Hezbollah army. Hezbollah movement. Attitude to this organization in the world

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The Shiite Hezbollah movement, backed by Iran, won a majority of seats in the Lebanese parliament following Sunday's elections. The pro-Saudi bloc of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, on the contrary, lost part of its parliamentary mandates. Now Lebanese politicians face a difficult battle for ministerial portfolios. The Lebanese themselves do not expect any special changes in their lives, but in neighboring Israel the results of the Lebanese elections are causing serious concern.

Yesterday the preliminary results of the first parliamentary elections in Lebanon in nine years became known. More than half of the seats in parliament were won by the Shiite movement Hezbollah and its allies. Among them are another Shiite movement, Amal (led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri) and the Free Patriotic Movement, one of the largest Christian parties founded by President Michel Aoun. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called the election results a “great political and moral victory for the resistance forces,” speaking to his supporters yesterday. According to him, the resistance forces finally received significant representation in parliament and proved that resistance ideas are still popular.

“The victory of Hezbollah and the forces close to it is largely connected with its policy in Syria,” Lebanese political scientist Said Tanes told Kommersant. Over the past years, Hezbollah fighters have fought in Syria on the side of President Bashar al-Assad and, together with the Lebanese army, played a major role in the fight against the terrorist group “Islamic State” (banned in the Russian Federation). “Hezbollah confirmed that it is part of the Lebanese people and the people will become its cover and protection from external attacks,” the expert emphasized.

The resistance front is how anti-Israeli forces traditionally call themselves, which are now represented primarily by the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Palestinian Hamas and Iran, which supports them. The war in Syria has strengthened the positions of these forces; in particular, the issue of surrendering weapons to resistance forces has practically disappeared from the Lebanese internal agenda.

It is not surprising that the results of the Lebanese elections and Hassan Nasrallah's promise to continue the resistance are alarming to Israel. In an initial reaction to the election results, Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett wrote on his Twitter account that now "Israel will make no difference between the sovereign state of Lebanon and Hezbollah and will hold Lebanon responsible for any actions emanating from its territory."

“Hezbollah is a key element of the Israeli-Iranian relationship and an important component of Tehran's project in the region. Iran can either keep it under control or cause an escalation,” Raghida Derham, head of the Beirut Research Institute, noted in her publication. In her opinion, increasing pressure on Iran from the United States and Israel's decision to put an end to Iranian influence in Syria could affect the situation in Lebanon and Hezbollah's role in it.

At the same time, the head of the scientific and publishing department of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Alexei Sarabyev, believes that the likelihood of a major war in the Middle East is low, and Israel is simply escalating the situation in order to put pressure on Hezbollah. “War is not beneficial to anyone,” the expert emphasized, suggesting that regional forces will be able to delimit the sphere of their interests and come to an agreement with each other. “Lebanese political forces will also agree among themselves. The confrontation between the bloc led by Hezbollah and the bloc of Prime Minister Saad Hariri is a thing of the past,” noted Alexey Sarabiev. At the same time, according to him, the real balance of power in Lebanon will be clear only after the distribution of posts in the government.

After the previous elections in 2009, the government was formed only five months later. This time, as Lebanese political scientist Tawfik Schuman told Kommersant, “it will also be a hot battle.” It is too early to say whether Saad Hariri, whose Al-Mustaqbal party lost a third of its seats in parliament, will remain Prime Minister, gaining 21 seats instead of 33.

Yesterday, speaking to his supporters, Saad Hariri admitted that he had hoped for different results, but at the same time called those who won the elections his partners in building stability in Lebanese society. He also promised to remain an ally of current Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who was once a Hezbollah-backed candidate. Experts regard these statements as an invitation to dialogue. For his part, Hassan Nasrallah also called for the speedy formation of a government.

Lebanese political scientist Said Tanes, in an interview with Kommersant, noted that although the process of forming a government will not be simple, “the Lebanese have an inner conviction that they need to negotiate, not fight.”

Marianna Belenkaya

(Hizb-Allah, Arabic: “Party of Allah”; also known as: Islamic Resistance, Organization of the Oppressed, Organization of Revolutionary Justice, etc.), Lebanese military-political organization. Formed in 1982 in Baalbek by part of the Lebanese Shiites for the armed struggle against the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon. Hezbollah was supported by Iran, which sent approx. 1500 "Islamic Revolutionary Guards". The organization received financial assistance and weapons from Iran and Syria and, in turn, acted as an ally of Syria in Lebanon.

Hezbollah seeks to establish an Islamic republic in Lebanon on the Iranian model. Its initially rigid ideological position has softened somewhat over time, and in its 2003 political platform the organization emphasized that it advocates the establishment of Islamic rule through peaceful democratic means. A significant place in Hezbollah's policy is given to social issues. Regarding the Middle East problem, the movement supports the slogan of the destruction of the State of Israel.

