Post by account_disabled on Feb 18, 2024 9:41:14 GMT
The Lebanese Shiite group has a long and bloody history with the Jewish state, and now, both sides’ restraint is at an end Since the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the start of the IDF ground operation in Gaza, it has been repeatedly reported that one of the potential participants in an open confrontation with Israel could be the Lebanese Shiite paramilitary group and political party, Hezbollah. In January, there were even more statements by officials about the likelihood of a military clash on Israel’s northern border. Thus, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on January 8 that his country is ready to go to war with the Lebanese group. However, he still believes that it is better to resolve the conflict peacefully. Netanyahu made his statement following a visit to the town of Kiryat Shmona, after it was hit by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile. The locality in northern Israel is regularly shelled by the organization. Later, on January 17, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Commander-in-Chief Herzi Halevy said that the likelihood of a full-scale military operation in Lebanon has now drastically increased. “I don’t know when a war will happen in the north. What I can say is that the likelihood of this happening in the coming months is now much higher than in the past,” The Times of Israel quoted him as saying.
Halevy made the statement while speaking to soldiers in northern Israel at maneuvers simulating an IDF offensive in Lebanon. He noted that troops are “building up readiness for battles in Lebanon.” Indeed, Israel’s military buildup on its northern border is confirmed. According to ABC News, tens of thousands of regular troops and about 60,000 reservists are stationed there. The other day, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant noted that Israeli troops may very soon America Mobile Number List engage in hostilities along the country’s border with Lebanon. However, he did not specify when exactly this would happen. But before we can understand why the likelihood of a military conflict between the IDF and Hezbollah is growing, we should briefly dive into the history of the Lebanese Shiite group’s origins and its relationship with Israel. Hezbollah’s genesis Hezbollah, or in Arabic, “The Party of Allah,” is a Shiite military and political organization operating in Lebanon. It was founded in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon, which was one episode in the 15-year Lebanese Civil War that ended in 1990 after the signing of the Taif Accords. Hezbollah was originally established as a paramilitary organization to protect Lebanon’s Shiite population from Israeli aggression.
Over time, however, it has evolved into an influential political movement that plays an important role in Lebanese political life. Several factors contributed to Hezbollah’s emergence. First of all, it was the growing anti-Israeli sentiment in Lebanon. In the 1970s, the struggle between various religious and political groups intensified. One of the main issues was the Palestinian-Israeli problem. Lebanon became a haven for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who clashed with the local population. In 1982, Israel invaded southern Lebanon to dismantle Palestinian refugee camps and suppress anti-Israeli activity. This event caused widespread discontent among Lebanese Shia, who made up a large part of the population of South Lebanon. Lebanon has a political balance in which power is divided among the three main religious groups: Maronite Christians, Sunni Muslims, and Shiite Muslims. The Shia, who made up about 40% of Lebanon’s population, felt underrepresented in the political and economic life of the country. In 1982, a group of Shiite activists who were dissatisfied with the Israeli occupation of South Lebanon united under the leadership of Imam Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Hassan Nasrallah, the current secretary general of Hezbollah, and Ibrahim Amin, Lebanon’s former defense minister.
Halevy made the statement while speaking to soldiers in northern Israel at maneuvers simulating an IDF offensive in Lebanon. He noted that troops are “building up readiness for battles in Lebanon.” Indeed, Israel’s military buildup on its northern border is confirmed. According to ABC News, tens of thousands of regular troops and about 60,000 reservists are stationed there. The other day, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant noted that Israeli troops may very soon America Mobile Number List engage in hostilities along the country’s border with Lebanon. However, he did not specify when exactly this would happen. But before we can understand why the likelihood of a military conflict between the IDF and Hezbollah is growing, we should briefly dive into the history of the Lebanese Shiite group’s origins and its relationship with Israel. Hezbollah’s genesis Hezbollah, or in Arabic, “The Party of Allah,” is a Shiite military and political organization operating in Lebanon. It was founded in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon, which was one episode in the 15-year Lebanese Civil War that ended in 1990 after the signing of the Taif Accords. Hezbollah was originally established as a paramilitary organization to protect Lebanon’s Shiite population from Israeli aggression.
Over time, however, it has evolved into an influential political movement that plays an important role in Lebanese political life. Several factors contributed to Hezbollah’s emergence. First of all, it was the growing anti-Israeli sentiment in Lebanon. In the 1970s, the struggle between various religious and political groups intensified. One of the main issues was the Palestinian-Israeli problem. Lebanon became a haven for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who clashed with the local population. In 1982, Israel invaded southern Lebanon to dismantle Palestinian refugee camps and suppress anti-Israeli activity. This event caused widespread discontent among Lebanese Shia, who made up a large part of the population of South Lebanon. Lebanon has a political balance in which power is divided among the three main religious groups: Maronite Christians, Sunni Muslims, and Shiite Muslims. The Shia, who made up about 40% of Lebanon’s population, felt underrepresented in the political and economic life of the country. In 1982, a group of Shiite activists who were dissatisfied with the Israeli occupation of South Lebanon united under the leadership of Imam Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Hassan Nasrallah, the current secretary general of Hezbollah, and Ibrahim Amin, Lebanon’s former defense minister.