Cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel have escalated in recent years, specifically with the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas that broke out on Oct. 7, 2023. Since this war began, Hezbollah has sent over 8,000 rockets into Israel. In a major intensification of Israel’s battle with Hezbollah, in late 2024, Israel killed longtime, esteemed leader Hassan Nasrallah. After months of rockets fired from Lebanon at Israel, the IDF launched a ground offensive against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon.
With the recent headlines surrounding Hezbollah and its power, a question arises: Who is Hezbollah?
In 1953, after 23 years as a French mandate, Lebanon gained independence. New leaders signed the National Pact, which created a government system dividing power among the major religious groups in the region. A Sunni Muslim served as Prime Minister, a Maronite Christian as President, and a Shiite Muslim as the speaker of Parliament. Unsurprisingly, the country descended into civil war in 1975.
The opposing religious figures, incapable of cohesive work, descended into controversy over multiple issues. This included the Sunni population having grown with the arrival of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, leading the Shiites to feel increasingly marginalized by the ruling Christian minority. Amidst the fighting, Hezbollah, “the party of god,” emerged.
Expressed in its 1985 Manifesto, Hezbollah prides itself on identifying as a “Shiite Resistance Movement,” looking to remove Shiitte political power. Included in this manifesto was Hezbollah’s mission, which called for the destruction of Israel, allegiance to Iran’s leaders and expulsion of Western and Israeli powers from Lebanon.
Israeli forces invaded Lebanon in 1978 and again in 1982 to get rid of Palestinian guerrilla fighters that used the region as their base to attack Israel.
In 1989, Lebanon’s members of parliament met in Taif, Saudi Arabia. There the leaders signed an agreement ending the civil war in Lebanon, granting Syrian guardianship over the state. Most notably, the agreement included an order for all militias to disarm themselves, except for Hezbollah.
In 1992, Hezbzollah acquired eight parliament seats while maintaining an armed resistance focused on guerilla tactics against Israel. Hezbollah gained further legitimacy among the Lebanese people as Israel’s presence waned. Soon after, Nasrallah assumed the position of Hezbollah’s secretary general.
After car bombings, suicide bombings and other attacks across borders, many Western states, including the United States in 1997, deemed Hezboallah a terrorist organization.
In 2000, Hezbollah considered itself victorious when Israel withdrew completely from Southern Lebanon. Despite the removal of Israeli troops, the tensions did not dissipate. In 2006, Hezbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers. This led to a month-long war with Israel that left more than 1,000 Lebanese and 39 Israelis dead.
In 2018, after long-time discontent with Hezbollah, Israel discovered miles of tunnels built by Hezbollah spanning from Lebanon to Israel.
It is common for states in economic, social and political distress, such as Lebanon in its civil war, to have its government fall to a corrupt party. However, it is less clear how a corrupt power in an economically disadvantaged country stays in power for decades.
Thus, a new question arises: How did Hezbollah become rich, powerful and globally significant?
In Hezbollah’s early stages, Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) saw a chance to expand its influence in Arab states, so they provided funds and training to Hezbollah. The IRGC is part of the “axis of resistance” that aims to eliminate the region of Western, namely U.S. and Israeli, influence and protect the Islamic Regime. According to the US State Department, Iran continues to give Hezbollah training, weapons, funding, gear and sends hundreds of billions of dollars each year.
In addition to the support from supporting Arab states, Lebanon also uses drug trade as an organized fundraising tactic for Hezbollah operatives. Hezbollah utilizes the concept of Fatwa to legitimize involvement in crimes like drug trafficking. Fatwa allows for the use of criminal activity to harm the group’s enemies. Presumed to have been issued by Iranian religious leaders, the doctrine of Fatwa stated, “We are making drugs for Satan – America and the Jews. If we cannot kill them with guns, [then] we will kill them with drugs.”
The Wilson Center tracks Hezbollah’s drug trafficking back to the mid 1980s. Early on in its establishment, Hezbollah was active in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. The Bekaa Valley was known for its cannabis cultivation and became a testing ground for drug trafficking through the Israel-Lebanon Border.
Hezbollah’s drug trafficking soon expanded overseas. Hezbollah began to utilize the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. This area had low security, loose borders and conflicting legal systems. These variables made it easy for Hezbollah to take advantage of this region. The Tri-Border Area became the central hub for Hezbollah’s criminal activities. They conducted schemes like money laundering, drug trafficking, counterfeiting and other unlawful activities.
Over time, Hezbollah created complex global networks, transporting drugs beyond the Tri-Border Area, with trafficking routes spanning South America, Europe, the Middle East and other parts of the world. West Africa is used as a transit point. With Hezbollah’s strategic efforts, the West African drug route became lucrative and successful, with Hezbollah taking advantage of Lebanese Shia communities in both South America and West Africa to connect the two continents for trafficking purposes. Increasing the sophistication and efficiency of their criminal activities, Hezbollah began collaborating with South American drug cartels, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia, to expand their reach and influence.
Historically, the international community has condemned support and funding for Hezbollah. In recent news, Israel conducted military operations against Hezbollah in response to the thousands of rockets fired at Israel since Oct. 7. The on-the-ground, imminent threat Hezbollah poses to Israel, forces Israel to take action to protect its civilians. However, aside from Israel’s recently successful missions, regions around the globe continue to suffer from Hezbollah’s power and criminal activities around the world.
