Updated June 22, 2018
Lebanese Hezbollah
Overview
Hezbollah member was indicted in 2013). Other anti-Syrian
Hezbollah (“Party of God”) is an Iran-backed Lebanese
politicians, journalists, and security personnel were killed in
Shi’a militia and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist
the years following the Hariri assassination, including four
Organization (FTO). Formed in 1982, in the wake of the
members of parliament; analysts have claimed that
Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon, the group has
Hezbollah and/or Syria are likely culprits.
described itself as the leader of Islamic resistance to Israel
Figure 1. Lebanon
and has conducted numerous attacks against Israeli and
Western targets. Hezbollah currently operates regionally as
a militia force, while also playing a powerful role as a
Lebanese political party and provider of social services.
Leadership
Hassan Nasrallah has served as Secretary-General of
Hezbollah since the assassination of his predecessor by the
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in 1992. The group’s
leadership structure includes an advisory body known as the
Shura Council, comprising the heads of the Executive,
Political, and Judiciary Councils, as well as two permanent
Iranian representatives. According to the U.S. government,
the External Security Organization (ESO), the military arm
of Hezbollah responsible for the planning, coordination,
and execution of terrorist attacks, is headed by Talal
Hamiyah. He reportedly took over in 2008, after his
predecessor, Imad Mughniyah, was killed in a car bombing.

Objectives
Source: Created by CRS using ESRI, Google Maps, and Good
For nearly two decades, Hezbollah’s stated objective was to
Shepherd Engineering and Computing.
drive IDF forces from southern Lebanon, through a range of
Hezbollah vies for the loyalties of its constituents by
attacks on Israeli military and civilian targets. Since the
operating a vast network of schools, clinics, youth
Israeli withdrawal in May 2000, Hezbollah has used the
programs, private businesses, and local security. Hezbollah
remaining Israeli presence in the Sheb’a Farms and other
has participated in elections since 1992. The group entered
disputed areas in the Lebanon-Syria-Israel tri-border region
the Cabinet for the first time in 2005, and has held one or
to justify its ongoing conflict with Israel—and its
two seats in each of the six Lebanese governments formed
persistence as an armed militia alongside the Lebanese
since then. Hezbollah has at times sought to block cabinet
Armed Forces (LAF). Hezbollah promotes Iranian interests
decisions, twice prompting the collapse of the government
in the region, through efforts to ensure the survival of the
by withdrawing from the cabinet alongside its political
Asad government in Syria and counter the influence of
Iran’s regional rivals. In recent years, the group has
allies. The group is part of the March 8 political coalition,
portrayed itself as a protector of Lebanon’s domestic
which includes Lebanese President Michel Aoun of the
Free Patriotic Movement. Hezbollah did not gain any
security, conducting operations against Sunni extremist
additional seats in Lebanon’s May 2018 legislative
groups that have crossed into the country from Syria.
elections (it continues to hold 13), but parties allied with the
Areas of Operation
March 8 coalition increased their share of seats.
Hezbollah is based in Lebanon and primarily operates in the
Syria
Middle East, though it has conducted attacks elsewhere.
Hezbollah has a longstanding relationship with the Asad
Lebanon
government in Syria, which facilitates the transit of
weapons through its territory from Iran to Hezbollah. In
According to U.S. government assessments, Hezbollah
2013, Nasrallah acknowledged that Hezbollah fighters were
controls access to parts of Lebanon and operates inside the
operating inside Syria and pledged that the group would
country with relative impunity. The group was implicated
“do everything in [its] power” to ensure the Asad
in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime
government’s survival. Formerly limited to advisory and
Minister Rafik Hariri in a car bombing in downtown Beirut
support roles, Hezbollah fighters increasingly undertook
that also killed 21 others. In 2011, the United Nations-
combat missions, coordinating with Syrian military and
backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) indicted four
paramilitary forces to recapture Syrian towns along the
Hezbollah members in connection with the Hariri
Lebanese border. Since 2013, Hezbollah has expanded its
assassination and is conducting trials in absentia (a fifth
geographical scope of operations in Syria. While most
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Lebanese Hezbollah
deployments aim to bolster regime forces, Hezbollah
Size and Financing
fighters have taken a lead role in some operations, including
The U.S. government has not issued an unclassified
the regime’s recapture of Aleppo in December 2016.
assessment of the total number of Hezbollah fighters across
According to the 2016 Country Reports on Terrorism
all areas of operation. The International Institute for
Strategic Studies’ 2017
(published in July 2017), Hezbollah maintains about 7,000
Military Balance estimates that
fighters in Syria. Some observers have highlighted the
Hezbollah’s active forces number between 7,000–10,000
potential for future Hezbollah deployments to assist the
with an additional 20,000 reserves.
