Hezbollah

Hezbollah, also known as “the party of god”, is a Shi’a Islamic parliamentary and political organization that is a major player in Lebanese politics. Hezbollah first came on the scene in 1982 as a militia response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. This radical group takes its inspiration from both the Iranian revolution and the teachings of Ayatollah Khomeini. The Iranian revolution had created great hatred towards the west, which Hezbollah was party founded upon. Hezbollah is supported by both Iran and Syria, especially Iran because of its similar bond against Israeli occupation and their stances on the Zionist entity.
Over the years, Hezbollah has become more militarily and politically strong. In the years 1983-1985, Hezbollah launched a series of suicide bombings against the U.S., including attacks on the U.S. embassy and a U.S. marine base in Beirut. In 1992, the group bombed the Israeli Embassy in Argentina. These attacks are a large reason Hezbollah came to power, and they are considered so radical because of their terrorist attacks against America and Israel. According to Globalsecurity.org, Hezbollah operates in 4 ways:
1. Bringing terrorists and collaborators through the border crossings using foreign documents
2. Setting up a terrorist organization inside Israel and in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip
3. Cross-border operations - smuggling weapons and terrorists
4. Financial support for Palestinian organizations and groups.
Hezbollah has started working with other terrorist organizations as well, particularly those in Palestine and Iran. The Lebanese government, though, refers to Hezbollah as a national resistance group, not a militia or terrorist organization. It seeks to defend Lebanon from Israel and remove all Israeli forces from Lebanese soil. The three main leaders of Hezbollah are said to be: Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah (spiritual leader), Hassan Nasrallah (senior political leader), and Imad Fayez Mugniyah (key planner of Hezbollah’s world terrorist operations). Muginyah was killed in a car bombing in early 2008, but was said to have trained with al- Fatah. These three men have been said to run the operations of Hezbollah, whose followers amount in the several thousands.
Hezbollah’s political power has become great. After a very violent outbreak in 2008, Hezbollah took over West Beirut, after which the Lebanese government shut down the organization’s communication lines. In a compromise, the Lebanese government approved a national unity cabinet, which gave Hezbollah veto power with 11 of 30 seats in cabinet. Some experts say that despite the apparent political rise of Hezbollah, they have lost some credibility after the west Beirut attacks because they had promised never to turn their guns on Lebanese people. Even so, the group has become a rising political force in the Lebanese government.
Hezbollah is regarded as a legitimate resistance movement throughout much of the Arab and Muslim world. By countries like the US, Canada, Israel, Britain, and the Netherlands, though, Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization that is a threat to the free world. Both the U.S. and Israel consider Hezbollah one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world, right at the top with al-Queada.