Editing Hezbollah (section)

== Political activities ==
{{Main|Hezbollah political activities}}
[[File:Lebanon Jul06.png|thumb|{{legend|#4daf4a|Hezbollah-controlled areas in July 2006 (most of [[Shi'a Islam in Lebanon|Lebanon's majority Shi'a areas]])}}]]
[[File:Dec 10 2006 anti-government rally Beirut.jpg|thumb|A December 2006 anti-government rally in Beirut]]
{{Politics of Lebanon}}

Hezbollah along with [[Amal Movement|Amal]] is one of two major political parties in Lebanon that represent [[Shi'a Islam|Shiite]] [[Demographics of Lebanon#Muslims|Muslims]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/dispatches/lebanon.syria/seelye2.html|title=Lebanon's religious mix|first=Kate|last=Seelye|work=[[PBS Frontline World|Frontline World]]|publisher=[[PBS]]|date=1 April 2005|access-date=28 July 2006}}</ref> Unlike Amal, whose support is predominantly in Lebanon's south, Hezbollah maintains broad-based support in all three areas of Lebanon with a majority Shia Muslim population: in the south, in Beirut and its surrounding area, and in the northern Beqaa valley and Hirmil region.<ref name=AN6>{{cite book|last=Norton|first=Augustus|title=Hezbollah: A Short History|year=2009|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-13124-5|page=6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x0MZOnnu8qcC&q=Hezbollah%20a%20short%20history&pg=PP1}}</ref>

Hezbollah holds 14 of the 128 seats in the [[Parliament of Lebanon]] and is a member of the [[Resistance and Development Bloc]]. According to Daniel L. Byman, it is "the most powerful single political movement in Lebanon".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfr.org/lebanon/hezbollah-most-powerful-political-movement-lebanon/p16378?breadcrumb=%2F|title=Hezbollah: Most Powerful Political Movement in Lebanon|publisher=[[Council on Foreign Relations]]|date=29 May 2008|access-date=5 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617010638/http://www.cfr.org/lebanon/hezbollah-most-powerful-political-movement-lebanon/p16378?breadcrumb=%2F|archive-date=17 June 2013}}</ref> Hezbollah, along with the Amal Movement, represents most of Lebanese [[Shi'a Islam in Lebanon|Shi'a]]. Unlike Amal, Hezbollah has not disarmed. Hezbollah participates in the Parliament of Lebanon.

===Political alliances===
Hezbollah has been one of the main parties of the [[March 8 Alliance]] since March 2005. Although Hezbollah had joined the new government in 2005, it remained staunchly opposed to the [[March 14 Alliance]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Gambill|first=Gary|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716112837/http://www.mideastmonitor.org/issues/0604/0604_1.htm|url=http://www.mideastmonitor.org/issues/0604/0604_1.htm |title=The Counter-revolution of the Cedars |publisher=Mideastmonitor.org |archive-date=16 July 2011|access-date=20 October 2012}}</ref> On 1 December 2006, these groups began [[2006–2008 Lebanese political protests|a series of political protests]] and [[sit-in]]s in opposition to the government of Prime Minister [[Fouad Siniora]].<ref name="Ghattas">{{cite news |last=Ghattas |first=Kim |date=1 December 2006 |title=Political ferment in Lebanon |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6200804.stm |access-date=15 August 2008 |website=BBC News}}</ref>

In 2006, [[Michel Aoun]] and [[Hassan Nasrallah]] met in Mar Mikhayel Church, [[Chiyah]], and signed a memorandum of understanding between [[Free Patriotic Movement]] and Hezbollah organizing their relation and discussing Hezbollah's disarmament with some conditions. The agreement also discussed the importance of having normal diplomatic relations with [[Syria]] and the request for information about the Lebanese political prisoners in Syria and the return of all political prisoners and diaspora in [[Israel]]. After this event, Aoun and his party became part of the March 8 Alliance.<ref name=Harris2012>{{cite book|author=William Harris|title=Lebanon: A History, 600–2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jY4ImTGnamUC&pg=PP2|access-date=7 April 2013|date=2012|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-518111-1|page=274}}</ref>

