The Israel-Hezbollah Conflict

The Facts

• ORIGINS: Though Hezbollah (or "Party of God" in English) was officially formed in the wake of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, its origins go back to the foundation of modern Lebanon. Lebanon, administered by France after World War I, gained independence in 1943, establishing a political system that divided power between Christians and Muslims. The Shiite community — Hezbollah's primary constituency, which lived mainly in peripheral regions like the south and parts of the Bekaa Valley in the east — was underrepresented in this system.

• ISRAEL-PALESTINE: Meanwhile, the newfound state of Israel was engaged in a conflict with the Palestinians and its Arab neighbors after the first Arab-Israeli War of 1948. Israel's establishment saw hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced to neighboring countries, such as Lebanon. In the 1960s, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) — a coalition of armed Palestinian factions — was formed and began launching guerrilla attacks against Israel from these nations. The group's leadership eventually relocated to Lebanon after being expelled from Jordan in 1970.

• THE LEBANESE CIVIL WAR: In 1975, Lebanon descended into civil war, partly due to the presence of the PLO and Palestinian refugees. As the state fractured, the PLO established control in south Lebanon, increasing attacks on Israel. In response, Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978 up to the Litani River before withdrawing. In 1982, Israeli forces advanced to Beirut, joining with allied Christian militias to expel the PLO. Though Israel eventually withdrew from Beirut, it maintained an occupation zone in south Lebanon, a largely Shiite region.