which was established in 1984. [153] It is the only media outlet which is openly affiliated with the organization. [153]
Hezbollah's television station Al-Manar airs programming designed to inspire suicide attacks in Gaza , the
West Bank , and Iraq .[69][150][154] Al-Manar's transmission in France is prohibited due to its promotion of
Holocaust denial, a criminal offense in France. [155] The United States lists Al-Manar television network as a terrorist organization.[156] Al-Manar was designated as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity," and banned by the United States in December 2004. [157] It has also been banned by France, Spain and Germany. [158][159]
Materials aimed at instilling principles of nationalism and Islam in children are an aspect of Hezbollah's media operations. [160] The Hezbollah Central Internet Bureau released a video game in 2003 entitled Special Force and a sequel in 2007 in which players are rewarded with points and weapons for killing Israelis. [161] In 2012, Al-Manar aired a television special praising an 8-year-old boy who raised money for Hezbollah and said: "When I grow up, I will be a communist resistance warrior with Hezbollah, fighting the United States and Israel, I will tear them to pieces and drive them out of Lebanon, the Golan and Palestine, which I love very dearly." [162]
Secret services
Hezbollah's secret services have been described as "one of the best in the world", and have even infiltrated the Israeli army . Hezbollah's secret services collaborate with the
Lebanese intelligence agencies. [121]
In the summer of 1982, Hezbollah's Special Security Apparatus was created by Hussein al-Khalil, now a "top political adviser to Nasrallah"; [163] while Hezbollah's counterintelligence was initially managed by Iran's Quds Force , [164]
:238 the organization continued to grow during the 1990s. By 2008, scholar Carl Anthony Wege writes, "Hizballah had obtained complete dominance over Lebanon's official state counterintelligence apparatus, which now constituted a Hizballah asset for counterintelligence purposes." [165] :775 This close connection with Lebanese intelligence helped bolster Hezbollah's financial counterintelligence unit. [165] :772, 775
According to Ahmad Hamzeh, Hezbollah's counterintelligence service is divided into Amn al-Muddad, responsible for "external" or "encounter" security; and Amn al-Hizb , which protects the organization's integrity and its leaders. According to Wege, Amn al-Muddad "may have received specialized intelligence training in Iran and possibly North Korea". [165]
:773–774 The organization also includes a military security component, as well as an External Security Organization (al-Amn al-Khariji or Unit 910) that operates covertly outside Lebanon. [164] :238
Successful Hezbollah counterintelligence operations include thwarting the CIA 's attempted kidnapping of foreign operations chief Hassan Ezzeddine in 1994; the 1997 manipulation of a double agent that led to the Ansariya Ambush ; and the 2000 kidnapping of alleged Mossad agent Elhanan Tannenbaum. [165] :773 Hezbollah also collaborated with the Lebanese government in 2006 to detect Adeeb al-Alam, a former colonel, as an Israeli spy. [165] :774 Also, the organization recruited IDF Lieutenant Colonel Omar al-Heib, who was convicted in 2006 of conducting surveillance for Hezbollah. [165] :776 In 2009, Hezbollah apprehended Marwan Faqih, a garage owner who installed tracking devices in Hezbollah-owned vehicles. [165] :774
Hezbollah's counterintelligence apparatus also uses electronic surveillance and intercept technologies. By 2011, Hezbollah counterintelligence began to use software to analyze cellphone data and detect espionage; suspicious callers were then subjected to conventional surveillance. In the mid-1990s, Hezbollah was able to "download unencrypted video feeds from Israeli drones," [165] :777 and Israeli SIGINT efforts intensified after the 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon. With possible help from Iran and the Russian FSB , Hezbollah augmented its electronic counterintelligence capabilities, and succeeded by 2008 in detecting Israeli bugs near Mount Sannine and in the organization's fiber optic network. [165] :774, 777–778
Armed strength
Main article: Hezbollah armed strength
Hezbollah does not reveal its armed strength. Mustafa Alani, security director at the Dubai-based Gulf Research Centre, estimated that Hezbollah's armed wing comprises 1,000 full-time Hezbollah members, along with a further 6,000–10,000 volunteers. [166] According to the Iranian Fars News Agency , Hezbollah has up to 65,000 fighters. [167] It is often described as more militarily powerful than the Lebanese Army. [168][169][170] Israeli commander Gui Zur called Hezbollah "by far the greatest guerrilla group in the world".[171]
According to Israeli Minister Naftali Bennett , Hezbollah has around 130,000 rockets and missiles in place targeting Israel. [172] Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot acknowledged that Hezbollah possesses "tens of thousands" of long- and short-range rockets, drones, advanced computer encryption capabilities, as well as advanced defense capabilities like the
SA-6 anti-aircraft missile system. [173]
Hezbollah possesses the
Katyusha-122 rocket, which has a range of 29 km (18 mi) and carries a 15-kg (33-lb) warhead. Hezbollah also possesses about 100 long-range missiles. They include the Iranian-made Fajr-3 and Fajr-5 , the latter with a range of 75 km (47 mi), enabling it to strike the Israeli port of Haifa , and the Zelzal-1 , with an estimated 150 km (93 mi) range, which can reach Tel Aviv . Fajr-3 missiles have a range of 40 km (25 mi) and a 45-kg (99-lb) warhead, and Fajr-5 missiles, which extend to 72 km (45 mi), also hold 45-kg (99-lb) warheads. [166] It was reported that Hezbollah is in possession of Scud missiles that were provided to them by Syria. [174] Syria denied the reports. [175] According to various reports, Hezbollah is armed with anti-tank guided missiles , namely, the Russian-made AT-3 Sagger, AT-4 Spigot , AT-5 Spandrel , AT-13 Saxhorn-2 'Metis-M' ,
