The core of the Hezbollah organization (also spelled Hizballah, Hezbullah and other variants, meaning 'Party of God') in Lebanon comes from 'Iranian Revolutionary Guards' sent to Lebanon in 1982, at the time of Israel's invasion of Southern Lebanaon designed to oust the PLO. They went to assist in the establishment of a revolutionary Islamic movement whose members would participate in the 'Jihad', Holy War, against Israel from bases in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Inspired by the success of the Iranian Revolution and establishment of an Islamic Republic in Iran, Hezbollah also dreamt of transforming Lebanon's multi-religion state into an Iranian-style Islamic state. Its ideology, as expressed in declarations by its leadership, maintained that Israel had no legitimacy as a state, and that it must be fought until Jerusalem, meaning all of Israel, is liberated.
Following the IDF withdrawal from Lebanon in 1985 the Hezbollah organization consolidated itself by establishing storage depots for weapons, recruiting activists and fighters, and providing widespread aid to residents in South Lebanon, such as the donation of money, equipment, and medical supplies. The aid programs helped Hezbollah gain the support of the local population in favor of the organization's activities against Israel.
Using cover names such as 'Islamic Jihad', 'The Revolutionary Justice Organization' and 'The Islamic Resistance', with the blessings of its religious leaders, Hezbollah has carried out a series of high profile attacks against Israeli targets in southern Lebanon and American and Multinational Forces targets in Lebanon. Hezbollah was responsible for the two explosions in Beirut on October 23, 1983 that killed 241 American Marines and 56 French servicemen sleeping in their barracks. Their attacks became more intensive as well as demonstrating better planning immediately prior to the opening of the peace process in 1991.
In 1991, the Hezbollah was responsible for 52 attacks, as compared to 19 attacks the organization carried out in 1990. In 1992, the Hezbollah launched 63 attacks and in 1993, 158 attacks, when during the course of 'Operation Accountability' they fired hundreds of Katyusha rockets into the Security Zone and Israeli territory. In 1994 a total of 187 attacks against Israeli troops and positions by Hezbollah were recorded. There were 119 instances of artillery fire, 31 detonations of explosive charges and two frontal assaults on IDF positions. In 1995 a total of 344 attacks against Israeli troops and positions by were recorded. There were 270 instances of artillery fire, 64 detonations of explosive charges and 2 frontal assaults on IDF positions.
Hezbollah did not confine the slaughter to Israel and Lebanon. The bloodshed included multiple bombings in Argentina of Israeli and Jewish community facilities, one in Buenos Aires, March 1992 that killed 29 and another in July 1994 that killed 96. [At the time this last event was one of the worst terrorist attacks ever in the Western hemisphere.] Hezbollah is also credited with blowing up a Panamanian airplane in flight.
After the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah announced its intentions to continue to struggle against Israel as a second front supporting the Palestinian Arabs. In March 2002, as Israel carried out its Operation Defensive Shield, Hezbollah increased its cross-border attacks from Lebanon.
Over its two decades, Hezbollah has evolved into a movement with thousands of trained guerrillas, members of the Lebanese parliament and a dynamic welfare program benefiting thousands of Lebanese people. They enjoy considerable support in Lebanon both because their rage against Israel is popular and because their social programs are effective in meeting ground level needs. Since Israel is no longer present in Lebanon, Hezbollah now talks about the elimination of Israel itself calling all of Israel "occupied territory" that has to be "liberated" for Islam.
Hezbollah continues to receive substantial amounts of financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid from Iran and Syria. Hezbollah has also benefited from criminal activity in the US developed as a source of funds.
In the summer of 2002 there were indications that Hezbollah was assisting al Qaeda (the organization, headed by Usama Bin Laden, that attacked the United States on September 11, 2001). Despite religious differences ? the Iranian-originated Hezbollah is Shiite, while bin Laden and al Qaeda are Sunni ? the two groups have coordinated on a practical level for years. After their loss of control of Afghanistan, al Qaeda began showing up in Lebanon with hints that Lebanon may be their new base of operations, aided and abetted by Hezbollah.
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