Hezbollah, "The Party of God." The group also conducts operations under several other names, including Islamic Jihad, Revolutionary Justice Organization and the Organization for the Oppressed on Earth.

Hezbollah mainly operates in Lebanon, with centers of activity in the Beka'a Valley, Beirut and near the Israeli border. Hezbollah has established cells in Europe, Africa, Asia, as well as North and South America.

Hezbollah seeks the establishment of a Shi'ite theocratic republic in Lebanon. It also seeks the destruction of Israel and the elimination of all Western influences from the region.

There are between 2,000 and 5,000 active Hezbollah supporters, including armed guerrillas. It is estimated that Hezbollah has several hundred hard-core terrorist operatives worldwide.

Iran funds and trains Hezbollah, and also provides political and material support. Syria has also been known to provide Hezbollah with organizational, diplomatic and logistic support.
 
Hezbollah's ties to Al-Qaida are disputed in some quarters. Despite the fact that Al-Qaida is a Sunni group and Hezbollah is Shi'ite, the two organizations have reportedly cooperated at times against the U.S. and Israel.
 
Hezbollah raises its money from a variety of reputed charities and commercial enterprises worldwide.
 
Leaders of some Palestinian terrorist groups, such as the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and Islamic Jihad, have admitted receiving financial support from Hezbollah. Hamas signed an agreement of cooperation with Hezbollah in April 2005.

Israel accused Syria of transferring Scud missiles to Hezbollah in April 2010.

The group is involved in a wide range of activities, both violent and non-violent. Hezbollah is directly involved in Lebanese politics. Following Lebanon's general elections in 2005, Hezbollah won eight new seats, giving the group 23 seats in a 128-seat Parliament. In August 2008, Lebanon's Parliament approved the creation of a national unity Cabinet with Hezbollah and its allies given veto power with 11 of 30 Cabinet seats.

In June 2009, Hezbollah's outright seats in Parliament fell to 13, with two in the Cabinet. The March 8 Alliance, led by Hezbollah, won 57, leaving the legislature about the same as in 2005. However, the Parliament, in December 2009, allowed Hezbollah to keep its arsenal of weapons.
 
Hezbollah operates several charities and social organizations that provide support for Lebanon's Shi'ite population. It has also established itself as a de facto security organization in southern Lebanon.
 
During the 1980s, Hezbollah was involved in a series of kidnappings, bombings and hijackings against U.S. and other Western targets. It was implicated in the October 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American servicemen.
 
Its other operations have included attacks against Israeli and South Lebanese Army targets in southern Lebanon, as well as rocket strikes against Israeli settlements. Its militiamen fire surface-to-air missiles against Israeli jets entering Lebanese airspace. Hezbollah operatives have reportedly provided training in conjunction with Iran to Iraqi Shi'ite militants, including the construction and use of explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) -- specially shaped explosive devices that can penetrate heavily armored vehicles.

Hezbollah was established in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. It initially included members of the coalition of groups known as Islamic Jihad that was active in the 1980s.
 
Hezbollah's ideological roots can be traced to the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the teachings of Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini.
 
The Majilis al-Shura, or the Consultative Council, is the highest decision-making body in the organization; it is led by Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah is considered the group's spiritual leader.

Hezbollah also has "international wing" that has been responsible for most of the group's terrorist attacks. This wing apparently grew out of Hezbollah's military arm. Imad Mughniyah, who was believed to have master-minded the Marine barracks attack, led the international wing until his death in 2008. Muhammad Riza Zahdi, an Iranian operative, is believed to be the new military leader.
 
Hezbollah also operates the al-Manar satellite television channel and broadcast station.
 
Hezbollah is credited by some with being one of the very few Islamic militant groups to have successfully opposed Israel and the U.S. This perception is not without merit: After the Hezbollah attack on the Marine barracks, the U.S. withdrew its forces from Lebanon; following Hezbollah's violent campaign, Israel pulled out of Lebanon in May 2000.
 
The group is armed with a variety of weapons, including artillery, multiple rocket launchers (BM-21 Grad 122-mm), recoilless rocket launchers, anti-tank rockets (including some AT-3 Saggers), rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns. Israeli military sources say Hezbollah may also possess a number of U.S. FIM-92A Stinger and Russian SA-7 Grail portable surface-to-air missiles. Hezbollah was estimated to have 10,000-15,000 rockets and missiles before the conflict with Israel in July 2006.
 
