In this article:
- What is Hezbollah?
- How it originated
- What role has it played in Lebanese politics?
- Its animosity with Israel
How the idea of “Jiski jitni hissedari, utni bhagidari” and demographic changes destroyed Lebanon
1943
Lebanon was a French colony. In 1943, France declared that they would remove their troops by 1946 and grant freedom to Lebanon.
At that time, Lebanon had a Christian majority, with 51% of the population, while the rest were Shia and Sunni Muslims.
Lebanon decided to adopt the principle of “Jiski jitni hissedari, utni bhagidari” (proportional representation based on sectarian demographic size).
It was decided:
- The President would be a Maronite Christian.
- The Speaker of Parliament would be a Shia Muslim.
- The Prime Minister would be a Sunni Muslim.
- The Deputy Speaker of Parliament and the Deputy Prime Minister would be Greek Orthodox.
1948
The first war between Israel and the Arab countries began. Lebanon supported the Arabs, but Israel won the war. As a result, 100,000 Palestinians fled to Lebanon, given its shared border with Israel.
Israel did not allow them to return after the cease-fire.
1958
The demographic shift continued. By 1958, Muslims demanded that Lebanon join the Arab alliance, but Lebanon’s Christian President declined. This led to riots in Lebanon, and the U.S. sent troops to stabilize the situation.
1967–1970
The second Arab-Israeli war took place, and once again, Israel defeated the Arab nations. A subsequent war between the PLO and Jordan resulted in Jordan’s victory, leading to a massive exodus of Palestinians to Lebanon.
Lebanon’s demographics changed rapidly as a result.
1975
By the 1970s, Lebanon was known as the “Switzerland of the East.” However, when the Muslim population crossed a certain threshold, civil war broke out, as often happens in countries undergoing significant demographic changes.
Immigrant Muslims and native Muslims declared war on native Christians, and Lebanon descended into conflict.
1982
The Fatah-Revolutionary Council, a radical Lebanon-based group, attempted to assassinate the Israeli ambassador to the UK. In response, Israel invaded Lebanon. Meanwhile, another significant event had taken place in 1979:
1979
The Islamic Revolution occurred in Iran, transforming it into a Shia Islamic republic.
1983
Iran trained 1,500 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard to fight against Israel, forming the group known as Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, meaning “Party of God,” was founded with the primary mission of destroying the U.S. and Israel.
In 1983, the U.S. embassy in Beirut was bombed, killing 63 people. In October, suicide attacks on barracks housing U.S. and French troops resulted in 305 deaths. A U.S. court ruled that Hezbollah was behind these attacks, gaining them worldwide notoriety.
1984
A car bombing attributed to Hezbollah killed dozens of people at the U.S. embassy annex in Beirut.
1989
Lebanon’s parliament met in Taif, Saudi Arabia, and signed an agreement to end the civil war. This agreement granted Syria guardianship over Lebanon and ordered all militias to disarm, except Hezbollah.
Hezbollah began transforming from a revolutionary group into a political organization, a process known as the “Lebanonization” of Hezbollah.
1992
The Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed in an attack attributed to Hezbollah. Around the same time, Hassan Nasrallah became Hezbollah’s secretary-general after Israeli forces assassinated his predecessor. Hezbollah participated in parliamentary elections for the first time and won eight seats.
1994
Car bombings at Israel’s London embassy and a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires were also attributed to Hezbollah.
1997
The United States designated Hezbollah a foreign terrorist organization.
2005
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was assassinated, with Hezbollah later being implicated in the killing.
2006
Hezbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers, sparking a month-long war with Israel that left over one thousand Lebanese and fifty Israelis dead.
2011
Syria descended into civil war, and Hezbollah sent fighters to support Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
2018
Israel discovered miles of tunnels from southern Lebanon into Israel, allegedly built by Hezbollah.
2020
Hezbollah vowed revenge after a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.
2023
Hezbollah launched attacks across the Israel-Lebanon border to show support for Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
2024
Israel infiltrated Hezbollah’s communications by blowing up pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon and initiated airstrikes. Yesterday, Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel would soon begin a ground invasion in Lebanon. He emphasized that the common people of Lebanon were not Israel’s enemy—only Hezbollah.
Currently, Hezbollah is led by Hassan Nasrallah, who oversees the seven-member Shura Council and its five sub-councils. Hezbollah controls much of Lebanon’s Shia-majority areas, including parts of Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
Iran provides most of Hezbollah’s training, weapons, and funding, sending the group hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Hezbollah also receives some support from Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime.
Since 1992, Hezbollah has been part of Lebanon’s government, winning eight seats in its initial parliamentary participation. The party has held cabinet positions since 2005, and in the 2022 elections, Hezbollah retained 13 seats in Lebanon’s 128-member Parliament.
Hezbollah is the world’s most heavily armed non-state actor, with an arsenal of 150,000–200,000 rockets and missiles, 20,000 active fighters, and 20,000 reserves, along with small arms, tanks, drones, and long-range rockets.
