Country Report on Terrorism 2024 - Chapter 4 - Hizballah

Hizballah

Aka:  Party of God; Islamic Jihad; Islamic Jihad Organization; Revolutionary Justice Organization; Organization of the Oppressed on Earth; Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine; Organization of Right Against Wrong; Ansar Allah; Followers of the Prophet Muhammed; Lebanese Hizballah; Lebanese Hezbollah; LH; Foreign Relations Department; FRD; External Security Organization; ESO; Foreign Action Unit; Hizballah ESO; Hizballah International; Special Operations Branch; External Services Organization; External Security Organization of Hezbollah.

Description:  Hizballah was designated as an FTO on October 8, 1997.  Formed in 1982 following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the Lebanon-based radical Shia group takes its ideological inspiration from the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the teachings of the late Ayatollah Khomeini.  The group generally follows the religious guidance of the Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.  Hizballah was closely allied with Iran and often serves as a proxy for Iran.  The two often work together on shared initiatives, although Hizballah also occasionally acts independently.  After Hamas launched its October 7 attacks on Israel, Hizballah quickly joined in with near-daily hostilities across the Lebanon-Israel border.  Before the fall of the Assad regime in 2024, Hizballah, along with other Iran-aligned militia groups, shared a close relationship with Bashar Assad.  Hizballah provided assistance – including fighters – to Syrian regime forces but was not able to provide much aid during the fall of the Assad regime, owing to heavy losses inflicted upon the group by Israel.

Activities:  In 2024, Hizballah continued launching barrages of missiles, rockets, and armed drones into northern Israel.  In June, Hizballah launched rockets and weaponized drones at nine Israeli military sites in a coordinated attack.  In July, Hizballah launched a drone attack on Mount Hermon in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights, where Israel has a key surveillance center.  That same month, Hizballah also launched a rocket attack on a football ground in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 people, including children.

Strength:  Hizballah was estimated to have up to 50,000 fighters, along with thousands of supporters and members worldwide.

Location/Area of Operation:  Lebanon and Syria.  Hizballah has plotted and conducted operations worldwide.

Funding and External Aid:  Hizballah continues to receive most of its funding, training, weapons, and explosives – as well as political, diplomatic, monetary, and organizational aid – from Iran.  Iran’s annual financial backing to Hizballah, estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars, accounts for the overwhelming majority of the group’s budget.  Hizballah also receives funding in the form of private donations from some Lebanese Shia diaspora communities worldwide, including profits from legal and illegal businesses.  These include smuggling contraband goods, passport falsification, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and credit card, immigration, and bank fraud.  Before the fall of the Assad regime in 2024, the regime provided Hizballah training, weapons, and diplomatic and political support.

Associated documents