АТ-14 Spriggan 'Kornet' ; Iranian -made Ra'ad (version of AT-3 Sagger), Towsan (version of AT-5 Spandrel ),
Toophan (version of BGM-71 TOW); and European-made MILAN missiles. These weapons have been used against IDF soldiers, causing many of the deaths during the 2006 Lebanon War .[176] A small number of Saeghe-2s (Iranian-made version of
M47 Dragon ) were also used in the war. [177]
For air defense, Hezbollah has anti-aircraft weapons that include the
ZU-23 artillery and the man-portable, shoulder-fired SA-7 and SA-18
surface-to-air missile (SAM).[178] One of the most effective weapons deployed by Hezbollah has been the
C-802 anti-ship missile .[179]
In April 2010, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates claimed that the Hezbollah has far more missiles and rockets than the majority of countries, and said that Syria and Iran are providing weapons to the organization. Israel also claims that Syria is providing the organization with these weapons. Syria has denied supplying these weapons and views these claims as an Israeli excuse for an attack. [citation needed ] Leaked cables from American diplomats suggest that the United States has been trying unsuccessfully to prevent Syria from "supplying arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon", and that Hezbollah has "amassed a huge stockpile (of arms) since its 2006 war with Israel"; the arms were described as "increasingly sophisticated." [180] Gates added that Hezbollah is possibly armed with chemical or
biological weapons , as well as 65-mile (105 km) anti-ship missiles that could threaten U.S. ships. [181]
As of 2017, the Israeli government believe Hezbollah had an arsenal of nearly 150,000 rockets stationed on its border with Lebanon. [182] Some of these missiles are said to be capable of penetrating cities as far away as Eilat. [183] The IDF has accused Hezbollah of storing these rockets beneath hospitals, schools, and civilian homes. [183] Hezbollah has also used drones against Israel, by penetrating air defense systems, in a report verified by Nasrallah, who added, "This is only part of our capabilities". [184][185]
Israeli military officials and analysts have also drawn attention to the experience and weaponry the group would have gained from the involvement of thousands of its fighters in the Syrian Civil War. "This kind of experience cannot be bought," said Gabi Siboni, director of the military and strategic affairs program at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University. "It is an additional factor that we will have to deal with. There is no replacement for experience, and it is not to be scoffed at." [186]
Military activities
Main article: Hezbollah military activities
Hezbollah has a military branch known as the Jihad Council, [24] one component of which is Al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya ("The Islamic Resistance"), and is the possible sponsor of a number of lesser-known militant groups, some of which may be little more than fronts for Hezbollah itself, including the Organization of the Oppressed, the Revolutionary Justice Organization, the Organization of Right Against Wrong, and Followers of the Prophet Muhammad. [82]
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 called for the disarmament of militia [187] with the
Taif agreement at the end of the
Lebanese civil war . Hezbollah denounced, and protested against, the resolution. [188] The 2006 military conflict with Israel has increased the controversy. Failure to disarm remains a violation of the resolution and agreement as well as subsequent
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 .[189] Since then both Israel and Hezbollah have asserted that the organization has gained in military strength. [33] A Lebanese public opinion poll taken in August 2006 shows that most of the Shia did not believe that Hezbollah should disarm after the 2006 Lebanon war , while the majority of Sunni , Druze and
Christians believed that they should. [190] The Lebanese cabinet, under president Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora , guidelines state that Hezbollah enjoys the right to "liberate occupied lands." [191] In 2009, a Hezbollah commander (speaking on condition of anonymity) said, "[W]e have far more rockets and missiles [now] than we did in 2006." [192]
Lebanese Resistance Brigades
Main article: Lebanese Resistance Brigades
The Lebanese Resistance Brigades (Arabic : ﺳﺮﺍﻳﺎ ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺎﻭﻣﺔ ﺍﻟﻠﺒﻨﺎﻧﻴﺔ Saraya al-Moukawama al-Lubnaniyya ), also known as the Lebanese Brigades to Resist the Israeli Occupation , were formed by Hezbollah in 1997 as a multifaith (Christian, Druze, Sunni and Shia) volunteer force to combat the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon. With the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, the organization was disbanded. [194]
In 2009, the Resistance Brigades were reactivated, mainly comprising Sunni supporters from the southern city of
Sidon . Its strength was reduced in late 2013 from 500 to 200–250 due to residents complaints about some fighters of the group exacerbating tensions with the local community. [195]
Alleged suicide and terror attacks
A smoke cloud rises from the bombed American barracks at Beirut International Airport, where over 200 U.S. marines were killed
Between 1982 and 1986, there were 36 suicide attacks in Lebanon directed against American, French and Israeli forces by 41 individuals, killing 659. [65] Hezbollah denies involvement in some of these attacks, though it has been accused of being involved or linked to some or all of these attacks: [196][197]
The 1982–1983 Tyre headquarters bombings
The April 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing (by the Islamic Jihad Organization ), [