According to the U.S. Department of State, Hezbollah is still a terrorist group. Here are some reasons why the U.S. classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

A History of Violence

Hezbollah's violence against the U.S. began in 1982, with the kidnapping - but eventual release - of David Dodge. The most deadly violence occurred in 1983, when Hezbollah suicide bombers attacked the U.S. Embassy and marine barracks in Beirut. These two attacks resulted in the deaths of three-hundred and four Americans. Likewise, in 1984, Hezbollah attacked the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut, killing two Americans and twenty-two Lebanese. During this period, Hezbollah also bombed a restaurant in Spain and hijacked a Kuwaiti Airlines plane. These attacks killed eighteen American servicemen and two U.S. civilians. In 1985, the Party of God hijacked TWA flight 847, killed a U.S. Navy diver, and held many other American civilians hostage. Additionally, Hezbollah kidnapped and murdered several dozen other Americans during the 1980s.1

The U.S. Government regarded these violent attacks against U.S. and Israeli civilians as inexcusable, and began to regard Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. By 1997, the United States decided to officially designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group.2 The U.S. justified this designation by claiming that Hezbollah's violent activities threatened American interests.

Controversy over Hezbollah's Terrorist Label

In spite of the United States' denunciation, Hezbollah began to act less like a terrorist organization and more like a political party and began nominating candidates for national elections. The following years witnessed a steady progression in Hezbollah's political strength. Many scholars argue that Hezbollah lost its radical religious agenda during the 1990s, including the desire to create an Islamic state.3 Hezbollah's goals became more pragmatic and began to stress social and political issues, rather than constantly demand the destruction of Israel. The Party built hospitals, schools, clinics, and libraries across southern Lebanon. The Party of God's political and social activities continued throughout the 1990s and gained the support of nearly all Shi'a Muslims, along with many Sunnis and Christians.

Additionally, Hezbollah reduced violent activities after Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000. Even the Israelis note that Hezbollah engages in violence only after Israel escalates its activities along the border.4 Most of the fighting on the Lebanon/Israeli border follows a "tit-for-tat" sequence, rather than continuous violence. In addition, the Party of God has refrained from attacking the U.S. in any way since 1989. Hezbollah also publically stated that the Party no longer considers the U.S. a target for violence.5

The Terrorist Label

Hezbollah's apparent transformation from violent resistance to political participant challenges the label of terrorist organization. The word terrorism invokes connotations of bloodshed and intolerance, not political participation and social programs as in Hezbollah's case. Currently, only the U.S., Netherlands, Canada, and Israel label Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

Yet, Hezbollah retains some associations that question the organization's complete separation from terrorist activates. The most dangerous of these associations is Hezbollah's cordial relationship with Iran. Iran remains a state sponsor of terrorism and a vehement enemy of the United States. The Iranian Government orchestrated most of Hezbollah's kidnappings during the 1980s and may have orchestrated the Beirut bombings.6 Iran donates $60-100 million a year to Hezbollah and the Party of God occasionally uses this money to train terrorists in Sri Lanka and Colombia. Hezbollah's close relationship with Tehran seriously questions the Party's total abandonment of terrorism.

Second, Hezbollah's practice of using human shields and kidnapping soldiers in its resistance against Israel remains problematic. Bruce Hoffman notes that terrorists often violate the rules of war, including taking civilian hostages, torturing captured soldiers, attacking embassies, and using civilians as shields.7 Hezbollah bombed embassies in the 1980s and 1990s, kidnapped, tortured, and killed many Israeli hostages, and constantly use civilians as human shields. During the 2006 War, Hezbollah frequently used residential areas as a base for its rocket attacks, hoping that Israeli Forces would hesitate to respond for fear of civilian casualties. Nevertheless, Israeli did attack the positions and many innocent Lebanese lives were lost.8 Hezbollah's violation of the rules of war and use of human shields indicates that it retains some terrorist elements.

Third, Hezbollah refuses to disarm and occasionally uses violence to fulfill its political objectives in Lebanon. In 2008, the Lebanese Government demand that the Party disarm. Instead of complying, the Party of God violently seized control of southern Beirut and portions of Druze territory. Additionally, Hezbollah forced the government to reorganize the cabinet and give the Party of God veto power over parliamentary decisions. Through violence, Hezbollah gained much of the political power it now possesses.9

Finally, Hezbollah continues to maintain a security wing known as Hezbollah International. Its former leader, Imad Mugniyah, was killed in Syria in 2008, but Hezbollah International continues to operate. This branch of Hezbollah remains extremely secretive, and Party leaders deny its existence. Over the years, however, the U.S. has pieced enough evidence to expose the terrorist practices of Hezbollah International. For example, in 1995, Singapore security forces foiled a Hezbollah International plot to attack Israeli and American vessels. Similarly, in 2001, Mexican authorities arrested a Hezbollah cell reportedly on its way to carry out attacks against Mexican officials. Likewise, in 2001, Canadian operatives reported that Hezbollah was attempting to sneak into the U.S. via the Canadian-U.S. border. Finally, Hezbollah's international branch continues to maintain relations with other known terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda, Iraqi militants, Hamas, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia.10 These practices indicate Hezbollah's continued status as a terrorist organization.

Conclusion

Hezbollah continues to transform socially and politically, but it retains some terrorist characteristics. Contemporary Hezbollah is very different from its radical origins in the 1980s. Nonetheless, the Party of God's association with Iran, violation of the rules of war, use of violence for political objectives, and its international branch justifies the United States' terrorist label.

1. Jeremy M. Sharp, "Lebanon: The Israel-Hamas-Hezbollah Conflict," CRS Report for Congress (August 14, 2006).

2. Combating Terrorism," The Official Report of the Cabinet-level Task Force Chaired by Vice-President George Bush (New Jersey: DIANE Publishing Co., 1987).

3. Cliff Staten, "From Terrorism to Legitimacy: Political Opportunity Structures and the Case of Hezbollah," Online Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution 8, no. 1 (2008): 32-49

4. Judith Harik, Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism (London: I.B. Tauris, 2004), 167-168.

5. Rosemary Hollis and Nadim Shehadi, Lebanon on Hold (London: Chatham House, 1996).

6. Jaber, 97-143.

7. Bruce Hoffman, Inside Terrorism (New York: Columbia University Press, 2006), 26.

8. "Hezbollah's Human Shields," The Washington Times, July 30, 2006, accessed April 22, 2011, http://www.washi ngtontimes.com/news/2006/jul/30/20060730-093558-9976r/.

9. Bilal Y. Saab, "Rethinking Hezbollah's Disarmament," Middle East Policy 15, no. 3 (2008): 94-98

10. Jeremy Goldberg, "In the Party of God: Hezbollah Sets up Operations in South America and the United States," The New Yorker (October 2003): 21-29.

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