what is hezbollah?

Answer 1

I cannot make it a short explanation, but I will attempt to summarize some of the political, religious and historical issues as well as current events.

Hezbollah is Arabic حزب "hezb" means party and الله‎‎‎ "Allah" is the Arabic (not Muslim only) word for God. Therefore, Hezbollah means the Party of God. Hezbollah are fighting in jihad/qitl fee sybil Allah (jihad/killing in the path of God.) In the Qur'an this type of jihad is mandatory for a Muslim.

Hezbollah is an umbrella organization of Shiite Muslims founded in early 1982 to combat Israeli, French and American troops stationed in Lebanon. Iran and Syria supply Hezbollah with funding, weapons and training. Syria admits supporting Hezbollah, but denies arming the group.

Hezbollah has complex objectives. This war will cost it dearly, but it has been preparing for this for a generation

Hezbollah bridges the deep division between Syrian secularity and Iranian religiosity. Syria's interests and Iran's interests differ. Hezbollah's interests differ from those of its patrons.

Hezbollah has business interests in legal and illegal businesses around the world. It has interests within Lebanese politics and it has interests in Palestinian politics. As a Syrian client, it looks at the region as one entity. As an Iranian client, it looks to create a theocratic state in the region.

Hezbollah’s official rhetoric calls for the destruction of Israel and its replacement with an Islamist Palestinian government. Sinilarly, Hezbollah sought to replace Lebanon’s secular government with an Iranian-style Islamic government.

What Hezbollah wants is political power in Lebanon and among the Palestinians, and freedom for action within the context of Syrian-Iranian relations.

As an entity in its own right, Hezbollah must keep itself going. If it can avoid utter calamity, it will have won -- if not by defeating Israel, then by putting itself first among the anti-Israeli forces. It is the most effective force opposing Israel. Hezbollah's job is to survive and hurt Israel and the IDF as long as possible. That is what this war is about for Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has pursued a political and religious agenda that centers on the destruction of Israel and opposition to the United States and that has been carried out through terrorism against Israeli and Western targets. (In 1983 Hezbollah killed 241 US marines in Beirut.)

Hezbollah are Shiite Muslims as are most Lebanese, Syrians, Iraqis, Iranians and some Yemenis, Pakistanis and Bahrainians. Diplomatic efforts are aimed at getting the Sunni Muslim countries to negotiate. This includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Hezbollah is not the government of Lebanon

Hezbollah's spiritual leader is Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, and its senior political leader is Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah (nicknamed Abu Hadi). Its military arm is known as Islamic Resistance.

After Syria withdrew its trooops, Hezbollah was able to step into the power breach created by Lebanon’s weak secular government. Hezbollah gained popular support by providing social services such as hospitals and schools for Lebanese Shiites.

The war began at Hezbollah's time and choosing. Military analysts say that the way the Israel-Hezbollah war has been prosecuted up to August 1st, was more likely to bring Nasrallah closer to his war objectives than Olmert. Hezbollah does not need to defeat Israeli troops. It only has to survive the onslaught.

Hezbollah gains from maximizing civilian casualties on BOTH the Israeli and Lebanese sides.

Hezbollah maximizes Israeli civilian casualties when they launch Syrian and Iranian designed antipersonnel missiles with ball-bearing shrapnel. Furthermore, in Lebanon, Hezbollah deliberately operates military wings out of densely populated areas to maximize Lebanese casualties and gain media attention through gruesome pictures of maimed children.

IDF video clips available on MFA website
The footage shows Hizbullah's firing of rockets from Kafr Qana and behind buildings, and the use of civilians as human shields: Hezbollah missile fire from within the village of Kafr Qana, Hezbollah firing rockets from behind buildings, Hezbollah use of civilian shields.

Hezbollah's Operation True Promise on July 12, was a forray into Sha'ba farms, an area which is claimed by both Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah killed 4 Israeli soldiers and captured two others (Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev). The kidnappings presented a serious problem for Israel, but could not, by themselves, define the geopolitical issue. That definition came when Hezbollah rockets struck Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, on July 13. There were also claims coming from Hezbollah, and confirmed by Israeli officials, that Hezbollah had missiles available that could reach Tel Aviv. Israel's population is concentrated in the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem corridor and in the Tel Aviv-Haifa corridor. In effect, Hezbollah had attained the ability to strike at the Israeli heartland. Hezbollah has been hitting the northern part of this heartland, as well as pounding Israel's northern frontier.

