Editing Hezbollah (section)

== Military activities ==
{{Main|Hezbollah military activities}}

Hezbollah has a military branch known as the [[Jihad Council]],<ref>{{multiref2|{{cite book |last=Levitt |first=Matthew |author-link=Matthew Levitt |year=2013 |title=Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God |page=15 |publisher=Hurst Publishers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yTJeAQAAQBAJ&q=jihad+council+hezbollah&pg=PA14 |quote=... the Jihad Council coordinates 'resistance activity'. |isbn=978-1-84904-333-5|ref=none}}|{{cite news |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/May-15/256484-hezbollah-cutting-costs-as-iranian-aid-dries-up.ashx |title=Hezbollah cutting costs as Iranian aid dries up |first=Antoine |last=Ghattas Saab |work=The Daily Star |quote=...&nbsp;Hezbollah's military wing ... Known as the 'Jihad Council' |date=15 May 2014 |access-date=1 June 2014|ref=none}}
}}</ref> one component of which is ''Al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya'' ("The Islamic Resistance"), and is the possible sponsor of a number of lesser-known militant groups, some of which may be little more than fronts for Hezbollah itself, including the Organization of the Oppressed, the Revolutionary Justice Organization, the Organization of Right Against Wrong, and Followers of the Prophet Muhammad.<ref name="USDbackground2801">{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/s/ct/rls/rpt/fto/2801.htm|title=Background Information on Foreign Terrorist Organizations|author=US Department of State|date=8 October 1999|access-date=20 October 2012}}</ref> Some scholars have regarded Hezbollah as a [[resistance movement]] by some scholars.{{Sfn|Farida|2019|p=1-2}}{{Sfn|Daher|2019|p=8}}{{Sfn|Al-Aloosy|2020|p=43, 74}}

[[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559]] called for the disarmament of militia<ref>{{cite web|url=http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=S/RES/1559%20(2004)&Lang=E&Area=UNDOC|title=Resolution 1559 (2004)|author=United Nations Security Council|date=2 September 2004|access-date=1 May 2007|quote=3. Calls for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias|author-link=United Nations Security Council}}</ref> with the [[Taif agreement]] at the end of the [[Lebanese civil war]]. Hezbollah denounced, and protested against, the resolution.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/html/final/eng/eng_n/hez_e0905.htm|title=Hezbollah has no intention to disarm|publisher=[[Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center]] at the [[Center for Special Studies]] (C.S.S., Israel)|date=7 September 2005|access-date=1 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729110434/http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/article/19162|archive-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> The 2006 military conflict with Israel has increased the controversy. Failure to disarm remains a violation of the resolution and agreement as well as subsequent [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701]].<ref name="ADL">[http://www.adl.org/main_terrorism/hezbollah_overview.htm "Hezbollah: Hezbollah and the Recent Conflict"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504083721/http://www.adl.org/main_terrorism/hezbollah_overview.htm |date=4 May 2007 }} ''[[Anti-Defamation League|ADL]]''. 29 September 2006. 26 June 2007.</ref> Since then both Israel and Hezbollah have asserted that the organization has gained in military strength.<ref name="met">{{cite news |last=Frykberg |first=Mel |date=29 August 2008 |title=Mideast Powers, Proxies and Paymasters Bluster and Rearm |url=http://injesus.com/message-archives/prophetic/prophecyupdate/prophecy-update-israel-reaches |access-date=31 May 2011 |work=[[Middle East Times]] |quote=And if there is one thing that ideologically and diametrically opposed Hezbollah and Israel agree on, it is Hezbollah's growing military strength.}}</ref>

A Lebanese public opinion poll taken in August 2006 shows that most of the [[Shi'a Islam in Lebanon|Shia]] did not believe that Hezbollah should disarm after the [[2006 Lebanon war]], while the majority of Sunni, Druze and Christians believed that they should.<ref name="Briefing">{{cite web|last=Gambill|first=Gary|url=http://www.mideastmonitor.org/issues/0609/0609_6.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927030212/http://www.mideastmonitor.org/issues/0609/0609_6.htm|title=Briefing: Lebanese Public Opinion|date=September–October 2006|publisher=Mideast Monitor|access-date=23 October 2012|archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref> The Lebanese cabinet, under president [[Michel Suleiman]] and Prime Minister [[Fouad Siniora]], guidelines state that Hezbollah enjoys the right to "liberate occupied lands".<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1011868.html ''Haaretz''] 14 August 2008, "UN: We've cleared half the cluster bombs Israel dropped on Lebanon", by Shlomo Shamir</ref> In 2009, a Hezbollah commander, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "[W]e have far more rockets and missiles [now] than we did in 2006."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1257455206498 |title=Hizbullah says it's getting ready for new war with Israel |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=8 November 2009 |access-date=21 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129054742/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1257455206498 |archive-date=29 January 2012  }}</ref>

=== Lebanese Resistance Brigades ===
{{Main|Lebanese Resistance Brigades}}
{{Infobox war faction
| name             = Lebanese Resistance Brigades<br />''Saraya al-Moukawama al-Lubnaniyya''
| native_name      = سرايا المقاومة اللبنانية
| native_name_lang = ar
| war              = [[South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000)]] and [[Battle of Sidon (2013)]]
| image            = [[File:Saraya-moukawama-main.jpg|200px]]
| caption          =
| active           = 1998–2000<br />2009–present
| ideology         =
| leaders          = Mohammed Aknan ([[Beirut]])<br />
Mohammad Saleh ([[Sidon]]){{KIA}}
| clans            =
| headquarters     =
| area             = [[Southern Lebanon]], mainly [[Sidon]]
| size             =
| partof           = Hezbollah
| predecessor      =
| successor        =
| allies           = [[March 8 Alliance]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Army coordinating with Resistance Brigades in Sidon|url=https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/nownews/army-coordinating-with-resistance-brigades-in-sidon|publisher=[[NOW Lebanon]]|date=24 June 2013|access-date=26 April 2014|archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019141902/https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/nownews/army-coordinating-with-resistance-brigades-in-sidon}}</ref>
| opponents        = {{flag|Israel}}<br /> [[South Lebanon Army|SLA]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of the Al-Nusra Front (Variant).svg}} [[Al-Nusra Front]]<br />[[Fatah al-Islam]]<br />[[Jund al-Sham]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.svg|40px}} [[Islamic State]]
| battles          = [[Battle of Sidon (2013)]]
}}

The '''Lebanese Resistance Brigades''' ({{langx|ar|سرايا المقاومة اللبنانية|Sarāyā l-Muqāwama al-Lubnāniyya}}), also known as the '''Lebanese Brigades to Resist the Israeli Occupation''', were formed by Hezbollah in 1997 as a multifaith (Christian, Druze, Sunni and Shia) volunteer force to combat the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon. With the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, the organization was disbanded.<ref>{{cite book |last=Blanford |first=Nicholas |date=2011 |title=Warriors of God: Inside Hezbollah's Thirty-Year Struggle Against Israel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJWGvIcmODoC&q=resistance+brigades+lebanon+2008&pg=PT582 |location=New York |publisher=[[Random House]] |page=582 |isbn=978-0-679-60516-4 |access-date=26 April 2014 }}</ref>

In 2009, the Resistance Brigades were reactivated, mainly comprising Sunni supporters from the southern city of [[Sidon]]. Its strength was reduced in late 2013 from 500 to 200–250 due to residents' complaints about some fighters of the group exacerbating tensions with the local community.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wariness of Resistance Brigades grows in Sidon|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2013/Nov-13/237718-wariness-of-resistance-brigades-grows-in-sidon.ashx|work=[[The Daily Star (Lebanon)|Daily Star]]|date=13 November 2013|access-date=26 April 2014}}</ref>

