Most of its members are Shia Muslims. The group supports Arabnationalism and wants freedom for the Palestinian people. Hezbollah opposes the State of Israel, and has fought against it for many years. The group is also part of Lebanese politics and has members in the parliament and the government.
Hezbollah runs schools, hospitals and rebuilding projects in Lebanon. It is supported by the government of Iran and has ties with groups such as the Houthis and Hamas.
History
Founding
Hezbollah was officially founded in 1985, after the 1982 Lebanon War. Lebanese Shia religious leaders who studied in Najaf came together to form Hezbollah after Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982. They were influenced by Ayatollah Khomeini and the ideas of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The founders chose the name 'Hezbollah', which means 'Party of God'. Hezbollah was also part of the movement spreading the Islamic Revolution beyond Iran.
Iran helped build Hezbollah from the beginning. Shortly after Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, Iran sent about 1,500 Revolutionary Guard soldiers to the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. These soldiers trained and organized the first Hezbollah fighters. Iran also gave the group money and weapons. Hezbollah was formed from several smaller Shiite groups in Lebanon. These groups worked together and later became one organization.
Ideology
Hezbollah's beliefs are mainly based on Shia Islam and opposition to foreign influence in the Middle East. The group believes that religion should play an important role in politics and society. Many of its ideas were influenced by the Iranian Revolution and by Iranian religious leader Ruhollah Khomeini. Hezbollah was formed in the early 1980s with help from followers of Khomeini. The group wanted to spread the ideas of the Islamic Revolution that began in 1979. The group has also been influenced by Iran’s Islamic government, including the concept of Wilayat al Faqih, developed by Ruhollah Khomeini. This is the belief that Islamic religious leaders lead the government. At first, Hezbollah first wanted to turn Lebanon into an Islamic republic. Later, the group accepted working within Lebanon's political system together with different religious groups.
In its early years, Hezbollah was influenced by ideas from some Sunni Islamist thinkers. The group focused on Islam in general instead of only Shia beliefs. The group said that Sunni and Shia Muslims should work together instead of focusing on their religious differences. This idea is known as Pan-Islamism. It is the belief that all Muslims should unite as one community, even if they have differences. Hezbollah believed that it was important for Muslims to work together against Israel and the occupation of Arab lands. Because of this, the group usually avoided criticizing Saudi Arabia, although this changed later after the Saudi participation against the Houthis in the Yemeni civil war.
Leadership and Organization
Hezbollah has a clear structure with different groups that each have their own job. The most important group is called the Supreme Shura Council. This council makes all the main decisions for Hezbollah. It is in charge of everything the group does, including politics, military activities and social services. Under the Shura Council there are five smaller councils that each handle a different area of work.
The leader of the Shura Council is called the Secretary-General. This person is chosen by the members of the Shura Council and leads the whole organization. The Secretary-General also has control over the political and military sides of the group. The most famous Secretary-General was Hassan Nasrallah. He was born in 1960 in Beirut and became a Shia religious scholar. He became the leader in 1992 and became one of the most well-known political figures in the Middle East. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on 27 September 2024. After Nasrallah’s death, the Shura Council chose Naim Qassem as the new Secretary-General in October 2024.
Hezbollah keeps a lot of information about its organization secret. Not much is known about how decisions are made inside the group. Iran has a strong influence on Hezbollah’s leadership and gives the group money, weapons and political support.
Another important person in Hezbollah is Mohammad Fneish, who was born in 1953 in southern Lebanon. He has been a member of Hezbollah since the early 1980s. He also had some government positions, like Minister of Energy and Water and Minister of Youth and Sports. In 2025, he was given an important leadership role inside Hezbollah. In this role, he helps make changes to how the organization works and prepares for the parliamentary elections in May 2026.
Symbolism
Hezbollah uses many symbols to show its ideology and spread its political message. Its main flag is yellow and has a green logo with a hand holding a gun. The gun is used as a symbol of armed resistance. The flag also includes the words “The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon.”
The group also uses symbols connected to Shia Islam. These include references to Imam Hussain, Ashura, and the Battle of Karbala. Hezbollah connects these religious stories to modern politics, especially its conflict with Israel. It uses ideas of past injustice, sacrifice and martyrdom as part of its message of resistance.
Hezbollah also uses symbols in public places, especially in Shia-majority areas such as Dahiya in southern Beirut and in southern Lebanon. These symbols include yellow flags, posters of leaders, and posters of dead fighters. These posters often connect Hezbollah fighters to religious ideas about sacrifice and resistance.
