What is Hezbollah and what are its goals?

The core of the Hezbollah organization (also spelled Hizballah, Hezbullah and other variants, meaning 'Party of God') in Lebanon comes from 'Iranian Revolutionary Guards' sent to Lebanon in 1982, at the time of Israel's invasion of Southern Lebanaon designed to oust the PLO. They went to assist in the establishment of a revolutionary Islamic movement whose members would participate in the 'Jihad', Holy War, against Israel from bases in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Inspired by the success of the Iranian Revolution and establishment of an Islamic Republic in Iran, Hezbollah also dreamt of transforming Lebanon's multi-religion state into an Iranian-style Islamic state. Its ideology, as expressed in declarations by its leadership, maintained that Israel had no legitimacy as a state, and that it must be fought until Jerusalem, meaning all of Israel, is liberated.
Following the IDF withdrawal from Lebanon in 1985 the Hezbollah organization consolidated itself by establishing storage depots for weapons, recruiting activists and fighters, and providing widespread aid to residents in South Lebanon, such as the donation of money, equipment, and medical supplies. The aid programs helped Hezbollah gain the support of the local population in favor of the organization's activities against Israel.
Using cover names such as 'Islamic Jihad', 'The Revolutionary Justice Organization' and 'The Islamic Resistance', with the blessings of its religious leaders, Hezbollah has carried out a series of high profile attacks against Israeli targets in southern Lebanon and American and Multinational Forces targets in Lebanon. Hezbollah was responsible for the two explosions in Beirut on October 23, 1983 that killed 241 American Marines and 56 French servicemen sleeping in their barracks. Their attacks became more intensive as well as demonstrating better planning immediately prior to the opening of the peace process in 1991.
In 1991, the Hezbollah was responsible for 52 attacks, as compared to 19 attacks the organization carried out in 1990. In 1992, the Hezbollah launched 63 attacks and in 1993, 158 attacks, when during the course of 'Operation Accountability' they fired hundreds of Katyusha rockets into the Security Zone and Israeli territory. In 1994 a total of 187 attacks against Israeli troops and positions by Hezbollah were recorded. There were 119 instances of artillery fire, 31 detonations of explosive charges and two frontal assaults on IDF positions. In 1995 a total of 344 attacks against Israeli troops and positions by were recorded. There were 270 instances of artillery fire, 64 detonations of explosive charges and 2 frontal assaults on IDF positions.
Hezbollah did not confine the slaughter to Israel and Lebanon. The bloodshed included multiple bombings in Argentina of Israeli and Jewish community facilities, one in Buenos Aires, March 1992 that killed 29 and another in July 1994 that killed 96. [At the time this last event was one of the worst terrorist attacks ever in the Western hemisphere.] Hezbollah is also credited with blowing up a Panamanian airplane in flight.
After the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah announced its intentions to continue to struggle against Israel as a second front supporting the Palestinian Arabs. In March 2002, as Israel carried out its Operation Defensive Shield, Hezbollah increased its cross-border attacks from Lebanon.
Over its two decades, Hezbollah has evolved into a movement with thousands of trained guerrillas, members of the Lebanese parliament and a dynamic welfare program benefiting thousands of Lebanese people. They enjoy considerable support in Lebanon both because their rage against Israel is popular and because their social programs are effective in meeting ground level needs. Since Israel is no longer present in Lebanon, Hezbollah now talks about the elimination of Israel itself calling all of Israel "occupied territory" that has to be "liberated" for Islam.
Hezbollah continues to receive substantial amounts of financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid from Iran and Syria. Hezbollah has also benefited from criminal activity in the US developed as a source of funds.
In the summer of 2002 there were indications that Hezbollah was assisting al Qaeda (the organization, headed by Usama Bin Laden, that attacked the United States on September 11, 2001). Despite religious differences — the Iranian-originated Hezbollah is Shiite, while bin Laden and al Qaeda are Sunni — the two groups have coordinated on a practical level for years. After their loss of control of Afghanistan, al Qaeda began showing up in Lebanon with hints that Lebanon may be their new base of operations, aided and abetted by Hezbollah.
Sources and additional reading on this topic:

• Hizballah (Party of God)
• The Israel-Hezbollah war
• The Hezbollah in America: An Alarming Network
• Whitewashing Hezbullah
• The New Front: An ominous alliance in Lebanon
• Hell on Earth: The Other Occupied Territory
• New Yorker bests Times on anti-Semitism

I dont expect any of you to understand what i am trying to say! And it's anti-semetic not semitic.
Are you Jewish? Are you anti-islamist?

I have read many historical accounts and i come from the region so what's your point? What do you know that i dont? Nothing!
Using your logic drex does'nt this land belong to the aboriginals so by default the americas belong to them?

I am armenian by the way and my people have faced the same attrocities as the jews and we lost the majority of our land in the genocide (at the hands of muslim turks) which has not been aknowledged by the international community for almost a hundred years because of international pressures.We we're the first people to adopt christianity. Who has helped us? And what makes the jews so special?

