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ՎիզուալԵլատեքստ
Տող 33.
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.<ref>see also {{cite web|url=http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/01-2224.pdf|title=Anne Dammarell et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran|date=September 2003|publisher=The United States District Court for the District of Columbia|location=District of Columbia, U.S.|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051231142249/http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/01-2224.pdf|archivedate=31 December 2005|accessdate=21 September 2006|author=Bates, John D. (Presiding)}}</ref> The US,<ref name="USDbackground2801" /> Israel<ref name="mfaGOV960411" /> and Canada<ref>{{cite journal|date=12 February 2003|title=SOR/2003-53: Criminal Code; Regulations Amending the Regulations Establishing a List of Entities|url=http://www.gazette.gc.ca/archives/p2/2003/2003-02-13-x/pdf/g2-137x1.pdf|journal=Canada Gazette Part II|volume=137|issue=1 extra|page=1|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118214555/http://www.gazette.gc.ca/archives/p2/2003/2003-02-13-x/pdf/g2-137x1.pdf|archivedate=18 January 2012}}</ref> consider the names "Islamic Jihad Organization", "Organization of the Oppressed on Earth" and the "Revolutionary Justice Organization" to be synonymous with Hezbollah.
 
== Ideology ==
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.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Mediterranean Politics |volume=3 |issue=1 |date=Summer 1998 |pages=103–134 |title=The strategy and tactics of Hizballah's current Lebanonization process|doi=10.1080/13629399808414643 |last1=Ranstorp |first1=Magnus }}</ref>
{{Main|Ideology of Hezbollah}}
The ideology of Hezbollah has been summarized as [[Shi'i]] [[Political radicalism|radicalism]];<ref>Barak, Oren. "Hizballah." ''The Continuum Political Encyclopedia of the Middle East''. Ed. [[Avraham Sela]]. New York: Continuum, 2002. p. 350.</ref><ref>Rosenthal, Donna. ''The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land''. New York: Free Press, 2003. p. 15.</ref><ref>Collier, Robert. [http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Everyone-casting-suspicious-eye-on-Iraq-s-2524752.php "Everyone casting suspicious eye on Iraq's Hezbollah."] ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]''. 29 December 2003. 14 March 2008.</ref> Hezbollah follows the Islamic [[Shi'a]] theology developed by Iranian leader [[Ayatollah]] [[Ruhollah Khomeini]].<ref name=autogenerated1>Adam Shatz, New York Review of Books, 29 April 2004 [http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17060 In Search of Hezbollah] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822195222/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17060 |date=22 August 2006 }}. Retrieved 15 August 2006.</ref> Hezbollah was largely formed with the aid of the Ayatollah Khomeini's followers in the early 1980s in order to spread [[Islamic revolution]]<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/12/AR2006071201557.html|first=Robin|last=Wright|work=Washington Post|title=Options for U.S. Limited As Mideast Crises Spread|date=13 July 2006|page=A19}}</ref> and follows a distinct version of Islamic [[Shi'a]] ideology ([[Hokumat-e Islami : Velayat-e faqih (book by Khomeini)|''Valiyat al-faqih'']] or Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists) developed by [[Ayatollah]] [[Ruhollah Khomeini]], leader of the "Islamic Revolution" in [[Iran]].<ref name="HG20Ak02" /><ref name="mfaGOV960411">{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1996/4/HIZBULLAH+-+11-Apr-96.htm|author=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs|title=Hizbullah|date=11 April 1996|accessdate=17 August 2006}}</ref> 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.<ref name="bbc-hi-me"/>
 
=== 1985 manifesto ===
On 16 February 1985, Sheik Ibrahim al-Amin issued Hezbollah's manifesto. The ideology presented in it was described as radical.{{By whom|date=January 2020}} Its first objective was to [[Anti-imperialism|fight against]] what Hezbollah described as [[American imperialism|American]] and [[Israeli occupation of the West Bank|Israeli imperialism]], including the [[Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon]] and other territories. The second objective was to gather all Muslims into an "[[ummah]]", under which Lebanon would further the aims of the [[1979 Revolution]] of Iran. It also declared it would protect all Lebanese communities, excluding those that collaborated with Israel, and support all national movements—both Muslim and non-Muslim—throughout the world.{{which|date=January 2020|reason=Which kinds of national movements?}} The ideology has since evolved, and today Hezbollah is a left-wing political entity focused on social injustice.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Engeland|first1=Dr Anisseh Van|last2=Rudolph|first2=Ms Rachael M|title=From Terrorism to Politics|date=2013|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-4094-9870-4|page=36}}</ref>{{doubtful|date=May 2019}}
 
Translated excerpts from Hezbollah's original 1985 manifesto read:
 
{{quote|We are the sons of the umma (Muslim community)&nbsp;...
 
...&nbsp;We are an ummah linked to the Muslims of the whole world by the solid doctrinal and religious connection of Islam, whose message God wanted to be fulfilled by the Seal of the [[Prophets of Islam|Prophets]], i.e., Prophet [[Muhammad]].&nbsp;... As for our culture, it is based on the Holy [[Quran]], the [[Sunnah|Sunna]] and the legal rulings of the [[faqih]] who is our source of imitation&nbsp;...<ref name="The Hizballah Program" />}}
 
=== Attitudes, statements, and actions concerning Israel and Zionism ===
{{See also|Hezbollah foreign relations}}
From the inception of Hezbollah to the present,<ref name="The Hizballah Program" /><ref name="UN document">United Nations Document A/54/723 S/2000/55, citing Al Hayyat, 30 October 1999{{cite web|url=http://domino.un.org/unispal.NSF/fd807e46661e3689852570d00069e918/50862df07adbd884852569ad0054a527!OpenDocument |title=Letter dated January 25, 2000 from the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General |accessdate=17 August 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310192305/http://domino.un.org/unispal.NSF/fd807e46661e3689852570d00069e918/50862df07adbd884852569ad0054a527%21OpenDocument |archivedate=10 March 2007 }} . Retrieved 17 August 2006.</ref> 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".<ref name="The Hizballah Program" /> 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.<ref>"The Shifts in Hizbullah's Ideology: Religious Ideology, Political Ideology, and Political Program"By Joseph Elie Alagha, Published by Amsterdam University Press, 2006,{{ISBN|90-5356-910-3}}, {{ISBN|978-90-5356-910-8}},380.</ref>
 
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.<ref>Joshua Mitnick. [http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0822/p10s01-wome.html Behind the dispute over Shebaa Farms], ''[[Christian Science Monitor]]'', 22 August 2006.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,,1771766,00.html|title=Flashpoint farmland|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=10 May 2006|accessdate=8 September 2013|location=London|first=Brian|last=Whitaker}}</ref><ref>"Central to this issue is Hizballah's claim, which was also espoused by Lebanon's former pro-Syrian government, that the disputed Shebaa Farms are Lebanese rather than Syrian territories and are occupied by Israel. Therefore, Hizballah maintains that it is a legitimate resistance movement fighting for the liberation of Lebanese territory. Under this pretext, Hizballah, supported by some Lebanese parties, could argue that it is not a militia and thus it is outside the jurisdiction of Resolution 1559." Robert Rabil. [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2395 Reinforcing Lebanon's Sovereignty], [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]], 8 November 2005.</ref> 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.<ref name="SC/6878">{{cite web|date=18 June 2000 |publisher=United Nations Security Council |title=Security council endorses secretary-general's conclusion on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as of 16&nbsp;June |url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2000/20000618.sc6878.doc.html |accessdate=29 September 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5281178.stm|title=Israeli views on Shebaa Farms harden|date=25 August 2006|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> Finally, Hezbollah consider Israel to be an illegitimate state. For these reasons, they justify their actions as acts of defensive jihad.<ref name="Thisreen1999-1">Thisreen (Syrian newspaper) 21 June 1999, reprinted by MEMRI [http://memri.org/bin/opener.cgi?Page=archives&ID=SP3699 Secretary General of Hizbullah Discusses the New Israeli Government and Hizbullah's Struggle Against Israel]{{unreliable source?|date=November 2012}} {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080930150748/http://memri.org/bin/opener.cgi?Page=archives&ID=SP3699 |date=30 September 2008 }}. Retrieved 30 July 2006.</ref>
 
{{Quote box|align=right|width=33.3%|If they go from Shebaa, we won't stop fighting them.&nbsp;... Our goal is to liberate the 1948 borders of Palestine,&nbsp;... The Jews who survive this war of liberation can go back to Germany or wherever they came from. However, that the Jews who lived in Palestine before 1948 will be 'allowed to live as a minority and they will be cared for by the Muslim majority.'|-- Hezbollah's spokesperson Hassan Ezzedin, about an Israeli withdrawal from Shebaa Farms<ref name="In the Party of God" />}}
 
=== Attitudes and actions concerning Jews and Judaism ===
{{Main|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.<ref name=Gleis>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vYBtwkj78BUC&pg=PT63|title=Hezbollah and Hamas: A Comparative Study|author1=Joshua L. Gleis |author2=Benedetta Berti |year=2012|quote=<blockquote>Hezbollah is more than just anti-Zionist; it also exhibits a rabid streak of anti-Semitism, replete with Nazi-like salutes and goose-step marches. In addition, like most other Islamist extremist and terrorist organizations, Hezbollah engages in pure Holocaust denial. … Hezbollah's anti-Semitism, however, pervades the organization much more extensively than just Holocaust denial and conspiracy theories. Despite the rare occasions where Hezbollah officials have stated they are anti-Zionist and not anti-Semitic, these words do not hold up upon closer examination. … Notably, during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Islamist group apologized only for killing Israeli Arabs, who are not Jewish.</blockquote>|isbn=9781421406718}}</ref> 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.<ref name=Gleis />
 
Various antisemitic statements have been attributed to Hezbollah officials.<ref>[http://www.economist.com/node/7796790 "Lebanon and Israel: Nasrallah wins the war."] ''The Economist''. 17 August 2006. 18 November 2011.</ref> [[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".<ref name="Saad-Ghorayeb">[[Amal Saad-Ghorayeb|Saad-Ghorayeb, Amal]]. ''Hizbu'llah: Politics and Religion''. London: Pluto Press, 2002. pp. 168–86.</ref> [[Robert S. Wistrich]], a historian specializing in the study of anti-Semitism, described Hezbollah's ideology concerning Jews:
 
<blockquote>The anti-Semitism of Hezbollah leaders and spokesmen combines the image of seemingly invincible Jewish power&nbsp;... and cunning with the contempt normally reserved for weak and cowardly enemies. Like the [[Hamas]] propaganda for holy war, that of Hezbollah has relied on the endless vilification of Jews as 'enemies of mankind,' 'conspiratorial, obstinate, and conceited' adversaries full of 'satanic plans' to enslave the Arabs. It fuses traditional Islamic anti-Judaism with Western conspiracy myths, Third Worldist anti-Zionism, and Iranian Shiite contempt for Jews as 'ritually impure' and corrupt infidels. [[Sheikh Fadlallah]] typically insists&nbsp;... that Jews wish to undermine or obliterate Islam and Arab cultural identity in order to advance their economic and political domination.<ref>[[Robert S. Wistrich|Wistrich, Robert S.]] ''A Lethal Obsession: Anti-Semitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad''. New York: Random House, 2010. pp. 766–767.</ref></blockquote>
 
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.<ref name="Block">Block, Melissa. [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5658944 "'New Yorker' Writer Warns of Hezbollah's Radicalism."] [[National Public Radio]]. 16 August 2006. 16 February 2008.</ref><ref>Sciolino, Elaine. [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/12/international/europe/12france.html "French Court Delays Decision on Hezbollah-Run TV Channel."] ''[[The New York Times]]'' 12 December 2004. 14 February 2008.</ref><ref>Carvajal, Doreen. [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/14/international/europe/14france.html "French Court Orders a Ban on hezbollah-Run TV Channel."] ''[[The New York Times]]''. 14 December 2004. 14 February 2008.</ref> Al-Manar was criticized in the West for airing "anti-Semitic propaganda" in the form of a television drama depicting a [[Jewish world domination|Jewish world domination conspiracy theory]].<ref>Sciolino, Elaine. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E7DE1031F93AA35751C1A9629C8B63 " A New French Headache: When Is Hate on TV Illegal?"] ''[[The New York Times]]''. 9 December 2004. 16 February 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.adl.org/special_reports/protocols/protocols_recycled.asp "Anti-Semitic Series Airs on Arab Television."] [[Anti-Defamation League|ADL]]. 9 January 2004. 16 February 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=4442915&ct=5851751 "Urge President Chirac to Block Hezbollah's Antisemitic and Hate TV from broadcasting into France"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502035120/http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=4442915&ct=5851751 |date=2 May 2013 }}. [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]]. 21 May 2008.</ref> The group has been accused by American analysts of engaging in [[Holocaust denial]].<ref>[http://www.forward.com/articles/118631/ "Hezbollah Pressures School Into Dropping 'Anne Frank.'"] ''The Jewish Daily Forward''. 9 November 2009.</ref><ref>Satloff, Roger. [http://washingtoninstitute.org/templateC06.php?CID=987 "The Holocaust's Arab Heroes."] The [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]]. 8 October 2006. 14 January 2009.</ref><ref>Stalinsky, Steven. [http://www.nysun.com/foreign/hezbollahs-nazi-tactics/36717/ "Hezbollah's Nazi Tactics."] ''[[The New York Sun]]''. 26 July 2006. 14 January 2009.</ref> In addition, during its 2006 war, it apologized only for killing Israel's Arabs (i.e., non-Jews).<ref name=Gleis />
 
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.<ref>[http://jta.org/news/article/2009/11/09/1009038/hezbollah-heavies-school-into-pulling-anne-frank "Hezbollah presses school into pulling Anne Frank"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091112154443/http://jta.org/news/article/2009/11/09/1009038/hezbollah-heavies-school-into-pulling-anne-frank |date=12 November 2009 }}. [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]. 9 November 2009</ref> 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?"<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3801302,00.html "Anne Frank diary offends Lebanon's Hezbollah."] ''Ynetnews''. 6 November 2009. 1 February 2015.</ref>
 
== Organization ==
[[File:HezbollahOrgChart.svg|thumb|Organizational chart of Hezbollah, by Ahmad Nizar Hamzeh]]
[[File:Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah 06.jpg|thumb|Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, the third and current Secretary General of Hezbollah]]
 
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,"<ref>''al-Nahar al-Arabi walduwali'', 10–16 June 1985; and ''La Revue du Liban'', 27 July – 3 August 1985. quoted in Ranstorp, ''Hizb'allah in Lebanon,'' (1997), p.41</ref> and that the movement does not have "a clearly defined organizational structure."<ref>Ranstorp, ''Hizb'allah in Lebanon,'' (1997), p. 64</ref> 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]&nbsp;... all authority and powers" in its religious leaders, whose decisions then "flow from the [[Ulema|ulama]] down the entire community."
 
<blockquote>The supreme decision-making bodies of the Hezbollah were divided between the Majlis al-Shura (Consultative Assembly) which was headed by 12 senior clerical members with responsibility for tactical decisions and supervision of overall Hizballah activity throughout Lebanon, and the Majlis al-Shura al-Karar (the Deciding Assembly), headed by Sheikh Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah and composed of eleven other clerics with responsibility for all strategic matters. Within the Majlis al-Shura, there existed seven specialized committees dealing with ideological, financial, military and political, judicial, informational and social affairs. In turn, the Majlis al-Shura and these seven committees were replicated in each of Hizballah's three main operational areas (the [[Beqaa Governorate|Beqaa]], [[Beirut]], and the South).<ref name="Ranstorp-p45">Ranstorp, ''Hizb'allah in Lebanon,'' (1997), p. 45</ref></blockquote>
 
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."<ref name="Ranstorp-p45" /> 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.<ref name="Ranstorp-p45" /> Since the [[Second Lebanon War]], however, [[Iran]] has restructured Hezbollah to limit the power of [[Hassan Nasrallah]], and invested billions of dollars "rehabilitating" Hezbollah.<ref>Nahmias, Roee. [https://archive.today/20130218013917/http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3278280,00.html "Syria, Iran determined to protect Hizbullah."] ''[[Ynetnews]]''. 19 July 2006. 31 July 2010.</ref>
 
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&nbsp;... The same leadership that directs the parliamentary and government work also leads jihad actions in the struggle against Israel."<ref>Daragahi, Borzou. [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-lebanon-hezbollah13-2009apr13,0,5664917.story "Lebanon's Hezbollah savors increasing legitimacy."] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. 13 April 2009. 17 April 2009.</ref>
 
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."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.siasat.com/english/news/larijani-iran-proud-backing-hezbollah |title=Larijani: Iran proud of backing Hezbollah |publisher=Siasat |date=30 July 2010 |accessdate=21 May 2011}}</ref>
 
=== Funding ===
{{Main|Funding of Hezbollah}}
Funding of Hezbollah 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.<ref name=Engeland33>{{cite book|last1=Engeland|first1=Dr Anisseh Van|last2=Rudolph|first2=Ms Rachael M|title=From Terrorism to Politics|date=2013|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-4094-9870-4|pages=33–34}}</ref> Hezbollah says that the main source of its income comes from its own investment portfolios and donations by Muslims.
 
