Hezbollah

Hezbollah is a radical Shi'ite terrorist group based in Lebanon that has been waging a guerilla campaign against Israel since the 1980s.

The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, Canada, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Hezbollah’s Conflict with Israel

One of Hezbollah's key goals is the elimination of the State of Israel and the group has found itself in regular conflict with Israel since 1982, including during the First Lebanon War and the 2006 Lebanon War.

The First Lebanon War, otherwise known as the South Lebanon conflict, started in 1985 and ended with Israeli withdrawal in 2000. 559 Israeli soldiers were killed and 840 wounded during the conflict and more than 1,200 Hezbollah militants were killed and approximately 1,000 wounded.

The 2006 Lebanon War began on 12 July 2006 when Hezbollah militants launched a cross-border attack on Israeli troops, killing three and kidnapping two IDF soldiers.

The five-week conflict saw 121 IDF soldiers killed and 1,244 wounded. 44 Israeli civilians were killed during the war as a result of Hezbollah rocket and mortar fire. Israel claims that between 600 and 800 Hezbollah militants were killed during the conflict, in addition to at least 1,000 Lebanese and foreign civilians.

The remains of the two seized Israeli soldiers, whose fates were unknown, were returned to Israel as part of a prisoner exchange in July 2008.

Hezbollah has also planned and carried out major terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens and infrastructure outside of Israel.

The organization is responsible, among other things, for the 1994 AMIA bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Argentina, the 2012 Burgas bus bombing against Israeli citizens, and for the kidnapping of several Israeli soldiers.

Following the October 7 massacre in late 2023, Hezbollah began carrying out numerous attacks against Israel. In response, following months of fighting with Hamas in Gaza, the IDF turned their focus to the North. Following a two-day attack in which the pagers and other communication devices of Hezbollah officials all exploded in what is widely believed to be a carefully orchestrated plot by Israel, the IDF carried out numerous strikes in Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of much of its leadership, including Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah. Shortly after, the IDF launched a limited ground offensive into southern Lebanon to root out Hezbollah positions.

The past returns: Justice, terrorism, and Hezbollah’s global shadow - opinion

Israel is not only confronting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon; it is confronting a global architecture built over decades.

APRIL 23, 2026|ByNICOLE MISCHEL

IDF activity in southern Lebanon, April 15, 2026.

IDF VEHICLES drive in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, amid a 10-day ceasefire, on Sunday.

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A truce with Hezbollah in Lebanon is a good start, as long as additional steps are taken to reduce its grip on the region

APRIL 23, 2026|ByANNE DREAZEN

Israeli soldiers are seen along the Israeli border with Lebanon amid the ongoing war, April 10, 2026.

US hosts talks as Lebanon seeks ceasefire extension with Israel

The US-mediated ceasefire, which is set to expire on Sunday, has yielded a significant reduction in violence, but attacks have continued in southern Lebanon.

APRIL 23, 2026|ByREUTERS

Residents of Debel in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL officers, and a local priest stand next to the newly replaced Jesus statue.

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Local villagers, with the assistance of an Italian battalion of UNIFIL, replaced the IDF’s statue with one identical to the one that was broken.

APRIL 23, 2026|ByYOAV ETIEL

Disarm Hezbollah or accept an Israeli buffer zone: Lebanon's choice - analysis

Revisiting history to chart a path toward sovereignty and stability – and end the era of Hezbollah in Lebanon

APRIL 23, 2026BySHAUL BARTAL

If Lebanon is to survive as a sovereign, pluralistic state, it must remove Hezbollah from the military sphere.

Premium

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Trump’s strategy mixes ceasefire and economic pressure on Iran, as Israel confronts rising threats from Hezbollah on the northern border.

APRIL 23, 2026ByJPOST EDITORIAL

Iranians walk past an anti-USA and anti-Israel mural, in Tehran on April 21 2026, amid a ceasefire in the region.

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IDF arrests Hezbollah Radwan Force terrorist in southern Lebanon • IAF technicians charged with spying for Iran • Lebanese PM accuses Israel of war crimes

APRIL 23, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

A satellite image shows a fleet of small boats at sea, north of the Strait of Hormuz near the Kargan coast, Iran, April 22, 2026.

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The IDF said that reports of injured journalists were under review, emphasizing that the military was "not preventing rescue teams from reaching the area."

APRIL 23, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks during a joint declaration press event with French President following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on April 21, 2026.

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Among the terrorists killed was Ali Reza Abbas, commander of the Hezbollah unit operating in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil.

APRIL 23, 2026ByARIELLA ROITMAN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF

Israeli military vehicles are seen along the Israeli border with Lebanon amid the ongoing war, April 8, 2026.

IDF killed 20 Hezbollah terrorists, struck over 70 targets in op. prior to Lebanon ceasefire

According to the IDF, the operation was conducted around Dibbin, approximately 12 km. inside Lebanese territory, by the 91st Division, in coordination with the Israeli Air Force.

APRIL 22, 2026ByTZVI JASPER

IDF TROOPS from the 769th Brigade in the area of Dibbin in southern Lebanon.

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Hezbollah’s position in southern Lebanon and Israel’s demand for long-term security arrangements could keep the northern front unstable.

APRIL 22, 2026ByKEREN SETTON/THE MEDIA LINE

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) speaks during a meeting with Lebanon's Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad (2R) and Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter (2L) at the State Department in Washington, DC, on April 14, 2026.

IDF escalates robot wars against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon's Bint Jbail

The IDF has ramped up its use of robots in warfare against Hezbollah in Bint Jbail, accelerating the destruction of weapons infrastructure as military operations intensify.

APRIL 22, 2026ByYONAH JEREMY BOB

Hezbollah weapons seized by the IDF in southern Lebanon, published April 22, 2026; illustrative.

Israel cannot settle for another ceasefire with Lebanon, Alma Center head says - interview

Zehavi said the current debate cannot be understood without revisiting what she sees as the central failure of the past two decades.

APRIL 22, 2026ByGABRIEL COLODRO/THE MEDIA LINE

Hezbollah supporters hold images of late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Palestinian and other flags at a ceremony held by Hezbollah to commemorate the first anniversary of Nasrallah's killing by Israel, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon

IAF technicians charged with spying for Iran, Lebanon PM accuses Israel of war crimes

Hundreds of Hezbollah terrorists killed in 24 hours prior to ceasefire • IRGC gunboat fires on container ship near Oman • Trump extends US-Iran ceasefire

APRIL 22, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Israel Air Force fighter jet seen in central Israel, April 20, 2026.