The U.S. State Dept. has identified Hezbollah as key to Iran's terrorism strategy. Tehran has admitted to supplying Mirsad-1 unmanned aerial vehicles to Hezbollah, one of which was flown over Israeli territory in November of 2005. Iran has also supplied the group with around 100 longer-range missiles capable of hitting anywhere in Israel, according to the Israeli military. Those weapons include the Zelzal-2 and missiles in the Fajr series. The U.S. has estimated that Tehran supplies Hezbollah with up to $100 million a year; other estimates are higher.
 
The conflict with Israel that began in July 2006 bore witness to the reports about advanced weapons transfers. For example, Hezbollah used a sophisticated C-802 missile to attack an Israeli Sa'ar V-class missile corvette during the first week of fighting. Israeli jets also destroyed multiple Zelzal-2 and -3 short-range ballistic missiles on the ground before they were able to launch during the first week. Nasrallah threatened to send missiles even deeper into Israel than those that struck Haifa and Atlit.
 
Following the 2006 war, a U.N. peacekeeping operation, informally called UNIFIL II, was set up in southern Lebanon south of the Litani River. Its mandate includes the authority to use force to maintain the truce, to prevent arms-smuggling across the Syrian-Lebanese border and to keep the peacekeeping zone free of third-party armed personnel such as Hezbollah.

By mid-2010, the U.N. characterized the situation in Lebanon as relatively stable, but "fragile." Tensions increased in April 2010 when Israel accused Hezbollah of trying to obtain Scud missiles from Syria.

In August 2010, the Lebanese government gave the U.N. material, which was supplied by Hezbollah, implicating Israel in the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri -- a claim that Israeli has termed "ridiculous."

1982
Hezbollah was established in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
 
1983
April 18: A truck bomb slammed into the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people and injuring 120. Hezbollah/Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. Two other groups also claimed responsibility.
 
Oct. 23: Hezbollah was implicated in the simultaneous bombings of the U.S. and French compounds in Beirut that killed 241 American servicemen and 56 French troops.
 
Nov. 4: A suicide truck bomber destroyed Israeli intelligence headquarters in Tyre, Lebanon, killing some 60 people. Hezbollah was believed to have been responsible.
 
1984
April 12: Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the bombing of a restaurant in Torrejon, Spain, that killed 18 U.S. troops.
 
1985
June 14: Hezbollah terrorists hijacked TWA Flight 847 en route to Rome from Athens. The hijackers forced the airliner to land in Beirut. Eight crew members and 145 passengers were held for 17 days. A U.S. Navy sailor was murdered during this time. The aircraft was flown twice to Algiers and was returned to Beirut after Israel set free 435 Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners.
 
1992
March 17: A car bomb destroyed the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 29 and injuring 242. Islamic Jihad, a cover name for Hezbollah, claimed responsibility for the attack.
 
1994
July 18: A car bomb detonated at the Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association in Buenos Aires, killing about 50 people and injuring 200.
 
1998
March 31: Hezbollah attacked six Lebanese construction workers near a South Lebananese Army outpost at Marjayoun, Lebanon.
 
2003
April 29: Two suspected British Hezbollah members blew themselves up at a Tel Aviv cafe, killing three and wounding 55.
 
Aug. 10: Hezbollah artillery forces in Lebanon fired shells into Israel, killing one and wounding five. Israel retaliated with airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.
 
Sept. 3: Hezbollah fired shells into Israel in response to Israeli reconnaissance flights over Lebanon. Hours later, Israeli warplanes struck Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.
 
2004
July 19: A bomb in the southern suburbs of Beirut killed senior Hezbollah member Ghalib Awali, who was credited with playing a leading role in ending the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah blamed Israel for the assassination.
 
July: Israeli military intelligence suggested that Hezbollah had dozens of rockets with a range of 115-200 km (71-124 miles). Such capability would put Tel Aviv within range of Hezbollah weapons.
 
Nov. 7: Hezbollah flew an unmanned aerial vehicle over northern Israel for about 15 minutes. The group claimed the flight was in response to repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace. Hezbollah also claimed to have the capability to arm the UAV to strike deep in Israeli territory.
 
December: Hezbollah-sponsored cells were blamed for 68 attacks and 24 Israeli fatalities in 2004, according to the Middle East Newsline.
 
2005
March 9: Half a million Lebanese gathered in Beirut in a rally organized by Hezbollah to show support for the Syrian occupation of Lebanon.
 
April 1: Hezbollah signed an agreement of cooperation with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
 
April 11: Hezbollah again flew a UAV over northern Israel for several minutes before safely landing it back in Lebanese territory.
 
