Hizbollah

n (Islam) an organization of militant Shiite Muslims based in Lebanon[C20: Arabic, literally: party of God]

Hez•bol•lah

or Hiz•bal•lah

(Arabic. ˌxɛs bɑˈlɑ)
n. a radical Shi‘ite Muslim organization in Lebanon engaged in guerrilla warfare against Israel. [< Arabic: literally, Party of God]

Thesaurus

Noun

Hezbollah - a Shiite terrorist organization with strong ties to Iran; seeks to create an Iranian fundamentalist Islamic state in Lebanon; car bombs are the signature weaponHizballah, Hizbollah, Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad, Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine, Lebanese Hizballah, Organization of the Oppressed on Earth, Party of God, Revolutionary Justice Organizationact of terrorism, terrorism, terrorist act - the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fearLebanese Republic, Lebanon - an Asian republic at east end of Mediterranean

Translations

Hisbollah

Hezbollah

[Arab., = Party of God], Lebanese Shiite political party and militia. Founded in 1982 with Iranian help to oppose Israeli forces occupying S Lebanon, Hezbollah launched guerrilla attacks and suicide bombings against Israeli forces (which were a factor in Israel's withdrawal in 2000), and mounted terror attacks on other targets inside and outside Lebanon, including the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut. With strong support among religious, comparatively poor Shiites in S Lebanon the Biqa (Bekaa) valley, and Beirut's southern suburbs, and underwritten financially by Iran and individual Shiites, Hezbollah established a Shiite social-services network, including schools, hospitals, and clinics, and emerged as a major Lebanese political force; it has been led since 1992 by Hassan Nasrallah, a charismatic Shiite cleric. Supported militarily by Iran and Syria, Hezbollah's fighters used the years after Israel's withdrawal to retrain and rearm, acquiring large numbers of missiles and sophisticated equipment.

Politically part of the pro-Syrian camp in Lebanon, the party nonetheless became part of the largely anti-Syrian government established in 2005, and resisted the government's and the United Nations' call that it disarm. In 2006 a cross-border Hezbollah attack on Israeli soldiers, in which two Israelis were captured, sparked warfare (July–August) between Hezbollah militia and Israeli forces in which Hezbollah launched hundreds of missiles at Israel (many at civilian targets) and maintained a stubborn resistance against the Israeli forces that invaded S Lebanon.

Hezbollah emerged from the fighting, which it regarded as a victory, determined to claim a larger political voice in the Lebanese government, and ulitmately forced (2008) the goverment to give it and its allies veto power in the cabinet. In the 2009 elections its coalition placed second, with 45% of the vote, and subsequently again served in a national unity government. Denouncing a joint UN-Lebanon investigation into Prime Minister Rafik HaririHariri, Rafik or Rafiq
, 1944–2005, Lebanese tycoon and political leader, b. Sidon. The son of a poor Sunni Muslim farmer, he moved to Saudi Arabia in 1965.
..... Click the link for more information. 's assassination, which ultimately indicted four Hezbollah members, the party and its allies withdrew from the government in 2011; they were part of a new government formed in July. Hezbollah has provided training and other support, including several thousand fighters, to Syrian government forces in the Syrian civil war.

Bibliography

See study by T. Cambanis (2011).

Hezbollah

A Shi'a Muslim political party and paramilitary organization in Lebanon. Hezbollah was established in the 1980s in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. It operates a number of social services, though some countries regard it as a terrorist organization. It was responsible for the capture and killing of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid, an incident that led to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War. This war, and Hezbollah's response to it, increased the organization's popularity in Lebanon among Sunni Muslims, Christians and others.

Hezbollah

noun

Synonyms for Hezbollah

noun a Shiite terrorist organization with strong ties to Iran

Synonyms

Hizballah
Hizbollah
Hizbullah
Islamic Jihad
Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine
Lebanese Hizballah
Organization of the Oppressed on Earth
Party of God
Revolutionary Justice Organization

Related Words

act of terrorism
terrorism
terrorist act
Lebanese Republic
Lebanon