Western sources maintain that Hezbollah actually receives most of its financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid from [[Iran]] and [[Syria]].<ref name="In the Party of God">{{cite news |url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2002/10/14/021014fa_fact4?currentPage=4 |title=In the Party of God: Are terrorists in Lebanon preparing for a larger war? by Jeffrey Goldberg |work=The New Yorker |date=14 October 2002 |accessdate=3 March 2007}}</ref><ref name="USDbackground2801" /><ref>Levitt, Matthew. [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/hezbollah-finances-funding-the-party-of-god "Hezbollah Finances – Funding the Party of God."] The Washington Institute. February 2005. 1 February 2015.</ref> Iran is said to have given $400 million between 1983 and 1989 through donation. Due to economic problems, Iran temporarily limited funds to humanitarian actions carried on by Hezbollah.<ref name=Engeland33 /> According to reports released in February 2010, Hezbollah received $400&nbsp;million from Iran.<ref name="irinnews52494">{{cite web|url=http://www.irinnews.org/Report/26242/LEBANON-The-many-hands-and-faces-of-Hezbollah|title=LEBANON: The many hands and faces of Hezbollah|author=UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|date=29 March 2006|accessdate=17 August 2006}}</ref><ref name="Haaretz 746631">{{cite web|last2=Stern |first2=Yoav |last1=Harel |first1=Amos |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=746631 |title=Iranian official admits Tehran supplied missiles to Hezbollah |work=Haaretz |location=Israel |date=4 August 2006 |accessdate=21 May 2011}}</ref><ref name="WPBestGuerrilla" /> In 2011 Iran earmarked $7 million to Hezbollah's activities in Latin American.<ref name="nyd">{{cite web|url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-12-22/news/30548795_1_iranian-revolutionary-guards-mexican-drug-nuclear-weapons-activities |title=Iran in our own backyard |work=Daily News |accessdate=4 February 2015 |author=Soibel, Leah |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108083630/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-12-22/news/30548795_1_iranian-revolutionary-guards-mexican-drug-nuclear-weapons-activities |archivedate=8 January 2012 }}</ref>
Hezbollah has relied also on funding from the [[Shi'a Islam in Lebanon|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.<ref>Labaki, Boutros. [https://www.un.org/esa/population/meetings/EGM_Ittmig_Arab/Paper13_Labaki.pdf "The Role of Transnational Communmities in Fostering Development in Countries of Origin."] United Nations. 12 May 2006: 15–16. 31 July 2010.</ref> U.S. law enforcement officials have identified an illegal multimillion-dollar [[Operation Smokescreen|cigarette-smuggling fund raising operation]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23384-2004Jun7.html|title=Cigarette Smuggling Linked to Terrorism|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=8 June 2004}}</ref> and a [[drug smuggling]] operation.<ref>{{cite book|title=Hamas|first=Matthew|last=Levitt|publisher=[[Yale University]] Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-300-12258-9|url=https://archive.org/details/hamaspoliticscha00levi|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/hamaspoliticscha00levi/page/70 70]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Terrorism Financing and State Responses|first=Jeanne|last=Giraldo|publisher=[[Stanford University]] Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-8047-5565-8|url=https://archive.org/details/terrorismfinanci00haro}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=US Treasury takes action against Hezbollah funders|url=http://www.jpost.com/International/US-Treasury-takes-new-action-against-Hezbollah-funders-310871|work=[[Jerusalem Post]]|date=24 April 2013}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2008/10/20081025165944942904.html|title=Nasrallah decries 'propaganda'|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=25 October 2008 |accessdate=29 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/12/22/184043.html|title=Hezbollah denies drugs and money laundering claims|agency=Agence France Presse|date=22 December 2011|accessdate=29 September 2013}}</ref>
 
As of 2018, Iranian monetary support for Hezbollah is estimated at $700 million per annum according to US estimates.<ref>[https://www.thenational.ae/world/the-americas/iran-pays-hezbollah-700-million-a-year-us-official-says-1.737347 Iran pays Hezbollah $700 million a year, US official says], The National, 5 June 2018</ref><ref>[https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5515902,00.html Hezbollah paying the price of Iranian obstinance], YNET, 27 May 2019</ref>
 
The United States has accused members of the [[Venezuelan government]] of providing financial aid to Hezbollah.<ref>{{cite web|title=Treasury Targets Hizballah in Venezuela |url=http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/pages/hp1036.aspx|work=Press Release|publisher=United States Department of Treasury|accessdate=5 March 2014}}</ref>
 
== Social services ==
{{Main|Hezbollah social services}}
Hezbollah organizes and maintains an extensive social development program and runs hospitals, news services, educational facilities, and encouragement of [[Nikah mut'ah]].<ref name="irinnews52494" /><ref>[https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/11/25/the_militarization_of_sex "The Militarization of Sex: The story of Hezbollah's halal hookups." by Hanin Ghaddar] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091129115017/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/11/25/the_militarization_of_sex |date=29 November 2009}}, ''Foreign Policy'', 25 November 2009</ref> One of its established institutions, Jihad Al Binna's Reconstruction Campaign, is responsible for numerous economic and infrastructure development projects in Lebanon.<ref name="sachs">{{cite news|last=Sachs|first=Susan|title=Hezbollah Offers a Helping Hand in Southern Lebanon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/31/world/hezbollah-offers-a-helping-hand-in-southern-lebanon.html?pagewanted=all |newspaper=The New York Times|date=31 May 2000|accessdate=20 October 2012}}</ref> Hezbollah controls the Martyr's Institute (Al-Shahid Social Association), which pays stipends to "families of fighters who die" in battle.<ref name="WPBestGuerrilla">{{cite news|author1=Edward Cody |author2=Molly Moore | date=14 August 2006 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/13/AR2006081300719.html?nav=rss_world|title=The Best Guerrilla Force in the World|work=The Washington Post}}</ref> An IRIN news report of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted:
 
<blockquote>Hezbollah not only has armed and political wings – it also boasts an extensive social development program. Hezbollah currently operates at least four hospitals, twelve clinics, twelve schools and two agricultural centres that provide farmers with technical assistance and training. It also has an environmental department and an extensive social assistance program. Medical care is also cheaper than in most of the country's private hospitals and free for Hezbollah members.<ref name="irinnews52494" /></blockquote>
 
According to CNN, "Hezbollah did everything that a government should do, from collecting the garbage to running hospitals and repairing schools."<ref name="cnn20060724-1">{{cite news|publisher=CNN|date=25 July 2006|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/24/schuster.hezbollah/index.html|title=Hezbollah's secret weapon|accessdate=25 July 2006}}</ref> In July 2006, during the war with Israel, when there was no running water in Beirut, Hezbollah was arranging supplies around the city. Lebanese [[Shi'a Islam in Lebanon|Shiites]] "see Hezbollah as a political movement and a social service provider as much as it is a militia."<ref name="cnn20060724-1" /> Hezbollah also rewards its guerilla members who have been wounded in battle by taking them to Hezbollah-run amusement parks.<ref>Avakian, Alexandra. ''Windows of the Soul''. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic. p. 186.</ref>
 
Hezbollah is, therefore, deeply embedded in the [[Lebanese society]].<ref name="nybooks"/>
 
== Political activities ==
{{Politics of Lebanon}}
{{Main|Hezbollah political activities}}
[[File:Lebanon Jul06.png|thumb|left|Hezbollah-controlled areas in July 2006, most of Lebanon's majority [[Shi'a Islam in Lebanon|Shi'a]] areas.]]
[[File:Dec 10 2006 anti-government rally Beirut.jpg|thumb|left|10 December 2006 anti-government rally in Beirut]]
 
Hezbollah along with [[Amal Movement|Amal]] is one of two major political parties in Lebanon that represent [[Shi'a Islam|Shiite]] [[Demographics of Lebanon#Muslims|Muslims]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/dispatches/lebanon.syria/seelye2.html|title=Lebanon's religious mix|first=Kate|last=Seelye|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]]|work=[[PBS Frontline World|Frontline World]]|date=1 April 2005|accessdate=28 July 2006}}</ref> 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.<ref name=AN6>{{cite book|last=Norton|first=Augustus|title=Hezbollah: A Short History|year=2009|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-13124-5|page=6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x0MZOnnu8qcC&q=Hezbollah%20a%20short%20history&pg=PP1}}</ref> 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 is "the most powerful single political movement in Lebanon."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfr.org/lebanon/hezbollah-most-powerful-political-movement-lebanon/p16378?breadcrumb=%2F|title=Hezbollah: Most Powerful Political Movement in Lebanon|publisher=[[Council on Foreign Relations]]|date=29 May 2008|accessdate=5 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617010638/http://www.cfr.org/lebanon/hezbollah-most-powerful-political-movement-lebanon/p16378?breadcrumb=%2F|archive-date=17 June 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hezbollah, along with the [[Amal Movement]], represents most of Lebanese [[Shi'a Islam in Lebanon|Shi'a]]. However, unlike Amal, Hezbollah has not disarmed. Hezbollah participates in the Parliament of Lebanon.
 
===Political alliances===
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]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Gambill|first=Gary|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716112837/http://www.mideastmonitor.org/issues/0604/0604_1.htm|url=http://www.mideastmonitor.org/issues/0604/0604_1.htm |title=The Counter-revolution of the Cedars |publisher=Mideastmonitor.org |archivedate=16 July 2011|accessdate=20 October 2012}}</ref> On 1 December 2006, these groups began [[2006–2008 Lebanese political protests|a series of political protests]] and [[sit-in]]s in opposition to the government of Prime Minister [[Fouad Siniora]].<ref name="Ghattas" />
 
In 2006, [[Michel Aoun]] and [[Hassan Nasrallah]] met in Mar Mikhayel Church, [[Chiyah]], and signed a memorandum of understanding between [[Free Patriotic Movement]] and [[Hezbollah]] organizing their relation and discussing Hezbollah's disarmament with some conditions. The agreement also discussed the importance of having normal diplomatic relations with [[Syria]] and the request for information about the Lebanese political prisoners in Syria and the return of all political prisoners and diaspora in [[Israel]].
After this event, Aoun and his party became part of the [[March 8 Alliance]].<ref name=Harris2012>{{cite book|author=William Harris|title=Lebanon: A History, 600-2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jY4ImTGnamUC&pg=PP2|accessdate=7 April 2013|date=19 July 2012|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-518111-1|pages=274}}</ref>
 
On 7 May 2008, [[Lebanon]]'s [[2006–2008 Lebanese political protests|17-month-long political crisis]] spiraled out of control. [[2008 unrest in Lebanon|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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lebanon tensions rise in clash with Hezbollah |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/981937.html |work=[[Haaretz]]|accessdate=10 May 2008}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="Haaretz1" /> 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hezbollah to Withdraw Gunmen in Lebanon|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/world/middleeast/11lebanon.html?hp|work=New York Times|accessdate=5 October 2008 |first1=Robert F. |last1=Worth |first2=Nada |last2=Bakri |date=11 May 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref name="france24">{{cite web|title=Lebanese leaders 'expect to elect a president' in 24 hours |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20080521-lebanon-hezbollah-doha-election-presidential&navi=MONDE |publisher=[[France 24]] |accessdate=31 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520122706/http://www.france24.com/en/20080521-lebanon-hezbollah-doha-election-presidential%26navi%3DMONDE |archivedate=20 May 2011 }}</ref> 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, [[Lebanese government of July 2008|National unity government]] was formed by [[Fouad Siniora]] on 11 July 2008, with Hezbollah controlling one ministerial and eleven of thirty cabinet places.<ref name="CFR" />
 
In [[2018 Lebanese general election]], Hezbollah general secretary [[Hassan Nasrallah]] presented the names of the 13 Hezbollah candidates.<ref name=hzb1>''Al-Monitor''. ''[https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/03/lebanon-elections-new-law-hezbollah-results-constituency-win.html Lebanon's new electoral law could spell trouble for traditional parties]''</ref> On 22 March 2018, Nasrallah issued a statement outlining the main priorities for the parliamentary bloc of the party, Loyalty to the Resistance, in the next parliament.<ref name=manary>Al-Manar. ''[https://english.almanar.com.lb/469141 Sayyed Nasrallah Announces Hezbollah Electoral Platform: Combating Corruption Priority]''</ref> He stated that rooting out corruption would be the foremost priority of the [[Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc|Loyalty to the Resistance bloc]].<ref name=manary/> The electoral slogan of the party was 'We will construct and we will protect'.<ref name="olj19">''L'Orient Le Jour''. ''[https://www.lorientlejour.com/elections/article/1104962/les-slogans-electoraux-de-2018-un-gros-flop-.html Les slogans électoraux de 2018 : un gros flop ?]''</ref> Finally Hezbollah held 12 seats and its alliance won the election by gaining 70 out of 128 seats of [[Parliament of Lebanon]].<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-election-parliament-factbox-idUSKCN1IN1OJ]</ref><ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/5/8/hezbollah-amal-and-allies-biggest-winners-in-lebanon-elections]</ref>
 
=== Media operations ===
Hezbollah operates a satellite television station, [[Al-Manar]] TV ("the Lighthouse"), and a radio station, [[al-Nour]] ("the Light").<ref name="CNN" /> Al-Manar broadcasts from Beirut, Lebanon.<ref name="CNN">{{cite news|year=2006|publisher=CNN|author1=Elise Labott |author2=Henry Schuster |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/03/23/hezbollah.tv/index.html|title=Lebanese media outlets' assets blocked}}</ref> Hezbollah launched the station in 1991<ref name="natrev812">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/jorisch200412220812.asp |title=Terrorist Television Hezbollah has a worldwide reach |magazine=[[National Review Online]] |date=22 December 2004 |accessdate=31 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070427115458/http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/jorisch200412220812.asp |archivedate=27 April 2007 }}</ref> with the help of Iranian funds.<ref name="meforum583">{{cite journal|url=http://www.meforum.org/article/583|title=Al-Manar: Hizbullah TV, 24/7|author=Avi Jorisch|journal=Middle East Quarterly|date=Winter 2004|accessdate=3 September 2006}}</ref> 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 [[Zionism|Zionist enemy]]"<ref name="meforum583" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.manartv.org/html/about.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030410115717/http://web.manartv.org/html/about.html|archivedate=10 April 2003|title=Al-Manar Television|accessdate=27 March 2007}}</ref> and an integral part of Hezbollah's plan to spread its message to the entire [[Arab world]].<ref name="meforum583" /> In addition, Hezbollah has a weekly publication, ''Al Ahd'', which was established in 1984.<ref name=olfa>{{cite journal |author1=Olfa Lamloum |title=Hezbollah's Media: Political History in outline |journal=Global Media and Communication |date=2009 |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=353–367 |doi=10.1177/1742766509348673|s2cid=143704235 }}</ref> It is the only media outlet which is openly affiliated with the organization.<ref name=olfa />
 
Hezbollah's television station Al-Manar airs programming designed to inspire suicide attacks in [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]], the [[West Bank]], and [[Iraq]].<ref name="In the Party of God" /><ref name="natrev812" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Jorisch|first=Avi|url=http://www.meforum.org/meib/articles/0304_l1.htm|title=Al-Manar and the War in Iraq|publisher=Middle East Intelligence Bulletin|date=April 2003|accessdate=24 August 2006}}</ref> Al-Manar's transmission in France is prohibited due to its promotion of [[Holocaust denial]], a criminal offense in France.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4093579.stm|title=France pulls plug on Arab network|work=BBC News|date=14 December 2004|accessdate=5 September 2013}}</ref> The United States lists Al-Manar television network as a terrorist organization.<ref>[http://archive.adl.org/presrele/asint_13/4605_13.html#.VM-712TF9fw "ADL Welcomes U.S. Designating Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV Station a Terrorist Organization: Calls On U.S. To Take Further Actions."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811104707/http://archive.adl.org/presrele/asint_13/4605_13.html#.VM-712TF9fw |date=11 August 2017}} ''ADL''. 2 February 2015.</ref> Al-Manar was designated as a "[[Specially Designated Global Terrorist]] entity," and banned by the United States in December 2004.<ref name="js4134">{{cite web|date=23 March 2006|publisher=[[U.S. Department of the Treasury]]|url=http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/js4134.aspx|title=U.S. Designates Al-Manar as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity}}</ref> It has also been banned by France, Spain and Germany.<ref name="france_ban">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4093579.stm|title=France pulls plug on Arab network |work=BBC News|date=14 December 2004|accessdate=9 August 2006}}</ref><ref name="comm_EC">Commission of the European Communities [http://www.wales.gov.uk/keypubassemeuropeancomm2/content/euleg-0602/6448-06-add-1.pdf Commission document SEC(2006) 160] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108185351/http://www.wales.gov.uk/keypubassemeuropeancomm2/content/euleg-0602/6448-06-add-1.pdf |date=8 January 2007 }}. Retrieved 31 July 2006.</ref>
 
Materials aimed at instilling principles of nationalism and Islam in children are an aspect of Hezbollah's media operations.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3297896,00.html|title=Hizbullah presents: How to recruit children|author=Roee Nahmias|work=Ynetnews|date=31 August 2006|accessdate=27 January 2011}}</ref> The Hezbollah Central Internet Bureau released a video game in 2003 entitled ''[[Special Force (Hezbollah)|Special Force]]'' and a sequel in 2007 in which players are rewarded with points and weapons for killing Israelis.<ref>[http://www.adl.org/main_Terrorism/special_force_2.htm " Hezbollah Releases Anti-Israel War Game."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615115751/http://adl.org/main_Terrorism/special_force_2.htm |date=15 June 2010 }} [[Anti-Defamation League|ADL]]. 17 August 2007. 10 July 2010.</ref> 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."<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4301981,00.html "8 year-old boy donates money to Hezbollah."] ''Ynetnews''. 6 November 2012.</ref>
 
== 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 [[:Category:Lebanese intelligence agencies|Lebanese intelligence agencies]].<ref name=Engeland33 />
 
In the summer of 1982, Hezbollah's Special Security Apparatus was created by Hussein al-Khalil, now a "top political adviser to Nasrallah";<ref>{{cite web|last1=Masters|first1=Jonathan|last2=Laub|first2=Zachary|title=Hezbollah (a.k.a. Hizbollah, Hizbu'llah)|url=http://www.cfr.org/lebanon/hezbollah-k-hizbollah-hizbullah/p9155|website=Council on Foreign Relations|publisher=Council on Foreign Relations|accessdate=5 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328084825/http://www.cfr.org/lebanon/hezbollah-k-hizbollah-hizbullah/p9155|archive-date=28 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> while Hezbollah's counterintelligence was initially managed by Iran's [[Quds Force]],<ref name="Wege2">{{cite journal|last1=Wege|first1=Carl Anthony|title=Anticipatory Intelligence and the Post-Syrian War Hezbollah Intelligence Apparatus|journal=International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence|date=Summer 2016|volume=29|issue=2|pages=236–259|doi=10.1080/08850607.2016.1121039|s2cid=155476605}}</ref>{{rp|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."<ref name="Wege" />{{rp|775}} This close connection with Lebanese intelligence helped bolster Hezbollah's financial counterintelligence unit.<ref name="Wege">{{cite journal|last1=Wege|first1=Carl Anthony|title=Hizballah's Counterintelligence Apparatus|journal=International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence|date=2012|volume=25|issue=4|pages=771–785|doi=10.1080/08850607.2012.705185|s2cid=154283510}}</ref>{{rp|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".<ref name="Wege" />{{rp|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.<ref name="Wege2" />{{rp|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 [[Shayetet 13#Ansariya Ambush|Ansariya Ambush]]; and the 2000 kidnapping of alleged Mossad agent Elhanan Tannenbaum.<ref name="Wege" />{{rp|773}} Hezbollah also collaborated with the Lebanese government in 2006 to detect Adeeb al-Alam, a former colonel, as an Israeli spy.<ref name="Wege" />{{rp|774}} Also, the organization recruited IDF Lieutenant Colonel Omar al-Heib, who was convicted in 2006 of conducting surveillance for Hezbollah.<ref name="Wege" />{{rp|776}} In 2009, Hezbollah apprehended Marwan Faqih, a garage owner who installed tracking devices in Hezbollah-owned vehicles.<ref name="Wege" />{{rp|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,"<ref name="Wege" />{{rp|777}} and Israeli [[SIGINT]] efforts intensified after the 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon. With possible help from Iran and the [[Russia]]n [[Federal Security Service|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.<ref name="Wege" />{{rp|774, 777–778}}
 
== Armed strength ==
{{Main|Hezbollah armed strength}}
Hezbollah does not reveal its armed strength. 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.<ref name="Hezbollah force">{{cite news|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607095136/http://www.iiss.org/whats-new/iiss-in-the-press/press-coverage-2006/july-2006/hezbollah-a-force-to-be-reckoned-with|url=http://www.iiss.org/whats-new/iiss-in-the-press/press-coverage-2006/july-2006/hezbollah-a-force-to-be-reckoned-with |title=Analysis: Hezbollah a force to be reckoned with|agency=Agence France Presse |publisher=Iiss.org |date=18 July 2006 |archivedate=7 June 2008| accessdate=20 October 2012}}</ref> According to the Iranian [[Fars News Agency]], Hezbollah has up to 65,000 fighters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=13911026001114|title=پیشنهاد عربستان برای تشکیل نیروی مقابله با حزبالله|date=15 January 2013}}</ref> It is often described as more militarily powerful than the Lebanese Army.<ref>{{cite news|title=For Lebanon's Sunnis, growing rage at Hezbollah over role in Syria|url=https://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-06-12/world/39922185_1_aleppo-war-soccer-stadium|newspaper=Washington Post|date=12 June 2013|first1=Loveday|last1=Morris|first2=Suzan|last2=Haidamous|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105065531/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-06-12/world/39922185_1_aleppo-war-soccer-stadium|archivedate=5 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Hezbollah Upsets The Balance in Lebanon|url=http://www.voanews.com/content/lebanon-syria-hezbollah/1682124.html|newspaper=VOA|date=14 June 2013|access-date=24 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621233109/http://www.voanews.com/content/lebanon-syria-hezbollah/1682124.html|archive-date=21 June 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Hezbollah's Role in Syria War Shakes the Lebanese|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/world/middleeast/syria-developments.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|newspaper= [[The New York Times]]|date=20 May 2013|first=Anne|last=Barnard}}</ref> Israeli commander Gui Zur called Hezbollah "by far the greatest guerrilla group in the world".<ref>Richard Augustus Norton – Hizbollah. Page 140</ref>
 
