There are many terror organizations around the world that may want to do harm to the United States or our allies and interests to promote their ideology or to gain notoriety for the group. Some terror groups can be non-state sponsored and some can be state sponsored. Some are large organizations such as Al Qaeda and ISIS while some may be subordinate organizations to the larger organizations or function under their name across the globe. We must continue to evaluate and gather intelligence on all these organizations to reduce the possibility of an attack on our homeland or interests overseas. One such organization the United States needs to watch and continue to evaluate is Hezbollah. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage identified …show more content…
Its origins date back to 1982. It originated during the civil war in Lebanon 1975 – 1990. Lebanon is a fractured country with many political groups divided by religion, where and how residents live. Lebanon has a very urbanized coast and mountainous inland region adding to many different tribes separated by valleys and mountains. There were three groups influenced by different political parties from Lebanon, Iran and Iraq that led to its development. The three parties were the Fatah led by Yasser Arafat, the Amal and the Al Dawa party. These parties originally made up the core group of Hezbollah. The formation is Hezbollah is very lengthy and many elements contributed to it from all neighbors in the region but essentially the group was formed during the invasion of southern Lebanon as a group to resist the invasion of Israeli forces. (Avon, 2012) Lebanon has had a unique political sectarian structure with a political environment cultivating many parties to try and gain power and influence in Lebanon. Hezbollah came into existence at the peak of instability in Lebanon. Iranian delegates in Lebanon helped organize the three main groups into a formed group under the umbrella of Hezbollah. They were ideologically developed to be anti West and anti Israel. (Azani, …show more content…
They forced the Israeli forces from the majority of southern Lebanon other than the Sheeba Farm and Hezbollah was able to remain in the area and take a stronger foothold of the area. Its guerrilla tactics are largely believed to be responsible for the removal of Israeli forces. It has continued to increase its weapons arsenal. (Talbot, 2008) The weapons Hezbollah maintains are significant and include several offensive weapons platforms. It is estimated that Hezbollah maintains 10 to 12 thousand missiles of which about 8 thousand of them are Katyusha rockets capable of reaching far into Israel. These rockets are supplied by Iran. The biggest concern for Israel is Hezbollah’s Zelzal-2 heavy artillery rockets capable of reaching Tel Aviv. Iran provides expertise and command and control of these systems to help Hezbollah. Israel destroyed large parts of the missile system during the 2006 war but it is believed many missiles remain. Hezbollah has the capability to hit all of Israel’s largest cities with these weapons. (Talbot, 2008) Having these weapons and the knowledge to use them is of great concern to Israel but also American interests in the region. They have proven in the past they will attack American interests and because of this there influence and Iranian backing cannot be
Lebanese Army. Hezbollah receives military training, weapons, and financial support from Iran, and political support from Syria. This is another terrorist group that are well trained and ready to kill without any remorse. Do you think that some day we will be able to live without fear these
To most of the world, Hezbollah is known as a Lebanese Shiite militia that takes an anti-western stance, and despises Israel and the United States. To the Arabs, Hezbollah is known as a resistance group that provides socioeconomic and social services to Shiite communities is southern Lebanon.# The group as been held accountable for several attacks against Israel and Western targets, but yet provides social services in Lebanon by running hospitals, schools, orphanages, and media outlets. It has adopted the strategy of constantly altering public opinion by using a mixture of political and ideological agendas.# The group has adopted the strategy it has in order to continue growing and to remain relevant in both Lebanon and the global sphere,
No but we would see from our windows and balconies some Lebanese forces accompanied by Israelis defence army (IDA) entering buildings in search for hidden weapons.
The use of the Hezbollah has greatly added to the continuation of the Arab-Israeli conflict and has limited cooperation in all regions. The Hezbollah also attracted U.S. attention after a suicide bomber killed over two hundred Marines in Beirut.
These attacks destroyed four bridges to prevent Hezbollah soldiers from moving north. In the next few days Israel utilized attacks from land, air, and sea. Israel targeted the Hezbollah headquarters in the suburbs of Beirut, runways at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Hezbollah bases and weapon depots, as well as more bridges, roads, and gas stations. In total Israeli Air Forces underwent 11,897 combat missions during the war. Israel artillery fired 170,000 shells and the Israeli navy fired 2,500, but very few of these hit Hezbollah fighters. Israel did manage to destroy 400 miles of roads, 73 bridges, water and sewage treatment plants, electrical facilities, fuel stations, 350 schools, two hospitals, and 15,000 homes. Beirut’s International Airport and 130,000 more homes were damaged. In total Hezbollah fired around 4,000 rockets that hit a variety of Israeli territory
This departure of the American forces was a major triumph for Hezbollah. They had pioneered a new effective weapon, the suicide bomber. More important though, they had chased off an imperialist invader and by doing
Israel ended up withdrawing from Lebanon in 2000, yet Hezbollah, both its military and political wings of its organization, were still intact, functioning, and effective throughout the occupation and afterwards. In fact, it could be argued that Hezbollah came back with more support for its political wing because the number of seats it had in the Lebanese parliament increased from seven to nine between the elections of 1992 and 2000. In this sense, it could be viewed by Hezbollah supporters as a point towards Hezbollah’s abilities because it was able to resist Israeli occupation (one of its stated goals in its Open Letter and Manifesto) for eighteen years when Israel no longer saw any efficacy in the operation and withdrew its
Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) is the collection of information from internet, cellphone, radar, laser, and high-tech electronic warfare emitters and sensors (Gay, 2005). SIGINT could be used to intercept communications between Hezbollah leaders and commanders in the field to Hezbollah command centers in Lebanon. SIGINT can also be intercepted with leaders and influencers in Iran and Syria focusing on Hezbollah funding sources, political support, weapons movements and counterintelligence measures against the Israelis. Imagery Intelligence (IMINT) could be used to identify the suspected weapons movements from Syria to forward positions in Lebanon. Weapons pipelines from Damascus Syria to Lebanon could be vulnerable to drone and satellite imagery as most weapons supplied by Iran come
Iran are, Hamas and Hezbollah. The reason this country is considered a state-sponsor of terrorism, is that Iran has continued to support “other militia groups in the region” ( ). They have also tried to smuggle weapons to Palestinian terrorist. Iran provides funds, arms, training and safe haven to many terrorist groups in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon.
