Explainer: Hezbollah’s Origins, Power, and Its Conflict With Israel
Hezbollah: History, Power, and Regional Conflict with Israel
BEIRUT, June 2 (Reuters) - The war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah has devastated swathes of Lebanon, though a partial de-escalation agreement announced on Monday has averted renewed airstrikes on the capital Beirut for now.
Israel seeks to end the threat posed by Hezbollah rocket fire and force the group to disarm but Iran wants an end to the Israeli campaign in Lebanon as part of any settlement with the United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Hezbollah’s Origins
WHAT ARE HEZBOLLAH'S ORIGINS?
Formation and Early Years
Iran's Revolutionary Guards founded Hezbollah in 1982 during Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war, part of Tehran's effort to export its 1979 Islamic Revolution and fight Israeli forces that had invaded Lebanon in 1982.
Social Services and Political Influence
Hezbollah runs its own social services, including schools and hospitals, and has solid backing among Lebanon's Shi'ite Muslims.
Together with its ally, the Amal Movement, Hezbollah dominates the representation of Shi'ites in Lebanon's sectarian ruling system in parliament, the cabinet and other posts.
Hezbollah’s Rise to Power
HOW DID IT BECOME SO POWERFUL?
Post-Civil War and Military Strength
While other groups disarmed after Lebanon's civil war, Hezbollah kept its weapons to fight Israeli forces occupying the predominantly Shi'ite Muslim south. It retained its arsenal even after Israel withdrew in 2000.
The 2006 Lebanon War
In 2006, during a five-week war, it fired thousands of rockets into Israel. The war erupted after Hezbollah crossed into Israel, kidnapping two soldiers and killing others.
Expansion of Arsenal and Fighters
Hezbollah's arsenal grew after 2006. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook said it was estimated to have as many as 150,000 rockets and missiles in 2020 and in 2022 was estimated to have 45,000 fighters.
Hezbollah's veteran leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed by Israel in 2024, said the group had 100,000 fighters.
Hezbollah’s Involvement in Recent Conflicts
HOW DID IT GET INVOLVED IN THE LATEST WAR?
Regional Engagements
After the 2006 war, Hezbollah became involved in conflicts outside Lebanon as the spearhead of the Iran-backed "Axis of Resistance".
It sent fighters to Syria to help then President Bashar al-Assad fight rebels, aided Iran-backed Shi'ite militias in Iraq, supported the Houthis of Yemen and deepened ties with Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The 2023-2024 Escalation
After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah opened fire on Israeli positions in the frontier region, declaring solidarity with the Palestinians.
They traded fire until September 2024, when Israel detonated thousands of booby-trapped pagers used by Hezbollah members, stepped up airstrikes that killed the group's main leaders and sent troops into south Lebanon.
A ceasefire was announced in 2024 that was meant to halt attacks and see Hezbollah disarmed, but both sides accused each other of repeated breaches.
Escalation After Attacks on Iran
After Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran on February 28 and killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Hezbollah fired at northern Israel, prompting a major Israeli military campaign into Lebanon.
Israel has seized territory deep into south Lebanon, razing villages, displacing most civilians and establishing a military presence. Hezbollah has fired back with drones and rockets at Israeli forces and into northern Israel.
Impact on Hezbollah
HOW BADLY HIT HAS HEZBOLLAH BEEN?
Military Losses
In the 2024 fighting, Israel killed much of Hezbollah's command and thousands of fighters and destroyed much of the group's arsenal.
Supply Routes and Regional Shifts
The toppling of Assad in Syria in December 2024 choked Hezbollah's main supply route from Iran and tilted the regional power balance against it.
Rebuilding and Continued Conflict
However, Iran's Revolutionary Guards rebuilt much of Hezbollah's military command, sending in its own officers and laying plans for the current conflict, Reuters has reported.
Since outright warfare resumed on March 2, Hezbollah has paid a heavy price with as many as several thousand of its fighters killed, according to internal casualty estimates from within the group.
Hezbollah’s Role in Lebanon
WHAT IS HEZBOLLAH'S ROLE IN LEBANON?
Political Influence and Arms Debate
Hezbollah long had a decisive say over state affairs but was unable to get its way over the formation of the 2025 post-war government, which adopted a policy of establishing a monopoly on arms.
Lebanese have been at odds over Hezbollah's arms for decades: opponents accuse it of dragging Lebanon into wars, supporters see its weapons as key to defending the country.
Disarmament Efforts
After the 2024 conflict, international and local pressure on Hezbollah to disarm grew, and Lebanon's government began confiscating the group's weapons in southern Lebanon.
But the group rejected disarming in full, saying it could lead to civil war. Its comments evoked memories of 2008, when Hezbollah fighters took over parts of Beirut in an armed conflict sparked by the government's vow to take action against the group's military communications network.
Legal Status and Continued Fighting
After the 2026 war erupted, the Lebanese state outlawed Hezbollah's military activities but could do little to halt the fighting.
Terrorism Designations and International Perception
TERRORISM DESIGNATIONS
Attacks Attributed to Hezbollah
The United States holds Hezbollah responsible for suicide bombings in 1983 that destroyed the U.S. Marine headquarters in Beirut, killing 241 service personnel, and a French barracks, killing 58 French paratroopers. It also blames Hezbollah for a suicide attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in 1983.
Hostage-Taking and Denials
Lebanese officials and Western intelligence agencies have said groups linked to Hezbollah kidnapped Westerners in Lebanon in the 1980s. Referring to those attacks and hostage-taking, Nasrallah said in a 2022 interview they were carried out by small groups not linked to Hezbollah.
International Terrorist Designations
Western governments, including the United States, and Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, deem Hezbollah a terrorist group. Some, notably the European Union, have designated its military wing a terrorist group, drawing what critics say is an artificial distinction with its political wing.
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