=== The beginning of its military activities: the South Lebanon conflict ===
{{Main|South Lebanon conflict (1982–2000)}}
Hezbollah has been involved in several cases of armed conflict with Israel: during the 1982–2000 South Lebanon conflict, Hezbollah waged a guerrilla campaign against Israeli forces occupying Southern Lebanon. In 1982, the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) was based in Southern Lebanon and was firing Katyusha rockets into northern Israel from Lebanon. Israel invaded Lebanon to evict the PLO, and Hezbollah became an armed organization to expel the Israelis.<ref name="In the Party of God" /> Hezbollah's strength was enhanced by the dispatching of one thousand to two thousand members of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps|Iranian Revolutionary Guards]] and the financial backing of Iran.<ref name="lebarmy6915">{{cite web|url=http://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/article.asp?ln=en&id=6915 |author=Nizar Abdel-Kader |work=Lebanese Army Magazine |title=Iraq and the Future of Gulf Security Cooperation: A Lebanese perspective |access-date=25 July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060404030400/http://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/article.asp?ln=en&id=6915 |archive-date=4 April 2006 }}</ref><ref>Third World Quarterly, Vol 14, No 2, 1993, reprinted at Al Mashriq [http://almashriq.hiof.no/ddc/projects/pspa/hamzeh2.html Lebanon's Hizbullah: from Islamic revolution to parliamentary accommodation] Accessed 26 July 2006</ref><ref>Rex A. Hudson, [https://fas.org/irp/threat/frd.html "The Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism: Who Becomes a Terrorist and Why?"], Federal Research Division, Library of Congress (September 1999). Retrieved 17 August 2006</ref>

Iranian clerics, most notably Fzlollah Mahallati supervised this activity.<ref>Nasr, Vali, ''The Shia Revival'', Norton, (2006), p. 115</ref> It became the main politico-military force among the Shia community in Lebanon and the main arm of what became known later as the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon. With the collapse of the [[South Lebanon Army|SLA]], and the rapid advance of Hezbollah forces, Israel withdrew on 24 May 2000 six weeks before the announced 7 July date."<ref name="Timeline: Lebanon" />

Hezbollah held a victory parade, and its popularity in Lebanon rose.<ref name="BBC News">{{cite news|publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/26/newsid_2496000/2496423.stm|title=2000: Hezbollah celebrates Israeli retreat|date=26 May 2000|access-date=25 July 2006}}</ref> Israel withdrew in accordance with 1978's [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 425]].<ref name="SC/6878" /> Hezbollah and many analysts considered this a victory for the movement, and since then its popularity has been boosted in Lebanon.<ref name="BBC News" />

=== Disputed attacks ===
Between 1982 and 1986, there were many attacks blamed on Hezbollah, although Hezbollah denied responsibility. Given that Hezbollah didn't officially exist at the time of many of these attacks (it officially came into existence in 1985<ref name="pbs20091024">{{Cite web |title=The Fog over the 1983 Beirut Attacks |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2009/10/the-1983-beirut-bombing-attack.html |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=FRONTLINE - Tehran Bureau |language=en}}</ref>) leads some scholars to be skeptical of implicating Hezbollah in these attacks.{{sfn|Daher|2019|pp=70-71}}<ref name="pbs20091024" /> The first of these attacks were the  [[April 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing]]<ref name="Ini">[http://camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=118&x_article=1148 "Timeline of Hezbollah Violence."] ''[[Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America|CAMERA: Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America]]''. 17 July 2006. 18 November 2006. Later reprinted in ''On Campus'' magazine's Fall 2006 issue and attributed the article to author Gilead Ini.</ref> and [[1983 Beirut barracks bombing]],<ref name="cfr hezbollah">[http://www.cfr.org/publication/9155/#6 Hezbollah] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927093727/http://www.cfr.org/publication/9155/|date=27 September 2006}} CFR. org Staff, the US [[Council on Foreign Relations]], 17 July 2006</ref> both attributed to Hezbollah by some Western intelligence agencies. Hezbollah denied responsibility for both the embassy bombing<ref>{{Cite book |last=Volo |first=James M. |title=A history of war resistance in America |date=2010 |publisher=Greenwood |isbn=978-0-313-37624-5 |location=Santa Barbara (Calif.) |pages=47–48}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=FRONTLINE/WORLD . Lebanon - Party of God . Bullets to Ballot Box: A History of Hezbollah . 1983-1991: Target America |url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/lebanon/tl03.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=PBS}}</ref> and the barracks bombing.<ref name="pbs20091024" />

In the [[Lebanon hostage crisis]], 105 people were kidnapped between 1982 and 1992.{{Sfn|Daher|2019|p=71}} A variety organizations took responsibility for these kidnappings: Organization of Islamic Jihād for the Liberation of Palestine, Organization for Revolutionary Justice, the Fajr Organization, the Khaybar Brigade, and the Organization of the World's Oppressed.{{Sfn|Daher|2019|p=71}} Hezbollah denied kidnapping these individuals, but was blamed anyway.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Worley |first1=D. Robert |title=Aligning Ends, Ways, and Means |date=2011 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=1105333329 |page=134| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X8KBAwAAQBAJ&dq=lebanon+hostage+crisis+hezbollah+1982+1992&pg=PA134 |access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref> Recent research has shown that the kidnappers were of various political backgrounds, and were often motivated by [[Feud|familial feuds]] or were looking for [[Ransom|monetary ransom]].{{Sfn|Daher|2019|p=71}}{{Sfn|Norton|2018|p=61}}

Since 1990, terror acts and attempts of which Hezbollah has been blamed include the following bombings and attacks against civilians and diplomats:
* The [[1992 Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires]], killing 29, in Argentina.<ref name="cfr hezbollah" /> Hezbollah operatives boasted of involvement.<ref name="Levitt 2013 102">{{cite book|last=Levitt|first=Matthew|title=Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God|publisher=Georgetown University Press|year=2013|page=102|isbn=978-1-84904-333-5}}</ref>
* The [[1994 AMIA bombing]] of a Jewish cultural centre, killing 85, in Argentina.<ref name="cfr hezbollah" /> Ansar Allah, a Palestinian group closely associated with Hezbollah, claimed responsibility.<ref name="Levitt 2013 102" />
* The [[Alas Chiricanas Flight 901|1994 AC Flight 901 attack]], killing 21, in Panama.<ref>[http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/47/473.html Argentine trials may shed light on Panama mystery], [[Eric Jackson (journalist)|Eric Jackson]], Panama News Online, 17 October 2001.</ref> Ansar Allah, a Palestinian group closely associated with Hezbollah, claimed responsibility.<ref name="Levitt 2013 102" />
* The 1996 [[Khobar Towers bombing]], killing 19 US servicemen.<ref>{{cite news|last=Leonnig|first=Carol D.|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/22/AR2006122200455.html|title=Iran Held Liable In Khobar Attack|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=23 December 2006|access-date=26 September 2014}}</ref>
* In 2002, [[Singapore]] accused Hezbollah of recruiting Singaporeans in a failed 1990s plot to attack U.S. and Israeli ships in the Singapore Straits.<ref name=fastfacts>{{cite news|title=Fast Facts: Hezbollah |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/fast-facts-hezbollah |access-date=20 October 2012 |publisher=Fox News |date=13 July 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024071340/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C203277%2C00.html |archive-date=24 October 2010 }}</ref>
* 15 January 2008, bombing of a U.S. Embassy vehicle in Beirut.<ref name="Stratfor">[http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/lebanon_hezbollah_and_jan_15_bombing ''Lebanon: Hezbollah and the Jan 15 Bombing''] Stratfor, 15 January 2008</ref>
* In 2009, a [[2009 Hezbollah plot in Egypt|Hezbollah plot in Egypt]] was uncovered, where Egyptian authorities arrested 49 men for planning attacks against [[Israel]]i and Egyptian targets in the [[Sinai Peninsula]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/Apr/24/Egypts-Brotherhood-backs-Hizbullah-in-spat-with-Cairo.ashx |title=Egypt's Brotherhood backs Hizbullah in spat with Cairo|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=24 April 2009|access-date=4 September 2013}}</ref>
* The [[2012 Burgas bus bombing]], killing 6, in Bulgaria. Hezbollah denied responsibility.<ref name="Hezbollahblamed">{{cite news|title=Hezbollah suspected in Bulgaria bus bombing|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/02/20132515350158754.html|access-date=6 February 2013|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=5 February 2013}}</ref>
* Training Shia insurgents against US troops during the [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Levitt|first=Matthew|title=Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God|publisher=Georgetown University Press|year=2013|page=297|isbn=978-1-84904-333-5}}</ref>