Political and Military Activities
Hezbollah is frequently referred to as a state within a state in the sense that it does most of what the Lebanese government does.
Politics: Hezbollah has been a political party since 1992. They have representatives in the Lebanese Parliament and the Cabinet.
Military: In addition to the official Lebanese Army, Hezbollah has its own army that many experts consider to be stronger than the official army.
Media: Hezbollah has TV channels, radio stations and websites that support the group. Its main TV channel is called Al-Manar.
Social Services: Besides politics and military activities, Hezbollah also provides social services in Lebanon.
Social Services
Hezbollah helps many people in Lebanon by providing social services. They do this because the Lebanese government sometimes has trouble to provide enough services, especially during wars. About half of all Hezbollah’s money goes to helping the Lebanese people.
Hezbollah runs hospitals and health clinics through a group called the Islamic Health Organization. Every year, around half a million people get free or cheap medical care from Hezbollah. Hezbollah also runs schools and helps poor students pay for their education. Between 1996 and 2001, Hezbollah spent more than $14 million on helping students.
When wars damage homes and buildings, Hezbollah helps rebuild them through an organization called Jihad al-Binaa. Between 1988 and 2002, Hezbollah built or fixed 35 schools, 9,000 homes, 5 hospitals and 8 clinics. Hezbollah also gives money to the families of fighters who died. This help pays for things like food and housing.
International relations
Hezbollah has ties with several countries and groups in the Middle East. One of its closest allies is Iran, which has provided political, financial and military support since the group was founded. This allowed the group to fight Israel without Iran attacking Israel directly. Because of this, Hezbollah is often described as one of Iran's main proxy groups. Hezbollah's Shia ideology also helped create a close relationship between the two groups.
Another ally of Hezbollah was the government of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria. This could be seen during the Syrian civil war, when Hezbollah supported Assad's government. This was expected because Syria is an important route for moving Iranian weapons and supplies to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Because of this, Syria has been important for keeping Hezbollah militarily strong. The role Hezbollah played during the Syrian civil war is also one of the reasons why the group is opposed by the new Syrian government that took power in 2024. Some Gulf states also oppose Hezbollah because of its close relationship with Iran and its role in increasing Iranian influence in the region.
Hezbollah also has connections with Palestinian groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. These groups share similar goals, especially opposition to Israel. Hezbollah has given some of these groups training and other forms of help during their conflicts with Israel.
Through these relationships, Hezbollah is part of a larger group of alliances sometimes called the “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Iran and allied groups such as the Houthis and Hamas.
Opposition
To destroy Hezbollah bases, Israel has responded in different ways; for example, air strikes on sites in Lebanon and sending ground troops into Southern Lebanon. In 2000, Israel withdrew its troops from the "security zone" in Southern Lebanon, but not from a sliver of land called Shebba Farms. This fertile area was kept under Israeli occupation. The border stayed relatively quiet until July 2006, except for targeted assassinations and kidnappings by Israel. In July 2006, Hezbollah killed three Israeli soldiers and captured an additional two. This led to the 2006 Lebanon War.
Several foreign governments consider Hezbollah a terrorist group. Countries including the United States, Bahrain, Canada, Japan and Israel classify it that way. The European Union and the United Kingdom consider Hezbollah's military branch to be a terrorist group, but not the political party. Some countries, including Russia and China, do not consider Hezbollah to be a terrorist organization. Iran and Lebanon consider Hezbollah to be a resistance movement. Russia considers Hezbollah as a lawful political and social organization, while China remains neutral, and maintains contact with Hezbollah. Other countries that do not consider Hezbollah a terror organization include Cuba, Iraq, North Korea, and others. Hezbollah forces in Syria were also commanded by Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. Since October 2023, Hezbollah has been involved in border fighting with Israel in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah says the conflict is connected to the war in Gaza.
Key Facts Table
Category
Information
Leader
Naim Qassem (since 2024)
Main Supporter
Iran
Base
Lebanon (mainly the South and Beirut)
Founded
1982
Political Wing
Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc
References
12Norton, Augustus R. (2007). Hezbollah: A Short History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p.33. ISBN9780691180885.
↑Kane, J. Robert. “A Life Cycle Analysis of Hezbollah: Where the Group Came from and Where It Is Going.” American Intelligence Journal 35, no. 2 (2018)
↑Hamdar, Sarah. “Hizbullah’s ʿAshura Posters (2007–2020): The Visualization of Religion, Politics and Nationalism.” Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication 14, no. 3 (2021)
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