Hezbollah is a Shi’ite Muslim organization with a dual identity, being both a terrorist organization supported by Iran and a Lebanese political party. Hezbollah was founded by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in 1982 to compete with Amal, an important Shi’ite Muslim militia active during the Lebanese civil war. When the IDF withdrew from Lebanon at the end of the First Lebanon War (1985), Hezbollah became the dominant organization in south Lebanon and later throughout the entire Shi’ite population in Lebanon. In 1992, Hezbollah entered Lebanese politics and its representatives were elected to the parliament.
Hezbollah is a terrorist organization attacking mainly Israel, from over the Lebanese border and abroad. For the most part, Hezbollah attacked northern Israeli cities with rockets. However, with direction and backing from Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah also carried out terrorist attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets abroad, the most serious of which were the attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires (March 17, 1992) and the attack on the Jewish Community Center, also in Buenos Aires (July 18, 1994). Hezbollah has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
After the IDF withdrew from south Lebanon in May 2000, Hezbollah took control of the entire region. With Iranian support it constructed a vast military infrastructure in Lebanon, including an extensive artillery layout and precision missiles which threaten the Israeli home front. Before the Second Lebanon War (2006), Hezbollah carried out sporadic attacks along the border. Since June 2006 (the Second Lebanon War), it has maintained a relatively low profile.
Hezbollah continues to increase its influence as a political power in Lebanon, and at the same time reinforce its military infrastructure. In recent years, Hezbollah has been involved in the fighting in Syria as part of the Iranian-led camp supporting the Syrian regime.
Ever since its establishment, the State of Israel has been forced to deal with waves of terror of various types and at various levels of intensity directed against it and its citizens. These waves of terror are carried out by various Palestinian organizations that have been conducting the terror campaign against Israel for decades. Over the years, the activity of Palestinian terrorist organizations has caused many losses among Israel’s civilian population. The activity of Palestinian terrorist organizations was not limited to the borders of the State of Israel, but was carried out abroad as well (mainly in 1968-1978, the peak years of global terrorist activity).
There are ideological differences between the Palestinian terrorist organizations. Some of them are Palestinian terrorist organizations with an Islamic ideology and some have a secular ideology. However, the terrorist activity that they carry out appears to share the same goals. The main goals are: to disrupt the lives of the Israeli civilian population and undermine its security, to harm Israel’s economy and image, and to place the Palestinian issue and its ideology on the global agenda.
During the years of the conflict, the Palestinian terrorist organizations have attempted to carry out attacks in almost every possible arena (land, sea, air, in Israel and abroad), refining their methods and modus operandi. The bases of many terrorist organizations are located in the Gaza Strip, but there are also networks operating in Judea and Samaria. Some of the organizations also have a presence in Arab countries, and some receive support from countries or organizations. Over the years of Palestinian terror, the terrorist organization map has changed. Some of the terrorist organizations have disappeared or died down, but new terrorist organizations have emerged in their stead.