Hezbollah
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The English used in this article may not be easy for everybody to understand. (January 2012) |
Hezbollah (Arabic: حزب الله, meaning Party of God) is an Islamic political party and paramilitary organization.
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History [change]
It was formed in Lebanon in 1982, during the Lebanese Civil War. Its main goals then were to fight Western influences and create an Islamic state like Iran in Lebanon. The leader of Hezbollah is Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah is a Shia Muslim group, representing the largest Islamic faction in Lebanon. It is supported by Syria and Iran.
Origin [change]
Hezbollah is an Arab nationalist movement and wants freedom for the Palestinian people. Because of this, it believes that the State of Israel should not exist, and fights it. Over the years, the Hezbollah militia has fought a guerrilla war against the Israeli army (IDF) in Southern Lebanon. It also attacks Israel's military positions by firing Katyusha rockets across Israel's northern border.
Opposition [change]
To destroy Hezbollah bases, Israel has responded in different ways. These have included 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 was relatively quiet,not taking into account Israeli targeted assassinations and kidnappings, until July 2006, when Hezbollah captured two IDF soldiers. This led to the 2006 Lebanon War, in which Hezbollah rockets reached deep into Israel.
View points of other countries [change]
Few countries see Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, the majority do not. Among those who consider it to be terrorist are the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel, among those who do not are the European Union and Russia. Lebanon sees Hezbollah as a legitimate resistance movement. This view is shared by Syria, Iran and all other countries in the Arab World. Germany says it supports adding the military wing of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah to the European Union's list of terrorist groups. [1]Bulgaria’s interior minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, announced that two of the people behind the July 18, 2012 bombing, which killed five Israeli tourists, a Bulgarian bus driver and the bomber, were believed to be members of the military wing of Hezbollah.[2]France is ready to support a British initiative to put the armed wing of Hezbollah on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations.[3]
References [change]
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This article does not have any sources. (April 2009) |
Other websites [change]
- Hezbollah's Official Website
- Another Official Hezbollah Website
- UN Press Release SC/8181 UN, September 2, 2004
- Yahoo - Hezbollah directory category
- Who Attacked Israel?, What is Hezbollah? HIR
