The Ongoing Conflict Between Hezbollah and Israel: A Historical Overview

Department of Strategic Security and Military Research and Studies 25-09-2024

The longstanding conflict between Hezbollah and Israel spans several decades, marked by periodic escalations and mutual hostilities. A recent attack on Hezbollah members exemplifies this ongoing tension.

On the evening of September 17, 2024, thousands of pagers belonging to Hezbollah members exploded in Lebanon, resulting in approximately 2,800 injuries and 11 deaths, including three civilians. Hezbollah has attributed this attack to Israel and vowed to retaliate.

This incident is part of a broader conflict that dates back to Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The invasion, initially aimed at neutralizing the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) presence in southern Lebanon, saw Israel occupying parts of the country, leading to the formation of Hezbollah, a group rooted in Lebanon’s Shia Muslim community. Hezbollah emerged as a resistance force against the Israeli occupation, allegedly backed by Iran.

Throughout the 1980s, Hezbollah was implicated in several attacks on foreign military forces in Lebanon, including the 1983 bombings that killed over 300 U.S. and French peacekeepers in Beirut. By 1985, Hezbollah’s growing strength forced the Israeli military to withdraw to a self-declared “security zone” near the Israeli-Lebanese border, which remained in place until 2000.

Hezbollah’s political influence grew after Lebanon’s civil war, particularly following its entry into parliamentary politics in 1992. Since then, the group has gained significant political power in Lebanon, while also expanding its social services in areas with large Shia populations.

Major confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have occurred periodically, such as the Seven-Day War in 1993 and the April Aggression in 1996. The conflict reached a peak in 2006, when a Hezbollah operation inside Israel led to the 34-day July War, which claimed over 1,200 Lebanese lives, mostly civilians.

In the following years, Hezbollah revised its political agenda, reaffirming its opposition to Israel while also integrating into Lebanon’s democratic framework. However, the group’s involvement in Syria’s civil war from 2012 onwards and its continued support for Iran drew criticism, even from some of its former Arab allies.

More recently, the Gaza conflict in October 2023 saw Hezbollah intensifying its attacks on Israel. These events, including Israel’s retaliatory strikes in Lebanon and Syria, have forced thousands of people on both sides to flee their homes. Hezbollah has also been implicated in key regional escalations, including tensions between Israel and Iran.

The most recent attack involving pagers in Lebanon represents the latest flashpoint in this enduring struggle, with Hezbollah accusing Israel of orchestrating the strike and promising further action.