Abstract
In June of 2022, the Lebanese party Hezbollah (Arabic: Party of God) marked four decades of existence. During this period, the party evolved from a small militia of several hundred men in the early 1990s, into the most powerful military force in Lebanon, with tens of thousands of fighters and regional influence ranging from the Gaza Strip to Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. Within Lebanon, Hezbollah has maintained an expansive social welfare network that includes, among other services, healthcare facilities, schools, and hospitals. In a country characterized by dysfunctionality and an absence of a powerful central government, Hezbollah provides other basic services as well, such as garbage collection and water provision. 1 It also has evolved into a central military and conceptual threat to the state of Israel. The following entry describes the contours of Hezbollah’s evolution as a military-strategic actor from its inception.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Routledge Companion to Terrorism Studies |
| Subtitle of host publication | New Perspectives and Topics |
| Publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| Pages | 243-250 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781040185100 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781032454443 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2025 selection and editorial matter, Max Abrahms; individual chapters, the contributors.