Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
General Christian
Religion News
Israel And Lebanon’s Hezbollah The Next War?

Israel And Lebanon’s Hezbollah The Next War?

Last updated on: September 29, 2024 at 9:56 pm by Alice H. Murray

0 Comments

Israel And Lebanon’s Hezbollah The Next War? 2024-09-29T21:56:35-04:00 Alice H. Murray

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Red, white, and green flag of Lebanon waving in the breeze

Israel and Hezbollah are on the brink of war in Lebanon [Image by jorono from Pixabay]

A war on the horizon? The Middle East offers a likely spot for the next one to break out. Tensions are boiling over between Israel and its northern adversary, Hezbollah, based in Lebanon. So far, trading missile strikes has been the extent of their military engagements. But Israel’s targeted killing of the paramilitary’s longtime group leader, Hassan Nasrallah, may push the adversaries over the edge to war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

What’s Hezbollah?

Both a political party and a militant group, Lebanon’s Hezbollah arose as a militia following Israel’s 1982 invasion of that country. Over the years, it has become one of the biggest political forces in Lebanon. Hezbollah maintains a significant presence in the Lebanese government as well as the most powerful armed force in the country. In fact, the group is one of the most heavily-armed, non-state military forces in the world.

A group of Lebanese Muslim clerics created Hezbollah for two distinct purposes—driving the Israelis out of Lebanon and establishing an Islamic republic in the country. The Israelis seized almost half of the Lebanese territory as a result of their invasion. Southern Lebanon (near the Israeli border) and southern Beirut (the capital of Lebanon) serves as Hezbollah’s primary bases of operation. In 2009, the goal of establishing a Islamic state was dropped, but firm resistance to Israel remains.

Map showing the locations of Lebanon, Israel, and Syria.

Lebanon is Israel’s northern neighbor [Image from Wikimedia Commons]

Hezbollah And Terrorism

Hezbollah fought in the years-long Lebanese Civil War which finally ended in 1990. Its activities included car bombings and kidnappings with Westerners as the main targets. The countries with whom Hezbollah is associated also give rise to concerns about its terrorist leanings. In particular, the group receives funding and equipment from Iran, with whom it has close relations. Hezbollah is also a strong ally of Syria’s president (dictator) Bashar al-Assad.

Given its activities and alliances, Hezbollah is deemed a terrorist organization by most of the Western world, and, of course, by Israel. Nevertheless, the Lebanese view the group differently. To them, Hezbollah is a “resistance” group focused on confronting the enemy state of Israel.

How Dangerous Is Hezbollah?

Clearly and undeniably, Israel and Hezbollah are enemies. But how much of a threat is Hezbollah? Thousands comprise the ranks of the militant group’s fighters, and a huge missile arsenal is available to it in southern Lebanon.

The paramilitary group claims 100,000 fighters, but independent estimates put the number between 20,000 and 50,000. Whatever the actual number, many of these men have experience from having fought in the Syrian Civil War. As far as weapons, the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank estimates Hezbollah has 120,000 to 200,000 rockets and missiles. While Hezbollah’s arsenal may be no match for Israel’s, it does boast precision guided missiles.

Picture of the seated Hezbollah head, Hassan Nasrallah,, wearing glasses, sporting a beard and with a black turban.

Hassan Nasrallah led Hezbollah for over three decades [Image from Wikimedia Commons]

Who Controls Hamas?

From 1992 until Friday, September 27th, Hassan Nasrallah led Hezbollah. The 64 year old cleric from the Shia branch of Islam oversaw the group’s transformation from a militia into an influential political party in the Lebanese government and the most heavily-armed non-state force in the world. An adherent of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, Nasrallah also holds a personal beef with Israel. His son oldest son, Hadi, died in 1997 at the age of 18 while fighting Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. The Israelis refused to return the body.

Recent Military Action Between Israel And Lebanon’s Hezbollah

Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, Hezbollah has launched thousands of missile strikes into northern Israel. These strikes forced over 60,000 Israelis who live near the Lebanese border to flee south. The cause of this missile barrage? Hezbollah claims to be acting to support Hamas, another resistance group but representing the Sunni branch of Islam. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are funded, directed, and allegedly controlled by Iran.

Cartoon of Iran as a puppeteer for Hezbollah and Hamas

Iran supports and likely controls Hezbollah and Hamas [Image from Wikimedia Commons]

In response, Israel commenced air strikes on Lebanon, killing hundreds and displacing over 100,000 These strikes are part of an Israeli military offensive against Hezbollah’s operations. In recent days, Israel’s military has mentioned the possibility of a ground incursion into Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah tunnels and missile-launching sites there. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated in a defiant speech to the UN General Assembly that completely dismantling militant operations in Gaza by Hamas and by Hezbollah in Lebanon may be key for Israel to achieve its objectives.

Picture of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the shoulders up with shelves of books and the Israeli flag behind him.

Official portrait of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [Image from Wikimedia Commons}

Just A Rumor Of War Or War Between Israel And Lebanon’s Hezbollah?

With tensions high, rumors of an impending war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah run rampant. The match to light the war fire may have been struck on Friday, September 27th when a targeted air strike by Israel on Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut “eliminated” Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement Saturday announcing his death at the headquarters embedded underground in residential building of a Beirut suburb.

Will the death of the Hezbollah leader revered both in Lebanon and other parts of the Arab world lead to an actual war motivated by revenge? Only the coming days will reveal that answer. But for Christians, whether it turns out to be merely a rumor of war or an actual war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the perspective is the same. Matthew 24:6 encourages Christians not to be alarmed because these things “must happen” before the end comes.

Evangelical

Religion News

Politics and Religion

About Alice H Murray

After 35 years as a Florida adoption attorney, Alice H. Murray now pursues a different path as Operations Manager for End Game Press. With a passion for writing, she is constantly creating with words. Her work includes contributions to several Short And Sweet books, The Upper Room, Chicken Soup For The Soul, Abba’s Lessons (from CrossRiver Media), and the Northwest Florida Literary Review. Alice is a regular contributor to GO!, a quarterly Christian magazine in the Florida Panhandle, and she has three devotions a month published online by Dynamic Women in Missions. Her devotions have also appeared in compilation devotionals such as Ordinary People Extraordinary God (July 2023) and Guideposts’ Pray A Word A Day, Vol. 2 (June 2023) and pray a word for Hope (September 2023). Alice’s first book, The Secret of Chimneys, an annotated Agatha Christie mystery, was released in April 2023 with a second such book, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, to be released in April 2025. On a weekly basis, Alice posts on her blog about current events with a humorous point of view at aliceinwonderingland.wordpress.com. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

September 20, 2024

China Finally Frees US Pastor From Jail

Next Post

October 6, 2024 All Time Best-Selling Book Is Likely Found In Your Home

Which book of the Bible contains the story of Gideon?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Joshua 2 Kings 1 Samuel Judges