According to reports, Hezbollah forces are dispersed in multiple bunker complexes and are launching rockets from these and other locations. Hezbollah strategy is to draw Israeli troops as deeply into Lebanon as possible, forcing them to fight on extended supply lines. Hezbollah's will tie down the Israelis as long as possible first in the area south of the Litani River and then north in the Bekaa. It can, and will, continue to rocket Haifa from further north. It will inflict casualties and draw the Israelis further north.

In order to destroy Hezbollah's infrastructure, Israeli troops must move into the Bekaa Valley and as far as the southern suburbs of Beirut. Israeli forces have pushed forward from the mountaintop village of Maroun er Ras captured Sunday to the fringes of Bint Jubeil, Hizballah’s south Lebanese capital. After losing at Bint Jubeil, Hezbollah abandoned conventional fighting, fled underground and re-emerged as a guerrilla group, inflicting casualties on the Israelis wearing them down.

In a military engagement just over the border of Lebanon Israeli soldiers of the Egoz regiment discovered one of the many fortified bunkers holding the large arsenal of missiles currently raining upon Israeli towns in the North. Hezbollah is using Viet Cong-style guerrilla warfare out of hundreds of small bunkers scattered across the country. In addition, Hezbollah borrowed camouflage techniques that the Japanese used in the 1945 Iwo Jima battle. In the first ten days of the war, therefore, the Israeli air force bombed out empty Hizballah premises in South Beirut and Baalbek, but missed the moving woods and vegetation which concealed the rocket launchers.

Hezbollah rockets struck Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, on July 13. Hezbollah has mainly been using Kassam and Ketuysha rockets to bombard northern Israel. On July 17 Hezbollah used an Iran-made radar-guided C-802 shore-to-sea missile of the Silkworm family to disable the Israeli Saar-5 state-of-the-art warship, Ahi-Hanit, which was shelling Beirut airport. Four Israelis were killed, but the ship was brought back to base under its own power, repaired and returned to service. On July 18 Hezbollah used a longer range missile which it calls, Khaibar-1 (after Mohammed’s battle with the Jews of Medina). This is probably one of the Zelzal missiles. It has not yet used its Fajr missiles. Hezbollah has indicated that it will bombard Tel-Aviv, Israel with 500 missiles.

On Tuesday, August 1st, Israeli forces partially destroyed the Dar al-Hikma hospital in Baalbek, where chief Hezbollah spokesman Hussein Rahal said fierce fighting raged for more than one hour. Hezbollah used automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades and fought the commandos inside the hospital, while Israeli jets attacked the surrounding guerrilla force with missiles, Rahal said. Residents said the Dar al-Hikma hospital is financed by an Iranian charity that is close to Hezbollah and run by people close to the group. There were no patients in the hospital. It had become a base of Hezbollah, in disguise. IDF forces battle in the southern Lebanese Hezbollah stronghold village of Kafr Ita al-Sha'b. Hezbollah's wave of Katyushas began abruptly around 11 AM, and continued into the afternoon hours.

Syria - On Friday, July 28, Hezbollah's leader, Nazrallah, attended a conference in Damascus. Also in attendance were Hamas leaders Khaled Meshaal and Mussa Abu Marzouk as well as the Palestinian Jihad Islami chief Abdallah Ramadan Shelah. The Palestinian terrorist leaders were invited in their capacity as commanders of the second front against Israel in Gaza. This anti-Israel coalition will no doubt decide on the two fronts’ next steps in their war against the “Zionist enemy.” The fact that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Assad called the meeting in his capital at Damascus, indicates that he and the other participants feel confident enough to decide on a further escalation of the violence.