In 2010, Hezbollah was believed to have 45,000 rockets.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Goldberg|first=Jeffrey|date=September 2010|title=The Point of No Return|url=|journal=The Atlantic|volume=|page=62|via=}}</ref> In 2017, Hezbollah had 130,000 rockets and missiles in place targeting Israel, according to Israeli Minister [[Naftali Bennett]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/israeli-minister-another-war-hezbollah-lebanon-and-its|title=Israeli Minister: In Another War With Hezbollah, Lebanon And Its Infrastructure Will Be Fair Game|website=CNS News|date=18 October 2017}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-chief-says-iranian-missile-overhyped-but-sent-a-message/|title=IDF chief says Iranian missiles overhyped, but sent a message|first=Judah Ari|last=Gross|website=timesofisrael.com}}</ref>
 
Hezbollah possesses the [[Katyusha rocket launcher|Katyusha-122]] rocket, which has a range of 29&nbsp;km (18&nbsp;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 {{convert|75|km|mi|abbr=on}}, enabling it to strike the Israeli port of [[Haifa]], and the [[Zelzal-1]], with an estimated {{convert|150|km|mi|abbr=on}} range, which can reach [[Tel Aviv]]. Fajr-3 missiles have a range of {{convert|40|km|mi|abbr=on}} and a 45-kg (99-lb) warhead, and Fajr-5 missiles, which extend to {{convert|72|km|mi|abbr=on}}, also hold 45-kg (99-lb) warheads.<ref name="Hezbollah force" /> It was reported that Hezbollah is in possession of [[Scud]] missiles that were provided to them by Syria.<ref>{{cite web|last=Harel |first=Amos |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1162658.html |title=Syria is shipping Scud missiles to Hezbollah |work=Haaretz |location=Israel |date=13 April 2010 |accessdate=27 January 2011}}</ref> Syria denied the reports.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1163279.html |title=Syria: Israel's Scud accusation may be pretense for attack |work=Haaretz |location=Israel |date=25 October 2008 |accessdate=27 January 2011}}</ref>
According to various reports, Hezbollah is armed with [[anti-tank guided missile]]s, namely, the Russian-made [[AT-3 Sagger]], [[AT-4 Spigot]], [[AT-5 Spandrel]], [[Metis-M|AT-13 Saxhorn-2 'Metis-M']], [[9M133 Kornet|АТ-14 Spriggan 'Kornet']]; [[Iran]]ian-made [[RAAD (anti-tank guided missile)|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]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Harvey|first=Benjamin|title=Missiles Neutralizing Israeli Tanks|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/04/AR2006080401105.html|accessdate=20 October 2012|work=The Washington Post|date=5 August 2006|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> A small number of Saeghe-2s (Iranian-made version of [[M47 Dragon]]) were also used in the war.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/158/documentid/3504/history/3,2360,655,158,3504 |title=Hezbollah, Already a Capable Military Force, Makes Full Use of Civilian Shields and Media Manipulation |first=Paul |last=Weitz |work=Journal of International Security Affairs |date=12 August 2006 |accessdate=9 January 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107090241/http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/158/documentid/3504/history/3%2C2360%2C655%2C158%2C3504 |archivedate=7 January 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
For air defense, Hezbollah has anti-aircraft weapons that include the [[ZU-23]] artillery and the man-portable, shoulder-fired [[Strela 2|SA-7]] and [[9K38 Igla|SA-18]] [[surface-to-air missile]] (SAM).<ref>{{cite web|date=April 2003|url=http://www.meforum.org/meib/articles/0304_l2.htm|title=Hezbollah Reportedly Acquires SA-18 SAMs|publisher=Middle East Intelligence Bulletin}}</ref> One of the most effective weapons deployed by Hezbollah has been the [[C-802]] [[anti-ship missile]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Gardner |first=Frank |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5242566.stm |title=Hezbollah missile threat assessed |work=BBC News |date=3 August 2006 |accessdate=27 January 2011}}</ref>
 
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|date=January 2015}} 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."<ref name=twsDecZ16ad>{{cite news |author1=Scott Shane |author2=Andrew W. Lehren |title=Leaked Cables Offer Raw Look at U.S. Diplomacy |work=The New York Times |quote=...&nbsp;Cables describe the United States' failing struggle to prevent Syria from supplying arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has amassed a huge stockpile since its 2006 war with Israel.&nbsp;... information that Syria was providing increasingly sophisticated weapons to the group. |date= 28 November 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/29cables.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2 |accessdate=26 December 2010}}</ref> Gates added that Hezbollah is possibly armed with chemical or [[biological weapons]], as well as {{convert|65|mi|km|adj=on}} [[anti-ship missile]]s that could threaten U.S. ships.<ref>Charley Keyes, [http://edition.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/24/gates.speech/ "U.S. military needs flexibility due to poor predictions, Gates says"], CNN, 24 May 2011</ref>
 
{{as of|2017}}, the Israeli government believe Hezbollah had an arsenal of nearly 150,000 rockets stationed on its border with Lebanon.<ref>Danon, Danny. [http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/israel-deserves-a-seat-on-the-security-council-214986 "Israel Deserves a Seat on the Security Council."] ''Politico''. 5 April 2017. 6 April 2017.</ref> Some of these missiles are said to be capable of penetrating cities as far away as [[Eilat]].<ref name="Jpost">[http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=187022 Israeli US envoy: Hizbullah has 15,000 rockets on border]. Jpost.com. Retrieved on 19 October 2010.</ref> The IDF has accused Hezbollah of storing these rockets beneath hospitals, schools, and civilian homes.<ref name="Jpost" /> 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".<ref>{{cite news|title=IAF shoots down hostile drone from Lebanon off Haifa|url=http://www.jpost.com/Defense/IAF-shoots-down-drone-which-flew-south-from-Lebanon-311098|work=[[Jerusalem Post]]|date=25 April 2013}}</ref>
 
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."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kershner|first=Isabel|date=10 March 2014|title=Israel Watches Warily as Hezbollah Gains Battle Skills in Syria|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/11/world/middleeast/israel-watches-warily-as-hezbollah-gains-battle-skills-in-syria.html|work=New York Times|accessdate=27 August 2014|quote=[T]he only way for Mr. Assad, a longtime Hezbollah ally, to repay the group is by supplying it with sophisticated weapons.}}</ref>
 
On 13 July 2019 Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, in an interview broadcast on Hezbollah's Al-Manar television, said “Our weapons have been developed in both quality and quantity, we have precision missiles and drones,” he illustrated strategic military and civilian targets on the map of Israel and stated, Hezbollah is able to launch Ben Gurion Airport, arms depots, petrochemical, and water desalinization plants, and the Ashdod port, Haifa's ammonia storage which would cause "tens of thousands of casualties".<ref name="TI2019">{{cite web |last1=TOI STAFF and AGENCIES |title=Nasrallah warns Israel could be 'wiped out' in war between US and Iran |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/nasrallah-warns-israel-could-be-wiped-out-in-war-between-us-and-iran/ |website=times of israel |accessdate=13 July 2019}}</ref>
 
== Military activities ==
{{Main|Hezbollah military activities}}
Hezbollah has a military branch known as the Jihad Council,<ref name="LevittP15" /> 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.<ref name="USDbackground2801">{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/s/ct/rls/rpt/fto/2801.htm|title=Background Information on Foreign Terrorist Organizations|author=US Department of State|date=8 October 1999|accessdate=20 October 2012}}</ref>
 
[[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559]] called for the disarmament of militia<ref>{{cite web|url=http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=S/RES/1559%20(2004)&Lang=E&Area=UNDOC|title=Resolution 1559 (2004)|author=United Nations Security Council|date=2 September 2004|accessdate=1 May 2007|quote=3. Calls for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias|author-link=United Nations Security Council}}</ref> with the [[Taif agreement]] at the end of the [[Lebanese civil war]]. Hezbollah denounced, and protested against, the resolution.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/html/final/eng/eng_n/hez_e0905.htm|title=Hezbollah has no intention to disarm|publisher=Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (Israeli)|date=7 September 2005|accessdate=1 May 2007|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729110434/http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/article/19162|archivedate=29 July 2012}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="ADL">[http://www.adl.org/main_terrorism/hezbollah_overview.htm "Hezbollah: Hezbollah and the Recent Conflict."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504083721/http://www.adl.org/main_terrorism/hezbollah_overview.htm |date=4 May 2007 }} ''[[Anti-Defamation League|ADL]]''. 29 September 2006. 26 June 2007.</ref> Since then both Israel and Hezbollah have asserted that the organization has gained in military strength.<ref name="met" /> A Lebanese public opinion poll taken in August 2006 shows that most of the [[Shi'a Islam in Lebanon|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.<ref name="Briefing">{{cite web|last=Gambill|first=Gary|url=http://www.mideastmonitor.org/issues/0609/0609_6.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927030212/http://www.mideastmonitor.org/issues/0609/0609_6.htm|title=Briefing: Lebanese Public Opinion|date=September–October 2006|publisher=Mideast Monitor|accessdate=23 October 2012|archivedate=27 September 2007}}</ref> The Lebanese cabinet, under president [[Michel Suleiman]] and Prime Minister [[Fouad Siniora]], guidelines state that Hezbollah enjoys the right to "liberate occupied lands."<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1011868.html ''Haaretz''] 14 August 2008, "UN: We've cleared half the cluster bombs Israel dropped on Lebanon", by Shlomo Shamir</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web|author=Jpost.Com Staff |url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1257455206498 |title=Hizbullah says it's getting ready for new war with Israel |work=Jerusalem Post |date=8 November 2009 |accessdate=21 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129054742/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1257455206498 |archivedate=29 January 2012 }}</ref>
 
=== Lebanese Resistance Brigades ===
{{Main|Lebanese Resistance Brigades}}
{{Infobox war faction
|name=Lebanese Resistance Brigades<br />''Saraya al-Moukawama al-Lubnaniyya''
|native_name=سرايا المقاومة اللبنانية
|native_name_lang=ar
|war=[[South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000)]] and [[Battle of Sidon (2013)]]
|image=[[File:Saraya-moukawama-main.jpg|200px]]
|caption=
|active=1998–2000<br />2009–present
|ideology=
|leaders=Mohammed Aknan ([[Beirut]])<br />
Mohammad Saleh ([[Sidon]]){{KIA}}
|clans=
|headquarters=
|area=[[Southern Lebanon]], mainly [[Sidon]]
|size=
|partof=Hezbollah
|predecessor=
|successor=
|allies= [[March 8 Alliance]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Army coordinating with Resistance Brigades in Sidon|url=https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/nownews/army-coordinating-with-resistance-brigades-in-sidon|publisher=[[NOW Lebanon]]|date=24 June 2013|accessdate=26 April 2014}}</ref>
|opponents={{flag|Israel}}<br /> [[South Lebanon Army|SLA]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Jabhat al-Nusra.jpg}} [[Al-Nusra Front]]<br />[[Fatah al-Islam]]<br />[[Jund al-Sham]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.svg|40px}} [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]]
|battles=[[Battle of Sidon (2013)]]
}}
 
The '''Lebanese Resistance Brigades''' ({{lang-ar|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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Blanford |first=Nicholas |date=2011 |title=Warriors of God: Inside Hezbollah's Thirty-Year Struggle Against Israel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJWGvIcmODoC&q=resistance+brigades+lebanon+2008&pg=PT582 |location=New York |publisher=[[Random House]] |page=582 |isbn=978-0-679-60516-4 |accessdate=26 April 2014 }}</ref>
 
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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wariness of Resistance Brigades grows in Sidon|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2013/Nov-13/237718-wariness-of-resistance-brigades-grows-in-sidon.ashx#axzz2zozaKG9W|work=[[The Daily Star (Lebanon)|Daily Star]]|date=13 November 2013|accessdate=26 April 2014}}</ref>
 
=== The beginning of its military activities: the South Lebanon conflict ===
{{Main|South Lebanon conflict (1982–2000)}}
Hezbollah has been involved in several cases of armed conflict with Israel:
* During the 1982–2000 South Lebanon conflict, Hezbollah waged a guerrilla campaign against Israeli forces occupying Southern Lebanon. In 1982, the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) was based in Southern Lebanon and was firing Katyusha rockets into northern Israel from Lebanon. Israel invaded Lebanon to evict the PLO, and Hezbollah became an armed organization to expel the Israelis.<ref name="In the Party of God" /> Hezbollah's strength was enhanced by the dispatching of one thousand to two thousand members of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps|Iranian Revolutionary Guards]] and the financial backing of Iran.<ref name="lebarmy6915">{{cite web|url=http://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/article.asp?ln=en&id=6915 |author=Nizar Abdel-Kader |work=Lebanese Army Magazine |title=Iraq and the Future of Gulf Security Cooperation: A Lebanese perspective |accessdate=25 July 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060404030400/http://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/article.asp?ln=en&id=6915 |archivedate=4 April 2006 }}</ref><ref>Third World Quarterly, Vol 14, No 2, 1993, reprinted at Al Mashriq [http://almashriq.hiof.no/ddc/projects/pspa/hamzeh2.html Lebanon's Hizbullah: from Islamic revolution to parliamentary accommodation] Accessed 26 July 2006</ref><ref>Rex A. Hudson, [https://fas.org/irp/threat/frd.html "The Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism: Who Becomes a Terrorist and Why?,"] Federal Research Division, Library of Congress (September 1999). Accessed 17 August 2006</ref> Iranian clerics, most notably Fzlollah Mahallati supervised this activity.<ref>Nasr, Vali, ''The Shia Revival'', Norton, (2006), p. 115</ref> It became the main politico-military force among the Shia community in Lebanon and the main arm of what became known later as the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon. With the collapse of the [[South Lebanon Army|SLA]], and the rapid advance of Hezbollah forces, Israel withdrew on 24 May 2000 six weeks before the announced 7 July date."<ref name="Timeline: Lebanon" /> Hezbollah held a victory parade, and its popularity in Lebanon rose.<ref name="BBC News">{{cite news|work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/26/newsid_2496000/2496423.stm|title=2000: Hezbollah celebrates Israeli retreat|date=26 May 2000|accessdate=25 July 2006}}</ref> Israel withdrew in accordance with 1978's [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 425]].<ref name="SC/6878" /> Hezbollah and many analysts considered this a victory for the movement, and since then its popularity has been boosted in Lebanon.<ref name="BBC News" />
 
=== Alleged suicide and terror attacks ===
[[File:Beirutbarr.jpg|thumb|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.<ref name="pape" /> 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:<ref>"[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/target/etc/cron.html Frontline: Target America: Terrorist attacks on Americans, 1979–1988]", PBS News, 2001. Retrieved 4 February 2007.</ref><ref name="leb1">{{cite web|url=http://www.lebanon.com/news/local/2003/3/20.htm |title=Hezbollah again denies involvement in deadly Buenos Aires bombing BEIRUT, March&nbsp;19 (AFP) |publisher=Lebanon.com |date=20 March 2003 |accessdate=27 January 2011}}</ref>
* The 1982–1983 [[Tyre headquarters bombings]]
* The [[April 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing]] (by the [[Islamic Jihad Organization]]),<ref name="Ini">[http://camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=118&x_article=1148 "Timeline of Hezbollah Violence."] ''[[Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America|CAMERA: Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America]]''. 17 July 2006. 18 November 2006. Later reprinted in ''On Campus'' magazine's Fall 2006 issue and attributed the article to author Gilead Ini.</ref>
* The [[1983 Beirut barracks bombing]] (by the Islamic Jihad Organization), that killed 241 U.S. marines, 58 French paratroopers and 6 civilians at the US and French barracks in Beirut<ref name="cfr hezbollah">[http://www.cfr.org/publication/9155/#6 Hezbollah] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927093727/http://www.cfr.org/publication/9155/ |date=27 September 2006 }} CFR. org Staff, the US [[Council on Foreign Relations]], 17 July 2006</ref>
* The [[1983 Kuwait bombings]] in collaboration with the Iraqi Dawa Party.<ref>{{cite book|last=Levitt|first=Matthew|title=Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God|publisher=Georgetown University Press|year=2013|page=289}}</ref>
* The [[1984 United States embassy annex bombing]], killing 24.<ref>{{cite book|last=Levitt|first=Matthew|title=Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God|publisher=Georgetown University Press|year=2013|page=23}}</ref>
* A spate of attacks on [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]] troops and [[South Lebanon Army|SLA]] militiamen in southern Lebanon.<ref name="pape" />
* Hijacking of [[TWA Flight 847]] in 1985,<ref name="cfr hezbollah" />
* The [[Lebanon hostage crisis]] from 1982 to 1992.<ref>Worley, D. Robert. [https://books.google.com/books?id=X8KBAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA134&lpg=PA134&dq=lebanon+hostage+crisis+hezbollah+1982+1992&source=bl&ots=rG7u3qBkey&sig=82T0LtBigCa01c-phQ4P3Mr4Eek&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8CXPVK7YI4ODNuqRgZAP&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=lebanon%20hostage%20crisis%20hezbollah%201982%201992&f=false "Aligning Ends, Ways, and Means."] ''Google Books''. 1 February 2015.</ref>
 
Since 1990, terror acts and attempts of which Hezbollah has been blamed include the following bombings and attacks against civilians and diplomats:
* The [[1992 Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires]], killing 29, in Argentina.<ref name="cfr hezbollah" /> Hezbollah operatives boasted of involvement.<ref name="Levitt 2013 102">{{cite book|last=Levitt|first=Matthew|title=Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God|publisher=Georgetown University Press|year=2013|page=102}}</ref>
* The [[1994 AMIA bombing]] of a Jewish cultural centre, killing 85, in Argentina.<ref name="cfr hezbollah" /> Ansar Allah, a Palestinian group closely associated with Hezbollah, claimed responsibility.<ref name="Levitt 2013 102" />
* The [[Alas Chiricanas Flight 901|1994 AC Flight 901 attack]], killing 21, in Panama.<ref>[http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/47/473.html Argentine trials may shed light on Panama mystery], [[Eric Jackson (journalist)|Eric Jackson]], Panama News Online, 17 October 2001.</ref> Ansar Allah, a Palestinian group closely associated with Hezbollah, claimed responsibility.<ref name="Levitt 2013 102" />
* The [[1994 London Israeli Embassy attack]], injuring 29, in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/26/newsid_2499000/2499619.stm|title=1994: Israel's London embassy bombed|date=26 July 1994|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>
* The 1996 [[Khobar Towers bombing]], killing 19 US servicemen.<ref>{{cite news|last=Leonnig|first=Carol D.|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/22/AR2006122200455.html|title=Iran Held Liable In Khobar Attack|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=23 December 2006|accessdate=26 September 2014}}</ref>
* In 2002, [[Singapore]] accused Hezbollah of recruiting Singaporeans in a failed 1990s plot to attack U.S. and Israeli ships in the Singapore Straits.<ref name=fastfacts>{{cite news|title=Fast Facts: Hezbollah |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,203277,00.html |accessdate=20 October 2012 |publisher=Fox News |date=13 July 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024071340/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C203277%2C00.html |archivedate=24 October 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 15 January 2008, bombing of a U.S. Embassy vehicle in Beirut.<ref name="Stratfor">[http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/lebanon_hezbollah_and_jan_15_bombing ''Lebanon: Hezbollah and the Jan 15 Bombing''] Stratfor, 15 January 2008</ref>
* In 2009, a [[2009 Hezbollah plot in Egypt|Hezbollah plot in Egypt]] was uncovered, where Egyptian authorities arrested 49 men for planning attacks against [[Israel]]i and Egyptian targets in the [[Sinai Peninsula]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/Apr/24/Egypts-Brotherhood-backs-Hizbullah-in-spat-with-Cairo.ashx |title=Egypt's Brotherhood backs Hizbullah in spat with Cairo|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=24 April 2009|accessdate=4 September 2013}}</ref>
* The [[2012 Burgas bus bombing]], killing 6, in Bulgaria. Hezbollah denied responsibility.<ref name="Hezbollahblamed">{{cite news|title=Hezbollah suspected in Bulgaria bus bombing|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/02/20132515350158754.html|accessdate=6 February 2013|newspaper=Al Jazeera|date=5 February 2013}}</ref>
* Training Shia insurgents against US troops during the [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Levitt|first=Matthew|title=Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God|publisher=Georgetown University Press|year=2013|page=297}}</ref>
 
=== During the Bosnian War ===
Hezbollah provided fighters to fight on the Bosnian Muslim side during the [[Bosnian War]], as part of the broader Iranian involvement. "The Bosnian Muslim government is a client of the Iranians," wrote [[Robert Baer]], a CIA agent stationed in Sarajevo during the war. "If it’s a choice between the CIA and the Iranians, they’ll take the Iranians any day." By war's end, public opinion polls showed some 86 percent Bosnian Muslims had a positive opinion of Iran.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/iran-balkans-history-and-forecast|title=Iran in the Balkans: A History and a Forecast|work=World Affairs Journal|access-date=27 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129064421/http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/iran-balkans-history-and-forecast|archive-date=29 November 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> In conjunction, Hezbollah initially sent 150 fighters to fight against the [[Army of Republika Srpska|Bosnian Serb Army]], the Bosnian Muslims' main opponent in the war.<ref name=Fisk>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/after-the-atrocities-committed-against-muslims-in-bosnia-it-is-no-wonder-today-s-jihadis-have-set-9717384.html|title=After the atrocities committed against Muslims in Bosnia, it is no wonder today's jihadis have set out on the path to war in Syria|first=Robert|last=Fisk|work=The Independent|date=7 September 2014|accessdate=25 March 2016}}</ref> All Shia foreign advisors and fighters withdrew from Bosnia at the end of conflict.
 
