Hezbollah: History, Tactics, and Counterterrorism Response

Introduction

Hezbollah (also spelled Hizbollah and Hizbullah) is an officially sanctioned political party in the Middle East. The group has been linked to several terrorist attacks, both directly — as by taking credit for actual attacks — and indirectly, through funding or the implicit condoning of violent acts. This paper examines the threat posed by Hezbollah and the methods by which it operates, along with its ideology and that of the broader regional context which allows it to act with such impunity. It will first address the motivation and goals of Hezbollah, then turn to the tactics and strategies of the organization, including previous terrorist attacks, and finally assess governmental reactions and ways of addressing the threat to national, regional, and global security.

History and Motivation of the Organization

Hezbollah was formed in 1982 in response to the war in Lebanon — specifically, the political disputes with Israel and the subsequent Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. The founders of the organization sought to more fully support Islamic fundamentalism and to remove Israel from the country. They believed that apathy and a lack of religious devotion to fundamentalist principles were significant problems in Lebanon. Although the stated aim of the conflict was to remove Israel from the area and to establish "Peace for Galilee," some scholars have noted that "it would have been more honest to call [the war] 'the war to safeguard the occupation of the West Bank,'" asserting that Israel acted in the area not to promote peace but to protect its own territory (Harkabi, 1989, p. 99). Although motivations for invasion, retribution, and jihad — or holy war — in the Middle East are varied not just per conflict but per the perspective of the person assessing them, it is nonetheless established that the political party of Hezbollah was formed in response to the perceived unfair and unprovoked invasion of Lebanon by Israel (Israel Information Division, 2005).

In keeping with this motivation, the political platform of Hezbollah openly states its opposition to Israel and the West. Three of the primary goals stated in that platform are as follows:

The solution to Lebanon's problems is the establishment of an Islamic republic, as only this type of regime can secure justice and equality for all of Lebanon's citizens.

The Hezbollah organization views as an important goal the fight against "western imperialism" and its eradication from Lebanon. The group strives for complete American and French withdrawal from Lebanon, including all their institutions.

The conflict with Israel is viewed as a central concern. This is not only limited to the IDF presence in Lebanon. Rather, the complete destruction of the State of Israel and the establishment of Islamic rule over Jerusalem is an expressed goal (Saad-Ghoreyeb, 2002).

This open opposition to the West became a primary motivator for Hezbollah and its terrorist actions against Israel and the West. The goal of establishing an Islamic republic — a fundamentalist state governed by Islamic clerics — gave rise to the concept of "holy war" as a justification for these terrorist attacks.

After declaring itself a political party, Hezbollah began operating openly and without an "umbrella" or cover group. Currently, the party holds 23 of 128 seats in Lebanon's parliament, making it a significant political force in the region. It also participates in nation-building and conventional political activities such as lobbying and fundraising to support itself. In addition to these funds, the group has long been supported by Iran and other fundamentalist Islamic governments, supplementing its income through these "donations" in support of a fundamentalist religious state and continued terror directed toward Israel and the West, especially the United States (BBC, 9 March 2005). Despite this, the organization has been condemned internationally for its support of terrorist methods. Some analysts had believed that after the Israeli pullout from Lebanon in the late 1980s, Hezbollah would transition primarily into a political movement. Those hopes were not realized: "it now seems obvious, however, that Hizbullah has not changed, and that it remains a radical and militant organization whose principal objective is to lead an armed struggle against Israel" (Zisser, 2002).

Tactics and Techniques of Terrorism

Hezbollah has traditionally selected victims based on their affiliation or association with Israel. The perceived imperialism of the West — specifically the United States — has also been a major factor in target selection. Support for Israel or for Western civilization has been interpreted by Hezbollah as a threat to its own government and existence. The group employs propaganda methods, including operating its own television station that espouses its political vision and portrays Israel and the West as enemies (Shafer, 2004). This propaganda includes "propaganda videos set to jihadist songs, which make up about 25 percent of Al-Manar's programming day," as well as programming that seeks to "venerate suicide bombers as martyrs; call for the obliteration of Israel and the death of the United States; exhort Palestinians to violently overthrow their racist 'oppressors'; and portray Israelis as baby-slaughtering terrorists" (Shafer, 2004).

