On the seventh day of the war between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah announced that it is “fully prepared” to intervene against Israel when the time is right. This was announced by a second member of the Lebanese paramilitary organization in front of more than a thousand supporters of the group who demonstrated support for the Palestinians in Beirut.

“Hezbollah monitors the movements of the enemy. We are fully prepared and will take action at the right time,” Sheikh Naim Kasem warned

What is Hezbollah?

Hezbollah, meaning “Party of God,” is an Iranian-backed Shiite political and armed group that was formed in 1982 to fight the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah traces its origins to armed groups formed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps following Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The Shiite Muslim-backed group is one of Israel’s biggest enemies in the region.

In 2021, leader Hassan Nasrallah said that Hezbollah has 100,000 fighters. The group boasts of having high-precision rockets and says they can hit all parts of Israel.

The United States estimates that Iran has provided Hezbollah with hundreds of millions of dollars annually in recent years.

The group, led by Nasrallah since 1992, is one of the most powerful political blocs in Lebanon’s sectarian political system, supported by a large portion of the Shiite population.

Hezbollah fighters waged a long campaign against Israeli forces in Lebanon and attacked Israeli civilians in other countries.

Israeli forces unilaterally withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000 after nearly 20 years of fighting, prompting Hezbollah to declare itself the first Arab army to force Israel to cede control of the territory.

Hezbollah released its manifesto after its creation, outlining its ideology and goals, which include the defeat of Israel and the expulsion of Western colonialist entities from the Middle East.

What is the difference between Hezbollah and Hamas?

Hezbollah and Hamas are different organizations, but have a common goal of armed resistance to Israel.

While Hezbollah is a Lebanese organization, Hamas is a Palestinian group that was formed in Gaza in 1987 after the start of the first intifada, an uprising against Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories. Hamas has been in political control of the Gaza Strip since winning the 2006 elections.

Following the Hamas attack on Israel last Saturday, Hezbollah issued a statement saying it was closely monitoring the situation and was in direct contact with the Palestinian resistance leadership.

The statement said it was “a strong response to Israel’s ongoing occupation and a message to those seeking normalization of relations with Israel,” referring to Arab countries seeking normalization of relations with Israel.

In 2020, the leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas also met to discuss the normalization of relations between Israel and Arab countries.

Is Hezbollah a terrorist organization?

The United States and other Western countries consider Hezbollah a “terrorist organization.” US allies in the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, consider the group a “terrorist” group.

The European Union classifies Hezbollah’s military wing as a “terrorist group,” but not its political wing.

Hezbollah has ministers in the Lebanese government and parliamentarians. Opponents of the group accuse it of drawing Lebanon into the conflict.

The group rose to political prominence after Syria, a close ally of Hezbollah, withdrew from Lebanon following the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

In 2016, the Hezbollah-backed politician Michel Aoun became president. Two years later, Hezbollah and its allies won the country’s first general election in nine years.

In the 2022 elections, the Hezbollah political bloc lost its majority, but the group continues to control politics in the country. (Source: Al Jazeera)