It wasn’t until the Iranian revolution—that saw a Shia Islam government take the reigns in Iran—did these angry Shiites in Lebanon begin to have a significant presence. First, a Shia militia called Ahmal was formed, with funding from Iran, but soon it was overshadowed by a much more violent and radical militia called Hezbollah. The militiamen of Hezbollah received high-quality arms and artillery from the new Iranian government (the weapons went through Damascus, and Syria’s Assad, so Hezbollah fought hard to keep Assad in power) in addition to elite training from Iranian military officials. With the Israeli occupation becoming more oppressive, Hezbollah began fighting the Israeli army with their highly trained soldiers, which turned into a larger-scale war. They were able to stall the Israeli army for the first time in history—using sophisticated tactics such as hiding militiamen in mountains—and eventually push them out of their occupation of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah’s desire to destroy Israel is inspired by Israel’s abuse of them during their occupation and their wanting to spread Shia Pan-Islam. Also, destroying the State of Israel will give the Palestinians in Lebanon, who are stealing Shia land, a reason to leave Lebanon and return to their holy
Hezbollah, a Lebanese-based political organization, has tried to increase its influence in the country of Lebanon, but they have continued military and terrorist operations against Israel and the West. It is estimated by the United States government "estimates that Hezbollah's weapons arsenal includes 40,000 to 80,000 short and long range rockets, as well as anti-aircraft, anti-tank, and anti-ship weapons" (CFR.org Staff, 2010). The fact that a supposed political organization has access to this
Hezbollah is a Shiit Islamic political and paramilitary organization based in Lebanon. This organization is a political and military force. According to The Council on Foreign Relations, “Hezbollah (or "Party of God") emerged during Lebanon's fifteen-year-long civil war (1975–1990) in the aftermath of Israel's invasion in 1982 and subsequent occupation” (Masters, 2014). Hezbollah is fighting against Israel and “western imperialism” in Lebanon. This means that they wanted dominance over Israel. Hezbollah’s origins and ideology form from the Iranian Revolution. “The revolution called for a religious Muslim government that would represent the oppressed and downtrodden” states (Hezbollah: History & Overview). One of the reasons why Hezbollah is
Hezbollah (Arabic for "Party of God") is an umbrella organization of various radical Islamic Shi'ite groups and organizations which receives substantial financial and philosophical support from Iran. Hezbollah's formation was a direct response to Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon designed to eliminate the Palestinian Liberation Organization's base of operations. Hezbollah's stated objectives include the establishment of a Shiite theocracy in Lebanon, the destruction of Israel, and the elimination of Western influences from the Middle East.
Israel gained independence in 1948, and its vibrant democracy remains unique in the region. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reelected in March 2015, leads a coalition government of right-leaning and religious parties. Israel has a modern market economy with a thriving high-technology sector that attracts considerable foreign investment. The recent discovery of large offshore natural gas deposits has improved both its energy security and its balance-of-payments prospects. Despite the 2006 war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the 2008–2009, 2012, and 2014 wars against Hamas in Gaza, as well as the constant threat of terrorism, Israel’s economy is fundamentally sound and dynamic
Throughout the 1980’s, Lebanon was engulfed in a brutal civil war that was waged between the government and different rebel factions. Hezbollah, a fundamentalist Shia militant group allied with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), was one of the major forces fighting against the Lebanese government. With Ronald Reagan as acting president of the United States, he made an effort toward stabilizing the Area by sending peacekeeping forces to Beirut. In retaliation to this involvement, a suicide bomber drove a truck into a military barracks, killing 241 peacekeepers on October 23, 1983. 21 suspects were detained in suspicion of being involved in the planning of the attack; Hezbollah, in retaliation, began to kidnap American and western individuals, demanding the release of these men along with other outrageous concessions. Meanwhile, only a few countries away, the newly formed Islamic Republic of Iran was at war against its secular neighbor, Iraq. Prior to the Iranian Revolution, America had close relations with Iran’s former leader, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and supplied the regime with American made military equipment. The new Iranians leaders, however, had begun to exhaust these munitions from its war with Iraq, requiring more weapons and spare parts in order to effectively thwart the advances by Saddam Hussein’s army. The United States however, had vowed neutrality, stating they would not sell arms to the belligerents of the war. In the