Aside from Hezbollah's propaganda arm, the organization's actual terrorist attacks — many of which are undisputed as having been carried out or planned by the group — have most significantly included suicide bombings, as well as more militarized operations such as artillery fire and the detonation of explosives (Israel Information Division, 2005). These assaults have grown in number over time. The Israel Foreign Ministry calculated the following attack figures: 19 in 1990, 52 in 1991, 63 in 1992, 158 in 1993, 187 in 1994, and 344 in 1995 — an exponential increase year over year (ibid.). The use of criminal enterprises such as kidnapping or narcotics trafficking to fund these activities has not been firmly established or linked to Hezbollah; it appears that the majority of the organization's funding comes from Iran, other sympathetic governments, and from the party's own political fundraising efforts in Lebanon and neighboring nations.

As evidenced by the election of several parliamentary candidates who openly associate themselves with Hezbollah, community and national support for the organization is strong. Geographically, the organization has been centered in southern Lebanon, the militarily contested zone bordering Israel. However, its presence has grown throughout the nation, and Hezbollah has clearly become a national force through its parliamentary representation. A typical Hezbollah member is difficult to stereotype: many Lebanese do not consider themselves formal members of the political party but nonetheless support the principles of the movement — a turn toward religious fundamentalism and away from perceived Western imperialism. Although the group has been described as numerically small, the attacks perpetrated by its members are among the most lethal of any terrorist organization operating today. "Until the al-Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001, the self-described 'Party of God' had killed more U.S. citizens than any other radical Islamist group" (Diaz and Newman, 2005). At least one scholar has estimated that the number of Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon is close to 100,000, with actual registered members numbering around half that figure (Shatz, 2004).

As with any terrorist group, recruitment and training are largely clandestine undertakings; the political party does not openly advertise its involvement in suicide attacks against Western civilians. However, the emphasis on fighting the West and on fundamentalist Islamic principles — particularly jihad, or holy war, which justifies killing and warlike actions in the name of religious belief — has been a significant influence on Hezbollah's members and operatives. The justification of violent acts such as suicide bombings in the name of an Islamic state, or for the protection of the nation as a whole, has become a commonly used recruitment tool. The incentive to devote one's life or death to the protection not only of one's nation but of Islam itself has become a significant motivation for many of the martyrs, suicide bombers, and fighters within the organization.

Conclusion and Policy Recommendations

This limit on international control over a foreign terrorist organization can be seen in many separate contexts and has become a significant national security issue for the United States and the West in the broader war on terror. Without state sponsorship, as in the case of al-Qaeda, combating terrorist organizations is already difficult. When a terrorist group enjoys at least tacit approval and protection from a sovereign state — as Hezbollah does through its formal political party status in Lebanon — fighting its terrorist operations becomes nearly impossible.

In order to effectively reduce these attacks and degrade the organization's capacity to carry them out, the United States must adopt a firm position against providing any form of support to nations that allow such organizations to operate within their borders. Financial aid cuts and other sanctions — including reducing supplies and, if necessary, ending all diplomatic relations — should be imposed on Lebanon for as long as it continues to endorse Hezbollah, whether implicitly or explicitly, by permitting the organization to function freely within its territory. Without such measures, future attacks are inevitable, and the security of the United States and its allies will remain persistently at risk from this organization.

Works Cited

Diaz, T., and Newman, B. (2005). Lightning out of Lebanon: Hezbollah Terrorists on American Soil. Presidio Press.

Harkabi, Y. (1989). Israel's Fateful Hour. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

Information Division article of Israel Foreign Ministry. Published online at Accessed 10/29/05.

Kramer, M. (1990). "The Moral Logic of Hizballah." In W. Reich (Ed.), Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind (pp. 131–57). Cambridge University Press.

Saad-Ghoreyeb, A. (2002). Hizbollah: Politics and Religion. Pluto Press.

Shafer, J. (2004). "Who's Afraid of Hezbollah TV? Not Me." MSN Slate, 12/29/04.

Shatz, A. (2004). "In Search of Hezbollah." The New York Review of Books, 51(7).

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 (2004).

United States Department of State (2004). "Terrorist Group Profiles, Hizbollah." Country Reports on Terrorism.

"What is Hezbollah?" BBC News, 09 March 2005.

Zisser, E. (2002). "The Return of Hizbollah." The Middle East Quarterly, IX(4).