Inspired by the success of the Iranian Revolution, the party also dreamt of transforming Lebanon's multi-confessional state into an
Iranian-style Islamic state. Although this idea was abandoned and the party today is a well-structured political organisation with members of parliament.
Terror
Hezbollah's political rhetoric has centred on calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. Its definition of Israeli occupation has also encompassed the idea that the whole of Palestine is occupied Muslim land and it has argued that
Israel has no right to exist.
Hezbollah's spiritual head Sheikh Fadlallah is close to Iran The party was long supported by
Iran, which provided it with arms and money.
In its early days, Hezbollah was close to a contingent of some
2000 Iranian Revolutionary guards, based in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, which had been sent to Lebanon in 1982 to aid the resistance against Israel.
As Hezbollah escalated its guerrilla attacks on Israeli targets in southern Lebanon, its
military aid from Iran increased.
The movement also adopted the tactic of taking Western hostages, through a number of freelance hostage taking cells: The Revolutionary Justice Organisation and the Organisation of the Oppressed Earth, which seized Terry Waite.
For many years, Hezbollah was synonymous with terror, suicide bombings and kidnappings. In 1983, militants who went on to join Hezbollah ranks carried out a suicide bombing attack that killed 241 US marines in Beirut.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1908671.stm
Last edited by M1-Lightning (2006-08-11 08:14:29)