Hizbullah, the 'Party of God' http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3284023,00.html An Islamic, Shiite, Lebanese organization, was founded in the early 1980's with the active support of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, as a direct competitor to Amal, the largest Shiite organization at that time Ynetnews
Published: 07.31.06, 11:36 Throughout the years of Lebanon's existence, the Shiites (Metoualis), although comprising the largest sect in Lebanon, suffered from under representation in the governmental political institutions. Lebanon's civil war in the 1970's, Operation Litani in 1978, and Israel's entry into Lebanon <javascript:if(typeof(DanaDeferEval)!=> during Operation Peace for the Galilee in 1982, all led to unrest among the Shiites. At first, the Shiites perceived the Israeli invasion as an opportunity to get rid of the PLO. However, support for Israel was eventually replaced by disappointment, once it became clear that only the Christian hierarchy's political interests were being addressed. Thus, rage and resentment increased at Israel's continued military presence in the southern cities and in the Bekaa Valley, the location of the largest concentration of Shiites. Two other events also affected the Shiite uprising in Lebanon. First, spiritual leader Imam Musa A-Sadr, who came to Lebanon from Iran in the 1960's and established the so-called Movement of the Disinherited during the 1970's, inspired his fellow Shiites. (In 1978, while traveling to Libya, A-Sadr disappeared and was apparently murdered.) Second, the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran introduced the idea of merging politics and radical Islam. When Israel's hope for the new Lebanese regime was shattered and the PLO was expelled from Beirut, the Shiites became even closer to the Iranians. With the help and support of the Iranians, Sheik Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, a senior Shiite religious leader, founded Hizbullah, which was designated to be the advance guard against the Israelis and the Americans in Lebanon. Originally founded in the city of Ba'albak in 1978, Hizbullah only became a major organization in 1982. Hizbullah's defining ideology is radical; its principal tenets are the establishment of an Islamic state modeled after Iran <javascript:if(typeof(DanaDeferEval)!=> , independence from the Western powers, and an uncompromising resistance to Zionism. Working together with Fadlallah, the spiritual leader, is the Shura Council, which is compromised of senior religious leaders and heads of the organization. The secretary-general serves under the Shura. Hizbullah's first secretary-general was Sheik Sobhi Toufeili. He was followed by Abbas Mousawi, who was eliminated by Israel in 1992 and replaced by Sheik <javascript:if(typeof(DanaDeferEval)!=> Hassan Sayyed Nasrallah . During the 1980's, Hizbullah became stronger, as the government and the old political system weakened, mainly due to Syria's increased presence. Hizbullah's public stature grew, as a result of the terror campaign it ignited against Israeli and American targets in Lebanon <javascript:if(typeof(DanaDeferEval)!=> . Terror attacks included an attack on the American embassy in April 1983 (63 died), a powerful attack on Marine barracks in October of that same year (241 died), and a second attack on the American embassy in September 1984 (20 died). Concurrently, Hizbullah repeatedly attacked the government building in Tyre, which the IDF used as headquarters. 29 people were killed in the severest attack in November 1983. The government's decision to leave Lebanon was perceived by many Shiites as a Hizbullah success, as was the subsequent Israeli retreat. The Israeli defense echelon did not define Hizbullah as a serious threat until the late 1980's. Hizbullah became more professional and managed to detonate explosives and shoot at IDF forces operating in the security zone in southern Lebanon after the retreat in 1985. In 1992, Israel killed Mousawi by firing a missile from a helicopter directly at the car in which he was sitting. In the aftermath of the assassination, Hizbullah, with Iranian help, initiated a string of brutal terror attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets outside Israeli territory, which climaxed in attacks on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in March 1992 (22 died) and on the city's Jewish Community Center in July 1994 (80 died). Chosen to replace Mousawi, the relatively young Nasrallah <javascript:if(typeof(DanaDeferEval)!=> transformed Hizbullah into a worldwide terror organization. In 1992, Hizbullah entered the political arena, and some of its operatives were first elected to the Lebanese government. Hizbullah's political standing gradually increased, due to Nasrallah's intention of reframing the terror organization as a legitimate political party on the Lebanese and Arab stage. During the 1990's, the IDF launched two large scale operations against Hizbullah. Operation Accountability, in July 1993, was designed to end the shooting into Israel. This campaign ended in an ambiguous ceasefire agreement. Then, in April 1996, the IDF launched the broader Operation Grapes of Wrath, which was designed to drive away the residents of southern Lebanon in order to exert pressure on the Lebanese government and, especially, on Syria. During the campaign, a shell accidentally killed over 100 refugees, mainly women and children. As a result, a new international agreement prevented Hizbullah from shooting at northern Israel <javascript:if(typeof(DanaDeferEval)!=> and obligated Israel to refrain from attacking either civilians or civilian neighborhoods in Lebanon. Despite the IDF operations and the considerable imparity between the two sides, Hizbullah continued to score victories over the IDF and, occasionally, to hit Israel's northern communities. Hizbullah became ever more professional and militarily proficient. Iran's significant aid yielded improvements in terms of weaponry, training and methods of operation. The IDF's retreat in October 2000, presented Hizbullah with a new challenge. Hizbullah had presented itself as the leader of the movement to drive Israel out of Lebanon. Following the retreat, Hizbullah, claiming a right to a section of Mount Dov called Shebaa Farms, announced that it reserved the right to continue its struggle. Israel countered that the area in question had never been Lebanese; it had belonged to Syria. In October 2000, Hizbullah attacked an Israeli patrol unit near the Lebanese border. Three soldiers were killed, and their bodies were dragged into Lebanon. At around the same time, Hizbullah kidnapped an Israeli citizen, Colonel (res.) Elchanan Tannenbaum <javascript:if(typeof(DanaDeferEval)!=> . Tannenbaum was freed, along with the three bodies, three years later, following German mediation. In return, Israel released Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners, including Sheik Abed Al-Karim Obeid and Mustafa Dirani, <javascript:if(typeof(DanaDeferEval)!=> who were being held as "bargaining chips" to gain the release of missing navigator Ron Arad. With the help of the Iranians, Hizbullah began extending its reach into Judea, Samaria and Gaza. During the so-called Al-Aksa Intifada, Hizbullah operatives made contact with representatives of the Palestinian terror organizations. Hizbullah provided the Palestinians with knowledge, equipment, and funding, and even actively initiated a number of terror attacks. With support and funding from Iran and Syria, Hizbullah set up a complex military infrastructure in Lebanon, including a wide range of ground-to-ground rockets, with assorted capabilities: 9 km (107 mm diameter Katyushas), 21 km (122 mm Katyushas or Grads), and 45-75 km (240 and 333 mm Fajr-3's and Fajr-5's). In addition, it appears that Hizbullah possesses long-range rockets that can hit most of Israel's large cities, including Gush Dan. (These are the Zelzal or Nezaat rockets, with a range of 130-180 km.) The Revolutionary Guards and other Iranian military and intelligence experts are actively involved in training Hizbullah operatives in advanced fighting methods. Sophisticated command and control centers have been set up in Hizbullah headquarters in the Shiite Dehiya neighborhood in south Beirut; Hizbullah's Al-Manar television network broadcasted from these headquarters. Concurrent with its conflict with Israel, Hizbullah continues to increase its political standing within the Lebanese government. Also, significant portions of South Lebanon are under Hizbullah's exclusive control. In July 2005, Lebanese Parliamentary elections were held, and a Hizbullah representative became a minister (in the ministry of energy). 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