=== During the Bosnian War ===
Hezbollah provided fighters to fight on the Bosnian Muslim side during the [[Bosnian War]], as part of the broader Iranian involvement. "The Bosnian Muslim government is a client of the Iranians", wrote [[Robert Baer]], a CIA agent stationed in Sarajevo during the war. "If it's a choice between the CIA and the Iranians, they'll take the Iranians any day." By war's end, public opinion polls showed some 86 percent Bosnian Muslims had a positive opinion of Iran.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/iran-balkans-history-and-forecast|title=Iran in the Balkans: A History and a Forecast|work=World Affairs Journal|access-date=27 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129064421/http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/iran-balkans-history-and-forecast|archive-date=29 November 2016|url-status=usurped}}</ref> In conjunction, Hezbollah initially sent 150 fighters to fight against the [[Army of Republika Srpska|Bosnian Serb Army]], the Bosnian Muslims' main opponent in the war.<ref name="Fisk">{{cite news |last=Fisk |first=Robert |date=7 September 2014 |title=After the atrocities committed against Muslims in Bosnia, it is no wonder today's jihadis have set out on the path to war in Syria |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/after-the-atrocities-committed-against-muslims-in-bosnia-it-is-no-wonder-today-s-jihadis-have-set-9717384.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717080303/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/after-the-atrocities-committed-against-muslims-in-bosnia-it-is-no-wonder-today-s-jihadis-have-set-9717384.html |archive-date=17 July 2018 |access-date=25 March 2016 |work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> All Shia foreign advisors and fighters withdrew from Bosnia at the end of conflict.

=== Conflict with Israel ===

{{Main|Iran–Israel proxy conflict}}
[[File:Hezbollah parade Lebanon.jpg|thumb|Hezbollah members and supporters parade following the end of the [[Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon]], May 2000]]

On 25 July 1993, following Hezbollah's killing of seven Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, Israel launched [[Operation Accountability]], known in Lebanon as the Seven Day War, during which the IDF carried out their heaviest artillery and air attacks on targets in southern Lebanon since 1982. The aim of the operation was to eradicate the threat posed by Hezbollah and to force the civilian population north to Beirut so as to put pressure on the Lebanese Government to restrain Hezbollah.<ref name="OA">{{cite web|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3284732,00.html |title=Operation Accountability – Increased Israeli casualties led to Operation Accountability in 1993 |publisher=Ynet.co.il |date=25 July 1993 |access-date=21 May 2011}}</ref> The fighting ended when an unwritten understanding was agreed to by the warring parties. Apparently, the 1993 understanding provided that Hezbollah combatants would not fire rockets at northern Israel, while Israel would not attack civilians or civilian targets in Lebanon.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=BBC News |url=http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engMDE150421996|title=Israel/Lebanon, Unlawful Killings During Operation 'Grapes of Wrath' |date=24 July 1996|access-date=24 October 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071020030018/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engMDE150421996 |archive-date = 20 October 2007}}</ref>

In April 1996, after continued Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israeli civilians,<ref name="MidEastWeb">{{cite web|url=http://www.mideastweb.org/megrapes.htm |title=The Grapes of Wrath Understanding |publisher=Mideastweb.org |access-date=27 January 2011}}</ref> the Israeli armed forces launched [[Operation Grapes of Wrath]], which was intended to wipe out Hezbollah's base in southern Lebanon. Over 100 Lebanese refugees were [[1996 shelling of Qana|killed by the shelling]] of a UN base at [[Qana]], in what the Israeli military said was a mistake.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/72493.stm|title=History of Israel's role in Lebanon |date=1 April 1998|access-date=24 October 2007}}</ref>

Following several days of negotiations, the two sides signed the [[Israeli-Lebanese Ceasefire Understanding|Grapes of Wrath Understandings]] on 26 April 1996. A cease-fire was agreed upon between Israel and Hezbollah, which would be effective on 27 April 1996.<ref name="cobbanBR30_2">[[Helena Cobban|Cobban, Helena]], {{cite web|url=http://bostonreview.net/BR30.2/cobban.html|title=Hizbullah's New Face|work=Boston Review|access-date=2 February 2007|date=April–May 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203070822/http://bostonreview.net/BR30.2/cobban.html|archive-date=3 February 2007}}</ref> Both sides agreed that civilians should not be targeted, which meant that Hezbollah would be allowed to continue its military activities against IDF forces inside Lebanon.<ref name="cobbanBR30_2" />

==== 2000 Hezbollah cross-border raid ====
{{Main|2000 Hezbollah cross-border raid}}
On 7 October 2000, three Israeli soldiers—Adi Avitan, Staff Sgt. Benyamin Avraham, and Staff Sgt. Omar Sawaidwere—were abducted by Hezbollah while patrolling the [[Blue Line (Lebanon)|border]] between the [[Israeli-occupied territories|Israeli-occupied]] [[Golan Heights]] and [[Lebanon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2001/2/Israelis%20Held%20by%20the%20Hizbullah%20-%20Oct%202000-Jan%202004 |title=Israelis Held by the Hizbullah – October 2000 – January 2004 |publisher=[[mfa.gov.il]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421053944/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2001/2/Israelis%20Held%20by%20the%20Hizbullah%20-%20Oct%202000-Jan%202004 |archive-date=21 April 2013 }}</ref> The soldiers were killed either during the attack or in its immediate aftermath.<ref name="CNN Prisoner Swap">{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/01/29/prisoner.exchange/|title=Israel, Hezbollah swap prisoners|publisher=CNN |date=29 January 2004 |access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref> Israel Defense Minister [[Shaul Mofaz]] said that Hezbollah abducted the soldiers and then killed them.<ref>Stevn, Yoav and Eli Ashkenazi. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/758645.html "New film leaves parents in the dark on sons' fate during kidnap"]. ''[[Haaretz]]''. 6 September 2006. 28 February 2008.</ref> The bodies of the slain soldiers were exchanged for Lebanese prisoners in 2004.<ref name="CNN Prisoner Swap"/>

==== 2006 Lebanon War ====
{{Main|2006 Lebanon War}}
[[File:Hizbollah posters 2006.jpg|thumb|Hezbollah posters in the aftermath of the 2006 Lebanon War]]

