Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Shia militant group that has long been a key player in Lebanese politics and military affairs, lost its chief in Israeli air strikes in the capital, Beirut, on July 30. The death of the cleric Fu’ad Shukr is a significant body blow that could alter Hezbollah’s political and military arsenal. The organization is reeling, but its leader says it will carry on. Nasrallah has vowed to retaliate against Israel if provoked. Still, the group has not yet demonstrated that it can do what Israel fears: hit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with precision-guided missiles.
The killing has ratcheted up tensions, and in the last few weeks, intense cross-border shelling and rocket attacks have been witnessed with no sign of a declaration. Hezbollah’s new weapons give it greater firepower but are largely untested.
In addition to Hezbollah’s massive arsenal, it has a well-developed intelligence-gathering capability that gives it the ability to target Israeli warships and jets. This is a big reason why Israel’s allies, led by the United States, did not want it to escalate the conflict with Hezbollah or invade Lebanon. They have pushed for diplomacy, and a US envoy has worked out an agreement, partly based on the UN Security Resolution 1701 that ended the 2006 war.
In the past decade, Hezbollah has been able to take advantage of Iran’s vast resources for training and weapons. The militia now has enormous firepower and a growing stockpile of precision-guided munitions. Hezbollah also boasts a large number of rockets that can reach Israel’s cities and towns. Its Fateh 110s, which have a range of up to 185 miles, can put Tel Aviv and even Jerusalem in the crosshairs.
Hezbollah is also a significant political power in Lebanon, with 13 seats in the country’s 128-member Parliament and a cabinet seat. The group has maintained its presence in the nation’s politics despite the economic meltdown that has saddled Lebanon with one of the world’s highest levels of debt and unrelenting antiestablishment protests. Nevertheless, the formation of a Hezbollah-backed government in January 2020 failed to appease protesters. Hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets, demanding that Hezbollah withdraw its support from the prime minister’s cabinet and relinquish control over some parts of the country. The protests were vital in forming a new government in February 2021, which Hezbollah supported.
The economy has struggled to improve, and unemployment and poverty have spiked. The country has one of the highest debt burdens in the world, at 150 percent of its GDP. This has fueled anger at the ruling elites, including Hezbollah. In October 2019, Hezbollah and its allied groups became the target of mass protests, and Nasrallah vowed to retaliate. The protests eventually prompted the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab and the formation of a new, technocratic government.
