About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (December 4, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/govermz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informing the Ieg~sIat~ve debdie since 1914 Updated December 4, 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. On October 8, 2023, the day after Hamas-led attacks on Israel, Hezbollah began firing projectiles into northern Israel as part of its stated support for Hamas. Subsequent clashes between Hezbollah and Israel displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. Conflict escalated significantly in September and October 2024, with Israel killing longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and launching ground operations against the group in southern Lebanon. These and other Israeli actions appear to have taken a significant toll on Hezbollah's manpower, arsenal, and leadership, but the group retains some military capabilities, as well as influence in Lebanon's political system. A U.S.- and French-brokered cease-fire between the two sides went into effect in November 2024. The United States and Israel apparently hope that the cease-fire's terms allow for better enforcement of the largely unimplemented provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which was adopted shortly after the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006. Leadership, Structure, and Size Hezbollah's leader is Secretary-General Naim Qassem, whom Hezbollah's Shura Council selected to succeed Hassan Nasrallah in October 2024 after his death. The charismatic Nasrallah had served as the group's leader for 32 years, helping Hezbollah acquire significant military and political power in Lebanon and influence in the region. Qassem, a 71-year-old cleric who has been Hezbollah's deputy leader for 34 years, is described by some as underwhelming. He now oversees Hezbollah's military and political wings. Some countries and the European Union (EU) have designated 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. Prior to the 2024 escalation of conflict with Israel, reports estimated that Hezbollah may have had 50,000 or more fighters, including the Radwan Force, an elite special operations unit. In October 2024, Israel's then-Defense Minister estimated that around 20% of Hezbollah's arsenal of rockets and missiles, once estimated at as many as 120,000-200,000, remained. Figure I. Lebanon Source: Created by CRS. UNIFIL = United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon; UNDOF = United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. Ob ect ves and Operatons For nearly two decades, Hezbollah's stated objective was to drive Israel Defense Forces 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 Hezbollah's persistence as an armed militia outside the structure or purview of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). Hezbollah, ideologically aligned with Iran's government, has been seen as the strongest of the armed groups Tehran supports to bolster Iranian strategic objectives. The State Department's 2022 Country Reports on Terrorism says 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) says, Hizballah seeks to limit U.S. influence in Lebanon and the broader Middle East-goals Hezbollah shares with the Iranian government. Hezbollah has a long-standing relationship with the government of Syrian President Bashar al Asad, which facilitates the transit of weapons through Syria from Iran to Hezbollah, and played a key role in assisting pro-Asad forces during Syria's civil war. Hezbollah also provides weapons and training to Yemen- based Houthis (another Iranian ally), and Hezbollah commanders have reportedly assisted the Houthi campaign against international shipping in the Red Sea.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most