The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon and northern Israel. The principal parties were Hezbollah [[paramilitary]] forces and the Israeli military. The conflict was precipitated by a cross-border raid during which Hezbollah kidnapped and killed Israeli soldiers. [[Zar'it-Shtula incident|The conflict began]] on 12 July 2006 when Hezbollah militants fired [[List of artillery#Rockets|rockets]] at Israeli border towns as a diversion for an [[anti-tank missile]] attack on two armored [[Humvee]]s patrolling the Israeli side of the border fence, killing three, injuring two, and seizing two Israeli soldiers.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/July_War06.asp |title=Timeline of the July War 2006 |newspaper=The Daily Star |access-date=22 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210085022/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/July_War06.asp |archive-date=10 December 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/18/2307095.htm?site=news | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430073208/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/18/2307095.htm?site=news | url-status=dead | archive-date=30 April 2011 | title=Israel buries soldiers recovered in prisoner swap | publisher=ABC News | access-date=22 January 2015| date=17 July 2008 }}</ref>

Israel responded with [[airstrike]]s and [[artillery]] fire on targets in Lebanon that damaged Lebanese infrastructure, including Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport, which Israel said that Hezbollah used to import weapons and supplies,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/13/mideast/index.html|title= Israeli warplanes hit Beirut suburb|publisher=CNN|date=14 July 2006}}</ref> an air and naval [[blockade]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/23/AR2006082301671.html|title=Lebanese Premier Seeks U.S. Help in Lifting Blockade|date=24 August 2006|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | first=Edward| last=Cody| access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref> and a ground invasion of [[southern Lebanon]]. Hezbollah then launched more rockets into northern Israel and engaged the Israel Defense Forces in [[guerrilla warfare]] from hardened positions.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/israel/Story/0,,1842276,00.html| title=Computerised weaponry and high morale| first=Conal| last=Urquhart |date=11 August 2006|work=The Guardian |location=UK |access-date=8 October 2006 }}</ref>

The war continued until 14 August 2006. Hezbollah was responsible for thousands of [[Katyusha rocket launcher|Katyusha]] rocket attacks against Israeli civilian towns and cities in northern Israel,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aijac.org.au/resources/hezb_00-06.html|title=Hezbollah Attacks Since May 2000|author=Bard, Mitchell|publisher=[[AIJAC]]|date=24 July 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060819122710/http://aijac.org.au/resources/hezb_00-06.html|archive-date=19 August 2006}}</ref> which Hezbollah said were in retaliation for Israel's killing of civilians and targeting Lebanese infrastructure.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-widens-bombing-campaign-as-lebanese-militia-groups-retaliate-407859.html |title=Israel widens bombing campaign as Lebanese militia groups retaliate |work=The Independent |location=UK |date=14 July 2006 |access-date=27 January 2011 |first1=Donald |last1=MacIntyre |first2=Eric |last2=Silver |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125233429/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-widens-bombing-campaign-as-lebanese-militia-groups-retaliate-407859.html |archive-date=25 January 2014 }}</ref> The conflict is believed to have killed 1,191–1,300 Lebanese citizens including combatants<ref name="independent.co.uk">{{cite news |title=Cloud of Syria's war hangs over Lebanese cleric's death |first=Robert |last=Fisk |author-link=Robert Fisk |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/cloud-of-syrias-war-hangs-over-lebanese-clerics-death-7771366.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=22 May 2012 |access-date=17 May 2013 |location=London |archive-date=2 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402112123/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/cloud-of-syrias-war-hangs-over-lebanese-clerics-death-7771366.html }}</ref><ref>Reuters, 12 September 2006; Al-Hayat (London), 13 September 2006</ref><ref name="Lebanon 2006 pp. 3-6">"Country Report{{snd}}Lebanon", The Economist Intelligence Unit, no. 4 (2006), pp.&nbsp;3–6.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Lebanon's pain grows by the hour as death toll hits 1,300 |first=Robert |last=Fisk |author-link=Robert Fisk |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-lebanons-pain-grows-by-the-hour-as-death-toll-hits-1300-412170.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=17 August 2006 |access-date=17 May 2013 |location=London}}</ref><ref name="LUS">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.lebanonundersiege.gov.lb/english/F/Main/index.asp
 |title=Lebanon Under Siege
 |access-date=30 August 2008
 |date=9 November 2006
 |publisher=Presidency of the Council of Ministers – Higher Relief Council (Lebanon)
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927025252/http://www.lebanonundersiege.gov.lb/english/F/Main/index.asp
 |archive-date=27 September 2006
 }}</ref> and 165 Israelis including soldiers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Katz |first1=Yaakov |last2=Hendel |first2=Yoaz |title=Israel Vs. Iran: The Shadow War |date=2012 |publisher=Potomac Books, Inc. |isbn=9781597978866 |url=https://books.google.de/books?id=tOqm7DVyyoMC |page=17| access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref>

==== 2010 gas field claims ====
In 2010, Hezbollah claimed that the Dalit and [[Tamar gas field]], discovered by [[Noble Energy]] roughly {{convert|50|mi|km}} west of [[Haifa]] in Israeli exclusive economic zone, belong to Lebanon, and warned Israel against extracting gas from them. Senior officials from Hezbollah warned that they would not hesitate to use weapons to defend Lebanon's natural resources. Figures in the [[March 14 Forces]] stated in response that Hezbollah was presenting another excuse to hold on to its arms. Lebanese MP [[Antoine Zahra (legislator)|Antoine Zahra]] said that the issue is another item "in the endless list of excuses" meant to justify the continued existence of Hezbollah's arsenal.<ref>H. Varulkar, "[http://www.memri.org/report/en/print4441.htm Internal Conflict in Lebanon Over Control of Oil and Gas Resources]", MEMRI, Inquiry & Analysis Series Report No. 624 (12 July 2010). Retrieved 5 May 2013.</ref>

==== 2011 attack in Istanbul ====
In July 2011, Italian newspaper ''Corriere della Sera'' reported, based on American and Turkish sources,<ref name="consul" /> that Hezbollah was behind a bombing in Istanbul in May 2011 that wounded eight Turkish civilians. The report said that the attack was an assassination attempt on the Israeli consul to Turkey, Moshe Kimchi. Turkish intelligence sources denied the report and said, "Israel is in the habit of creating disinformation campaigns using different papers."<ref name="consul">
<blockquote>Quoting Washington sources, the paper said the attack was meant to avenge the death of Iranian nuclear scientist Masoud Ali Mohammadi who was killed last year.&nbsp;... Turkish intelligence first attributed the Istanbul attack&nbsp;... to the Kurdish resistance, but later concluded that Hezbollah, working on behalf of Iran, had organized it. According to the report, three Hezbollah operatives arrived in Istanbul from Beirut to assassinate Kimchi.</blockquote>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4096901,00.html "Report: Hezbollah tried to kill Israeli consul."] ''Ynetnews''. 18 July 2011.</ref>

==== 2012 planned attack in Cyprus ====
{{Main|2012 Cyprus terrorist plot}}
In July 2012, a Lebanese man was detained by Cyprus police on possible charges relating to terrorism laws for planning attacks against Israeli tourists. According to security officials, the man was planning attacks for Hezbollah in Cyprus and admitted this after questioning. The police were alerted about the man due to an urgent message from Israeli intelligence. The Lebanese man was in possession of photographs of Israeli targets and had information on Israeli airlines flying back and forth from Cyprus, and planned to blow up a plane or tour bus.<ref name=Haaretz5>{{cite news|last=Ravid|first=Barak|title=Man detained in Cyprus was planning attack on Israeli targets for Hezbollah|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/man-detained-in-cyprus-was-planning-attack-on-israeli-targets-for-hezbollah-1.451000|access-date=15 July 2012|newspaper=Haaretz|date=14 July 2012}}</ref> Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Iran assisted the Lebanese man with planning the attacks.<ref name=Ynet7>{{cite news|title=PMO: Iran connected to Hezbollah activity in Cyprus|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4255300,00.html|access-date=15 July 2012|newspaper=Yedioth Ahronot|date=14 July 2012}}</ref>

==== 2012 Burgas attack ====
{{Main|2012 Burgas bus bombing}}
Following an investigation into the 2012 Burgas bus bombing terrorist attack against Israeli citizens in [[Bulgaria]], the Bulgarian government officially accused the Lebanese-militant movement Hezbollah of committing the attack.<ref name="reuters1">Tsvetelia Tsolova, "[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bulgaria-bombing-idUSBRE9140TZ20130205 Bulgaria blames Hezbollah in bomb attack on Israeli tourists]", {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015233342/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/05/us-bulgaria-bombing-idUSBRE9140TZ20130205 |date=15 October 2015 }} Reuters (5 February 2013). Retrieved 5 May 2013.</ref> Five Israeli citizens, the Bulgarian bus driver, and the bomber were killed. The bomb exploded as the Israeli tourists boarded a bus from the airport to their hotel.