=== Conflict with Israel ===
 
{{Main|Iran–Israel proxy conflict}}
* On 25 July 1993, following Hezbollah's killing of seven Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, Israel launched [[Operation Accountability]] (known in Lebanon as the Seven Day War), during which the IDF carried out their heaviest artillery and air attacks on targets in southern Lebanon since 1982. The aim of the operation was to eradicate the threat posed by Hezbollah and to force the civilian population north to Beirut so as to put pressure on the Lebanese Government to restrain Hezbollah.<ref name="OA">{{cite web|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3284732,00.html |title=Operation Accountability – Increased Israeli casualties led to Operation Accountability in 1993 |publisher=Ynet.co.il |date=25 July 1993 |accessdate=21 May 2011}}</ref> The fighting ended when an unwritten understanding was agreed to by the warring parties. Apparently, the 1993 understanding provided that Hezbollah combatants would not fire rockets at northern Israel, while Israel would not attack civilians or civilian targets in Lebanon.<ref>{{cite news|work=BBC News |url=http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engMDE150421996|title=ISRAEL/LEBANON, Unlawful Killings During Operation "Grapes of Wrath" |date=24 July 1996|accessdate=24 October 2007 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071020030018/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engMDE150421996 |archivedate = 20 October 2007}}</ref>
* In April 1996, after continued Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israeli civilians,<ref name="MidEastWeb">{{cite web|url=http://www.mideastweb.org/megrapes.htm |title=The Grapes of Wrath Understanding |publisher=Mideastweb.org |accessdate=27 January 2011}}</ref> the Israeli armed forces launched [[Operation Grapes of Wrath]], which was intended to wipe out Hezbollah's base in southern Lebanon. Over 100 Lebanese refugees were [[1996 shelling of Qana|killed by the shelling]] of a UN base at [[Qana]], in what the Israeli military said was a mistake.<ref>{{cite news|work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/72493.stm|title=History of Israel's role in Lebanon |date=1 April 1998|accessdate=24 October 2007}}</ref> Finally, following several days of negotiations, the two sides signed the [[Israeli-Lebanese Ceasefire Understanding|Grapes of Wrath Understandings]] on 26 April 1996. A cease-fire was agreed upon between Israel and Hezbollah, which would be effective on 27 April 1996.<ref name="cobbanBR30_2">[[Helena Cobban|Cobban, Helena]], {{cite web|url=http://bostonreview.net/BR30.2/cobban.html|title=Hizbullah's New Face|work=Boston Review|accessdate=2 February 2007|date=April–May 2005|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203070822/http://bostonreview.net/BR30.2/cobban.html|archivedate=3 February 2007}}</ref> Both sides agreed that civilians should not be targeted, which meant that Hezbollah would be allowed to continue its military activities against IDF forces inside Lebanon.<ref name="cobbanBR30_2" />
 
==== 2000 Hezbollah cross-border raid ====
{{Main|2000 Hezbollah cross-border raid}}
On 7 October 2000, three Israeli soldiers – Adi Avitan, Staff Sgt. Benyamin Avraham, and Staff Sgt. Omar Sawaidwere – were abducted by Hezbollah while patrolling the [[Blue Line (Lebanon)|border]] between the [[Israeli-occupied territories|Israeli-occupied]] [[Golan Heights]] and [[Lebanon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2001/2/Israelis%20Held%20by%20the%20Hizbullah%20-%20Oct%202000-Jan%202004 |title=Israelis Held by the Hizbullah – October 2000 – January 2004 |publisher=[[mfa.gov.il]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421053944/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2001/2/Israelis%20Held%20by%20the%20Hizbullah%20-%20Oct%202000-Jan%202004 |archivedate=21 April 2013 }}</ref> The soldiers were killed either during the attack or in its immediate aftermath.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/01/29/prisoner.exchange/|title=Israel, Hezbollah swap prisoners|publisher=CNN |date=29 January 2004 |accessdate=2 April 2010}}</ref> Israel Defense Minister [[Shaul Mofaz]] has, however, said that Hezbollah abducted the soldiers and then killed them.<ref>Stevn, Yoav and Eli Ashkenazi. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/758645.html "New film leaves parents in the dark on sons' fate during kidnap."] ''[[Haaretz]]''. 6 September 2006. 28 February 2008.</ref> The bodies of the slain soldiers were exchanged for Lebanese prisoners in 2004.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/01/29/prisoner.exchange/ "Israel, Hezbollah swap prisoners."] CNN.com International. 29 January 2004. 20 February 2008.</ref>
 
==== 2006 Lebanon War ====
{{Main|2006 Lebanon War}}
[[File:Hizbollah posters 2006.jpg|thumb|Hezbollah posters in the aftermath of the 2006 Lebanon War]]
 
The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon and northern Israel. The principal parties were Hezbollah paramilitary forces and the Israeli military. The conflict was precipitated by a cross-border raid during which Hezbollah kidnapped and killed Israeli soldiers. [[Zar'it-Shtula incident|The conflict began]] on 12 July 2006 when Hezbollah militants fired [[List of artillery#Rockets|rockets]] at Israeli border towns as a diversion for an [[anti-tank missile]] attack on two armored [[Humvee]]s patrolling the Israeli side of the border fence, killing three, injuring two, and seizing two Israeli soldiers.<ref name="a">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/July_War06.asp |title=Timeline of the July War 2006 |newspaper=The Daily Star |accessdate=22 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210085022/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/July_War06.asp |archivedate=10 December 2010 }}</ref><ref name="b">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/18/2307095.htm?site=news | title=Israel buries soldiers recovered in prisoner swap | publisher=A B C News | accessdate=22 January 2015| date=17 July 2008 }}</ref>
 
Israel responded with [[airstrike]]s and [[artillery]] fire on targets in Lebanon that damaged Lebanese infrastructure, including Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport (which Israel said that Hezbollah used to import weapons and supplies),<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/13/mideast/index.html|title= Israeli warplanes hit Beirut suburb|publisher=CNN|date=14 July 2006}}</ref> an air and naval [[blockade]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/23/AR2006082301671.html|title=Lebanese Premier Seeks U.S. Help in Lifting Blockade|date=24 August 2006|work=Washington Post | first=Edward| last=Cody| accessdate=2 April 2010}}</ref> and a ground invasion of [[southern Lebanon]]. Hezbollah then launched more rockets into northern Israel and engaged the Israel Defense Forces in [[guerrilla warfare]] from hardened positions.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/israel/Story/0,,1842276,00.html| title=Computerised weaponry and high morale| first=Conal| last=Urquhart |date=11 August 2006|work=The Guardian |location=UK |accessdate=8 October 2006 }}</ref> The war continued until 14 August 2006. Hezbollah was responsible for thousands of [[Katyusha rocket launcher|Katyusha]] rocket attacks against Israeli civilian towns and cities in northern Israel,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aijac.org.au/resources/hezb_00-06.html|title=Hezbollah Attacks Since May 2000|author=Bard, Mitchell|publisher=[[AIJAC]]|date=24 July 2006|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060819122710/http://aijac.org.au/resources/hezb_00-06.html|archivedate=19 August 2006}}</ref> which Hezbollah said were in retaliation for Israel's killing of civilians and targeting Lebanese infrastructure.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-widens-bombing-campaign-as-lebanese-militia-groups-retaliate-407859.html |title=Israel widens bombing campaign as Lebanese militia groups retaliate |work=The Independent |location=UK |date=14 July 2006 |accessdate=27 January 2011 |first1=Donald |last1=MacIntyre |first2=Eric |last2=Silver |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125233429/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-widens-bombing-campaign-as-lebanese-militia-groups-retaliate-407859.html |archivedate=25 January 2014 }}</ref> The conflict is believed to have killed 1,191–1,300 Lebanese citizens including combatants<ref name="independent.co.uk">{{cite news |title=Cloud of Syria's war hangs over Lebanese cleric's death |first=Robert |last=Fisk |authorlink=Robert Fisk |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/cloud-of-syrias-war-hangs-over-lebanese-clerics-death-7771366.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=22 May 2012 |accessdate=17 May 2013 |location=London}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">Reuters, 12 September 2006; Al-Hayat (London), 13 September 2006</ref><ref name="Lebanon 2006 pp. 3-6">"Country Report—Lebanon," The Economist Intelligence Unit, no. 4 (2006), pp.&nbsp;3–6.</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite news |title=Lebanon's pain grows by the hour as death toll hits 1,300 |first=Robert |last=Fisk |authorlink=Robert Fisk |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-lebanons-pain-grows-by-the-hour-as-death-toll-hits-1300-412170.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=17 August 2006 |accessdate=17 May 2013 |location=London}}</ref><ref name="LUS">{{cite web
|url=http://www.lebanonundersiege.gov.lb/english/F/Main/index.asp
|title=Lebanon Under Siege
|accessdate=30 August 2008
|date=9 November 2006
|publisher=Presidency of the Council of Ministers – Higher Relief Council (Lebanon)
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927025252/http://www.lebanonundersiege.gov.lb/english/F/Main/index.asp
|archivedate=27 September 2006
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> and 165 Israelis including soldiers.<ref>''Israel Vs. Iran: The Shadow War'', By Yaakov Katz, (NY 2012), page 17</ref>
 
==== 2010 gas field claims ====
In 2010, Hezbollah claimed that the Dalit and [[Tamar gas field]], discovered by [[Noble Energy]] roughly {{convert|50|mi|km}} west of [[Haifa]] in Israeli exclusive economic zone, belong to Lebanon, and warned Israel against extracting gas from them. Senior officials from Hezbollah warned that they would not hesitate to use weapons to defend Lebanon's natural resources. Figures in the [[March 14 Forces]] stated in response that Hezbullah was presenting
another excuse to hold on to its arms. Lebanese MP [[Antoine Zahra (legislator)|Antoine Zahra]] said that the issue is another item "in the endless list of excuses" meant to justify the continued existence of Hezbullah's arsenal.<ref>H. Varulkar, [http://www.memri.org/report/en/print4441.htm "Internal Conflict in Lebanon Over Control of Oil and Gas Resources,"] MEMRI, Inquiry & Analysis Series Report No. 624 (12 July 2010). Retrieved 5 May 2013.</ref>
 
==== 2011 attack in Istanbul ====
In July 2011, Italian newspaper ''Corierre della Sera'' reported, based on American and Turkish sources,<ref name="consul" /> that Hezbollah was behind a bombing in Istanbul in May 2011 that wounded eight Turkish civilians. The report said that the attack was an assassination attempt on the Israeli consul to Turkey, Moshe Kimchi. Turkish intelligence sources denied the report and said "Israel is in the habit of creating disinformation campaigns using different papers."<ref name="consul">
<blockquote>Quoting Washington sources, the paper said the attack was meant to avenge the death of Iranian nuclear scientist Masoud Ali Mohammadi who was killed last year.&nbsp;... Turkish intelligence first attributed the Istanbul attack&nbsp;... to the Kurdish resistance, but later concluded that Hezbollah, working on behalf of Iran, had organized it. According to the report, three Hezbollah operatives arrived in Istanbul from Beirut to assassinate Kimchi.</blockquote>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4096901,00.html "Report: Hezbollah tried to kill Israeli consul."] ''Ynetnews''. 18 July 2011.</ref>
 
==== 2012 planned attack in Cyprus ====
{{Main|2012 Cyprus terrorist plot}}
In July 2012, a Lebanese man was detained by Cyprus police on possible charges relating to terrorism laws for planning attacks against Israeli tourists. According to security officials, the man was planning attacks for Hezbollah in Cyprus and admitted this after questioning. The police were alerted about the man due to an urgent message from Israeli intelligence. The Lebanese man was in possession of photographs of Israeli targets and had information on Israeli airlines flying back and forth from Cyprus, and planned to blow up a plane or tour bus.<ref name=Haaretz5>{{cite news|last=Ravid|first=Barak|title=Man detained in Cyprus was planning attack on Israeli targets for Hezbollah|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/man-detained-in-cyprus-was-planning-attack-on-israeli-targets-for-hezbollah-1.451000|accessdate=15 July 2012|newspaper=Haaretz|date=14 July 2012}}</ref> Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Iran assisted the Lebanese man with planning the attacks.<ref name=Ynet7>{{cite news|title=PMO: Iran connected to Hezbollah activity in Cyprus|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4255300,00.html|accessdate=15 July 2012|newspaper=Yedioth Ahronot|date=14 July 2012}}</ref>
 
==== 2012 Burgas attack ====
{{Main|2012 Burgas bus bombing}}
Following an investigation into the 2012 Burgas bus bombing terrorist attack against Israeli citizens in [[Bulgaria]], the Bulgarian government officially accused the Lebanese-militant movement Hezbollah of committing the attack.<ref name="reuters1">Tsvetelia Tsolova [https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/05/us-bulgaria-bombing-idUSBRE9140TZ20130205 "Bulgaria blames Hezbollah in bomb attack on Israeli tourists,"] Reuters (5 February 2013). Retrieved 5 May 2013.</ref> Five Israeli citizens, the Bulgarian bus driver, and the bomber were killed. The bomb exploded as the Israeli tourists boarded a bus from the airport to their hotel.
 
[[Tsvetan Tsvetanov]], Bulgaria's interior minister, reported that the two suspects responsible were members of the militant wing of Hezbollah; he said the suspected terrorists entered Bulgaria on 28 June and remained until 18 July. Israel had already previously suspected Hezbollah for the attack. Israeli Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] called the report "further corroboration of what we have already known, that Hezbollah and its [[Iran]]ian patrons are orchestrating a worldwide campaign of terror that is spanning countries and continents."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-unlikely-to-retaliate-after-bulgaria-report/|title=Israel unlikely to retaliate after Bulgaria report. Times of Israel. Jan 2013|work=The Times of Israel}}</ref> Netanyahu said that the attack in Bulgaria was just one of many that Hezbollah and Iran have planned and carried out, including attacks in Thailand, Kenya, Turkey, India, Azerbaijan, Cyprus and Georgia.<ref name="reuters1" />
 
[[John O. Brennan|John Brennan]], Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, has said that "Bulgaria's investigation exposes Hezbollah for what it is – a terrorist group that is willing to recklessly attack innocent men, women and children, and that poses a real and growing threat not only to Europe, but to the rest of the world."<ref name="jpost1">{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=302198|title=Bulgaria: Hezbollah behind Burgas attack|access-date=6 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206075459/http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=302198|archive-date=6 February 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The result of the Bulgarian investigation comes at a time when Israel has been petitioning the European Union to join the United States in designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.<ref name="jpost1" />
 
==== 2015 Shebaa farms incident ====
{{Main|January 2015 Shebaa farms incident}}
In response to [[January 2015 Mazraat Amal incident|an attack against a military convoy]] comprising Hezbollah and Iranian officers on 18 January 2015 at Quneitra in south of Syria, Hezbollah launched an ambush on 28 January against an Israeli military convoy in the Israeli-occupied [[Shebaa Farms]] with [[anti-tank missile]]s against two Israeli vehicles patrolling the border,<ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/tel-aviv-diary-netanyahu-loses-his-security-edge-302676 Tel Aviv Diary: Netanyahu Loses His Security Edge] BY MARC SCHULMAN 1/28/15, Newsweek</ref> killing 2 and wounding 7 Israeli soldiers and officers, as confirmed by Israeli military.
 
=== Assassination of Rafic Hariri ===
{{Main|Assassination of Rafic Hariri}}
On 14 February 2005, former Lebanese Prime Minister [[Rafic Hariri]] was killed, along with 21 others, when his motorcade was struck by a roadside bomb in Beirut. He had been PM during 1992–1998 and 2000–2004. In 2009, the United Nations special tribunal investigating the murder of Hariri reportedly found evidence linking Hezbollah to the murder.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,626412,00.html|title=New Evidence Points to Hezbollah in Hariri Murder|first=Erich|last=Follath|work=Der Spiegel|date=23 May 2009}}</ref>
 
In August 2010, in response to notification that the UN tribunal would indict some Hezbollah members, [[Hassan Nasrallah]] said Israel was looking for a way to assassinate Hariri as early as 1993 in order to create political chaos that would force Syria to withdraw from Lebanon, and to perpetuate an anti-Syrian atmosphere [in Lebanon] in the wake of the assassination. He went on to say that in 1996 Hezbollah apprehended an agent working for Israel by the name of Ahmed Nasrallah – no relation to Hassan Nasrallah – who allegedly contacted Hariri's security detail and told them that he had solid proof that Hezbollah was planning to take his life. Hariri then contacted Hezbollah and advised them of the situation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/nasrallah-israel-used-secret-agent-to-turn-lebanon-gov-t-against-hezbollah-1.307008|title=Nasrallah: Israel used secret agent to turn Lebanon gov't against Hezbollah|date=9 August 2010|work=Haaretz.com}}</ref> Saad Hariri responded that the UN should investigate these claims.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/lebanon-pm-un-must-probe-claims-of-israeli-complicity-in-hariri-murder-1.307587?localLinksEnabled=false|title=Lebanon PM: UN must probe claims of Israeli complicity in Hariri murder|date=12 August 2010|work=Haaretz.com}}</ref>
 
On 30 June 2011, the [[Special Tribunal for Lebanon]], established to investigate the death of Hariri, issued [[arrest warrant]]s against four senior members of Hezbollah, including [[Mustafa Badr Al Din]].<ref name="BBC-30/6">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13972350|title=Hariri murder: UN tribunal issues arrest warrants|date=30 June 2011|work=BBC News|accessdate=3 July 2011}}</ref> On 3 July, Hassan Nasrallah rejected the indictment and denounced the tribunal as a plot against the party, vowing that the named persons would not be arrested under any circumstances.<ref name="BBC-3/7">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14004096|title=Hezbollah leader Nasrallah rejects Hariri indictments|date=3 July 2011|work=BBC News|accessdate=3 July 2011}}</ref>
 
=== Involvement in the Syrian Civil War ===
{{further|Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon|Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War}}
Hezbollah has long been an ally of the [[Ba'ath Party (Syrian-dominated faction)|Ba'ath]] government of Syria, led by the [[Al-Assad family]]. Hezbollah has helped the [[Council of Ministers (Syria)|Syrian government]] during the [[Syrian civil war]] in its fight against the [[Syrian opposition]], which Hezbollah has described as a Zionist plot to destroy its alliance with al-Assad against Israel.<ref name=barnard /> [[Geneive Abdo]] opined that Hezbollah's support for al-Assad in the Syrian war has "transformed" it from a group with "support among the Sunni for defeating Israel in a battle in 2006" into a "strictly Shia paramilitary force".<ref name=abdo>{{cite news|last=Abdo|first=Geneive|title=Why Sunni-Shia conflict is worsening|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/opinion/abdo-shia-sunni-tension/index.html|work=June 7, 2013|publisher=cnn.com|accessdate=12 September 2013|date=7 June 2013}}</ref>
 