May 25: Secretary-General Nasrallah pledged to fight any effort to disarm Hezbollah, despite international pressure to do so. "Any hand that reaches out to our weapons is an Israeli hand that will be cut off," he said. The terrorist leader said Hezbollah had over 12,000 rockets capable of hitting anyplace in northern Israel, but said they would only be used in defense of Lebanon.
 
December: Hezbollah launched attacks against Israel using rocket-propelled grenades. The advanced Russian-made weapons, believed to have been acquired from Syria in April 2005, were identified as RPG-29N launchers and PG-29V rockets.
 
December: Hezbollah established a command center in the Gaza Strip. The group set up the headquarters following the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza earlier in the year, according to Israeli officials.
 
2006
February: Twelve trucks of ammunition and Katyusha rockets crossed the border into Lebanon from Syria. Lebanese army officials said the arms were for Hezbollah.
 
March: Hezbollah reportedly conducted secret negotiations with Israel through unidentified mediators to arrange a new prisoner swap. More than two years earlier, Hezbollah concluded a swap with Israel through German mediators, which resulted in hundreds of Arab and Lebanese prisoners being released in exchange for an Israeli spy and the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in south Lebanon.
 
July 12: Hezbollah fighters attacked an Israeli patrol, killing one soldier and capturing two. Israel responded with a large-scale air assault on Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon and later sent troops into southern Lebanon to attempt to establish a buffer zone between Hezbollah and the Israeli border.
 
July 14: Hezbollah fired an Iranian C-802 missile at an Israeli Sa'ar V corvette off the coast of Beirut, forcing the ship out of action for three weeks.
 
July 16: Several Hezbollah Fajr-3 rockets struck Haifa, forcing a temporary closing of the city's port.
 
July 17: A Hezbollah rocket reached Atlit, 35 miles south of the Israeli border. The strike was the deepest to date inside Israel.
 
July 19: Small groups of Israeli ground troops made forays into Lebanese territory to attack Hezbollah positions.
 
Aug. 2: Israel expanded its ground offensive, sending five brigades into southern Lebanon against Hezbollah.
 
Aug. 14: A cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect. Israel agreed to stop offensive military operations and withdraw its forces from Lebanon (once U.N. and Lebanese forces were in place south of the Litani River). Hezbollah agreed to disarm and vacate positions south of the Litani.
 
Aug. 16: Reports emerged indicating that Israeli forces found AT-5 Spandrel and AT-14 Kornet anti-tank weapons among caches abandoned by Hezbollah forces. These were apparently supplied by the Iranians and Syrians.
 
Nov. 18: Nasrallah demanded that the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora either resign in favor of a national unity government with a greater voice for Hezbollah or hold early parliamentary elections. If neither demand was met, said Nasrallah, Hezbollah would protest until "the illegitimate, unconstitutional government" fell.
 
December: Hezbollah established a tent city in downtown Beirut to protest Prime Minister Fuad Siniora's government. The demonstrations were designed to emulate movements such as those that toppled governments in Ukraine and Georgia.
 
2007
Feb. 8: The Lebanese military seized a Hezbollah truck in Hamzmieh, on the eastern outskirts of Beirut, transporting machine guns, pistols and Soviet- and Russian-made rockets.
 
March: A senior Hezbollah operative, Ali Mussa Daqduq, was captured in Basra, Iraq, while facilitating Hezbollah training of Iraqi Shi'ite militants.
 
June: A U.N. assessment team determined that security on the Syria-Lebanon border was too porous to prevent Hezbollah from smuggling weapons. Israeli intelligence had previously concluded that Hezbollah had re-armed and was back to full strength.
 
August: The tent city in Beirut (dating to December of 2006) remained, but Hezbollah members numbered in the hundreds, as shifts rotated in and out of the camp.
 
Aug. 5: Polls opened in Lebanon for by-elections to replace two assassinated anti-Syrian politicians, Walid Eido and former minister Pierre Gemayel. Kamil Khoury (supported by Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun) defeated Amin Gemayel -- father of the late minister -- in a very close vote. The vote for the Metn region, a Christian stronghold northeast of Beirut, was seen as a key test of government and opposition strength. Mohammed al-Amin Itani, running as a candidate for Saad Hariri's Future Movement, retained Walid Eido's seat without difficulty.
 
Aug. 14: Tens of thousands of Hezbollah followers gathered in Beirut's southern suburbs to celebrate what they called their victory over Israel in the 2006 summer war.
 