On 7 May 2008, [[Lebanon]]'s [[2006–2008 Lebanese political protests|17-month-long political crisis]] spiraled out of control. [[2008 unrest in Lebanon|The fighting]] was sparked by a government move to shut down Hezbollah's telecommunication network and remove Beirut Airport's security chief over alleged ties to Hezbollah. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the government's decision to declare the group's military telecommunications network illegal was a "declaration of war" on the organization, and demanded that the government revoke it.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lebanon tensions rise in clash with Hezbollah |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/981937.html |work=[[Haaretz]]|access-date=10 May 2008}}</ref>

Hezbollah-led opposition fighters seized control of several West Beirut neighborhoods from [[Future Movement]] militiamen loyal to the backed government, in street battles that left 11 dead and 30 wounded. The opposition-seized areas were then handed over to the [[Lebanese Army]].<ref name="Haaretz1">{{cite web |last1=Stern |first1=Yoav |last2=Issacharoff |first2=Avi |date=10 May 2008 |title=Hezbollah fighters retreat from Beirut after 37 die in clashes |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/981696.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512082543/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/981696.html |archive-date=12 May 2008 |access-date=20 October 2012 |work=[[Haaretz]]}}</ref> The army also pledged to resolve the dispute and has reversed the decisions of the government by letting Hezbollah preserve its telecoms network and re-instating the airport's security chief.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hezbollah to Withdraw Gunmen in Lebanon|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/world/middleeast/11lebanon.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=5 October 2008 |first1=Robert F. |last1=Worth |author1-link=Robert F. Worth |first2=Nada |last2=Bakri |author2-link=Nada Bakri |date=11 May 2008}}</ref>

At the end, rival Lebanese leaders reached consensus over [[Doha Agreement (2008)|Doha Agreement]] on 21 May 2008, to end the 18-month political feud that exploded into fighting and nearly drove the country to a new civil war.<ref name="france24">{{cite web|title=Lebanese leaders 'expect to elect a president' in 24 hours |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20080521-lebanon-hezbollah-doha-election-presidential&navi=MONDE |publisher=[[France 24]] |access-date=31 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520122706/http://www.france24.com/en/20080521-lebanon-hezbollah-doha-election-presidential%26navi%3DMONDE |archive-date=20 May 2011  }}</ref> On the basis of this agreement, Hezbollah and its opposition allies were effectively granted veto power in Lebanon's parliament. At the end of the conflicts, [[Lebanese government of July 2008|National unity government]] was formed by Fouad Siniora on 11 July 2008, with Hezbollah controlling one ministerial and eleven of thirty cabinet places.<ref name="CFR">{{cite web |date=13 September 2008 |title=Hezbollah (a.k.a., Hizbollah, Hizbu'llah) |url=http://www.cfr.org/publication/9155/hezbollah.html?breadcrumb=%2F |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913091527/http://www.cfr.org/publication/9155/hezbollah.html?breadcrumb=%2F |archive-date=13 September 2008 |access-date=15 September 2008 |website=[[Council on Foreign Relations]]}}</ref>