In August 2012, the United States sanctioned Hezbollah for its alleged role in the war.<ref>{{cite news|title=US adds Hezbollah to Syria sanctions list|url=http://www.aljazeera.com//news/middleeast/2012/08/2012810164625825716.html|work=[[Al Jazeera]]|date=10 August 2012}}</ref> General Secretary Nasrallah denied Hezbollah had been fighting on behalf of the Syrian government, stating in a 12 October 2012, speech that "right from the start the Syrian opposition has been telling the media that Hizbullah sent 3,000 fighters to Syria, which we have denied".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=ArabWorld&article=6018|title=Drone flight over Israel: Nasrallah's latest surprise|date=10 January 2009}}</ref> However, according to the Lebanese ''Daily Star'' newspaper, Nasrallah said in the same speech that Hezbollah fighters helped the Syrian government "retain control of some 23 strategically located villages [in Syria] inhabited by Shiites of Lebanese citizenship". Nasrallah said that Hezbollah fighters have died in Syria doing their "jihadist duties".<ref>{{cite news|last=Hirst|first=David|title=Hezbollah uses its military power in a contradictory manner|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2012/Oct-23/192380-hezbollah-uses-its-military-power-in-a-contradictory-manner.ashx#axzz2AJrVn2Ik|newspaper=The Daily Star|location=Beirut|date=23 October 2012}}</ref>
 
In 2012, Hezbollah fighters crossed the border from Lebanon and took over eight villages in the [[Al-Qusayr District]] of Syria.<ref name=alarabiya17feb13>{{Cite news|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/17/266843.html|title=Hezbollah fighters, Syrian rebels killed in border fighting|work=Al Arabiya|date=17 February 2013|accessdate=18 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218122629/http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/17/266843.html|archive-date=18 February 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> On 16–17 February 2013, Syrian opposition groups claimed that Hezbollah, backed by the Syrian military, attacked three neighboring Sunni villages controlled by the [[Free Syrian Army]] (FSA). An FSA spokesman said, "Hezbollah's invasion is the first of its kind in terms of organisation, planning and coordination with the Syrian regime's air force". Hezbollah said three Lebanese Shiites, "acting in self-defense", were killed in the clashes with the FSA.<ref name=alarabiya17feb13 /><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21496735 "Hezbollah condemned for 'attack on Syrian villages'"]. BBC News, 18 February 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.</ref> Lebanese security sources said that the three were Hezbollah members.<ref name=baalbekfigures>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-25/207786-baalbek-figures-urge-hezbollah-to-stop-fighting-in-syria.ashx#axzz2LyiyWg9n |title=Baalbek figures urge Hezbollah to stop fighting in Syria |newspaper=[[The Daily Star (Lebanon)|The Daily Star]] |date=25 February 2013 |accessdate=26 February 2013}}</ref> In response, the FSA allegedly attacked two Hezbollah positions on 21 February; one in Syria and one in Lebanon. Five days later, it said it destroyed a convoy carrying Hezbollah fighters and Syrian officers to Lebanon, killing all the passengers.<ref>[http://www.timesofisrael.com/syrian-rebels-claim-successful-attack-on-hezbollah/ "Syrian rebels claim successful attack on Hezbollah"]. ''[[The Times of Israel]]'', 26 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.</ref>
 
In January 2013, a weapons convoy carrying SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles to Hezbollah was [[January 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrike|destroyed]] allegedly by the [[Israeli Air Force]]. A nearby research center for chemical weapons was also damaged. A similar [[May 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrikes|attack]] on weapons destined for Hezbollah occurred in May of the same year.
 
The leaders of the [[March 14 alliance]] and other prominent Lebanese figures called on Hezbollah to end its involvement in Syria and said it is putting Lebanon at risk.<ref name=march14slam>[http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-19/207007-march-14-psp-slam-hezbollah-activities-in-syria.ashx#axzz2LyiyWg9n "March 14, PSP slam Hezbollah activities in Syria"]. ''[[The Daily Star (Lebanon)|The Daily Star]]'', 19 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.</ref> [[Subhi al-Tufayli]], Hezbollah's former leader, said "Hezbollah should not be defending the criminal regime that kills its own people and that has never fired a shot in defense of the Palestinians." He said "those Hezbollah fighters who are killing children and terrorizing people and destroying houses in Syria will go to hell".<ref>[http://www.yalibnan.com/2013/02/26/hezbollah-fighters-dying-in-syria-will-go-to-hell-tufaili/ "Hezbollah fighters dying in Syria will go to hell, Tufaili"]. [[Ya Libnan]], 26 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.</ref> The Consultative Gathering, a group of Shia and Sunni leaders in [[Baalbek District|Baalbek]]-[[Hermel District|Hermel]], also called on Hezbollah not to "interfere" in Syria. They said, "Opening a front against the Syrian people and dragging Lebanon to war with the Syrian people is very dangerous and will have a negative impact on the relations between the two."<ref name=baalbekfigures /> [[Walid Jumblatt]], leader of the [[Progressive Socialist Party]], also called on Hezbollah to end its involvement<ref name=march14slam /> and claimed that "Hezbollah is fighting inside Syria with orders from Iran."<ref>[http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-24/207737-rival-lebanese-groups-fighting-in-syria-jumblatt.ashx#axzz2LyiyWg9n "Rival Lebanese groups fighting in Syria: Jumblatt"]. ''[[The Daily Star (Lebanon)|The Daily Star]]'', 24 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.</ref> Egyptian President [[Mohamed Morsi]] condemned Hezbollah by saying, "We stand against Hezbollah in its aggression against the Syrian people. There is no space or place for Hezbollah in Syria."<ref>{{cite news |title=Morsi cuts Egypt's Syria ties, condemns Hezbollah |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4392653,00.html |work=[[Ynet News]] |date=15 June 2013 |accessdate=13 November 2020}}</ref> Support for Hezbollah among the Syrian public has weakened since the involvement of Hezbollah and Iran in propping up the Assad regime during the civil war.<ref>Eshman, Rob. [http://www.jewishjournal.com/rob_eshman/article/syrian_wake_up "Syrian wake-up."] ''Jewish Journal''. 8 May 2013. 8 May 2013.</ref>
 
On 12 May 2013, Hezbollah with the Syrian army attempted to retake part of Qusayr.<ref name="Hezbollah in Q 2013">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/world/middleeast/syrian-army-moves-to-rebel-held-qusayr.html?pagewanted=all|title=Hezbollah Aids Syrian Military In a Key Battle |date=20 May 2013 |work=The New York Times |accessdate=4 September 2013 |author1=Barnard, Anne |author2=Saad, Hwaida }}</ref> In Lebanon, there has been "a recent increase in the funerals of Hezbollah fighters" and "Syrian rebels have shelled Hezbollah-controlled areas."<ref name="Hezbollah in Q 2013" />
 
On 25 May 2013, Nasrallah announced that Hezbollah is fighting in the Syrian Civil War against [[Islamist|Islamic extremists]] and "pledged that his group will not allow Syrian militants to control areas that border Lebanon".<ref name="Hezbollah 2013">{{cite news |url=https://news.yahoo.com/hezbollah-chief-says-group-fighting-syria-162721809.html |title=Hezbollah chief says group is fighting in Syria |agency=Associated Press |date=25 May 2013 |accessdate=25 May 2013 |author=Mroue, Bassej}}</ref> He confirmed that Hezbollah was fighting in the strategic Syrian town of Al-Qusayr on the same side as [[Assad]]'s forces.<ref name="Hezbollah 2013" /> In the televised address, he said, "If Syria falls in the hands of America, Israel and the [[takfiris]], the people of our region will go into a dark period."<ref name="Hezbollah 2013" />
 
=== Involvement in Iranian-led intervention in Iraq ===
Beginning in July 2014, Hezbollah sent an undisclosed number of technical advisers and intelligence analysts to Baghdad in support of the [[Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present)]]. Shortly thereafter, Hezbollah commander Ibrahim al-Hajj was reported killed in action near Mosul.<ref name="vox1">{{cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/cards/things-about-isis-you-need-to-know/iran-intervenes-iraq |title=Iran is fighting on the Iraqi government's side |last1=Beauchamp |first1=Zack |date=23 September 2014 |website=vox.com |publisher=[[Vox Media|Vox]] |accessdate=26 September 2014}}</ref>
 
===Latin America operations===
Hezbollah operations in South America began in the late 20th century, centered around the Arab population which had moved there following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the 1985 Lebanese Civil War.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gato |first1=Pablo |last2=Windrem |first2=Robert |date=9 May 2007 |title=Hezbollah builds a Western base |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17874369/ns/world_news-americas/t/hezbollah-builds-western-base/#.W3d7Oc5KiM8 |work=Telemundo |via=NBC News |location= |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> In 2002, Hezbollah was operating openly in [[Ciudad del Este]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Goldberg |first=Jeffrey |author-link=Jeffrey Goldberg |date=28 October 2002 |title=In the Party of God |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/10/28/in-the-party-of-god-2 |magazine=The New Yorker |location= |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> Beginning in 2008 the United States Drug Enforcement Agency began with [[Project Cassandra]] to work against Hezbollah activities in regards to Latin American drug trafficking.<ref>{{cite news |last=Meyer |first=Josh |date=2017 |title=The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook |url=https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/obama-hezbollah-drug-trafficking-investigation/ |work=Politico |location= |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> The investigation by the DEA found that Hezbollah made about a billion dollars a year and trafficked thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last=Valencia |first=Robert |date=18 December 2017 |title=Hezbollah Smuggled Tons of Cocaine into the U.S. During Obama Administration, Report Reveals |url=https://www.newsweek.com/hezbollah-cocaine-smuggle-united-states-obama-751928 |work=Newsweek |location= |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> Another destination for cocaine trafficking done by Hezbollah are nations within the [[Gulf Cooperation Council]].<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Hezbollah drug cartels in Latin America target GCC states |url=https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/Story/25880/Hezbollah-drug-cartels-in-Latin-America-target-GCC-states |work=The Baghdad POst |location= |date=9 April 2018 |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> In 2013, Hezbollah was accused of infiltrating South America and having ties with Latin American drug cartels.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/03/world/americas/iran-latin-america |title=Iran, Hezbollah mine Latin America for revenue, recruits, analysts say |publisher=CNN |date=4 June 2013 |accessdate=4 June 2013}}</ref> One area of operations is in the region of the [[Triple Frontier]], where Hezbollah has been alleged to be involved in the trafficking of cocaine; officials with the Lebanese embassy in Paraguay have worked to counter American allegations and extradition attempts.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ottolenghi |first=Emanuele |date=15 August 2018 |title=Lebanon Is Protecting Hezbollah's Cocaine Trade in Latin America |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/06/15/lebanon-is-protecting-hezbollahs-cocaine-and-cash-trade-in-latin-america/ |work=Foreign Policy |location= |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> In 2016, it was alleged that money gained from drug sales was used to purchase weapons in Syria.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks-Pollock |first=Tom |date=2 February 2016 |title=Worldwide drug trafficking ring 'links Hezbollah to Latin American cartels' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/worldwide-drug-trafficking-ring-links-hezbollah-to-latin-american-cartels-a6849141.html |work=Independent |location=United Kingdom |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> In 2018, ''Infobae'' reported that Hezbollah was operating in Colombia under the name Organization of External Security.<ref>{{cite news |last=Chaya |first=George |date=7 April 2018 |title=Interpol detecta actividades ilícitas de Hezbollah en Colombia |url=https://www.infobae.com/america/colombia/2018/04/07/interpol-detecta-actividades-ilicitas-de-hezbollah-en-colombia/ |work=Infobae |language=spanish |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> That same year, Argentine police made arrest to individuals alleged to be connected to Hezbollah's criminal activities within the nation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Diaz |first=Shlomi |date=25 July 2018 |title=Argentine authorities nab terror cell funneling money to Hezbollah |via=Miami Sun-Sentinel |url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/fl-jj-argentine-terror-cell-money-hezbollah-20180725-story.html |work=Florida Jewish Journal |location= |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> It is also alleged that Venezuela aids Hezbollah in its operations in the region.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/hezbollah-south-america-threat-businesses |title=Hezbollah in South America: The Threat to Businesses |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=5 February 2018 |publisher=Stratfor |access-date=17 August 2018 |quote=}}</ref> One particular form of involvement is [[money laundering]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Talley |first=Ian |date=15 May 2018 |title=Hezbollah Said to Be Laundering Money in South American Tri-Border Region |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/hezbollah-said-to-be-laundering-money-in-south-american-tri-border-region-1526389849 |work=Wall Street Journal |location= |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref>
 
=== Other ===
In 2010, [[Ahbash]] and Hezbollah members were involved in a street battle which was perceived to be over parking issues, both groups later met to form a joint compensation fund for the victims of the conflict.<ref name="Yalib">{{cite news|last=Yalib|first=Yalib|title= Hezbollah, Al Ahbash chiefs meet over Borj Abi Haidar incident|url=http://www.yalibnan.com/2010/08/30/hezbollah-al-ahbash-chiefs-meet-over-borj-abi-haidar-incident/|date=30 August 2010}}</ref>
 
== Attacks on Hezbollah leaders ==
Hezbollah has also been the target of bomb attacks and kidnappings. These include:
* In the [[1985 Beirut car bombing]], Hezbollah leader [[Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah]] was targeted, but the assassination attempt failed.
* On 28 July 1989, Israeli commandos kidnapped Sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid, the leader of Hezbollah.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/UN/unres638.html |title=Abduction of Sheikh Obeid, Security Council Resolution 638 |publisher=Jewishvirtuallibrary.org |accessdate=27 January 2011}}</ref> This action led to the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 638, which condemned all hostage takings by all sides.
* In 1992, Israeli helicopters attacked a motorcade in southern Lebanon, killing the Hezbollah leader [[Abbas al-Musawi]], his wife, son, and four others.<ref name="Timeline: Lebanon" />
* On 12 February 2008, [[Imad Mughnieh]] was killed by a car bomb in [[Damascus]], Syria.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2008/02/13/us-syria-blast-idUSL1350754620080213|title=Hezbollah's most wanted commander killed in Syria bomb|work=Reuters |date=13 February 2008|accessdate=5 September 2013}}</ref>
* On 3 December 2013, senior military commander [[Hassan al-Laqis]] was shot outside his home, two miles (three kilometers) southwest of Beirut. He died a few hours later on 4 December.<ref name="c">{{cite news | url=http://cached.newslookup.com/cached.php?ref_id=371&siteid=2302&id=3937984&t=1386190185 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121134044/http://cached.newslookup.com/cached.php?ref_id=371&siteid=2302&id=3937984&t=1386190185 | url-status=dead | archive-date=21 January 2015 | title=Slain Hezbollah honcho held key role in drone program | newspaper=The Times Of Israel | accessdate=22 January 2015 }}</ref>
* On 18 January 2015, a group of Hezbollah fighters was targeted in [[Quneitra]], with the Al-Nusra Front claiming responsibility. In this attack, for which Israel was also accused, Jihad Moghnieh, son of Imad Mughnieh, five other members of Hezbollah and an Iranian general of Quds Force, [[Mohammad Ali Allahdadi]], were killed.<ref name="jpost">{{cite news | url=http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Masses-chant-Death-to-Israel-at-funeral-for-Hezbollah-commander-slain-in-alleged-Israeli-strike-388239 | title=Masses chant 'Death to Israel' at funeral for Hezbollah commander slain in alleged Israeli strike | newspaper=The Jerusalem Post | accessdate=4 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="Aljazeera a">{{cite web | url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/01/israeli-air-raid-kills-hezbollah-commander-2015118163236960984.html | title=Hezbollah fighters killed in Israeli attack | publisher=AlJazeera | accessdate=4 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="aljazeera2">{{cite web | url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/01/hezbollah-mourns-fighters-killed-attack-2015119154814642494.html | title=Hezbollah mourns fighters killed in attack | publisher=Aljazeera | accessdate=4 March 2015}}</ref>
* On 10 May 2016, an explosion near Damascus International Airport killed top military commander [[Mustafa Badreddine]]. Lebanese media sources attributed the attack to an Israeli airstrike. Hezbollah attributed the attack to [[Syrian opposition]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/israel-kills-prominent-hezbollah-commander-airstrike-damascus/|title=Breaking: Israel kills Hezbollah commander in airstrike over Damascus|first=Chris|last=Tomson|date=13 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/13/hezbollah-commander-killed-israel-mustafa-badreddine|title= Leading Hezbollah commander and key Israel target killed in Syria|newspaper=The Guardian|date=13 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4802805,00.html|title=Hezbollah blames insurgent shelling for death of top commander in Syria|work=Ynet|date=14 May 2016}}</ref>
 
== Targeting policy ==
After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], Hezbollah condemned [[al-Qaeda]] for targeting civilians in the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]],<ref>{{cite book|editor1=James A Russell |editor2=James J. Wirtz|title=Globalization and WMD Proliferation: Terrorism, Transnational Networks and International Security|date=2009|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-07970-4|page=86}}</ref><ref name=nationbuilder>{{cite web|url=http://cjpme.nationbuilder.com/fs_184|title=FS_184 – CJPME – English|work=CJPME – English}}</ref> but remained silent on the attack on [[The Pentagon]].<ref name="nybooks"/><ref name="wp_inside_the_mind">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/14/AR2006071401401.html|title=Inside the Mind of Hezbollah|first=Robin|last=Wright|work=The Washington Post |accessdate=1 August 2006|date=16 July 2006}}</ref> Hezbollah also denounced the [[List of Algerian massacres of the 1990s|massacres in Algeria]] by [[Armed Islamic Group]], [[Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya]] attacks on tourists in [[Egypt]],<ref>Hezbollah's condemnation of murder of civilians in Egypt and Algeria is described in Saad-Ghorayeb, p. 101.</ref> the murder of [[Nick Berg]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3710057.stm|title=Muted Arab reaction to Berg beheading|first=Sebastian|last=Usher|work=BBC News |accessdate=5 September 2013 | date=13 May 2004}}</ref> and [[ISIL]] [[November 2015 Paris attacks|attacks in Paris]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/video/multimedia/100000004038242/hezbollah-chief-condemns-paris-attacks.html |title=Hezbollah chief condemns Paris attacks - Video |agency=Reuters |newspaper=The New York Times |date=15 November 2015 |accessdate=21 October 2016}}</ref>
 
Although Hezbollah has denounced certain attacks on civilians, some people accuse the organization of the bombing of an Argentine synagogue in 1994. Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman, Marcelo Martinez Burgos, and their "staff of some 45 people"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=10589|title=AMIA Probe Was Botched: Argentina|author=Larry Luxner|work=The Jewish Week|date=4 March 2006|accessdate=5 February 2007|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715134115/http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=10589|archivedate=15 July 2010}}</ref> said that Hezbollah and their contacts in Iran were responsible for the [[AMIA Bombing|1994 bombing]] of a Jewish cultural center in Argentina, in which "[e]ighty-five people were killed and more than 200 others injured."<ref name="Argentine">{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=39104 |title=Former Iran leader sought in bombing |agency=Associated Press |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=25 October 2006 |accessdate=21 May 2011}}</ref> In June 2002, shortly after the Israeli government launched [[Operation Defensive Shield]], Nasrallah gave a speech in which he defended and praised suicide bombings of Israeli targets by members of Palestinian groups for "creating a deterrence and equalizing fear." Nasrallah stated that "in occupied Palestine, there is no difference between a soldier and a civilian, for they are all invaders, occupiers and usurpers of the land."<ref name="nybooks"/>
 