Aug. 16: Hezbollah launched a computer game called "Special Force 2: Tale of the Truthful Pledge" that allows players to simulate killing Israeli soldiers and blowing up Israeli tanks. Designed by Hezbollah's "Internet Division," the release coincided with the anniversary of the end of the 2006 summer war with Israel.
 
November: In defiance of UNIFIL II, all military and logistics units of Hezbollah held a military exercise south of the Litani River in Lebanon near the border with Israel.
 
2008
Feb. 13: Hezbollah military leader Imad Mughniyah was killed in a car bombing in Damascus. Hezbollah accused Israel of planning the attack; Israel denied the allegation.
 
May: Following a government-ordered shutdown of Hezbollah's communications network, Hezbollah took control of West Beirut and a wave of violence hit Lebanon.
 
July: Sunni supporters of the Lebanese government and Alawite followers of Hezbollah clashed in Tripoli, leaving several dead and dozens more wounded.
 
July 16: The bodies of the two soldiers captured in July 2006 were returned to Israel in exchange for four Hezbollah prisoners and Samir Kuntar, a Lebanese militant who was convicted in 1980 to four life sentences for the brutal killings the previous year of an Israeli policeman and an Israeli father and daughter.
 
August: Forced to compromise with Hezbollah after its May takeover of West Beirut, Lebanon's Parliament approved a national unity Cabinet, giving Hezbollah and its allies veto power with 11 of 30 Cabinet seats.

Aug. 13: Lebanon and Syria established diplomatic relations for the first time since each country obtained independence in the 1940s.
 
Aug. 28: Hezbollah militants shot down a Lebanese army helicopter, reportedly thinking it an Israeli aircraft.
 
October: Muhammad Riza Zahdi, an Iranian intelligence operative, was named the new leader of Hezbollah's military wing.

2009
May 27: The U.S. Treasury Dept. froze the assets of Kassim Tajideen and Abd Al Menhem Qubaysi, two Africa-based supporters of Hezbollah. Both men financially supported the organization.

March: An international court in the Hague opened trial procedures related to the murder of former Lebanon Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

April: A former Syrian intelligence officer, Mohammed Zuhair al-Siddiq, was arrested under suspicion of participation in the killing of Hariri. The Hague court released four pro-Syrian Lebanese generals who had been held since 2005 in connection with the Hariri killing. The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute them.

May 20: The head of UNIFIL deemed it highly unlikely that Hezbollah stockpiled more weapons than they had during the 2006 war, as maintained by Israel. However, the U.N. admitted that it could not vouch for the situation north of the Litani River, where the U.N. has no mandate to monitor the area.

June: The March 14 Alliance, a political coalition led by Saad Hariri, son of the slain Rafik Hariri, captured 71 seats in the 128-member Parliament. The March 8 Alliance, led by Hezbollah, took 57 seats. Saad Hariri was nominated to become prime minister.

November: Saad Hariri established a national unity governing coalition.
 
Dec. 2: Lebanon's Cabinet endorsed Hezbollah's right to keep its arsenal of weapons. In a policy statement, the Cabinet defended the right of "Lebanon, its government, its people, its army and its resistance" -- a clear reference to Hezbollah -- to liberate all Lebanese territory.

2010
April: Israeli President Shimon Peres said that Syria had transferred Scud missiles to Hezbollah's forces in Lebanon. Syria denied the allegations, while Lebanon dismissed the reports as an attempt by Israel to find a pretext for a military strike. Hezbollah said it would neither confirm nor deny the reports.
 
April 26: During a visit to Lebanon, U.S. counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said that the United States expected that the government of the country to exercise its legitimate authority over all of Lebanon and that the only legitimate weapons in the country would be those held by the Lebanese state or authorized by UNIFIL.

May 25: In comments marking the 10th anniversary of the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, Hezbollah's secretary-general vowed to counter any attack from Israel with a proportional military response. He also stated that Hezbollah would respond to any Israeli maritime blockade of Lebanon by targeting ships bound for Israeli ports in the Mediterranean.

July 1: The Israeli military declassified intelligence reports which showed photographic evidence of purported locations in south Lebanon used by Hezbollah to stockpile weapons. The Israeli government maintained that Hezbollah was continuing to build up its military presence and capacity, including locations monitored by UNIFIL. It also charged that Hezbollah had established a military structure within villages in southern Lebanon, which included command and control posts, observation points, weapon storage facilities and specialized combat units.