Hezbollah is a radical Shi'ite terrorist group based in Lebanon that has been waging a guerilla campaign against Israel since the 1980s.
The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, Canada, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
One of Hezbollah's key goals is the elimination of the State of Israel and the group has found itself in regular conflict with Israel since 1982, including during the First Lebanon War and the 2006 Lebanon War.
The First Lebanon War, otherwise known as the South Lebanon conflict, started in 1985 and ended with Israeli withdrawal in 2000. 559 Israeli soldiers were killed and 840 wounded during the conflict and more than 1,200 Hezbollah militants were killed and approximately 1,000 wounded.
The 2006 Lebanon War began on 12 July 2006 when Hezbollah militants launched a cross-border attack on Israeli troops, killing three and kidnapping two IDF soldiers.
The five-week conflict saw 121 IDF soldiers killed and 1,244 wounded. 44 Israeli civilians were killed during the war as a result of Hezbollah rocket and mortar fire. Israel claims that between 600 and 800 Hezbollah militants were killed during the conflict, in addition to at least 1,000 Lebanese and foreign civilians.
The remains of the two seized Israeli soldiers, whose fates were unknown, were returned to Israel as part of a prisoner exchange in July 2008.
Hezbollah has also planned and carried out major terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens and infrastructure outside of Israel.
The organization is responsible, among other things, for the 1994 AMIA bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Argentina, the 2012 Burgas bus bombing against Israeli citizens, and for the kidnapping of several Israeli soldiers.
Following the October 7 massacre in late 2023, Hezbollah began carrying out numerous attacks against Israel. In response, following months of fighting with Hamas in Gaza, the IDF turned their focus to the North. Following a two-day attack in which the pagers and other communication devices of Hezbollah officials all exploded in what is widely believed to be a carefully orchestrated plot by Israel, the IDF carried out numerous strikes in Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of much of its leadership, including Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah. Shortly after, the IDF launched a limited ground offensive into southern Lebanon to root out Hezbollah positions.
A glimpse into the hunt for Hezbollah's Unit 127, which during the war managed to attack deep inside Israeli territory.
GHF says aid distribution carried out peacefully • IDF hits Hezbollah drone assembly • Iran orders missile fuel from China
Sources estimated that if delivered, the materials could produce around 800 missiles.
Prior to the strike, the IDF issued an evacuation warning to Lebanese residents.
This is an important meeting because it shows Iran is seeking to redouble efforts to involve itself in Lebanon after it saw setbacks last year in Israel’s war on Hezbollah and the fall of Assad.
Sean Rooney was killed in 2022 while on a UNIFIL mission in Lebanon.
IDF announces reservist killed in Gaza • IDF strikes Syria following exchange of rocket fire • UN Security Council to vote Wednesday on Gaza action
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told both Lebanon's prime minister Nawaf Salam and foreign minister Youssef Raggi that he wanted to "turn a new page" in Iran's ties with Lebanon.
The Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart found the 33-year-old man guilty of leading a militia that carried out brutal attacks on Sunni Muslim civilians.
Israeli hostage deal negotiators will not travel to Qatar for talks • US-Iran deal will not allow uranium enrichment • IDF intercepts Houthi missile
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