In August 2012, the United States State Department's counter-terrorism coordinator [[Daniel Benjamin]] warned that Hezbollah may attack Europe at any time without any warning. Benjamin said, "Hezbollah maintains a presence in Europe and its recent activities demonstrate that it is not constrained by concerns about collateral damage or political fallout that could result from conducting operations there&nbsp;... We assess that Hezbollah could attack in Europe or elsewhere at any time with little or no warning" and that Hezbollah has "stepped up terrorist campaigns around the world."<ref name="Hezbollah Europe hit3">{{cite news |url=https://news.yahoo.com/hezbollah-may-strike-europe-time-us-171516661.html |title=US warns Hezbollah may strike in Europe |work=Yahoo News |agency=AFP |date=10 August 2012 |accessdate=10 August 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813063517/http://news.yahoo.com/hezbollah-may-strike-europe-time-us-171516661.html|archivedate=13 August 2012}}</ref><ref name="Hezbollah Europe hit">{{cite web |url=http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=280819 |title=Hezbollah could hit Europe at any time, with no warning |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=10 August 2012 |accessdate=10 August 2012}}</ref><ref name="Hezbollah Europe hit1">{{cite news |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20120810-hezbollah-may-strike-europe-time-us |title=Hezbollah may strike in Europe at any time: US |publisher=France 24 |agency=AFP |date=10 August 2012 |accessdate=10 August 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811154727/http://www.france24.com/en/20120810-hezbollah-may-strike-europe-time-us|archivedate=11 August 2012}}</ref>
 
== Foreign relations ==
{{Main|Hezbollah foreign relations}}
 
Hezbollah has close relations with Iran.<ref>Halliday, Fred. [http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization/hizbollah_3757.jsp "A Lebanese fragment: two days with Hizbollah."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820114015/http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization/hizbollah_3757.jsp |date=20 August 2006 }} openDemocracy. 20 July 2006. 17 February 2007.</ref> It also has ties with the leadership in Syria, specifically President [[Hafez al-Assad]] (until his death in 2000) supported it.<ref name="e">{{cite web |url=http://www.meforum.org/1755/has-hezbollahs-rise-come-at-syrias-expense#_ftnref1 |title=Middle East Quarterly |publisher=Middle East Forum |accessdate=23 January 2015 |author=Rabil, Robert G |date=September 2007}}</ref> It is also a close Assad ally, and its leader pledged support to the embattled Syrian leader.<ref name="f">{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/08/28/216385513/who-are-syrias-friends-and-why-are-they-supporting-assad |title=Who Are Syria's Friends And Why Are They Supporting Assad? |publisher=parallels |accessdate=23 January 2015}}</ref><ref name="g">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22669230 |title=Hezbollah leader Nasrallah vows victory in Syria |work=BBC News |accessdate=23 January 2015}}</ref> Although Hezbollah and [[Hamas]] are not organizationally linked, Hezbollah provides military training as well as financial and moral support to the [[Sunni]] [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] group.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33566.pdf |title=Israel-Hamas-Hezbollah: The Current Conflict |publisher=CRS Report for Congress |date=21 July 2006 |accessdate=8 September 2006}}</ref> Furthermore, Hezbollah is a strong supporter of the ongoing Al-Aqsa Intifada.<ref name="nybooks"/>
 
American and Israeli counter-terrorism officials claim that Hezbollah has (or had) links to [[Al Qaeda]], although Hezbollah's leaders deny these allegations.<ref name="Gunaratna" /><ref>Stinson, Jeffrey. [https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-07-28-lebanon-hezbollah_x.htm "Minister: Hezbollah doesn't need al-Qaeda's help fighting Israel in Lebanon."] ''USA Today''. 28 July 2006. 17 February 2006.</ref> Also, some al-Qaeda leaders, like [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5040974.stm|work=BBC News|title='Zarqawi tape' urges Sunni unrest|date=2 June 2006|accessdate=5 September 2013}}</ref> and [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]] clerics, consider Hezbollah to be apostate.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=Jerusalem Post |date=5 August 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416220150/http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1154525810323 |title=Saudi religious leader blasts Hizbullah |accessdate=6 August 2006 |archivedate=16 April 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> But United States intelligence officials speculate that there has been contact between Hezbollah and low-level al-Qaeda figures who fled [[Afghanistan]] for Lebanon.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/08/13/iraq.terror/|publisher=CNN World News|author1=Boettcher, Mike |author2=Schuster, Henry |title=New terror alliance suspected in Iraq|date=13 August 2003|accessdate=26 July 2006}}</ref> However, [[Michel Samaha]], Lebanon's former minister of information, has said that Hezbollah has been an important ally of the government in the war against terrorist groups, and described the "American attempt to link Hezbollah to al-Qaeda" to be "astonishing".<ref name="nybooks"/>
 
=== Public opinion ===
According to [[Michel Samaha]], Lebanon's minister of information, Hezbollah is seen as a legitimate resistance organization that has defended its land against an Israeli occupying force and has consistently stood up to the Israeli army.<ref name="nybooks"/>
 
According to a survey released by the "Beirut Center for Research and Information" on 26 July during the [[2006 Lebanon War]], 87 percent of Lebanese support Hezbollah's "retaliatory attacks on northern Israel",<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Beirut Center for Research and Information |date=29 July 2006 |url=http://www.beirutcenter.info/default.asp?contentid=692&MenuID=46 |title=Poll finds support for Hizbullah's retaliation |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060830210321/http://www.beirutcenter.info/default.asp?contentid=692&MenuID=46 |archivedate=30 August 2006 }}</ref> a rise of 29 percentage points from a similar poll conducted in February. More striking, however, was the level of support for Hezbollah's resistance from non-Shiite communities. Eighty percent of [[Christianity in Lebanon|Christians]] polled supported Hezbollah, along with 80 percent of [[Druze]] and 89 percent of [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunnis]].<ref name="www-csmon-is-st-m-b-h-b">{{cite web|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0728/p06s01-wome.html|first=Nicholas|last=Blanford|work=Christian Science Monitor|title=Israeli strikes may boost Hizbullah base|date=28 July 2006|accessdate=29 July 2006}}</ref>
 
In a poll of Lebanese adults taken in 2004, 6% of respondents gave unqualified support to the statement "Hezbollah should be disarmed". 41% reported unqualified disagreement. A poll of Gaza Strip and West Bank residents indicated that 79.6% had "a very good view" of Hezbollah, and most of the remainder had a "good view". Polls of Jordanian adults in December 2005 and June 2006 showed that 63.9% and 63.3%, respectively, considered Hezbollah to be a legitimate resistance organization.In the December 2005 poll, only 6% of Jordanian adults considered Hezbollah to be terrorist.<ref name="an">{{cite news | url=http://arabnews.us/index.php/en/home/9-2013-04-30-13-59-49/295-what-led-to-the-rapid-increased-popularity-of-hezbollah-in-lebanon-search-by-dr-khader-hawthorn | archive-url=https://archive.today/20150203073712/http://arabnews.us/index.php/en/home/9-2013-04-30-13-59-49/295-what-led-to-the-rapid-increased-popularity-of-hezbollah-in-lebanon-search-by-dr-khader-hawthorn | url-status=dead | archive-date=3 February 2015 | title=What led to the rapid increased popularity of Hezbollah in Lebanon | newspaper=Arab News | accessdate=3 February 2015 | author=Zarour, Khoder}}</ref>
 
A July 2006 ''USA Today''/Gallup poll found that 83% of the 1,005 Americans polled blamed Hezbollah, at least in part, for the [[2006 Lebanon War]], compared to 66% who blamed Israel to some degree. Additionally, 76% disapproved of the military action Hezbollah took in Israel, compared to 38% who disapproved of Israel's military action in Lebanon.<ref name="Pollingreport" /> A poll in August 2006 by ABC News and the ''Washington Post'' found that 68% of the 1,002 Americans polled blamed Hezbollah, at least in part, for the civilian casualties in Lebanon during the [[2006 Lebanon War]], compared to 31% who blamed Israel to some degree.<ref name="Pollingreport">[http://www.pollingreport.com/israel.htm "Israel/Palestinians."] PollingReport.com. 10 December 2006.</ref> Another August 2006 poll by CNN showed that 69% of the 1,047 Americans polled believed that Hezbollah is unfriendly towards, or an enemy of, the United States.<ref name="Pollingreport" />
 
In 2010, a survey of Muslims in Lebanon showed that 94% of Lebanese [[Shi'a Islam in Lebanon|Shia]] supported Hezbollah, while 84% of the [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunni]] Muslims held an unfavorable opinion of the group.<ref>[http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/03/muslims-offer-mixed-views-on-hamas-hezbollah-reject-al-qaeda/ Muslims offer mixed views on Hamas, Hezbollah, reject al Qaeda], CNN. 3 December 2010</ref>
 
Some public opinion has started to turn against Hezbollah for their support of Syrian President Assad's attacks on the opposition movement in Syria.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/08/10/158525814/sunni-cleric-rises-to-challenge-hezbollah-in-lebanon |title=Sunni Cleric Rises To Challenge Hezbollah In Lebanon |publisher=NPR |date=10 August 2012 |accessdate=25 August 2012}}</ref> Crowds in Cairo shouted out against Iran and Hezbollah, at a public speech by Hamas President Ismail Haniya in February 2012, when Hamas changed its support to the Syrian opposition.<ref>{{cite news|last=Akram|first=Fares|title=In Break, Hamas Supports Syrian Opposition|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/world/middleeast/hamas-leader-supports-syrian-opposition.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=24 February 2012}}</ref>
 
=== Designation as a terrorist organization or resistance movement ===
<!--Linked from [[Hassan Nasrallah]]-->
{{see also|List of designated terrorist groups}}
 
Hezbollah's status as a legitimate political party, a terrorist group, a resistance movement, or some combination thereof is a contentious issue.<ref name="horowitz1">{{Cite web|url=http://worldpolicy.org/2013/09/25/hezbollahs-military-and-politics-any-difference/|title=Hezbollah's Military and Politics: Any Difference? – World Policy}}</ref>
 
As of October 2020, Hezbollah or its military wing are considered [[terrorist organization]]s by at least 25 countries,{{cn|date=October 2020}} as well as by the [[European Union]] and since 2017 by most member states of the [[Arab League]], with the exception of Iraq and Lebanon, where Hezbollah is the most powerful political party.<ref name=Wedeman>[[Ben Wedeman]],[https://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/19/middleeast/saudi-arabia-iran-arab-league/index.html Arab League states condemn Hezbollah as 'terrorist organization'] [[CNN News]] 20 November 2017.</ref>
 
The countries that have designated Hezbollah a terrorist organisation include: the Arab League<ref>http://english.alarabiya.net/en/2016/03/11/Arab-League-declares-Lebanon-s-Hezbollah-terror-group.html</ref> and the Gulf Cooperation Council,<ref>http://www.arabnews.com/news/453834</ref> and their members Saudi Arabia,<ref name="WSJ-Gulf-Coop">{{cite news|first1=Asa|last1=Fitch|author2=Dana Ballout|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/gulf-cooperation-council-labels-hezbollah-a-terrorist-group-1456926654|title=Gulf Cooperation Council Labels Hezbollah a Terrorist Group|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=2 March 2016|accessdate=1 December 2016|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201083532/http://www.wsj.com/articles/gulf-cooperation-council-labels-hezbollah-a-terrorist-group-1456926654/|archive-date=1 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Bahrain,<ref name="bahrain-list"/> United Arab Emirates,<ref name="WSJ-Gulf-Coop"/> as well as Argentina,<ref name="arg-repet"/> Canada,<ref name="canada-list"/> Colombia,<ref name="Colombia2020">{{cite news|title=Colombia and Honduras designate Hezbollah a terrorist organization|publisher=Jerusalem Post |url=https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Honduras-to-officially-designate-Hezbollah-as-a-terror-organization-614679 |date=20 January 2020}}</ref> Honduras,<ref name="Colombia2020"/> Israel,<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Hezbollah a recognized terrorist organization.|url=https://www.idf.il/en/minisites/hezbollah/hezbollah/hezbollah-a-recognized-terrorist-organization/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-10-07|website=www.idf.il}}</ref> Malaysia,<ref name="my-list"/> Paraguay,<ref name="PAR"/> United Kingdom,<ref name="homeoffice"/> United States,<ref name="us-fto"/> Germany,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-04-30|title=Germany designates Hezbollah as terrorist group, conducts raids on suspects|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20200430-germany-designates-hezbollah-as-terrorist-group-conducts-raids-on-suspects|access-date=2020-10-07|website=France 24|language=en}}</ref> Lithuania, Estonia, Serbia, Kosovo,<ref name=jpost646587>[https://www.jpost.com/international/estonia-imposes-sanctions-on-hezbollah-646587 Estonia imposes sanctions on Hezbollah]</ref> and Guatemala.<ref name=jpost646700>[https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/guatemala-designates-hezbollah-as-terrorist-organization-646700 Guatemala designates Hezbollah as terrorist organization]</ref>
 
The EU differentiates between the Hezbollah's political wing and military wing, banning only the latter, though Hezbollah itself does not recognize such a distinction.<ref name=jpost646587/> Hezbollah maintains that it is a legitimate [[resistance movement]] fighting for the liberation of Lebanese territory.
 
There is a "wide difference" between American and Arab perception of Hezbollah.<ref name="nybooks"/> Several [[Western world|Western countries]] officially classify Hezbollah or its external security wing as a [[terrorist organization]], and some of their violent acts have been described as terrorist attacks. However, throughout most of the [[Arab world|Arab]] and [[Muslim world]]s, Hezbollah is referred to as a [[resistance movement]], engaged in [[National security|national defense]].<ref name="HG20Ak02" /><ref name="hiof-Views">{{cite web|url=http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/320/324/324.2/hizballah/hizballah-background.html |title=Hizbullah: Views and Concepts|publisher=Almashriq|date=20 June 1997|accessdate=27 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/320/324/324.2/hizballah/statement01.html |title=Statement of purpose |publisher=Almashriq|date=20 March 1998 |accessdate=27 January 2011}}</ref> Even within Lebanon, sometimes Hezbollah's status as either a "militia" or "national resistance" has been contentious. In Lebanon, although not universally well-liked, Hezbollah is widely seen as a legitimate national resistance organization defending Lebanon, and actually described by the Lebanese information minister as an important ally in fighting terrorist groups.<ref name="nybooks"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Dionigi|first1=Filippo|title=Hezbollah, Islamist Politics, and International Society|date=2014|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-137-40302-5|pages=153–156}}</ref> In the Arab world, Hezbollah is generally seen either as a destabilizing force that functions as Iran's pawn by rentier{{clarify|reason=Is this supposed to be "entire"? Something else?|date=April 2019}} states like [[Egypt]] and [[Saudi Arabia]], or as a popular sociopolitical [[guerilla]] movement that exemplifies strong leadership, meaningful political action, and a commitment to [[social justice]].
 
The [[United Nations Security Council]] has never listed Hezbollah as a terrorist organization under its sanctions list, although some of its members have done so individually. The [[United Kingdom]] listed Hezbollah's military wing as a terrorist organization<ref name="UKHO2015"/> until May 2019 when the entire organisation was proscribed,<ref name="UKban">{{cite web|title=Britain bans Hezbollah - Middle East|url=https://www.jpost.com/Jerusalem-Report/Britain-bans-Hezbollah-589893|website=The Jerusalem Post}}</ref> and the [[United States]]<ref name="auto">[http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1997-10-08/pdf/97-27030.pdf Designation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations], Department of State, Federal Register, Vol. 62, No. 195, 8 October 1997</ref> lists the entire group as such. [[Russia]] has considered Hezbollah a legitimate sociopolitical organization,<ref name="auto5">[http://www.timesofisrael.com/russia-says-hezbollah-hamas-not-terror-groups/ ' Russia says Hezbollah, Hamas not terror groups,'] [[The Times of Israel]] 16 November 2015.</ref> and the [[China|People's Republic of China]] remains neutral and maintains contacts with Hezbollah.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}<ref name="auto6">Omar Nashabe, [http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/6964 'China’s Ambassador in Lebanon: Hezbollah Arms a Trade Matter,'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130104652/http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/6964 |date=30 January 2017 }} 4 May Al-Akhbar, 2012</ref>
 
In May 2013, [[France]] and [[Germany]] released statements that they will join other European countries in calling for an [[European Union|EU]]-blacklisting of Hezbollah as a terror group.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/paris-backs-blacklisting-hezbollah-over-assad-ties/|title=Blacklisting Hezbollah EU is Blacklisting Hezbollah|work=The Times of Israel}}</ref> In April 2020 Germany designated the organization - including its political wing - as a terrorist organization, and banned any activity in support of Hezbollah.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/30/europe/germany-bans-hezbollah-grm-intl/index.html|title=Germany bans Lebanese militant group Hezbollah|author1=Ivana Kottasová |author2=Frederik Pleitgen |author3=Nadine Schmidt|website=CNN}}</ref>
 