[[Tsvetan Tsvetanov]], Bulgaria's interior minister, reported that the two suspects responsible were members of the militant wing of Hezbollah; he said the suspected terrorists entered Bulgaria on 28 June and remained until 18 July. Israel had already previously suspected Hezbollah for the attack. Israeli Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] called the report "further corroboration of what we have already known, that Hezbollah and its [[Iran]]ian patrons are orchestrating a worldwide campaign of terror that is spanning countries and continents".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-unlikely-to-retaliate-after-bulgaria-report/|title=Israel unlikely to retaliate after Bulgaria report. Times of Israel. Jan 2013|work=The Times of Israel}}</ref> Netanyahu said that the attack in Bulgaria was just one of many that Hezbollah and Iran have planned and carried out, including attacks in Thailand, Kenya, Turkey, India, Azerbaijan, Cyprus and Georgia.<ref name="reuters1" />

[[John O. Brennan|John Brennan]], Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, has said that, "Bulgaria's investigation exposes Hezbollah for what it is—a terrorist group that is willing to recklessly attack innocent men, women and children, and that poses a real and growing threat not only to Europe, but to the rest of the world."<ref name="jpost1">{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=302198|title=Bulgaria: Hezbollah behind Burgas attack|date=5 February 2013 |access-date=6 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206075459/http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=302198|archive-date=6 February 2013}}</ref> The result of the Bulgarian investigation comes at a time when Israel has been petitioning the European Union to join the United States in designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.<ref name="jpost1" />

==== 2015 Shebaa farms incident ====
{{Main|January 2015 Shebaa farms incident}}
In response to [[January 2015 Mazraat Amal incident|an attack against a military convoy]] comprising Hezbollah and Iranian officers on 18 January 2015 at Quneitra in south of Syria, Hezbollah launched an ambush on 28 January against an Israeli military convoy in the Israeli-occupied [[Shebaa Farms]] with [[anti-tank missile]]s against two Israeli vehicles patrolling the border,<ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/tel-aviv-diary-netanyahu-loses-his-security-edge-302676 "Tel Aviv Diary: Netanyahu Loses His Security Edge"], Marc Schulman, 1/28/15, ''Newsweek''</ref> killing 2 and wounding 7 Israeli soldiers and officers, as confirmed by Israeli military.

==== 2023–present Israel–Hezbollah conflict ====

{{Main|Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)}}
On 8 October 2023, Hezbollah launched guided rockets and artillery shells at [[Israeli-occupied territories|Israeli-occupied]] positions in [[Shebaa Farms]] during the [[Gaza war]]. Israel retaliated with [[drone strike]]s and artillery fire on Hezbollah positions near the [[Golan Heights]]–Lebanon border. The attacks came after Hezbollah expressed support and praise for the [[Hamas]] attacks on Israel.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Goldenberg|first1=Tia|last2=Shurafa|first2=Wafaa|date=8 October 2023|title=Hezbollah and Israel exchange fire as Israeli soldiers battle Hamas on second day of surprise attack|url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-ca7903976387cfc1e1011ce9ea805a71|access-date=8 October 2023|work=[[Associated Press News]]|archive-date=8 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231008051308/https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-ca7903976387cfc1e1011ce9ea805a71|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=8 October 2023|title=Israel, Hezbollah exchange artillery, rocket fire|work=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-strikes-lebanon-after-hezbollah-hits-shebaa-farms-2023-10-08/|access-date=8 October 2023|archive-date=8 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231008065933/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-strikes-lebanon-after-hezbollah-hits-shebaa-farms-2023-10-08/|url-status=live}}</ref> The clashes were the largest escalation between the two countries since the [[2006 Lebanon War]].

In November 2024, a [[2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement|ceasefire deal]] was signed between Israel and  Hezbollah to end 13 months of conflict. According to the agreement, Hezbollah was given 60 days to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon and Israeli forces were obliged to withdraw from the area over the same period.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lebanon ceasefire: What we know about Israel-Hezbollah deal |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2d3gj9ewxo |work=www.bbc.com |date=27 November 2024}}</ref> In December 2024, [[Fall of the Assad regime|the fall of Assad’s Baathist regime]] in Syria was  another blow to its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, which was already weakened because of Israeli military actions.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rebeiz |first1=Mireille |title=Assad's fall in Syria will further weaken Hezbollah and curtails Tehran's 'Iranization' of region |url=https://theconversation.com/assads-fall-in-syria-will-further-weaken-hezbollah-and-curtails-tehrans-iranization-of-region-245606 |website=The Conversation |date=11 December 2024}}</ref>

On March 31, 2025 a significant development took place as the [[Lebanese Armed Forces|Lebanese Army]] and [[United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon|UNIFIL]] forces entered a major Hezbollah weapons and storage camp in East Zawtar, near the Litani River—one of Hezbollah's largest and most strategic facilities in southern Lebanon. The move follows renewed tensions and Israeli threats to resume military operations, amid accusations of recent rocket fire toward Kiryat Shmona. Joint forces reportedly searched Hezbollah vehicles and found an empty missile launcher. It remains unclear whether Hezbollah consented to the operation. This action is seen as part of efforts to enforce UN Resolution 1701, which calls for disarming illegal groups south of the Litani and reinforcing the army’s presence in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=massoud |date=2025-03-31 |title=خاص: الجيش و"اليونيفيل" يدخلان أضخم معسكر أسلحة وتخزين في زوطر الشرقية |url=https://janoubia.com/2025/03/31/%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%84-%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%AE%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%B6%D8%AE%D9%85-%D9%85%D8%B9/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=جنوبية |language=ar}}</ref>

=== Assassination of Rafic Hariri ===
{{Main|Assassination of Rafic Hariri}}
On 14 February 2005, former Lebanese Prime Minister [[Rafic Hariri]] was killed, along with 21 others, when his motorcade was struck by a roadside bomb in Beirut. He had been PM during 1992–1998 and 2000–2004. In 2009, the United Nations special tribunal investigating the murder of Hariri reportedly found evidence linking Hezbollah to the murder.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,626412,00.html|title=New Evidence Points to Hezbollah in Hariri Murder|first=Erich|last=Follath|work=Der Spiegel|date=23 May 2009}}</ref>

