The Darkest Side Of Hezbollah: Freedom Fighters Or Militants?
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What makes a terrorist? Where is the line between terrorist and freedom fighter? These are the questions that surround Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group. Denounced as a terrorist organisation by dozens of nations from Saudi Arabia to the USA, its reputation for bombings, hijackings, and kidnappings has stood for decades. However, its defenders like Iran, Syria, and Russia insist that Hezbollah are freedom fighters opposing the intervention of imperialist foreign powers like Israel and the USA.
So what is Hezbollah? Where did it come from? What does it want? And what has it done to deserve a terrorist label? Today on A Day In History, we explore the rise and reputation of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia. If you enjoy it, don’t forget to leave a like to show your support and subscribe for more videos like this one.
Origins of Hezbollah
The story of Hezbollah begins with the Shia Muslim minority of Lebanon.
Until recently, Lebanon was a Christian majority nation with smaller Sunni and Shia minorities. The Shia have historically been the smaller group with high levels of economic inequality and low levels of political representation or power. They traditionally inhabited Southern Lebanon and the Northern Bekaa Valley, placing them near the border with Israel after 1948.
Unresolved religious conflict in Lebanon led to a civil war between the Lebanese government and several rival factions in 1975 that stretched on for the next 15 years. With Christians, Shias, and Sunnis taking up arms in a multi-factional struggle, backed by various foreign powers including Iran, Syria, and the US, it was one of the most complex conflicts of the 20th century. The chaos allowed Palestinian militants of the PLO, displaced from Palestine itself, to set themselves up in Southern Lebanon. The influence of these Islamist militants would encourage the Shia of the area to pursue their own militant course.
Things were further complicated by two major developments. First, the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1978-9 triggered a wave of revolutionary Islamic fervour across the Shia world. The new Iranian regime was eager to support like minded groups and threw its backing and resources into Lebanese and Palestinian militant groups. Second, Israel’s 1982 invasion of Southern Lebanon in response to attacks launched by Palestinian militants unified Muslims in the region against it.
Hezbollah’s exact origins in this chaos are unclear. It has no single founding date but scholars suggest it emerged no earlier than 1982. Other scholars insist that the elements that made up Hezbollah can’t be called a unified organisation before 1985 or so. However, modern Hezbollah is certainly descended from the tapestry of Shia militant groups that emerged in response to the 1982 Israeli invasion, and we’ll be taking that earlier date for our video.
#hezbollah #history #israelvshezbollah
Sources
Augustus Richard Norton, Hezbollah: A Short History, (2007)
Aurelie Daher, Hezbollah: Mobilization and Power, (2019)
Joshua L. Glies and Benedetta Berti, Hezbollah and Hamas: A Comparative Study, (2012)
Michael J. Totten, The Road to Fatima Gate: The Beirut Spring, the Rise of Hezbollah, and the Iranian War Against Israel, (2011)
Press Association, The Guardian, 9th December 2012, https://www.theguardian.com/world/201...
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