Description
Formed in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, this
Lebanon-based radical Shi’a group takes its ideological inspiration from the
Iranian revolution and the teachings of the late Ayatollah Khomeini. The Majlis
al-Shura, or Consultative Council, is the group’s highest governing body and is
led by Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Hizballah is
dedicated to liberating Jerusalem, ultimately eliminating Israel, and has
formally advocated ultimate establishment of Islamic rule in Lebanon.
Nonetheless, Hizballah has actively participated in Lebanon’s political system
since1992. Hizballah is closely allied with, and often directed by, Iran but may
have conducted operations that were not approved by Tehran. While Hizballah does
not share the Syrian regime’s secular orientation, the group has been a strong
tactical ally in helping Syria advance its political objectives in the region.
Activities
Known or suspected to have been involved in numerous anti-US and anti-Israeli
terrorist attacks, including the suicide truck bombings of the US Embassy and US
Marine barracks in Beirut in October 1983 and the US Embassy annex in Beirut in
September 1984. Three members of Hizballah, ‘Imad Mughniyah, Hasan Izz-al-Din,
and Ali Atwa, are on the FBI’s list of 22 Most Wanted Terrorists for the
hijacking in 1985 of TWA Flight 847 during which a US Navy diver was murdered.
Elements of the group were responsible for the kidnapping and detention of US
and other Westerners in Lebanon in the 1980s. Hizballah also attacked the
Israeli Embassy in Argentina in 1992 and the Israeli cultural center in Buenos
Aires in 1994. In fall 2000, it captured three Israeli soldiers in the Shab’a
Farms and kidnapped an Israeli noncombatant whom it may have lured to Lebanon
under false pretenses.
Strength
Several thousand supporters and a few hundred terrrorist operatives
Location/Area of Operation
Operates in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern
Lebanon. Has established cells in Europe, Africa, South America, North America,
and Asia.
External Aid
Receives financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and
organizational aid from Iran and diplomatic, political, and logistic support
from Syria.