In August 2010, in response to notification that the UN tribunal would indict some Hezbollah members, [[Hassan Nasrallah]] said Israel was looking for a way to assassinate Hariri as early as 1993 in order to create political chaos that would force Syria to withdraw from Lebanon, and to perpetuate an anti-Syrian atmosphere [in Lebanon] in the wake of the assassination. He went on to say that in 1996 Hezbollah apprehended an agent working for Israel by the name of Ahmed Nasrallah—no relation to Hassan Nasrallah—who allegedly contacted Hariri's security detail and told them that he had solid proof that Hezbollah was planning to take his life. Hariri then contacted Hezbollah and advised them of the situation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/nasrallah-israel-used-secret-agent-to-turn-lebanon-gov-t-against-hezbollah-1.307008|title=Nasrallah: Israel used secret agent to turn Lebanon gov't against Hezbollah|date=9 August 2010|work=Haaretz}}</ref> Saad Hariri responded that the UN should investigate these claims.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/lebanon-pm-un-must-probe-claims-of-israeli-complicity-in-hariri-murder-1.307587?localLinksEnabled=false|title=Lebanon PM: UN must probe claims of Israeli complicity in Hariri murder|date=12 August 2010|work=Haaretz}}</ref>

On 30 June 2011, the [[Special Tribunal for Lebanon]], established to investigate the death of Hariri, issued [[arrest warrant]]s against four senior members of Hezbollah, including [[Mustafa Badreddine]].<ref name="BBC-30/6">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13972350|title=Hariri murder: UN tribunal issues arrest warrants|date=30 June 2011|publisher=BBC News|access-date=3 July 2011}}</ref> On 3 July, Hassan Nasrallah rejected the indictment and denounced the tribunal as a plot against the party, vowing that the named persons would not be arrested under any circumstances.<ref name="BBC-3/7">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14004096|title=Hezbollah leader Nasrallah rejects Hariri indictments|date=3 July 2011|publisher=BBC News|access-date=3 July 2011}}</ref>

On 18 August 2020, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon found Salim Ayyash, a senior operative in Hezbollah, guilty in absentia of five charges including the intentional murder of Hariri with premeditation by using explosive materials.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-08-17 |title=Rafik Hariri tribunal: Guilty verdict over assassination of Lebanon ex-PM |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-53601710 |access-date=2025-05-20 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Involvement in the Syrian Civil War ===
{{further|Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon|Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War}}
{{see also|Syrian Hezbollah}}
Hezbollah has long been an ally of the [[Ba'athist Syria|Syrian Ba'athist regime]], led by the [[Al-Assad family]]. Hezbollah has helped the [[Council of Ministers (Syria)|Syrian government]] during the [[Syrian civil war]] in its fight against the [[Syrian opposition to Bashar al-Assad|Syrian opposition]], which Hezbollah has described as a Zionist plot to destroy its alliance with al-Assad against Israel.<ref name="barnard">{{cite news |last=Barnard |first=Anne |date=9 July 2013 |title=Car Bombing Injures Dozens in Hezbollah Section of Beirut |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/10/world/middleeast/syria.html |access-date=30 August 2013 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |quote=Hezbollah has portrayed the Syrian uprising as an Israeli-backed plot to destroy its alliance with Mr. Assad against Israel.}}</ref> [[Geneive Abdo]] opined that Hezbollah's support for al-Assad in the Syrian war has "transformed" it from a group with "support among the Sunni for defeating Israel in a battle in 2006" into a "strictly Shia paramilitary force".<ref name=abdo>{{cite news|last=Abdo|first=Geneive|title=Why Sunni-Shia conflict is worsening|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/opinion/abdo-shia-sunni-tension/index.html|work=June 7, 2013|publisher=CNN|access-date=12 September 2013|date=7 June 2013}}</ref> Hezbollah also fought against the [[Islamic State]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Hezbollah leader vows to fight Islamic State group 'everywhere' |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20150525-hezbollah-fight-islamic-state-syria-nasrallah-lebanon |work=France24 |date=25 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Hezbollah seizes much of Islamic State enclave on Syrian-Lebanese border: Nasrallah |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-hezbollah-idUSKCN1B42C2 |work=Reuters |date=24 August 2017}}</ref>

In August 2012, the United States sanctioned Hezbollah for its alleged role in the war.<ref>{{cite news|title=US adds Hezbollah to Syria sanctions list|url=http://www.aljazeera.com//news/middleeast/2012/08/2012810164625825716.html|publisher=[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]]|date=10 August 2012}}</ref> General Secretary Nasrallah denied Hezbollah had been fighting on behalf of the Syrian government, stating in a 12 October 2012, speech that "right from the start the Syrian opposition has been telling the media that Hizbullah sent 3,000 fighters to Syria, which we have denied".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=ArabWorld&article=6018|title=Drone flight over Israel: Nasrallah's latest surprise|date=10 January 2009}}</ref> However, according to the Lebanese ''Daily Star'' newspaper, Nasrallah said in the same speech that Hezbollah fighters helped the Syrian government "retain control of some 23 strategically located villages [in Syria] inhabited by Shiites of Lebanese citizenship". Nasrallah said that Hezbollah fighters have died in Syria doing their "jihadist duties".<ref>{{cite news|last=Hirst|first=David|title=Hezbollah uses its military power in a contradictory manner|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2012/Oct-23/192380-hezbollah-uses-its-military-power-in-a-contradictory-manner.ashx|newspaper=The Daily Star|location=Beirut|date=23 October 2012}}</ref>

In 2012, Hezbollah fighters crossed the border from Lebanon and took over eight villages in the [[Al-Qusayr District]] of Syria.<ref name=alarabiya17feb13>{{Cite news|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/17/266843.html|title=Hezbollah fighters, Syrian rebels killed in border fighting|publisher=Al Arabiya|date=17 February 2013|access-date=18 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218122629/http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/17/266843.html|archive-date=18 February 2013}}</ref> On 16–17 February 2013, Syrian opposition groups claimed that Hezbollah, backed by the Syrian military, attacked three neighboring Sunni villages controlled by the [[Free Syrian Army]] (FSA). An FSA spokesman said, "Hezbollah's invasion is the first of its kind in terms of organisation, planning and coordination with the Syrian regime's air force." Hezbollah said three Lebanese Shiites, "acting in self-defense", were killed in the clashes with the FSA.<ref name=alarabiya17feb13 /><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21496735 "Hezbollah condemned for 'attack on Syrian villages{{'"}}]. BBC News, 18 February 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.</ref> Lebanese security sources said that the three were Hezbollah members.<ref name=baalbekfigures>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-25/207786-baalbek-figures-urge-hezbollah-to-stop-fighting-in-syria.ashx |title=Baalbek figures urge Hezbollah to stop fighting in Syria |newspaper=[[The Daily Star (Lebanon)|The Daily Star]] |date=25 February 2013 |access-date=26 February 2013}}</ref> In response, the FSA allegedly attacked two Hezbollah positions on 21 February; one in Syria and one in Lebanon. Five days later, it said it destroyed a convoy carrying Hezbollah fighters and Syrian officers to Lebanon, killing all the passengers.<ref>[http://www.timesofisrael.com/syrian-rebels-claim-successful-attack-on-hezbollah/ "Syrian rebels claim successful attack on Hezbollah"]. ''[[The Times of Israel]]'', 26 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.</ref>

In January 2013, a weapons convoy carrying SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles to Hezbollah was [[January 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrike|destroyed]] allegedly by the [[Israeli Air Force]]. A nearby research center for chemical weapons was also damaged. A similar [[May 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrikes|attack]] on weapons destined for Hezbollah occurred in May of the same year.