The following entities have listed Hezbollah as a terror group:
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|-
|{{flag|Arab League}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/2016/03/11/Arab-League-declares-Lebanon-s-Hezbollah-terror-group.html|title=Arab League brands Hezbollah 'terror' group}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Argentina}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name="JPostAR">{{cite news |title=Hezbollah branded as terrorist organization in Argentina, assets frozen|url=https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Antisemitism/Argentina-freezes-Hezbollah-assets-brands-group-terrorist-organization-596086 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=19 July 2019 |accessdate=19 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="TOIAR">{{cite news |last1=staff |first1=T. O. I. |title=Argentina moves toward designating Hezbollah a terror group |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/argentina-moves-toward-designating-hezbollah-a-terror-group/ |work=The Times of Israel |date=17 July 2019}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Australia}}
|Hezbollah's External Security Organization
|<ref name="auto2"/><ref>Levin, Sandy. [http://levin.house.gov/letter-urging-eu-council-designate-hezbollah-terrorist-organization "Letter Urging European Union Council to Designate Hezbollah as a Terrorist Organization."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224022649/https://levin.house.gov/letter-urging-eu-council-designate-hezbollah-terrorist-organization |date=24 December 2018 }} ''Congressman Sandy Levin''. 21 September 2012. 1 February 2015.</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Austria}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name=jnsCzech/>
|-
|{{flagu|Bahrain}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name="JPostBahrain"/>
|-
|{{flagu|Canada}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name=h/>
|-
|{{flagu|Colombia}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name="ColombiaHonduras">{{cite web|last=Harkov |first=Lahav |url=https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Honduras-to-officially-designate-Hezbollah-as-a-terror-organization-614679 |title=Colombia and Honduras designate Hezbollah a terrorist organization - The Jerusalem Post |publisher=Jpost.com |date=8 December 2019 |accessdate=21 January 2020}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Czech Republic}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name=jnsCzech>[https://www.jns.org/israel-praises-czech-republic-for-designating-hezbollah-a-terrorist-organization/ Israel praises Czech Republic for designating Hezbollah a terrorist organization]</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Estonia}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name=jpost646587/>
|-
|{{flag|European Union}}
|Hezbollah's military wing
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/International/EU-ministers-agree-to-blacklist-military-wing-of-Hezbollah-320639|title=EU places Hezbollah military wing on terror blacklist|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=22 July 2013|accessdate=22 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="auto4">{{Cite news|author1=Kanter, James |author2=Rudoren, Jodi |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/23/world/middleeast/european-union-adds-hezbollah-wing-to-terror-list.html|title=European Union Adds Military Wing of Hezbollah to List of Terrorist Organizations|date=22 July 2013|newspaper=New York Times|accessdate=4 September 2013}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|France}}
|The military wing of Hezbollah only, France considers the political wing as a legitimate sociopolitical organization
|<ref name="auto1"/>
|-
|{{flagu|Germany}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/germany-classifies-hezbollah-as-terrorist-organisation-conducts-raids-2020-04-30|title=Germany classifies Hezbollah as terrorist organisation, conducts raids|first1=Contributors Madeline Chambers|last1=Reuters|first2=reas Rink|last2=Reuters|website=nasdaq.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=After U.S., Israeli pressure, Germany bans Hezbollah activity, raids mosques | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-lebanon-hezbollah/after-u-s-israeli-pressure-germany-bans-hezbollah-activity-raids-mosques-idUSKBN22C0LC | date=30 April 2020 | work=[[Reuters]] | accessdate=30 April 2020}}</ref>
|-
|{{flag|Gulf Cooperation Council}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name="GCC">{{cite news|date=3 June 2013|title=GCC: Hezbollah terror group|newspaper=Arab News|url=http://www.arabnews.com/news/453834|accessdate=3 June 2013}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Guatemala}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name=jpost646700/>
|-
|{{flagu|Honduras}}
|The entire organisation Hezbollah
|<ref name="ColombiaHonduras"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hondruas-hezbollah/honduras-formally-declares-hezbollah-a-terrorist-organization-idUSKBN1ZJ1SJ|title=Honduras declares Hezbollah a terrorist organization|website=Reuters|date=20 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/01/20/Honduras-becomes-latest-to-officially-declare-Hezbollah-a-terrorist-organization.html|title=Honduras becomes latest to officially declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization|website=Al Arabiya|date=20 January 2020}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Israel}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name="Hezbollah – International terrorist organization"/>
|-
|{{flagu|Japan}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name=JPN/>
|-
|{{flagu|Kosovo}}
|The military wing of Hezbollah
|<ref>Weinthal, Benjamin. [https://www.jpost.com/International/The-Republic-of-Kosovo-designates-Hezbollah-a-terrorist-organization-594016 "The Republic of Kosovo ...."] ''The Jerusalem Post''. 30 June 2019. 2 July 2019.</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Lithuania}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref>[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/lithuania-recognized-hezbollah-as-a-terrorist-organization-638458 Lithuania recognizes Hezbollah as a terrorist organization]</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Netherlands}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name="auto3"/><ref name="Asseraf-2007">Muriel Asseraf, [http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=1323269&ct=4490703#_ftnref5 "Prospects for Adding Hezbollah to the EU Terrorist List"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211111441/http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=1323269&ct=4490703 |date=11 February 2011 }}, September 2007</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|New Zealand}}
|Hezbollah's military wing Al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya, since 2010
|<ref name="NZ-r1373-terrorlist"/>
|-
|{{flagu|Paraguay}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name="JPostPAR">{{cite news |title=Paraguay labels Hezbollah a terror group, Brazil may follow |url=https://www.jpost.com/International/Brazil-to-designate-Hezbollah-a-terror-organization-599091 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=19 August 2019 |accessdate=19 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Serbia}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/09/04/Trump-says-Kosovo-and-Israel-agree-to-establish-diplomatic-relations-normalize-ties|title=Kosovo, Israel agree to normalize ties; Serbia to move embassy to Jerusalem
|date=4 September 2020}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Switzerland}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name=jnsCzech/>
|-
|{{flagu|United Arab Emirates}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/gulf-cooperation-council-labels-hezbollah-a-terrorist-group-1456926654|title=Gulf Cooperation Council Labels Hezbollah a Terrorist Group|date=2 March 2016}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|United Kingdom}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name=UKban/>
|-
|{{flagu|United States}}
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name="state.gov"/>
|-
|{{flagu|Venezuela}} (Guaidó government)
|The entire organization Hezbollah
|<ref name="AsambleaVE">{{Cite tweet |user=jguaido |author=Juan Guaidó |number=1169247448147091457 |date = 4 September 2019 |title=Desde la @AsambleaVE hemos declarado a la disidencia de las FARC, ELN, Hamas, Hezbollah e ISIS como grupos terroristas, ordenándoles a todos los cuerpos de seguridad del Estado proteger nuestra soberanía e integridad territorial frente a la amenaza que representan estos grupos.}}</ref>
|}
 
The following countries do not consider Hezbollah a terror organization:
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|-
|{{flagu|Algeria}}
|Algeria refused to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/algeria-risks-isolation-arab-league-over-hezbollah-stance-1870366475|title=Algeria's Hezbollah stance 'reflects view on resistance, not terrorism'|website=Middle East Eye|date=29 January 2019}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|People's Republic of China}}
|The People's Republic of China remains neutral and maintains contacts with Hezbollah
|<ref name="auto6" />
|-
|{{flagu|Cuba}}
|Hezbollah operates a base in Cuba
|<ref>{{cite news |title=Report: Hezbollah opens base in Cuba|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4116628,00.html |work=Ynet news |date=9 January 2011 |accessdate=16 July 2020}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Iran}}
|
|<ref name="openDemocracy">{{cite web|url=http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization/hizbollah_3757.jsp|title=A Lebanese fragment: two days with Hizbollah|work=openDemocracy|access-date=8 August 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820114015/http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization/hizbollah_3757.jsp|archive-date=20 August 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Iraq}}
|
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/28/putin-s-new-axis-of-resistance-russia-iran-iraq-syria-and-hezbollah|title=Putin's New Axis of Resistance: Russia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Hezbollah|first=James|last=Miller|date=28 September 2015|website=The Daily Beast}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|North Korea}}
|Allegedly supports Hezbollah
|<ref>{{cite book|last=Farquhar |first=Scott |title=Back to Basics: A Study of the Second Lebanon War and Operation CAST LEAD |publisher=Combat Studies Institute Press |page=9 |url=http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/download/csipubs/farquhar.pdf |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013021642/http://cgsc.edu/carl/download/csipubs/farquhar.pdf |archivedate=13 October 2011 }}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Russia}}
|Considers Hezbollah a legitimate sociopolitical organization
|<ref name="auto5" />
|-
|{{flagu|Syria}}
|
|<ref>{{Cite book|title=Why States Rebel. Understanding State Sponsorship of Terrorism|last=Kirchner|first=Magdalena|publisher=Barbara Budrich|year=2016|isbn=978-3-8474-0641-9|location=Opladen|pages=220–230}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Venezuela}} (Maduro government)
|
|<ref name="EmersonBlood">[[Steven Emerson|Emerson, Steven]]. [http://www.steveemerson.com/4281/blood-money-hezbollahs-revenue-stream-flows "Blood Money: Hezbollah's revenue stream flows through the Americas."] ''Steven Emerson''. March 2007. 23 October 2009.</ref>
 
|}
 
==== In the Western world ====
The United States Department of State has designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization since 1995. The group remains on Foreign Terrorist Organization and
Specially Designated Terrorist lists. According to the [[Congressional Research Service]], "The U.S. government holds Hezbollah responsible for a number of attacks and hostage takings targeting Americans in Lebanon during the 1980s, including the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in April 1983 and the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in October 1983, which together killed 258 Americans. Hezbollah's operations outside of Lebanon, including its participation in bombings of Israeli and Jewish targets in Argentina during the 1990s and more recent training and liaison activities with Shiite insurgents in Iraq, have cemented the organization's reputation among U.S. policy makers as a capable and deadly adversary with potential global reach."<ref>Casey L. Addis & Christopher M. Blanchard, [https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R41446.pdf Hezbollah: Background and Issues for Congress], Congressional Research Service, 3 January 2011</ref>
 
The United Kingdom was the first government to attempt to make a distinction between Hezbollah's political and military wings, declaring the latter a terrorist group in July 2008 after Hezbollah confirmed its association with Imad Mughniyeh.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chathamhouse.org/media/comment/view/193456|title=EU Listing of Hezbollah: Inevitable Decision with Unpredictable Consequences|work=Chatham House}}</ref> In 2012, British "Foreign Minister William Hague urged the European Union to place Hezbollah's military wing on its list of terrorist organizations."<ref>[http://www.jewishjournal.com/world/article/uk_urges_eu_to_classify_hezbollah_military_wing_as_terrorist_group "UK urges EU to classify Hezbollah military wing as terrorist group."] ''Jewish Journal''. 11 September 2012.</ref> The United States also urged the EU to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} In light of findings implicating Hezbollah in the [[2012 Burgas bus bombing|bus bombing in Burgas, Bulgaria in 2012]], there was renewed discussion within the European Union to label Hezbollah's military wing as a terrorist group.<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4382998,00.html "Germany backs terror label for Hezbollah."] ''Ynetnews''. 22 May 2013.</ref> On 22 July 2013, the European Union agreed to blacklist Hezbollah's military wing over concerns about its growing role in the Syrian conflict.<ref>{{cite news |title=European Union Adds Military Wing of Hezbollah to List of Terrorist Organizations |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/23/world/middleeast/european-union-adds-hezbollah-wing-to-terror-list.html |date=22 July 2013 |accessdate=6 November 2013| first=James| last=Kanter|work=New York Times}}</ref>
 
In the midst of the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, Russia's government declined to include Hezbollah in a newly released list of terrorist organizations, with Yuri Sapunov, the head of anti-terrorism for the [[Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation]], saying that they list only organizations which represent "the greatest threat to the security of our country".<ref>{{cite news |title=Hezbollah not on Russia's "terrorist" list |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072801433.html |agency=Associated Press |date=28 July 2006 |quote=Sapunov told Rossiiskaya Gazeta the list of 17 "includes only those organizations which represent the greatest threat to the security of our country." Groups linked to separatist militants in Chechnya and Islamic radicals in Central Asia made the list. |accessdate=27 October 2007| first=Henry| last=Meyer |work=The Washington Post}}</ref> Prior to the release of the list, Russian Defense Minister [[Sergei Ivanov]] called "on Hezbollah to stop resorting to any terrorist methods, including attacking neighboring states."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?itemid=4382<!-- haaretz link not found --> |title=Russian defense minister says Hezbollah uses 'terrorist methods' |date=15 July 2006 |work=[[Haaretz]] Service and News Agencies |accessdate=27 October 2007}}</ref>
 
The Quartet's fourth member, the United Nations, does not maintain such a list,<ref>United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee [https://www.un.org/en/sc/ctc/ Portal]. Retrieved 7 August 2006.</ref> however, the United Nations has made repeated calls for Hezbollah to disarm and accused the group of destabilizing the region and causing harm to Lebanese civilians.<ref>Bajpai, Arunoday. [https://books.google.com/?id=lugDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT54 "Pratiyogita Darpan."] ''Pratiyogita Darpan''. October 2006. 9 January 2011.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/14/mideast.main/index.html|title=Lebanon truce holds despite clashes|publisher=CNN|date=15 August 2006|accessdate=4 September 2013}}</ref><ref>Frank, Thomas. [https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-07-17-israel-strategy_x.htm "Israel says it doesn't plan to occupy Lebanon."] ''USA Today''. 18 July 2006. 9 January 2011.</ref> Human rights organizations [[Amnesty International]] and [[Human Rights Watch]] have accused Hezbollah of committing [[war crimes]] against Israeli civilians.<ref>[https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2006/08/04/israellebanon-hezbollah-must-end-attacks-civilians "Israel/Lebanon: Hezbollah Must End Attacks on Civilians."] [[Human Rights Watch]]. 4 August 2006. 9 January 2011.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/14/amnesty.hezbollah/index.html?_s=PM:WORLD|title=Amnesty: Hezbollah guilty of war crimes|publisher=CNN|date=14 September 2006|accessdate=4 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|author=Cowell, Alan|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/world/middleeast/14amnesty.html|title=Amnesty International Says Hezbollah Committed War Crimes|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=14 September 2006|accessdate=4 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605053520/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060914.whezbollah0914/BNStory/International|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060914.whezbollah0914/BNStory/International |title=Amnesty: Hezbollah committed war crimes against Israel |work=Globe and Mail /AP |author=Katie Fretland |date=14 September 2006 |archivedate=5 June 2008 |accessdate=20 October 2012 |location=Toronto}}</ref>
 
Argentine prosecutors hold Hezbollah and their financial supporters in Iran responsible for the [[1994 AMIA Bombing]] of a Jewish cultural center, described by the [[Associated Press]] as "the worst terrorist attack on Argentine soil," in which "[e]ighty-five people were killed and more than 200 others injured."<ref name="Argentine" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nysun.com/foreign/judge-arrest-ex-president-of-iran/43312/ |title=Judge: Arrest Ex-President Of Iran |work=The New York Sun |date=10 November 2006 |accessdate=21 May 2011}}</ref> During the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, French Prime Minister [[Lionel Jospin]] condemned attacks by Hezbollah fighters on Israeli forces in south Lebanon, saying they were "terrorism" and not acts of resistance. "France condemns Hezbollah's attacks, and all types of terrorist attacks which may be carried out against soldiers, or possibly Israel's civilian population."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/655963.stm |title=French PM lashes Hezbollah 'terrorism' |work=BBC News |date=24 February 2000 |accessdate=5 September 2013}}</ref> Italian Foreign Minister [[Massimo D'Alema]] differentiated the wings of Hezbollah: "Apart from their well-known terrorist activities, they also have political standing and are socially engaged."<ref>{{cite news |last=Dershowitz |first=Alan M. |url=http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=33151 |title=Italian FM: Hezbollah, Hamas are not al-Qaida |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |date=29 August 2006 |accessdate=21 May 2011}}</ref> Germany does not maintain its own list of terrorist organizations, having chosen to adopt the common EU list. However, German officials have indicated they would likely support designating Hezbollah a terrorist organization.<ref>[https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33808.pdf Germany's Relations with Israel: Background and Implications for German Middle East Policy] [[Congressional Research Service]] (19 January 2007)</ref> The Netherlands regards Hezbollah as terrorist discussing it as such in official reports of their general intelligence and security service<ref name=nlfas>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/irp/world/netherlands/aivd2004-eng.pdf|title=Annual Report 2004|publisher=Netherlands General intelligence and security service}}</ref> and in official answers by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.<ref>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107072052/http://www.minbuza.nl/nl/actueel/brievenparlement%2C2008/10/Beantwoording-vragen---r-z-over-Hezbollah-en-de-EU.html |url=http://www.minbuza.nl/nl/actueel/brievenparlement,2008/10/Beantwoording-vragen---r-z-over-Hezbollah-en-de-EU.html |title=Answers to questions on Hezbollah and the EU (in Dutch) |date=14 October 2008 |archivedate=7 January 2009 |publisher=Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 22 July 2013, the [[European Union]] declared the military wings of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization; effectively blacklisting the entity.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/23/world/middleeast/european-union-adds-hezbollah-wing-to-terror-list.html?_r=0 |work=The New York Times |first1=James |last1=Kanter |first2=Jodi |last2=Rudoren |title=European Union Adds Military Wing of Hezbollah to List of Terrorist Organizations |date=22 July 2013}}</ref>
 
The [[United States]],<ref name="auto" /> [[France]] (only for the military wing),<ref name="auto1"/> the [[Gulf Cooperation Council]],<ref name="GCC" /> [[Canada]],<ref name=h/> the [[Netherlands]],<ref name="auto3"/> and [[Israel]]<ref name="Hezbollah – International terrorist organization"/> have classified Hezbollah as a [[List of designated terrorist groups|terrorist organization]]. In early 2015, the US [[Director of National Intelligence]] removed Hezbollah from the list of "active terrorist threats" against the United States while Hezbollah remained designated as terrorist by the US,<ref>[http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-report-scraps-iran-hezbollah-from-list-of-terror-threats/ 'US intel report scrapped Iran from list of terror threats,'] [[The Times of Israel]] 16 March 2015.</ref> and by mid 2015 several Hezbollah officials were sanctioned by the US for their role in facilitating military activity in the ongoing Syrian Civil War.<ref>{{cite news|title=U.S. imposes sanctions on Hezbollah officials for Syria support|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/21/us-sanctions-hezbollah-idUSKCN0PV25J20150721|work=Reuters|accessdate=15 October 2015}}</ref> The [[European Union]], [[New Zealand]], the [[United Kingdom]],<ref name="UKHO2015"/> and [[Australia]]<ref name="auto2"/> have proscribed Hezbollah's military wing, but do not list Hezbollah as a whole as a terrorist organization.<ref name="NZ-r1373-terrorlist"/><ref name="auto4" />
 
Serbia, which recently designated Iran-backed Hezbollah entirely as a terrorist organization, fully implement measures to restrict Hezbollah's operations and financial activities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/09/04/Trump-says-Kosovo-and-Israel-agree-to-establish-diplomatic-relations-normalize-ties|title=Kosovo, Israel agree to normalize ties; Serbia to move embassy to Jerusalem
|date=4 September 2020}}</ref>
 
==== In the Arab and Muslim world ====
In 2006, Hezbollah was regarded as a legitimate resistance movement throughout most of the Arab and Muslim world.<ref name="HG20Ak02" /> Furthermore, most of the Sunni Arab world sees Hezbollah as an agent of Iranian influence, and therefore, would like to see their power in Lebanon diminished.<ref>Javedanfar, Meir. [https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/01/an-israeli-opportunity-in-a-lebanese-crisis/70498/ "An Israeli Opportunity in a Lebanese Crisis"] ''The Atlantic''. 31 January 2011. 10 August 2011.</ref> [[Egypt]], Jordan, and [[Saudi Arabia]] have condemned Hezbollah's actions, saying that "the Arabs and Muslims can't afford to allow an irresponsible and adventurous organization like Hezbollah to drag the region to war" and calling it "dangerous adventurism",<ref name="The Jerusalem Post">{{cite news|title=Arab world fed up with Hizbullah|date=17 July 2006|author=Khaled Abu Toameh|newspaper=[[The Jerusalem Post]]}}</ref>
 
After an alleged [[2009 Hezbollah plot in Egypt]], the Egyptian regime of [[Hosni Mubarak]] officially classified Hezbollah as a terrorist group.<ref name="la">[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2009/04/egypt-hizbollah-dismissed-as-terrorist.html "Egypt: Cairo calls Hezbollah terrorist organization,"] LA Times (13 April 2009). Retrieved 5 May 2013.</ref> Following the 2012 Presidential elections the new government recognized Hezbollah as a "real political and military force" in Lebanon. The Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon, Ashraf Hamdy, stated that "Resistance in the sense of defending Lebanese territory&nbsp;... That's their primary role. We&nbsp;... think that as a resistance movement they have done a good job to keep on defending Lebanese territory and trying to regain land occupied by Israel is legal and legitimate."<ref name=RK2012>{{cite news|last=Kais|first=Roi|title=Envoy: Egypt to tighten relations with Hezbollah|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4326430,00.html|accessdate=25 April 2013|newspaper=Ynetnews|date=30 December 2012}}</ref><ref name=LW2012>{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Lauren|title=New Egypt warms up to Hezbollah: ambassador|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Dec-29/200288-new-egypt-warms-up-to-hezbollah-ambassador.ashx|accessdate=25 April 2013|newspaper=The Daily Star (Lebanon)|date=29 December 2012}}</ref>
 
During the [[Bahraini uprising (2011–present)|Bahraini uprising]], Bahrain [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bahrain)|foreign minister]] [[Khalid ibn Ahmad Al Khalifah]] labeled Hezbollah a terrorist group and accused them of supporting the protesters.<ref name="bahrain">{{cite news|last=Spangler|first=Timothy|url=http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=213829 |title=Bahrain complains over Hezbollah comments on protests|newspaper=Jerusalem Post|date=25 March 2011|accessdate=22 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/143281|title=Bahrain: Hizbullah a Terrorist Group|last=Kahn|first=Gabe|date=31 March 2011|newspaper=Arutz Sheva|accessdate=1 April 2011}}</ref> On 10 April 2013, Bahrain blacklisted Hezbollah as a terrorist group, being the first Arab state in this regard.<ref name=jpost10apr13>{{cite news|title=Bahrain first Arab state to blacklist Hezbollah|url=http://www.jpost.com/International/Bahrain-first-Arab-state-to-blacklist-Hezbollah-309309|accessdate=10 April 2013|newspaper=Jerusalem Post|date=10 April 2013}}</ref>
 
