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1 1 (May 10, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/govepsc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: a Congressional Research Serv!c~ Infer ring the IegisIat~ve debate since 1914 Updated May 10, 2024 Lebanese Hezbollah Hezbollah (Party of God, also spelled Hizballah) is an Iran-backed Lebanese Shia militia and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Hezbollah is an Iranian partner force, helping Tehran project power across the region, train allied militias (reportedly including Hamas), and threaten U.S. interests and allies across the region. Formed in the wake of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the group has conducted numerous attacks against Israeli and Western targets. In addition to authorizing sanctions against Hezbollah, Congress has sought to bolster Lebanese state institutions to counter its influence. Clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces have escalated since the October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, displacing tens of thousands on both sides of the border and increasing the prospect of a broader military confrontation. Figure I. Lebanon Boundareno tnfecessartyathoritativeI The Unted tatlescognized i contro ed by~d sraef mi tar ccpied fterrtorb onging t yra Source: Created by CRS. UNIFIL = United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon; UNDOF = United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. Leadership, Structure, and Size Hezbollah's leader is Hassan Nasrallah, who has served as Secretary-General since the assassination of his predecessor by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in 1992. According to the U.S. government, the External Security Organization (ESO, also known as the Islamic Jihad Organization), headed by Talal Hamiyah, is the arm of Hezbollah responsible for overseas terrorist attacks. Some countries and the European Union (EU) separate Hezbollah's military and political wings-designating the former for sanctions while maintaining dialogue with the latter. U.S. officials have described this division as a false distinction, and one not made by Hezbollah itself. Reports estimate that Hezbollah's fighters number between 40,000 and 50,000 or more. That figure includes the Radwan Force, an elite unit trained to conduct special operations. Hezbollah's arsenal of rockets, missiles, and drones is estimated at over 150,000. Objectives and Operations For nearly two decades, Hezbollah's stated objective was to drive IDF forces from southern Lebanon. Since the Israeli withdrawal in 2000, Hezbollah has used Israel's remaining presence in the Sheb'a Farms and other disputed areas in the Lebanon-Syria-Israel tri-border region (see Figure 1) to justify ongoing violence against Israel-and its persistence as an armed militia outside the structure or purview of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). Hezbollah is aligned with the ideology of Iran's government and bolsters Iranian strategic objectives. The State Department's 2022 Country Reports on Terrorism states that Iran provides Hezbollah with most of its funding, training, weapons, and explosives, as well as political, diplomatic, monetary, and organizational aid. The 2024 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community (ATA) states that, Hizballah seeks to limit U.S. influence in Lebanon and the broader Middle East, goals it shares with the Iranian government. Hezbollah also operates a global criminal-financial network, with reported hubs in Africa and Latin America. A 2022 Europol report stated, The network of collaborators built by Hezbollah in the EU is suspected of managing the transportation and distribution of illegal drugs into the EU, dealing with firearms trafficking and running professional money laundering operations. Other reports highlight Hezbollah's role in the trafficking of amphetamine-type stimulants, marketed as captagon, along the Syrian border. Hezbolah n Lebanese Poltics Hezbollah has participated in Lebanese elections since 1992 and draws popular support from its vast network of schools, clinics, youth programs, and other social services. The group entered the cabinet for the first time in 2005 and has held one to three seats in each Lebanese government formed since then. Hezbollah has at times sought to block cabinet decisions, twice prompting the collapse of the government by withdrawing from the cabinet alongside its political allies. The group is part of the March 8 political coalition, which also includes the Free Patriotic Movement (Christian) and the Amal Movement (Shia). Hezbollah holds two seats in Lebanon's caretaker government. Hezbollah did not gain additional parliamentary seats in the 2018 or 2022 legislative elections (it continues to hold 13 out of 128). However, since the expiration of President

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