Asad regime in recapturing eastern Syria, which could
facilitate the shipment of arms and other supplies across
According to Nasrallah, Hezbollah receives all of its
Iraq from Iran.
funding from Iran. In a 2016 speech, Nasrallah stated that
“Hezbollah’s budget, ... everything it eats and drinks, its
Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian civil war has cost
weapons and rockets, come from the Islamic Republic of
the group an estimated 2,500 fighters killed and 7,000
Iran.” In June 2018, Treasury Under Secretary for
injured and has reportedly resulted in some erosion of its
Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker
popular support, including within Lebanon’s Shi’a
estimated that Iran provides Hezbollah with more than $700
community. At the same time, the group has gained combat
million per year, significantly more than previously
experience and expanded its operational capabilities,
released U.S. government estimates.
leading some analysts to assess that the group has adopted
some aspects of a conventional force.
However, Hezbollah also operates a global criminal-
Attacks Against U.S. Interests
financial network, with reported hubs in Europe, West
Starting in the early 1980s, Hezbollah carried out a series of
Africa, and Latin America. A 2016 Drug Enforcement
terrorist attacks against U.S. personnel and facilities,
Administration (DEA) investigation implicated Hezbollah
including the high-profile truck bombings of the U.S.
in a multimillion-dollar scheme involving the alleged transit
Embassy and Multinational Force barracks in Beirut in
of Latin American cocaine to the United States and Europe
1983, and the Embassy annex in 1984. Hezbollah also
and the laundering of drug proceeds through exchanges in
hijacked TWA Flight 847 and took roughly 100 foreign
the Middle East and West Africa.
hostages between 1982 and 1992, including the CIA chief
of station in Beirut, who later died in their custody.
Relationship with Iran
Iranian support for Hezbollah, including providing
Since 1986, the U.S. government has not directly
thousands of rockets and short-range missiles, helps Iran
implicated Hezbollah in any attacks on American personnel
acquire leverage against key regional adversaries such as
or facilities. Nevertheless, U.S. officials have alleged that
Israel and Saudi Arabia. It also facilitates Iran’s
Hezbollah leaders were active in arming and training Shi’a
intervention on behalf of the Asad regime in Syria.
militias that carried out attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq during
According to the 2016 Country Reports on Terrorism, Iran
Operation Iraqi Freedom. In June 2017, the Department of
trains “thousands” of Hezbollah fighters.
Justice announced that it had arrested two naturalized U.S.
citizens on charges of providing material support to, and
Designations and Recent Legislation
receiving military-type training from, Hezbollah. The men
Hezbollah, as an entity, is listed as a Specially Designated
allegedly surveilled potential targets for attack in the United
Terrorist (1995); a Foreign Terrorist Organization (1997);
States and Panama.
and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (2001). Several
affiliated individuals and entities have also been designated
Attacks on Israeli and Jewish Targets
as SDGTs, including Secretary-General Nasrallah.
Over the past two decades, Hezbollah has periodically fired
rockets into northern Israel. Hezbollah rocket attacks
In December 2015, the 114th Congress passed the Hizballah
reached a peak during the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel War,
International Financing Prevention Act (HIFPA, P.L. 114-
when, over the course of a 34-day period in July and
102) imposing sanctions on foreign financial institutions
August, more than 4,000 rockets fell across northern Israel,
that facilitate transactions or money laundering on behalf of
killing 55 Israelis. Hezbollah also conducted cross-border
Hezbollah or affiliated persons or entities. The Hizballah
raids on Israeli villages and military installations. All told,
International Financing Prevention Amendments Act of
the 2006 conflict killed an estimated 163 Israelis and more
2017 (S. 1595 and H.R. 3329), introduced in July 2017,
than 1,000 Lebanese.
would amend HIFPA to impose additional sanctions on
Hezbollah’s financial facilitators. In October 2017, H.R.
Since the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel War, Hezbollah has
3329 was passed by the House as amended and S. 1595 was
reportedly continued to expand its rocket arsenal—from
passed by the Senate as amended. For additional
approximately 13,000 short- and medium-range rockets
information on Lebanese Hezbollah, see CRS Report
when the War began to, by some accounts, ten times that
R44759, Lebanon, by Carla E. Humud.
number today, including Russian- and Iranian-built systems
with longer ranges and improved accuracy.
Carla E. Humud, Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs
Over the years, Hezbollah has also been implicated in
IF10703
several attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets outside Israel,
including two attacks in Argentina in the early 1990s and a
1994 car bombing at the Israeli Embassy in London.
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Lebanese Hezbollah


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