On Friday, July 28, Syrian air defense batteries ambushed and shot down an Israeli spy drone flying on the Lebanese side of the border with Syria. These drones have been used to “paint” the weapons convoys heading in from Syria, for the Israeli air force to hit them before they can reach their destinations and replenish Hezbollah stockpiles. This time, the Syrians knocked the drone out of the sky to allow a large consignment of rocket launchers and truckloads of rockets to cross into Lebanon undetected and safe from Israeli air attack.

Iran now admits that it supplied Hezbollah with Zelzal-2 missiles. This fact was known a long time ago and it was one of the objectives of the Israeli Defense Forces to destroy those missiles. The IDF has successfully ferreted out many of the missiles from the underground bunkers and destroyed them.

Hezbollah also has longer range Fajr missiles but has not gotten authority from Iran to use those missiles against Israel.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the man to watch these days. Leaders of the Iranian hard-line regime, believe they have a direct line to God, and they'll do whatever 'divine inspiration' requires them to do. Talking to them is pointless. Ahmadinejad, whose proxy army Hezbollah is now waging war against Israel, has promised to respond to European and American demands to cease his country's illicit nuclear programs on August 22. On Tuesday he rejected a UN Security Council resolution that would give Iran until Aug. 31 to suspend uranium enrichment.

Lailat al Miraj (27 Rajab, 22 August 2006)
The festival is celebrated by telling the story of how the Prophet Muhammad was visited by two archangels while he was asleep, who purified his heart and filled him with knowledge and faith.

According to Islamic tradition, the Prophet travelled from Mecca to Jerusalem in a single night on a strange winged creature called Buraq. From Jerusalem he ascended into heaven lighting up the skies over the holy city in his wake.

Dr. Ayman Zawahri (za WAH ri), is a leader of Al-Qaida, (Sunni Muslims). He has declared, as may other Muslim militant leaders, that the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel meets the conditions for jihad fee sybil Allah and that it is incumbent for all Muslims to join the fight. Otherwise, there are many sectarian differences between the Sunni Al-Qaida Muslims and the Shiite Hezbollah Muslims. However, for the cause in Lebanon they may join forces to fight against Israel.

Qur'an Sura Al-Qasas (28):39 {Eng, Ar, transliteration}:
Permission (to fight) is given to those upon whom war is made because they are oppressed, and most surely Allah is well able to assist them; (Shakir trans.)

Permission to take up arms is given to those against whom war is made, because they have been wronged and ALLAH, indeed, has power to help them (Sher Ali trans.).

- أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ

Othina lillatheena yuqataloona bi-annahum thulimoo wa-inna Allaha AAala nasrihim laqadeerun

Qur'an Surah al-Hujurat (49):15
Mumim (true Muslims) believe in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad), and without doubt they strive in the cause of Allah( jihad fee Sybil Allah) with their wealth and their lives. Those! They are the sincere.

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ ءامَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُوا وَجَهَدُوا بِأَمْوَلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أُوْلَئِكَ هُمْ الصَّدِقُونَ

Innama almu/minoona allatheena amanoo biAllahi warasoolihi thumma lam yartaboo wajahadoo bi-amwalihim waanfusihim fee sabeeli Allahi ola-ika humu alssadiqoona

It is irrelevant to judge who is right, and who is wrong. No one wins in a war. Property can be restored, but even a lifetime is not long enough to resolve grief over a lost loved one.

Since Muslims, Jews and Christians believe in the messiah, maybe praying for the messiah to come and bring lasting peace before the world destroys itself would be a win-win-win solution

Answer 2

Try


http://palestinefacts.org/pf_1991to_now_hezbollah.php

Answer 3

specific. Iran is pulling the strings on their islamofascist terrorist puppets in an attempt to start a bigger war because of fact Bush would be out of potential quickly and Iran sees Obama as a ability best buddy.

Answer 4

Boyscouts of Lebanon, in the profit we trust, all others pay cash.

Answer 5

I think it is a light chicken gravey from Spain.

Answer 6

true fighter in 'holy war'. Long live myyyyyyyyyy brothers.

Answer 7

His-Bolla is an organization that deserves carpet bombing.

Answer 8

somewhere in Lebanon

Answer 9

Bunch of NUTS!

Answer 10

T E R R O R I S T S.

Answer 11

good question! they are.....i have no idea.