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Hezbollah: God’s Will or Man’s Desire?

“Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends (life,

liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and
to institute new government.” This quote by Thomas Jefferson resonates throughout
history and it has been proven true time and time again, may it be in terms of armed
conflict or peaceful means. Men have always found ways to oppose those who have
tried to take their liberty and the story of Hezbollah is a good example of it. Hezbollah,
or the “the Party of God”, was created by Shiite Muslims from Lebanon who wanted to
rise up against the Israeli invasion of their country’s southern area in 1982. With
neighboring nations Syria and Iran providing support, it quickly rose in power and
numbers as it consists of several thousand core members who get logistical, financial
and military support to advance the organization’s goals which started off with its
resistant to Israel’s rule to meddling in the Lebanese political system. Hezbollah started
of as a revolutionary militia and now stands as one of the dominant players in the
military and political arena not only in Lebanon but in its region as well.
Hezbollah emerged during the civil unrest specifically when Israeli forces took
Southern Lebanon in 1982 and has since then slowly become a “state within a state” in
the country. Hezbollah’s entry into Lebanese political affairs can be traced back to its
participation in the 1992 elections. It signified its shift from being a revolutionary militia
to being a vital player in the government. It was further boosted by the assassination of
ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri which was linked Syria, leading to the rise of anti-Syrian
sentiment of the Lebanese people. It ultimately led to the withdrawal of Syrian forces
from the country which allowed Hezbollah to become the most formidable military
presence there. The organization has proven itself to be an effective political
denomination both on the local and national level. It has earned a good reputation even
as many have opposed its ideals for it being too extreme according to others. It was
proven during the end of Israeli occupation when many said that the region left would
erupt in chaos but instead, Hezbollah was able to maintain order in the area. In addition
to its military presence, the group has also contributed to the society as it has extended
social and healthcare services to the people showing its dedication the Lebanon. It
translated well during the 2004 elections with its political party winning 14 out of 128
seats in the Lebanese Parliament and it has two ministers in the government. The group
also owns the prominent television station, al-Manar which has surely helped it extend
its influence.

Hezbollah is influenced by a trilateral ideology which includes the establishment

of an Islamic state in Lebanon, opposing Israel and following the doctrine of wilayat al-
faqih. The establishment of an Islamic state was first called in through the ‘Open Letter”
manifesto which was released in February 1985. It was opposed though by Hezbollah’s
leaders, citing the pluralistic nature of the country making it difficult to achieve this even
as majority were Shiite Muslims. They also said that they will not impose this system of
governance in the country leading to some rifts in the leadership. Second, since the
dawn of its beginning it has already resisted and fought Israel and throughout the years
this conflict has continued and grown. It grew to bigger heights in 2006 when members
of Hezbollah attacked soldiers of the Israeli army which led to a back and forth battle in
the following months. Hezbollah has justified this under the rubrics of being a “defensive
jihad” citing the conflicts in the 80s and 90s saying its actions were done for the
protection of their homeland against invaders which they consider Israel to be. The
concept of wilayat al-faqih was articulated by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the first
supreme leader of Iran which happens to be one of Hezbollah’s biggest benefactors,
which cites that a chosen ultimate source of religious learning should be in charge of not
only showing what Islamic behavior should be but what the politics of a country should
also be. It is a blueprint of what strategy should be taken and what possible tactics can
help in the accomplishment of the goal.
Political forces all have their own strengths and weaknesses and Hezbollah is no
exception. Military prowess has always been the organization’s greatest strength as it
has continuously equipped its troops with state of the art weapons, training and
experience to aid in its fighting. It was gained it its many years of fighting with Israeli
forces and its participation in the civil war in Syria. It has benefitted from the support of
its own government as well the backing of the Iranian government. Despite all of these,
Hezbollah is threatened by an internal rift that has stemmed from corruption in its ranks.
This has contrasted financial probity and transparency in its early days as massive
bureaucracy and internal finance problems have threatened to destroy the moral fabric
holding them together. Its very strength, its growing power in the military aspect has
paved the way for possible enemies to bat an eye. Hezbollah has generated opposition
from both domestic and foreign adversaries. They have criticized the group’s various
political, ideological ideas as well as its links with Iran.
From the time of its inception, Hezbollah has slowly become a sophisticated
organization in a span of twenty years with links to several countries other than
Lebanon and Iran. The organization is currently headed by Hassan Nasrallah who took
over as secretary-general in 1992 after the death of Abbas Al-Musawi. Nasrallah is in
charge of the seven-member council called the majlis al-shura and its five subcouncils
namely: the political assembly, the jihad assembly, the parliamentary assembly, the
executive assembly, and the judicial assembly. The organization created an executive
council and a politburo when it first ventured into Lebanese politics. It gets most of its
financial support from Iran but it has diversified over the years. The financial backing it
gets from the Iranian government has been speculated for a long time but it had only
been confirmed by Nasrallah in June 2016. Aside from the aid it gets from Tehran,
Hezbollah has utilized the Lebanese diaspora in undertaking legal and illegal
enterprises as well as receiving Islamic charitable donations from its supporters. The
recruitment process of the group is a vigorous one that spans several months to ensure
the quality of its members. It mixes religious indoctrination with military training plus
aspirants undergo a security assessment. The group has dedicated an ample amount of
its resources to ensure that the ones who come out of training are able to carry out
Hezbollah’s mission and goals.
Western countries such as the United States have taken measures to limit and
ultimately stop Hezbollah’s reign of terror. One such step was the passing of the
Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act (HIFPA) in 2015 which targeted
financial institutions that were found out to have carried out transactions in aid of the
organization. However, it has also had consequences on the Lebanese economy with
the banking sector suffering in particular as many institutions have been victims of
bombing incidents. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was also
created to patrol the borders of Lebanon and prevent the smuggling of weapons and
related materials into the country.
From a relatively small force to becoming one of the Middle East’s top terrorist
organizations, Hezbollah has risen like the price of oil over the years. Armed with its
ideologies, financial backing and influence it has wreaked havoc and caused the demise
of countless civilians lives and gained the attention of many foreign countries and
organizations. Despite its internal problems such as corruption in its inner circles, it has
maintained its poise and continues to be a main player in the region. With its roots
embedded deep within Lebanon, it may take a long time to and an even greater strategy
to weaken this group without severely affecting its home country.

References:
 https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/100339-whenever-any-form-of-government-
becomes-destructive-of-these-ends#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWhenever%20any
%20form%20of%20government%20becomes%20destructive%20of%20these
%20ends,institute%20new%20government...%E2%80%9D
 https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-hezbollah#chapter-title-0-2
 https://ademocracynet.com/index.php?page=articles&id=4910&action=Detail
 https://www.ajc.org/news/hezbollahs-military-and-political-strength-factsheet-11