What is Hezbollah? In the context of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, a look at the militant organization backed by Iran

What is Hezbollah? In the context of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, a look at the militant organization backed by Iran
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The Hezbollah militant organization looms in Lebanon, just across Israel’s northern border, as the Israeli military gets ready for what appears to be an impending ground assault on the Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah launched guided rockets and artillery into Israel hours after Hamas‘ heinous and brutal attack on October 7; this was responded with a torrent of artillery fire from Israel. The tit-for-tat battle has persisted ever since.

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A Hezbollah target in southern Lebanon was bombed early on Saturday, according to the Israel Defense Forces, in retaliation for the “infiltration of unidentified aerial objects into Israel.”

It happened after Naim Qassem, the deputy leader of Hezbollah, stated on Friday that the organization was closely monitoring events involving Hamas and Israel.

“We as Hezbollah contribute to the confrontation, and we will contribute to it within our vision and our plan,” he stated. “We closely monitor the enemy’s movements, and we are fully prepared. We will take whatever action is necessary when the moment is right.

An Iran-related Shia resistance movement

Hezbollah, frequently written Hizballah or Hezbullah, is a Shia political party and militant group that was founded in the early 1980s when Lebanon was being torn apart by a civil conflict. Its meaning is “Party of God.”

The organization was founded with Iranian assistance and its goal was to drive Israeli forces out of Lebanon while opposing Western meddling in the region.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the group describes itself as a Shia resistance movement in Lebanon that supports the nation’s right to self-determination and pledges its allegiance to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Before becoming the current head of Hezbollah in 1982, Hassan Nasrallah was a part of the Amal Movement, a Shia militia that was one of many factions seeking for control during the Lebanese civil war.

He became the group’s secretary-general in 1992 after Israel killed the group’s co-founder and former leader, Abbas Al-Musawi, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. He was closely associated with the Iranian leadership.

The United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries have designated the organization as a terror organization as a result of its terrorist behavior and assistance from Tehran.

However, Hezbollah also has representatives in the Lebanese parliament and offers a wide range of social services there.

The Hezbollah-led coalition gained 61 seats in the 128-member assembly, a loss of 10 members since the last election was conducted four years ago, suggesting that its support may be eroding.

Relationship with Israel is tense

The Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel were at conflict just south of Lebanon’s border throughout the period of time that Lebanon was enmeshed in its own sectarian civil war, which lasted from 1975 until 1990.

According to “Hezbollah: A Short History” by Augustus Norton, Israel invaded south Lebanon in June 1982 in search of PLO fighters who had established a foothold there a decade earlier.

As it struggled to drive Israel out of the country until it finally withdrew its forces in May 2000, Hezbollah gained notoriety.

Conflict erupted once more on July 12, 2006, as Hezbollah members stormed into Israel and ambushed a squad of troops, killing three of them and taking two more captive. Tensions had been building for the previous six years.

Prior to enforcing a naval and air blockade, Israel replied with artillery and airstrikes. Israeli forces also started an invasion on the ground. The conflict, which officially concluded after 34 days, is estimated to have claimed the lives of over 1,000 individuals, the majority of whom were civilians.

Since then, there has been intermittent cross-border firing between the sides, which has resulted in low-level warfare. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Hezbollah pledged to destroy Israel in its 2009 manifesto.

Comrades in arms

Hamas was once a division of the Muslim Brotherhood and was established in 1987, five years after Hezbollah, during a protest against Israel’s occupation of Gaza.

Hezbollah declared its solidarity with Hamas last week in response to Hamas’ multifaceted foray into Israel, which resulted in hundreds of deaths, and Hamas officials view the Lebanese group as an ally. Both have Iran’s support.

Hezbollah issued a statement on Monday claiming responsibility for missiles fired from Lebanon toward Israel and stating that it supported “the victorious Palestinian resistance & the struggling and patient Palestinian people.”

However, other than these infrequent attacks, it has up to this point displayed moderation, in line with the unofficial ground rules that have guided the cross-border combat for nearly two decades.

A stomach for the battle?

Political mismanagement and the surge of migrants are two factors contributing to the terrible economic crisis that Lebanon is currently experiencing.

In recent years, hyperinflation has made it practically impossible for regular individuals to afford the exorbitant cost of living; according to the European Commission, 80% of Lebanese people live in poverty.

Hezbollah was chastised by a number of Lebanese leaders for even considering starting another fight with Israel.

In a statement on Wednesday, Sami Gemayel, a politician with the Christian-aligned Kataeb Party, claimed that Hezbollah was “forcibly linking the Lebanese people to the conflict.”

The message was translated by Lebanese official media to say, “We are not ready to witness Lebanon be dragged into this war.”

The Middle East Institute’s Firas Maksad, a Lebanese politics specialist based in Washington, told NBC News earlier this week that the Lebanese population “does not have an appetite for war.”

Hezbollah would make considerable effort to justify and explain why they are involved in this war because there will be great hostility among even the Shia population and its support base, he predicted.

A bigger war?

John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, stated during a briefing on Wednesday that the United States was “clearly concerned” about the rockets being fired from Lebanon.

In essence, he added, “We’re sending a loud and clear message: The United States is prepared to take action should any actor opposed to Israel consider trying to escalate or widen this war.”

The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is among the American naval assets now stationed in the eastern Mediterranean, which Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Thursday as a “warning” to other parties that might try to join the conflict.

No one, whether a state player or a nonstate actor, should try to capitalize on this opportunity, according to President Biden, Blinken.

Hezbollah, which may even outpace Hamas in strength, would bring to bear vast supplies of cutting-edge weapons, advanced training, and well-organized ranks of experienced troops who have been “bloodied” by fighting Sunni Islamist militants in Syria for more than a decade.

However, it is still unclear whether Hezbollah will step up its activities or if Iran will incite the group to go to war.

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