What is Hezbollah and how powerful is its military?

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has said it has launched an attack on Israel in retaliation for the killing of one of its commanders in Beirut – with Israel pre-empting the move with its own airstrikes.

The attacks from both sides come following the death of top Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr, who was killed in a strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs in July.

The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, previously described Shukr as “one of the most wanted terrorists in the world”.

Its army said Hezbollah had been planning to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles towards Israel – as the Iranian-backed group, which is designated a terrorist organisation by several countries including the UK, had promised to retaliate.

Flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport were temporarily suspended on Sunday after the attacks broke out, but have since resumed.

So what is Hezbollah and will it play a role in the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East?

Latest updates: Hezbollah attacks Israel as Israeli jets hit targets in Lebanon

What is Hezbollah and how was it formed?

Hezbollah was founded in 1982 in the middle of Lebanon’s civil war, which raged for 15 years from 1975 to 1990.

It was born out of Iran’s efforts to export its 1979 Islamic Revolution around the region – and combat Israeli forces after Israel invaded Lebanon and occupied parts of the capital Beirut in 1982.

Hezbollah – whose name means “The Party of God” was accused of frequently carrying out attacks on foreign targets including the bombing of a US Marine barracks in 1983 which killed 241 people.

Regarded as an Iranian proxy force – the group has been trained and equipped by Tehran – Hezbollah has risen from a shadowy faction to a heavily armed group that has major sway within Lebanon.

The US, some Western governments and others deem it a terrorist organisation. In Lebanon, its members form part of the government and have dozens of MPs in parliament.

Hezbollah is a sworn enemy of Israel and openly calls for the destruction of the “Zionist regime in Palestine”.

Even after Israeli forces officially withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, the two sides have clashed – most destructively in the war of 2006.

How powerful is Hezbollah’s military?

One of the most heavily-armed non-state groups in the world, Hezbollah boasts weapons including precision rockets and drones, and says it can hit all parts of Israel.

Its vast arsenal of rockets numbers as high as 100,000, according to some experts.

It receives weapons and money from Iran – amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars annually in recent years, the US estimates.

In 2021, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the group had 100,000 fighters – though this is possibly an exaggeration.

In 2022, the Institute for Strategic Studies thinktank estimated that the group may have up to 20,000 active personnel.

Its fighters are battle hardened, having fought extensively in Syria in support of President Bashar al Assad.

How much influence does Hezbollah have in the region?

Hezbollah is a well-equipped military force of substantial size – but it also has significant sway over Lebanon.

It is widely deemed the most powerful member of the Iran-backed network known as the Axis of Resistance.

It is considered to be a divisive group. The majority of Lebanese people opposed Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon and supported efforts to expel them from the country.

However, domestically Hezbollah has been criticised for the political alliances it has forged. And many people are worried the decades-old conflict with Israel will drag the country into all-out war.

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The group has also been a source of inspiration and support for other Iranian-backed groups across the Middle East. It has trained armed groups in Iraq and taken part in fighting there.

Saudi Arabia says Hezbollah has also fought in support of the Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen. Hezbollah denies this.

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What is Hezbollah’s role in the Israel-Hamas conflict?

Hezbollah has long ties with Hamas – they share a view of Israel as the enemy and they began trading fire with Israel on 8 October following the attacks.

As of last month, Israeli strikes had killed some 350 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and more than 100 civilians, including medics, children and journalists, according to security and medical sources and a Reuters tally of death notifications issued by Hezbollah.

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The Israeli military said after an attack on a football pitch in July that the death toll among civilians killed in Hezbollah attacks had risen to 23 since October, along with at least 17 soldiers.

Mr Netanyahu said on 22 October last year that if Hezbollah opened a war front with Israel it would lead to counter-strikes of “unimaginable” magnitude on Lebanon.

Even though Hezbollah claimed not to be behind the rocket attack on the football field in the Golan Heights, the latest strikes could drag the wider region into war.

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