The leaders of the [[March 14 alliance]] and other prominent Lebanese figures called on Hezbollah to end its involvement in Syria and said it is putting Lebanon at risk.<ref name=march14slam>[http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-19/207007-march-14-psp-slam-hezbollah-activities-in-syria.ashx "March 14, PSP slam Hezbollah activities in Syria"]. ''[[The Daily Star (Lebanon)|The Daily Star]]'', 19 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.</ref> [[Subhi al-Tufayli]], Hezbollah's former leader, said, "Hezbollah should not be defending the criminal regime that kills its own people and that has never fired a shot in defense of the Palestinians." He said, "those Hezbollah fighters who are killing children and terrorizing people and destroying houses in Syria will go to hell."<ref>[http://www.yalibnan.com/2013/02/26/hezbollah-fighters-dying-in-syria-will-go-to-hell-tufaili/ "Hezbollah fighters dying in Syria will go to hell, Tufaili"]. [[Ya Libnan]], 26 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.</ref>

The Consultative Gathering, a group of Shia and Sunni leaders in [[Baalbek District|Baalbek]]-[[Hermel District|Hermel]], also called on Hezbollah not to "interfere" in Syria. They said, "Opening a front against the Syrian people and dragging Lebanon to war with the Syrian people is very dangerous and will have a negative impact on the relations between the two."<ref name=baalbekfigures /> [[Walid Jumblatt]], leader of the [[Progressive Socialist Party]], also called on Hezbollah to end its involvement<ref name=march14slam /> and claimed that, "Hezbollah is fighting inside Syria with orders from Iran."<ref>[http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-24/207737-rival-lebanese-groups-fighting-in-syria-jumblatt.ashx "Rival Lebanese groups fighting in Syria: Jumblatt"]. ''[[The Daily Star (Lebanon)|The Daily Star]]'', 24 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.</ref>

Egyptian President [[Mohamed Morsi]] condemned Hezbollah by saying, "We stand against Hezbollah in its aggression against the Syrian people. There is no space or place for Hezbollah in Syria."<ref>{{cite news |title=Morsi cuts Egypt's Syria ties, condemns Hezbollah |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4392653,00.html |work=[[Ynet News]] |date=15 June 2013 |access-date=13 November 2020}}</ref> Support for Hezbollah among the Syrian public has weakened since the involvement of Hezbollah and Iran in propping up the Assad regime during the civil war.<ref>Eshman, Rob.  [http://www.jewishjournal.com/rob_eshman/article/syrian_wake_up "Syrian wake-up"]. ''Jewish Journal''. 8 May 2013. 8 May 2013.</ref>{{better source needed|date=February 2022}}

On 12 May 2013, Hezbollah with the Syrian army attempted to retake part of Qusayr.<ref name="Hezbollah in Q 2013">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/world/middleeast/syrian-army-moves-to-rebel-held-qusayr.html?pagewanted=all|title=Hezbollah Aids Syrian Military In a Key Battle |date=20 May 2013 |work=The New York Times |access-date=4 September 2013 |author1=Barnard, Anne |author-link=Anne Barnard |author2=Saad, Hwaida |author2-link=Hwaida Saad }}</ref> In Lebanon, there has been "a recent increase in the funerals of Hezbollah fighters" and "Syrian rebels have shelled Hezbollah-controlled areas".<ref name="Hezbollah in Q 2013" />

On 25 May 2013, Nasrallah announced that Hezbollah is fighting in the Syrian Civil War against [[Islamist|Islamic extremists]] and "pledged that his group will not allow Syrian militants to control areas that border Lebanon".<ref name="Hezbollah 2013">{{cite news |url=https://news.yahoo.com/hezbollah-chief-says-group-fighting-syria-162721809.html |title=Hezbollah chief says group is fighting in Syria |agency=Associated Press |date=25 May 2013 |access-date=25 May 2013 |author=Mroue, Bassej}}</ref> He confirmed that Hezbollah was fighting in the strategic Syrian town of Al-Qusayr on the same side as [[Assad]]'s forces.<ref name="Hezbollah 2013" /> In the televised address, he said, "If Syria falls in the hands of America, Israel and the [[takfiris]], the people of our region will go into a dark period."<ref name="Hezbollah 2013" />

=== Involvement in Iranian-led intervention in Iraq ===
Beginning in July 2014, Hezbollah sent an undisclosed number of technical advisers and intelligence analysts to Baghdad in support of the [[Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present)]]. Shortly thereafter, Hezbollah commander Ibrahim al-Hajj was reported killed in action near Mosul.<ref name="vox1">{{cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/cards/things-about-isis-you-need-to-know/iran-intervenes-iraq |title=Iran is fighting on the Iraqi government's side |last1=Beauchamp |first1=Zack |date=23 September 2014 |website=vox.com |publisher=[[Vox Media|Vox]] |access-date=26 September 2014}}</ref>

===Latin America operations===
{{Main|Hezbollah in Latin America}}
Hezbollah operations in South America began in the late 20th century, centered around the Arab population which had moved there following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the 1985 Lebanese Civil War.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gato |first1=Pablo |last2=Windrem |first2=Robert |date=9 May 2007 |title=Hezbollah builds a Western base |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17874369 |work=Telemundo |publisher=NBC News |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> One particular form of alleged activity is [[money laundering]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Talley |first=Ian |date=15 May 2018 |title=Hezbollah Said to Be Laundering Money in South American Tri-Border Region |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/hezbollah-said-to-be-laundering-money-in-south-american-tri-border-region-1526389849 |access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' said that the group was more active in the 1990s, especially during the 1992 Israeli embassy bombing in Argentina, though its relevance grew more unclear as time progressed.<ref name="Linthicum-2020">{{Cite web |last=Linthicum |first=Kate |date=2020-01-10 |title=Could Iran – and Hezbollah – strike in Latin America? |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-01-10/the-trump-administration-is-warning-that-hezbollah-could-strike-in-latin-america |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> [[Vox (website)|''Vox'']] writes that following the adoption of the [[Patriot Act]] in 2001, the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] (DEA) would promote the term of [[narcoterrorism]] and arrest individuals with no prior history of being involved in terrorism, suggesting skepticism towards the reports of large-scale collusion between alleged terrorist groups and cartels.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beauchamp |first=Zack |date=2016-02-01 |title=The DEA says it just busted a Hezbollah operation laundering money for drug cartels |url=https://www.vox.com/2016/2/1/10891370/hezbollah-cartel-dea |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]}}</ref>

In 2002, Hezbollah was reported to be openly operating in [[Ciudad del Este]], Paraguay.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Goldberg |first=Jeffrey |author-link=Jeffrey Goldberg |date=28 October 2002 |title=In the Party of God |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/10/28/in-the-party-of-god-2 |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> Beginning in 2008, the DEA began with [[Project Cassandra]] to work against reported Hezbollah activities in regards to Latin American drug trafficking.<ref>{{cite news |last=Meyer |first=Josh |year=2017 |title=The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook |url=https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/obama-hezbollah-drug-trafficking-investigation/ |work=Politico |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> The investigation by the DEA reported that Hezbollah made about a billion dollars a year and trafficked thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last=Valencia |first=Robert |date=18 December 2017 |title=Hezbollah Smuggled Tons of Cocaine into the U.S. During Obama Administration, Report Reveals |url=https://www.newsweek.com/hezbollah-cocaine-smuggle-united-states-obama-751928 |work=Newsweek |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> Another destination for cocaine trafficking done by Hezbollah are nations within the [[Gulf Cooperation Council]].<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Hezbollah drug cartels in Latin America target GCC states |url=https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/Story/25880/Hezbollah-drug-cartels-in-Latin-America-target-GCC-states |work=The Baghdad Post |date=9 April 2018 |access-date=17 August 2018 |archive-date=18 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818052235/https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/Story/25880/Hezbollah-drug-cartels-in-Latin-America-target-GCC-states }}</ref> In 2013, Hezbollah was accused of infiltrating South America and having ties with Latin American drug cartels.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/03/world/americas/iran-latin-america |title=Iran, Hezbollah mine Latin America for revenue, recruits, analysts say |publisher=CNN |date=4 June 2013 |access-date=4 June 2013}}</ref>