In [[2018 Lebanese general election]], Hezbollah general secretary Hassan Nasrallah presented the names of the 13 Hezbollah candidates.<ref name=hzb1>''Al-Monitor''. ''[https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/03/lebanon-elections-new-law-hezbollah-results-constituency-win.html Lebanon's new electoral law could spell trouble for traditional parties]''</ref> On 22 March 2018, Nasrallah issued a statement outlining the main priorities for the parliamentary bloc of the party, Loyalty to the Resistance, in the next parliament.<ref name=manary>Al-Manar. ''[https://english.almanar.com.lb/469141 Sayyed Nasrallah Announces Hezbollah Electoral Platform: Combating Corruption Priority]''</ref> He stated that rooting out corruption would be the foremost priority of the [[Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc]].<ref name=manary/> The electoral slogan of the party was 'We will construct and we will protect'.<ref name="olj19">''L'Orient Le Jour''. ''[https://www.lorientlejour.com/elections/article/1104962/les-slogans-electoraux-de-2018-un-gros-flop-.html Les slogans électoraux de 2018 : un gros flop ?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316023358/https://www.lorientlejour.com/elections/article/1104962/les-slogans-electoraux-de-2018-un-gros-flop-.html |date=16 March 2018 }}''</ref> Finally Hezbollah held 12 seats and its alliance won the election by gaining 70 out of 128 seats of [[Parliament of Lebanon]].<ref name="reuters.com">{{Cite news |last=Perry |first=Tom |date=22 May 2018 |title=Factbox: Hezbollah and allies gain sway in Lebanon parliament |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-election-parliament-factbox-idUSKCN1IN1OJ |work=Reuters}}</ref><ref name="aljazeera.com">{{Cite news |last=Ajroudi |first=Asma |title=Hezbollah and allies biggest winners in Lebanon polls |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/5/8/hezbollah-amal-and-allies-biggest-winners-in-lebanon-elections |publisher=Al Jazeera}}</ref>

In October 2024, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, [[Gebran Bassil]], announced that the party was no longer in alliance with Hezbollah.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bassil Disavows Hezbollah, Blames it for Israeli Assault on Lebanon |url=https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5073914-bassil-disavows-hezbollah-blames-it-israeli-assault-lebanon |work=english.aawsat.com |language=en}}</ref> In February 2025, Lebanese Prime Minister [[Nawaf Salam]] announced his government, which consists of 24 ministers; the Hezbollah controls two portofolios.; the Public Health Ministry, headed by Rakan Nasredine, and the Labor Ministry, headed by Muhammad Haidar. The Hizbullah and Amal Bloc controls together six portfolios in the government.<ref>{{cite web |title=One Day After U.S. Draws 'Red Line' Over Hizbullah Participation In Lebanese Government, Triggering Threats Against It And Its Representative, Lebanon Announces New Government That Includes Hizbullah, And U.S. Gives In And Welcomes It |url=https://www.memri.org/reports/one-day-after-us-draws-red-line-over-hizbullah-participation-lebanese-government-triggering |website=MEMRI |language=en}}</ref>

=== Media operations ===
Hezbollah operates a satellite television station, [[Al-Manar]] TV ("the Lighthouse"), and a radio station, [[al-Nour]] ("the Light").<ref name="CNN" /> Al-Manar broadcasts from Beirut, Lebanon.<ref name="CNN">{{cite news|year=2006|publisher=CNN|author1=Elise Labott |author2=Henry Schuster |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/03/23/hezbollah.tv/index.html|title=Lebanese media outlets' assets blocked}}</ref> Hezbollah launched the station in 1991<ref name="natrev812">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/jorisch200412220812.asp |title=Terrorist Television Hezbollah has a worldwide reach |magazine=[[National Review Online]] |date=22 December 2004 |access-date=31 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070427115458/http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/jorisch200412220812.asp |archive-date=27 April 2007 }}</ref> with the help of Iranian funds.<ref name="meforum583">{{cite journal|url=http://www.meforum.org/article/583|title=Al-Manar: Hizbullah TV, 24/7|author=Avi Jorisch|journal=Middle East Quarterly|date=Winter 2004|access-date=3 September 2006}}</ref> Al-Manar, the self-proclaimed "Station of the Resistance", (''qanat al-muqawama'') is a key player in what Hezbollah calls its "[[psychological warfare]] against the [[Zionism|Zionist enemy]]"<ref name="meforum583" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.manartv.org/html/about.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030410115717/http://web.manartv.org/html/about.html|archive-date=10 April 2003|title=Al-Manar Television|access-date=27 March 2007}}</ref> and an integral part of Hezbollah's plan to spread its message to the entire [[Arab world]].<ref name="meforum583" /> Hezbollah has a weekly publication, ''Al Ahd'', which was established in 1984.<ref name=olfa>{{cite journal |author1=Olfa Lamloum |title=Hezbollah's Media: Political History in outline |journal=Global Media and Communication |year=2009 |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=353–367 |doi=10.1177/1742766509348673|s2cid=143704235 }}</ref> It is the only media outlet which is openly affiliated with the organization.<ref name=olfa />