And what's the bullshit that the arabs wont clean-up? What does that mean?
The mess the united states helped spread all over the middle east?
And beleive me the U.S. will capitalize on this investment in the future so dont be an idiot and call me ignorant.

You all have a very one sided view and opinion on the issue.

I dont support either side of the war and i dont support people voicing opinions that have no foundation other than what they've heard and seen on tv or read on the internet.

It's just like the katrina incident on this website you all think you have the right to speak about innocent people losing their lives and justifying it in a disgusting and disgraceful manner.

I may be ignorant on many of the issues but at least i can see both sides of them.

So for me you are ignorant.

Wow Drex you are really proficient in copying and pasting information!:rolleyes:

Any ideas of your own on the subject? Or are you just falling in line with the rest of america?

:iagree:

Ignorant how? There is very little 'one sided' about any political or global situation discussions on this forum. Seems as though your posts to this topic have no real commentary aside from telling others not to speak. As you said you have no side in the discussion, so why comment to others about them being one sided? Your response to Drex, who posted a great deal of factual information, was, IMO, ridiculous. Your other comments about not wanting to hear about opinions based on research is ridiculous as well. The genocide you spoke of occurred between 1915-1918 and early 1920's, so unless you are roughly 90 years old, you didn't have a first hand account of any of this, simply researched it as you denounce others from commenting to. And in fact the allies, including the USA, required the Ottoman Empire to hold the Young Turks accountable to war crimes.

Any issue as far as Israel is concerned in relation to Armenia should be taken up with Turkey who still dismisses the notion of a genocide in Armenia at all, much like Iran doubting the Jews in Germany.

Armenian Genocide:
---
The atrocities committed against the Armenian people of the Ottoman Empire during W.W.I are called the Armenian Genocide. Genocide is the organized killing of a people for the express purpose of putting an end to their collective existence. Because of its scope, genocide requires central planning and a machinery to implement it. This makes genocide the quintessential state crime as only a government has the resources to carry out such a scheme of destruction. The Armenian Genocide was centrally planned and administered by the Turkish government against the entire Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. It was carried out during W.W.I between the years 1915 and 1918. The Armenian people was subjected to deportation, expropriation, abduction, torture, massacre, and starvation. The great bulk of the Armenian population was forcibly removed from Armenia and Anatolia to Syria, where the vast majority was sent into the desert to die of thirst and hunger. Large numbers of Armenians were methodically massacred throughout the Ottoman Empire. Women and children were abducted and horribly abused. The entire wealth of the Armenian people was expropriated. After only a little more than a year of calm at the end of W.W.I, the atrocities were renewed between 1920 and 1923, and the remaining Armenians were subjected to further massacres and expulsions. In 1915, thirty-three years before UN Genocide Convention was adopted, the Armenian Genocide was condemned by the international community as a crime against humanity.

Actually wagner i was pretty much aiming at you! You always have an opinion which is very pro american and anti whatever else is out there attitude.

Lets kill all the muslims and wipe lebanon off the map because america gave Israel the firepower? Thats what you sound like. There is no humanity or compassion or empathy in your opinions.

And please dont give me any information about the genocide that you went and gathered on your computer. Okay copy-paster?

I am armenian and my grandparents and family are armenian and i have heard real accounts and seen real pictures on what had happened!

I lived in lebanon for part of the civil war. I have lost family and friends then and now! And to hear an idiot like you comment on things that will probably never affect you in any shape way or form just makes me sick to my stomach!

That's where i'm coming from!

"In 1915, thirty-three years before UN Genocide Convention was adopted, the Armenian Genocide was condemned by the international community as a crime against humanity."
What good came of this? Where is our land? Why do you assume that you know what you're talking about?

Thanks JCL I thought i was alone here with all these "americans"!

Eww, you aimed it at me did ya...gosh I feel proud.

Again, you just re-itterated the fact that you really do have an opinion on the topic you just can't say it....seems like what you're implying is that Israel should go bye-bye simply because Armania didn't get treated the same. I mean I have to assume this since you don't come out and say anything directly.

Copying information that is factual simply allows others viewing a topic to understand the context of discussion, so comments like 'copy-paster' are, again, useless.

Actually my comment to Israel being able to wipe Lebanon off the map came as a direct quote from former PM of Israel Benjamin Netenyahu. I added the American firepower line as they use M109's and other USA made items.

Oh, and I know what I'm talking about...but thanks for asking :)

great, the canadians have spoken!

ahh, if you are sooooooooooooooooo upset about Armenia, why don't you go back there and take your land back?

ahh, I thought so.

what can i say? apparently, i can only copy and paste things for simpletons who need guidance. some of us don't need to copy and paste, as we are immersed in it!

i don't have the time to edumacate you therefore I cut and paste for your benefit, not for mine!

how's the weather in montreal, by the way?

ps forgive me for not using spellcheck.


pps where is your grammar and spell-checker?