One area of operations is in the region of the [[Triple Frontier]], where Hezbollah has been alleged to be involved in the trafficking of cocaine; officials with the Lebanese embassy in Paraguay have worked to counter American allegations and extradition attempts.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ottolenghi |first=Emanuele |date=15 August 2018 |title=Lebanon Is Protecting Hezbollah's Cocaine Trade in Latin America |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/06/15/lebanon-is-protecting-hezbollahs-cocaine-and-cash-trade-in-latin-america/ |work=Foreign Policy |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> In 2016, it was alleged that money gained from drug sales was used to purchase weapons in Syria.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks-Pollock |first=Tom |date=2 February 2016 |title=Worldwide drug trafficking ring 'links Hezbollah to Latin American cartels' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/worldwide-drug-trafficking-ring-links-hezbollah-to-latin-american-cartels-a6849141.html |work=Independent |location=United Kingdom |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> In 2018, ''Infobae'' reported that Hezbollah was operating in [[Colombia]] under the name Organization of External Security.<ref>{{cite news |last=Chaya |first=George |date=7 April 2018 |title=Interpol detecta actividades ilícitas de Hezbollah en Colombia |url=https://www.infobae.com/america/colombia/2018/04/07/interpol-detecta-actividades-ilicitas-de-hezbollah-en-colombia/ |work=Infobae |language=es |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> That same year, Argentine police arrested individuals alleged to be connected to Hezbollah's criminal activities within the nation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Diaz |first=Shlomi |date=25 July 2018 |title=Argentine authorities nab terror cell funneling money to Hezbollah |work=Miami Sun-Sentinel |url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/fl-jj-argentine-terror-cell-money-hezbollah-20180725-story.html |department=Florida Jewish Journal |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref>

The ''Los Angeles Times'' noted in 2020 that at the time, Hezbollah served as a "bogeyman of sorts" and that "[p]undits and politicians in the U.S., particularly those on the [[far right]], have long issued periodic warnings that Hezbollah and other Islamic groups pose a serious threat in Latin America".<ref name="Linthicum-2020" /> Various allegations have been made that [[Cuba]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gantz |first=Menachem |date=2011-09-01 |title=Report: Hezbollah opens base in Cuba|work=[[Ynet]]|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4116628,00.html |access-date=2023-10-12}}</ref> [[Nicaragua]]<ref name="Rogers-2012">{{cite web |last=Rogers |first=Tim |date=10 September 2012 |title=What's Behind Nicaragua's Rumored Links to Hezbollah? |url=https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/whats-behind-nicaraguas-rumored-links-hezbollah |website=[[Pulitzer Center]]}}</ref> and [[Venezuela]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Humire |first=Joseph M. |date=2020-10-07 |title=The Maduro-Hezbollah Nexus: How Iran-backed Networks Prop up the Venezuelan Regime |url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/the-maduro-hezbollah-nexus-how-iran-backed-networks-prop-up-the-venezuelan-regime/ |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=[[Atlantic Council]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Clarke |first=Colin P. |date=2019-02-09 |title=Hezbollah Is in Venezuela to Stay |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/02/09/hezbollah-is-in-venezuela-to-stay/ |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=[[Foreign Policy]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=P |first=Jeferson Guarin |date=2020-12-30 |title=FARC-Hezbollah: The success of Venezuela-Iran proxy groups and their convergence in the Americas |url=https://securityanddefence.pl/FARC-Hezbollah-The-success-of-Venezuela-Iran-proxy-groups-and-their-convergence-in,130934,0,2.html |journal=Security and Defence Quarterly|volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=117–134 |doi=10.35467/sdq/130934 |issn=2300-8741|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vianna de Azevedo |first=Christian |year=2018 |title=Venezuela's toxic relations with Iran and Hezbollah: an avenue of violence, crime, corruption and terrorism |url=https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/srhreports/violent-extremism/violent-extremism/18/ |journal=[[Florida International University]]}}</ref> aid Hezbollah in its operations in the region.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/hezbollah-south-america-threat-businesses |title=Hezbollah in South America: The Threat to Businesses |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=5 February 2018 |publisher=Stratfor |access-date=17 August 2018 }}</ref> Israeli reports about the presence of Hezbollah in Latin America raised questions amongst Latin American analysts based in the United States<ref name="Rogers-2012" /> while experts say that reports of presence in Latin America are exaggerated.<ref name="Linthicum-2020" />

Southern Pulse director and analyst Samuel Logan said "Geopolitical proximity to Tehran doesn't directly translate into leniency of Hezbollah activity inside your country" in an interview with the [[Pulitzer Center]].<ref name="Rogers-2012" /> William Neuman in his 2022 book ''[[Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse]]'' said that claims of Hezbollah's presence in Latin America was "in reality, minimal", writing that the Venezuelan opposition raised such allegations to persuade the United States into believing that the nation faced a threat from Venezuela in an effort to promote foreign intervention.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Neuman |first=William |title=[[Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse]] |year=2022 |isbn=9781250266163 |pages=278–279 |publisher=St. Martin's Publishing}}</ref>

===United States operations===
Ali Kourani, the first Hezbollah operative to be convicted and sentenced in the United States, was under investigation since 2013 and worked to provide targeting and terrorist recruiting information to Hezbollah's [[Islamic Jihad Organization]].<ref>Al Arabiya News. (4 December 2019. Updated 20 May 2020). "Hezbollah operative in US sentenced to 40 years in spying case shows no remorse". [https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2019/12/04/Hezbollah-operative-in-US-sentenced-to-40-years-in-spying-case-shows-no-remorse Al Arabiya English website] Retrieved 23 June 2021.</ref> The organization had recruited a former resident of Minnesota and a military linguist, Mariam Tala Thompson, who disclosed "identities of at least eight clandestine human assets; at least 10 U.S. targets; and multiple tactics, techniques and procedures" before she was discovered and successfully prosecuted in a U.S. court.<ref>{{cite news |first=Spencer C. |last=Hsu |date=23 June 2021 |title=Pentagon linguist sentenced to 23 years for exposing U.S. sources in Iraq to Hezbollah in rare terrorism espionage case |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/pentagon-linguist-sentenced-espionage/2021/06/23/71805bb0-d436-11eb-ae54-515e2f63d37d_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=24 June 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

=== Other ===
In 2010, [[Ahbash]] and Hezbollah members were involved in a street battle which was perceived to be over parking issues, both groups later met to form a joint compensation fund for the victims of the conflict.<ref name="Yalib">{{cite news|last=Yalib|first=Yalib|title= Hezbollah, Al Ahbash chiefs meet over Borj Abi Haidar incident|url=http://www.yalibnan.com/2010/08/30/hezbollah-al-ahbash-chiefs-meet-over-borj-abi-haidar-incident/|date=30 August 2010}}</ref>

According to Reuters, in 2024, commanders from Hezbollah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps were reported to be involved in Yemen, overseeing and directing [[Houthi involvement in the Israel–Hamas war|Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping]].<ref name="hez">{{cite news |last1=Nakhoul |first1=Samia |last2=Hafezi |first2=Parisa |date=20 January 2024 |title=Exclusive: Iranian and Hezbollah commanders help direct Houthi attacks in Yemen, sources say |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iranian-hezbollah-commanders-help-direct-houthi-attacks-yemen-sources-say-2024-01-20/ |access-date=21 January 2024 |work=Reuters}}</ref>