Hezbollah's television station Al-Manar airs programming designed to inspire suicide attacks in [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]], the [[West Bank]], and [[Iraq]].<ref name="In the Party of God" /><ref name="natrev812" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Jorisch|first=Avi|url=http://www.meforum.org/meib/articles/0304_l1.htm|title=Al-Manar and the War in Iraq|publisher=Middle East Intelligence Bulletin|date=April 2003|access-date=24 August 2006}}</ref> Al-Manar's transmission in France is prohibited due to its promotion of [[Holocaust denial]], a criminal offense in France.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4093579.stm|title=France pulls plug on Arab network|publisher=BBC News|date=14 December 2004|access-date=5 September 2013}}</ref> The United States lists Al-Manar television network as a terrorist organization.<ref>[http://archive.adl.org/presrele/asint_13/4605_13.html#.VM-712TF9fw "ADL Welcomes U.S. Designating Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV Station a Terrorist Organization: Calls On U.S. To Take Further Actions"]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811104707/http://archive.adl.org/presrele/asint_13/4605_13.html#.VM-712TF9fw |date=11 August 2017}} ''ADL''. 2 February 2015.</ref> Al-Manar was designated as a "[[Specially Designated Global Terrorist]] entity", and banned by the United States in December 2004.<ref name="js4134">{{cite web|date=23 March 2006|publisher=[[U.S. Department of the Treasury]]|url=http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/js4134.aspx|title=U.S. Designates Al-Manar as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity}}</ref> It has also been banned by France, Spain and Germany.<ref name="france_ban">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4093579.stm|title=France pulls plug on Arab network |publisher=BBC News|date=14 December 2004|access-date=9 August 2006}}</ref><ref name="comm_EC">Commission of the European Communities [http://www.wales.gov.uk/keypubassemeuropeancomm2/content/euleg-0602/6448-06-add-1.pdf Commission document SEC(2006) 160] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108185351/http://www.wales.gov.uk/keypubassemeuropeancomm2/content/euleg-0602/6448-06-add-1.pdf |date=8 January 2007 }}. Retrieved 31 July 2006.</ref>

Materials aimed at instilling principles of nationalism and Islam in children are an aspect of Hezbollah's media operations.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3297896,00.html|title=Hizbullah presents: How to recruit children|author=Roee Nahmias|work=Ynetnews|date=31 August 2006|access-date=27 January 2011}}</ref> The Hezbollah Central Internet Bureau released two video games{{snd}}''[[Special Force (2003 video game)|Special Force]]'' in 2003 and a sequel, ''[[Special Force 2: Tale of the Truthful Pledge]]'', in 2007{{snd}}in which players are rewarded with points and weapons for killing Israeli soldiers.<ref>[http://www.adl.org/main_Terrorism/special_force_2.htm " Hezbollah Releases Anti-Israel War Game."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615115751/http://adl.org/main_Terrorism/special_force_2.htm |date=15 June 2010 }} [[Anti-Defamation League|ADL]]. 17 August 2007. 10 July 2010.</ref> In 2012, Al-Manar aired a television special praising an 8-year-old boy who raised money for Hezbollah and said: "When I grow up, I will be a communist resistance warrior with Hezbollah, fighting the United States and Israel, I will tear them to pieces and drive them out of Lebanon, the Golan and Palestine, which I love very dearly."<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4301981,00.html "8 year-old boy donates money to Hezbollah"]. ''Ynetnews''. 6 November 2012.</ref>