Hezbollah: History And Politics Of Terrorism

Betül Gaffari

History and Politics of Terrorism

Hezbollah, a.k.a "Party of God" is a Lebanese Shi'a political party and terrorist group. It is particularly active in three predominantly Shia regions in Lebanon; in and around Beirut, in the northern Beqaa Valley, and Hirmil region. Today, its leader is Hassan Nasrallah. Its founding year is 1982, but it was not a coherent organization until mid-1980s. Born out of the civil war in Lebanon, the world view of the group is inspired by the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

The tenth chapter of Bruce Hoffman’s ‘Inside Terrorism’ suggests that the early 1980s saw the reemergence of terrorism motivated by religion. Hezbollah’s time of formation fits this pattern. Their aspirations also fit David Rapoport’s

Hezbollah initially consisted of young committed revolutionaries barely in their twenties. Nasrallah himself was only 22 when he joined Hezbollah.

They broadcast their ideology through their television network, Al-Manar, in a similar fashion to Al-Qaeda.

Just like any terrorist organization, in order to survive, let alone be successful, Hezbollah would need a variety of resources, both material, such as weapons and safe havens for training, and nonmaterial, such as acknowledging their legitimacy. Most nonstate actors acquire these resources from the local civilian population or a patron state. Hezbollah fits this pattern; it relies on the sponsorship of Iran and the political support of the Lebanese Shia.

There are different ways non-state actors can obtain what they need. One is coercion, which Hezbollah used in its early days. Once it figured out that the coercion route would not benefit it in the long run, it switched over to another tactic: service provision and marketing. Today, Hezbollah identifies itself as a liberation front, while still can appeal to Iranian ambitions, and gains public support through social

Since his competition for support was with secular communist groups, he was an anti-communist. He was critical of the Maronite government, and thought that they neglected the South. He demanded more senior government positions for the Shia, and his efforts to open up vocational schools for the Shia youth helped him reduce the influence of traditional Shia families. He went missing in Libya in 1978, and is believed to be assassinated by then-newly founded Gaddafi regime.

Israel's invasion in 1978 (also called ‘Litani Operation’, displacing hundreds of thousands of Lebanese in the south) was a contributing factor also.

One of the most important catalysis for the foundation of Hezbollah was the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. In their declaration in 1985, Hezbollah stated that “the Muslim experience in Iran left no excuses”.

Although the Shia had sympathy for the Palestinian cause, they were unwilling to expose themselves to any suffering because of it. The Shia disfavored Palestinians due to the influx of PLO guerrillas and Palestinian labor power with the Palestinian war between 1948 and 1949, as well as after the civil war in Jordan. The Shia were sick of being caught in the Israeli-Palestinian crossfire; so Amal militiamen and Palestinian guerrillas often clashed. Hezbollah in return assisted Palestinians so that they can hurt Amal, their political