During the [[2011 Syrian uprising]] Hezbollah's has voiced support for Syrian President [[Bashar Assad]]'s government, which has prompted criticism from anti-government Syrians. As Hezbollah supported other movements in the context of the [[Arab Spring]], anti-government Syrians have stated that they feel "betrayed" by a double standard allegedly applied by the movement. Following Hezbollah's aid in Assad government's [[Battle of al-Qusayr (2013)|victory in Qusayr]], anti-Hezbollah editorials began regularly appearing in the Arabic media and anti-Hezbollah graffiti has been seen in southern Lebanon.<ref>{{cite news|author=Kais, Roi|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4389767,00.html|title=Hezbollah is a 'cancer,' say Arab media|newspaper=Ynetnews|date=8 June 2013|accessdate=9 June 2013}}</ref>
 
In March 2016, [[Gulf Cooperation Council]] designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization due to its alleged attempts to undermine GCC states, and [[Arab League]] followed the move, with reservation by [[Iraq]] and [[Lebanon]]. In the summit, Lebanese Foreign Minister [[Gebran Bassil]] said that "Hezbollah enjoys wide representation and is an integral faction of the Lebanese community", while Iraqi Foreign Minister [[Ibrahim al-Jaafari]] said [[al-Hashd al-Shaabi|PMF]] and Hezbollah "have preserved Arab dignity" and those who accuse them of being terrorists are terrorists themselves.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.annahar.com/article/332519-arab-league-declares-hezbollah-terrorist-organization|title=Arab League declares Hezbollah 'terrorist organization' - George Fakhry|date=11 March 2016|website=An-Nahar}}</ref> Saudi delegation walked out of the meeting.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} Israel's Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] called the step "important and even amazing".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://maki.org.il/en/?p=7272|title=Reactionary Persian Gulf Arab States Praised by Netanyahu &#124; Communist Party of Israel|access-date=14 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315032216/http://maki.org.il/en/?p=7272|archive-date=15 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
A day before the move by the Arab League, Hezbollah leader Nasrallah said that "Saudi Arabia is angry with Hezbollah since it is daring to say what only a few others dare to say against [[House of Saud|its royal family]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/arab-league-labels-hezbollah-terrorist-group-160311173735737.html|title=Arab League labels Hezbollah a 'terrorist' group|website=aljazeera.com}}</ref>
 
==== In Lebanon ====
In an interview during the 2006 Lebanon War, then-President [[Emile Lahoud]] stated "Hezbollah enjoys utmost prestige in Lebanon, because it freed our country&nbsp;... even though it is very small, it stands up to Israel."<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel-interview-with-lebanese-president-emile-lahoud-hezbollah-freed-our-country-a-428391.html SPIEGEL Interview with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud: 'Hezbollah Freed Our Country']. ''[[Der Spiegel]]''. 25 July 2006.</ref> Following the 2006 War, other Lebanese including members of the government were resentful of the large damage sustained by the country and saw Hezbollah's actions as unjustified "dangerous adventurism" rather than legitimate resistance. They accused Hezbollah of acting on behalf of Iran and Syria.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Itani |first=Faysal |title=Hizbullah and Lebanese Nationalism |journal=[[Bologna Center Journal of International Affairs]] |year=2007 |volume=10 |url=http://bcjournal.org/volume-10/hizbullah-and-lebanese-nationalism.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501174420/http://bcjournal.org/volume-10/hizbullah-and-lebanese-nationalism.html |archivedate=1 May 2013 }}</ref>
An official of the [[Future Movement]], part of the [[March 14 Alliance]], warned that Hezbollah "has all the characteristics of a terrorist party", and that Hezbollah is moving Lebanon toward the Iranian Islamic system of government.<ref>[http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/05/23/allouch-hezbollah-qualifies-as-a-terrorist-group/ Allouch: Hezbollah qualifies as a terrorist group]. YaLibnan. 23 May 2011</ref>
 
In August 2008, Lebanon's cabinet completed a policy statement which recognized "the right of Lebanon's people, army, and resistance to liberate the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, Kafar Shuba Hills, and the Lebanese section of Ghajar village, and defend the country using all legal and possible means."<ref name="Nafez Qawas" />
 
[[Gebran Tueni]], a late conservative Orthodox Christian editor of [[an-Nahar]], referred to Hezbollah as an "Iranian import" and said "they have nothing to do with Arab civilization." Tuení believed that Hezbollah's evolution is cosmetic, concealing a sinister long-term strategy to Islamicize Lebanon and lead it into a ruinous war with Israel.<ref name="nybooks"/>
 
While Hezbollah has supported popular uprisings in [[2011 Egyptian revolution|Egypt]], [[2011 Yemeni uprising|Yemen]], Bahrain and [[Tunisian revolution|Tunisia]], Hezbollah publicly sided with Iran and Syria in their own [[2011 Syrian uprising|violent repressions of dissent]]. In August 2010, 800 people demonstrated in Beirut against Syrian President Bashar Assad, and police were called in to contain the smaller pro-Syrian rallies that followed. Demonstrators were shouting, "Syria wants freedom," "Anyone who kills his people is a murderer and a coward," and "the people want an end to the regime."<ref>{{cite news|last=Spangler|first=Timothy |url=http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=233279 |title=Syria uprising stirs old divisions in neighboring Lebanon |newspaper=Jerusalem Post|accessdate=22 November 2011}}</ref>
 
By 2017, a poll showed that 62 percent of Lebanese Christians believed that Hezbollah was doing a "better job than anyone else in defending Lebanese interests in the region, and they trust it more than other social institutions."<ref>[https://angelusnews.com/voices/john-allen-jr/meeting-middle-east-christians-is-where-western-stereotypes-go-to-die Meeting Middle East Christians is where Western stereotypes go to die], John L. Allen Jr., 19 October 2017, angelusnews.com</ref>{{better source|date=December 2018}}
 
==== Scholarly views ====
Academics specializing in a wide variety of the social sciences believe that Hezbollah is an example of an Islamic terrorist organization. Such scholars and research institutes include the following:
* [[Walid Phares]], Lebanese-born terrorism scholar.<ref>[[Walid Phares|Phares, Walid]]. ''Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies against America''. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2005. p. 148.</ref>
* [[Mark LeVine]], American historian<ref>{{cite web|author=LeVine, Mark|url=http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2006/07/Hamas-And-Hezbollah-The-Religion-Fallacy.aspx|title=Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Hamas, fighting, terrorism, peace, by Mark LeVine|work=Beliefnet.com|accessdate=18 January 2011|author-link=Mark LeVine}}</ref>
* [[Avraham Sela]], Israeli historian<ref>"Hizballah employed anti-Israel terrorism to pursue its goal of turning Lebanon into a state and society ruled solely by the Shari'a." Sela, Avraham. "Terrorism." ''The Continuum Political Encyclopedia of the Middle East''. Ed. Avraham Sela. New York: Continuum, 2002. pp. 822–836.</ref>
* [[Robert S. Wistrich]], Israeli historian<ref>"The Shiite Hezbollah has indeed become a trusted mentor and role model to the Sunni fundamentalist Hamas. Both organizations have inscribed on their banner the rejection of any treaties or peace agreements with Israel, energetically work for its demise and encourage suicide terrorism to that end." Wistrich, 731.</ref>
* Eyal Zisser, Israeli historian<ref>Zisser, Eyal. [http://www.meforum.org/533/the-threat-posed-by-hezbollah "The Threat Posed by Hezbollah."] ''Middle East Forum''. 26 November 2002. 18 January 2011.</ref>
* Siamak Khatami, Iranian scholar<ref>Khatami, Siamak. [https://books.google.com/?id=FBMLbyEVZHkC&pg=PA61 ''Iran: A View from Within'']. Janus Publishing Company Lim. 21 January 2011.</ref>
* [[Rohan Gunaratna]], Singaporean scholar<ref name="Gunaratna">[[Rohan Gunaratna|Gunaratna, Rohan]]. ''Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror''. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. p. 146.</ref>
* Neeru Gaba, Australian scholar<ref>Gaba, Neeru. [https://books.google.com/?id=oipJQwAACAAJ ''Hezbollah: in transition'']. La Trobe University. 2007. 21 January 2011.</ref>
* Tore Bjørgo, Norwegian scholar<ref>Bjørgo, Tore. [https://books.google.com/?id=duqEre13tlAC&pg=PA186 ''Root Causes of Terrorism'']. Psychology Press. 21 January 2011.</ref>
* Magnus Norell, of the [[European Foundation for Democracy]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/eu-designate-hezbollah-a-terrorist-organisation-now|title=EU: Designate Hezbollah a Terrorist Organisation Now|website=washingtoninstitute.org}}</ref>
* [[Anthony Cordesman]], of the [[Center for Strategic and International Studies]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/media/csis/pubs/050329_terrandextmvmts%5B1%5D.pdf|title=Terrorist and Extremist Movements in the Middle East|access-date=6 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818211656/https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/media/csis/pubs/050329_terrandextmvmts%5B1%5D.pdf|archive-date=18 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Center for American Progress]]<ref>[https://www.americanprogress.org/events/2010/09/30/17001/hezbollahs-impact-on-security-and-political-dynamics-in-the-middle-east/ Hezbollah’s Impact on Security and Political Dynamics in the Middle East], 30 September 2010</ref>
* [[United States Institute of Peace]]<ref>[http://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/sr111.pdf Special Report 111: Global Terrorism after the Iraq War], October 2003</ref>
 
=== Views of foreign legislators ===
[[J. Gresham Barrett]] brought up legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives which, among other things, referred to Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Congress members [[Tom Lantos]], [[Jim Saxton]], [[Thad McCotter]], [[Chris Shays]], [[Charles Boustany]], [[Alcee Hastings]], and [[Robert Wexler]] referred to Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in their speeches supporting the legislation.<ref>Congress. [https://books.google.com/?id=eaCIX6d3Y5YC&pg=PA4533 ''Congressional Record'', V. 151, Pt. 4 ...."] Government Printing Office. 11 March to 6 April 2005. 23 January 2011.</ref> Shortly before a speech by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, U.S. Congressman [[Dennis Hastert]] said, "He [Maliki] denounces terrorism, and I have to take him at his word. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization."<ref>{{cite news|author=Weisman, Jonathan|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/26/AR2006072600230.html|title=Iraqi Prime Minister Presses for More Aid|newspaper=Washington Post|date=27 July 2006|accessdate=4 September 2013}}</ref>
 
In 2011, a bipartisan group of members of Congress introduced the Hezbollah Anti-Terrorism Act. The act ensures that no American aid to Lebanon will enter the hands of Hezbollah. On the day of the act's introduction, Congressman [[Darrell Issa]] said, "Hezbollah is a terrorist group and a cancer on Lebanon. The Hezbollah Anti-Terrorism Act surgically targets this cancer and will strengthen the position of Lebanese who oppose Hezbollah."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ca28_berman/HATA_Joint_Release.shtml |title=Reps. Berman, Issa, Boustany, Rahall Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Make Certain No Taxpayer Funds Benefit Hezbollah|publisher=The United States House of Representatives|date=16 June 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110620015347/http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ca28_berman/HATA_Joint_Release.shtml|archivedate=20 June 2011}}</ref>
 
In a Sky News interview during the 2006 Lebanon war, British MP [[George Galloway]] said that Hezbollah is "not a terrorist organization".<ref>{{cite video|people=George Galloway, Anna Botting|title=Getting a word in|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbyF1Mp-fHk|format=TV|medium=News|publisher=Sky News|accessdate=22 January 2011|time=3:59–4:04|quote=But they're not a terrorist organization.}}</ref>
 
Former Swiss member of parliament, [[Jean Ziegler]], said in 2006: "I refuse to describe Hezbollah as a terrorist group. It is a national movement of resistance."<ref>{{cite news|title=Switzerland nominates Hezbollah advocate for UN Human Rights Council |author=Benjamin Weinthal|newspaper=Jerusalem Post|date=14 August 2013|url=http://www.jpost.com/International/Switzerland-nominates-Hezbollah-advocate-for-UN-Human-Rights-Council-322971|accessdate=14 August 2013}}</ref>
 
== See also ==
{{Portal|Lebanon|Iran|Shia Islam}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Military equipment of Hezbollah]]
* [[Politics of Lebanon]]
* [[Jihad al-Bina]]
* [[Tourist Landmark of the Resistance|Mleeta museum]]
* [[January 2015 Mazraat Amal incident]]
* [[Hezbollah Movement in Iraq]]
** [[Kata'ib Hezbollah]]
** [[Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba|Harakah Hezbollah al-Nujaba]]
** [[Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada]]
** [[Badr Organization]]
** [[Kata'ib al-Imam Ali]]
* [[Peace Companies|Jaysh al-Mahdi (Iraq)]]
* [[Al-Ashtar Brigades|Al-Ashtar Brigades (Bahrain)]]
* [[Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham|Liwa Assad Allah (Syria)]]
* [[Hezbollah Al-Hejaz|Hezbollah al-Hejaz (Saudi Arabia)]]
* [[Sabireen Movement|Harakah al-Sabireen (Palestine)]]
* [[Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain]]
* [[Islamic Movement (Nigeria)]]
{{colend}}
 
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
 
===Citations===
{{Reflist|20em}}
 
==Sources==
{{refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite journal|title=Why Hezbollah has openly joined the Syrian fight
| last1= Blanford | first1=Nicholas
| last2 = Salim| first2=Arab
| journal=[[ Christian Science Monitor]]
| date=23 June 2013
| url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2013/0623/Why-Hezbollah-has-openly-joined-the-Syrian-fight
| access-date=28 July 2020
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Hezbollah: A History of the "Party of God"
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| year = 2012
| publisher = [[Harvard University Press]]
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jOZ3Aqf6BzoC&pg=PT14
| isbn = 978-0-674-07031-8
| ref = harv
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Hezbollah: Mobilization and Power
| last = Daher | first = Aurélie
| year = 2019
| publisher = [[Oxford University Press]]
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=qiieDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1
| isbn = 978-0-190-09263-4
| ref = harv
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Hezbollah, Islamist Politics, and International Society
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| publisher = [[Springer Publishing|Springer]]
| url =
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| ref = harv
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Religion and Hezbollah: Political Ideology and Legitimacy
| last = Farida | first = Mariam
| year = 2019
| publisher = [[Routledge]]
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5rqmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT13
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| ref = harv
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Hezbollah: A Short History
| last = Norton | first = Augustus Richard
| author-link =Augustus Richard Norton
| year = 2014
| publisher = [[Princeton University Press]]
| edition =2
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hXOYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PR11
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*{{Cite book| title = Hezbollah: Socialisation and its Tragic Ironies
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| year = 2018
| publisher = [[Edinburgh University Press]]
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1GiDDwAAQBAJ
| isbn = 978-1-474-41954-3
| ref = harv
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Hezbollah: From Islamic Resistance to Government: From Islamic Resistance to Government
| last1 = Worrall | first1 = James
| last2 = Mabon | first2 = Simon
| last3 = Clubb | first3 = Gordon
| year = 2015
| publisher = [[ABC-CLIO]]
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8AfHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PR9
| isbn = 978-1-440-83135-5
| ref = harv
}}
*{{Cite news|title=In Hezbollah stronghold, Lebanese Christians find respect, stability
| last=Zirulnick|first=Ariel
| work=[[Christian Science Monitor]]
| date=21 December 2012
| url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2012/1221/In-Hezbollah-stronghold-Lebanese-Christians-find-respect-stability
| access-date=28 July 2020
}}
 
{{Refend}}
 
== Further reading ==
'''Books'''
* {{cite book|author=Joseph Alagha|year=2006|title=The Shifts in Hizbullah's Ideology: Religious Ideology, Political Ideology|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|isbn=90-5356-910-3|author-link=Joseph Alagha}}
* {{cite book|author=[[Tom Diaz]], [[Barbara Newman]]|year=2005|title=Lightning Out of Lebanon: Hezbollah Terrorists on American Soil|publisher=Presidio Press|isbn=0-345-47568-2|url=https://archive.org/details/lightningoutofle00diaz}}{{dead link|date=April 2016}}
* {{cite book|author=Ahmad Nizar Hamzeh|year=2004|title=In The Path Of Hizbullah|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=0-8156-3053-0|author-link=Ahmad Nizar Hamzeh}}
* {{cite book|author=Judith Palmer Harik|year=2006|title=Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=1-84511-024-2|author-link=Judith Palmer Harik}}
* {{cite book|author=Hala Jaber|year=1997|title=Hezbollah|publisher=[[Columbia University Press]]|isbn=0-231-10834-6|author-link=Hala Jaber|url=https://archive.org/details/hezbollahbornwit00jabe}}
* {{cite book|author=Avi Jorisch|year=2004|title=Beacon of Hatred: Inside Hizballahs Al-Manar Television|publisher=Washington Institute for Near East Policy|isbn=0-944029-88-4|author-link=Avi Jorisch}}
* {{cite book|author=Augustus Richard Norton|year=2000|url=http://www.cfr.org/publication/8612/hizballah_of_lebanon.html|publisher=Council on Foreign Relations|title=Hizballah of Lebanon: Extremist Ideals vs. Mundane Politics|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060720163202/http://www.cfr.org/publication/8612/hizballah_of_lebanon.html|archivedate=20 July 2006|author-link=Augustus Richard Norton}}
* {{cite book |author=Augustus Richard Norton |year=2007 |url=https://archive.org/details/hezbollahshorthi00nort |title=Hezbollah: A Short History |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-13124-5 |url-status=dead |author-link=Augustus Richard Norton }}
* {{cite book |last=Qassem |first=Naim |authorlink=Naim Qassem |title=Hizbullah: The Story from Within |publisher=Saqi Books |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-86356-517-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/hizbullahstoryfr00qasi }}
* {{cite book|author=Magnus Ranstorp|year=1996|title=Hizb'Allah in Lebanon: The Politics of the Western Hostage Crisis|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=0-312-16491-2|author-link=Magnus Ranstorp}}
* {{cite book|author=Amal Saad-Ghorayeb|year=2001|title=Hizbullah: Politics and Religion|publisher=[[Pluto Press]]|isbn=0-7453-1793-6|author-link=Amal Saad-Ghorayeb}}
* {{cite book|author=Jamal Sankari|year=2005|title=Fadlallah: The Making of a Radical Shi'ite Leader|publisher=Saqi Books|isbn=0-86356-596-4|author-link=Jamal Sankari}}
 
'''Articles'''
* {{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8076820.stm |title=Inside Lebanese Hezbollah militia |author=Natalia Antelava |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=2 June 2006 |accessdate=24 July 2009}}
 
== External links ==
{{Sister project links | wikt=no | commons=Category:Hezbollah | b=no | n=no | q=Hezbollah | s=Hezbollah | v=no | voy=no | species=no | d=no | display=Hezbollah}}
 
=== UN resolutions regarding Hezbollah ===
* [https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sc8181.doc.htm UN Press Release SC/8181] UN, 2 September 2004
* [https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=11823&Cr=Lebanon&Cr1= Lebanon: Close Security Council vote backs free elections, urges foreign troop pullout] UN, 2 September 2004
 
=== Other links ===
* [http://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/meb/MEB78.pdf Is Hezbollah Confronting a Crisis of Popular Legitimacy?] Dr. Eric Lob, Crown Center for Middle East Studies, March 2014
* [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/html/pdf/hezbollah-testimony-05252005.pdf Hezbollah]: Financing Terror through Criminal Enterprise, Testimony of Matthew Levitt, Hearing of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070221003851/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/832/op92.htm Hizbullah's two republics] by Mohammed Ben Jelloun, ''Al-Ahram'', 15–21 February 2007
* [https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/lebanon/thestory.html Inside Hezbollah], short documentary and extensive information from ''Frontline/World'' on PBS.
* [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3284023,00.html Hizbullah – the 'Party of God'] – fact file at [[Ynetnews]]
 
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