Israel’s latest bombardment of Lebanon was just the latest salvo in a decades-long battle with Hezbollah.
The armed group was formed in 1982 when Israel invaded Lebanon, ostensibly in response to attacks launched on it by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from southern Lebanon.
At the time, Lebanon’s civil war had been raging for seven years.
Hoping to install a friendly government in Lebanon, Israel occupied the south and went as far as West Beirut, where the PLO was based, which it put under siege.
After an agreement, the PLO left for Tunisia but Israel’s military stayed in Lebanon, supporting local proxies in the civil war and contributing to the Sabra and Shatila massacre. Right-wing Lebanese militias, in coordination with the Israeli army, killed between 2,000 and 3,500 Palestinian refugees and Lebanese civilians in two days.
Several Lebanese groups formed to repel the invasion, one was from the Shia Muslim community, traditionally a quiet demographic.
Hezbollah was the brainchild of Muslim leaders, reportedly supported by Iran, and given the mandate of repelling Israel.
Drawing support from disaffected youth and residents of the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs – marginalised areas with significant Shia populations – Hezbollah quickly became a significant power in Lebanon
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