Hezbollah's main goal in the 1980s and 1990s was to expel Israeli and Western military forces from Lebanon. The armed units of the “Islamic Resistance” that it created widely resorted to the tactics of guerrilla warfare and terrorist actions. Suicide bombers said to be linked to Hezbollah carried out a number of attacks on American, French and Italian troops stationed in Lebanon. Hezbollah is credited with organizing the explosions in October 1983 in the barracks of the American and French contingents (241 US Marines and 58 French soldiers were killed). After 7 months, the United States withdrew its troops from Lebanon. A similar attack was carried out in September 1984 on the US Embassy in Beirut (24 people were killed, 90 were injured). Hezbollah is also believed to have been behind the abduction on behalf of the Islamic Jihad group of St. 30 citizens of Western states in Lebanon in 1982-1992. In addition, Hezbollah members are suspected of hijacking planes (including an American plane flying from Athens to Rome in 1985), bombings of the Israeli embassy in Argentina in 1992 (killing 29 people), and a Jewish cultural center in that country in 1994 ( 95 people were killed). The organization itself denies its involvement in all of these acts.

During the Israeli occupation of South Lebanon, Hezbollah waged an intense guerrilla war against the forces of the Israeli army and its allied South Lebanon Army. These actions were one of the most important factors that prompted Israel to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in May 2000. The armed struggle against the foreign military presence strengthened Hezbollah's authority in the country, where it is widely considered an organization of the national Lebanese resistance. Despite the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory, Hezbollah believes that the occupation has not ended, since Israel occupies the Shebaa region, which until 1967 was part of the Syrian Golan Heights. Its militants repeatedly fired rockets at the northern regions of Israel, which, in turn, caused attacks from Israeli aircraft. In January 2004, Hezbollah and Israel agreed to exchange prisoners (510 Palestinians, Lebanese and other Arabs were exchanged for the bodies of three Israeli soldiers killed in 2000 in Shebaa, and 2 Israelis kidnapped in 2001).

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is not limited to the problems of Lebanon. The Shia organization is accused of supporting, training and arming Palestinian terrorists from the Hamas and Tanzim movements. In 2005, the Palestinian leadership criticized Hezbollah for trying to derail the peace agreement with Israel.

In modern Lebanon, Hezbollah operates as a political organization. Its civilian branch has its own hospitals, orphanages, orphanages, the Al-Manar television station, the Al-Nur radio station and print publications. It enjoys significant influence in the Shiite regions of the country and has participated in parliamentary elections since 1992. A joint list from Hezbollah and another Shiite party, Amal, won all 23 seats in the Beqa Valley and South Lebanon in the 2005 Lebanese parliamentary elections. She acted on the political stage as an ally of Syria, and in 2005 she held demonstrations against the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, carried out as a result of the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution.

The organization is governed by a Supreme Advisory Council of 12 religious, political and military leaders; in case of disagreement, the issue is referred to the highest spiritual authorities in Tehran for decision. Each region of Lebanon also has its own local Advisory Council. Hezbollah was headed by its founder, Sheikh Seyyid Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, until 1985, but after an attempt on his life by Israeli intelligence services, he left all posts, remaining only the spiritual leader. His successor Abbas Moussavi was killed in 1992. Currently, the post of Secretary General of Hezbollah is held by Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. His deputy, Ghaleb Awali, was killed in 2004 in Beirut in an explosion that the organization's leadership blamed on Israeli agents.

In Arab, Muslim and some European countries, Hezbollah is viewed as a legitimate political party of Lebanese Shiites. The governments of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Israel, as well as the European Parliament, classify it as a terrorist organization. However, in 2005, the US administration announced that it was ready to recognize the legitimacy of Hezbollah if it was disarmed.

Korovikov A.V. Islamic extremism in Arab countries. M., 1990
Islamism and extremism in the Middle East. M., 2001

Many people today, watching events happening in the world on TV screens, do not always understand what they are talking about. For example, journalists often pronounce the name Hezbollah. What kind of organization this is, however, they do not always mention. Therefore, viewers do not have a completely correct idea of the events taking place in the East Asian region of Eurasia.

Let’s try to understand this issue and consider in detail the essence and history of the origin of Hezbollah.

Name and main essence of the organization's activities

Hezbollah is a Shiite militant group based in Lebanon.

Translated from Arabic, its name tells us that this is a kind of “party of Allah” (it is based on a line from the Koran, which provides evidence that those who are in the party of Allah will defeat their enemies).

This political and religious movement sets as its main goal the victory of the Shiite branch of Islam and the creation of a similar Iran on the territory. This ideology was formulated in the writings of Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the Shiite revolution in Iran in the last century.

History of the organization's creation

The Hezbollah group emerged in 1982 and is now 33 years old. The organization “Guardians of the Islamic Revolution” helped its creation. Both anti-American and anti-Israel sentiments were very strong in this region at that time.

For the first time as a political organization, Hezbollah took part in the 1992 elections. Then she managed to get a large number of seats in the local parliament. It first showed its strength in 2000, when it took control of southern Lebanon, taking the place of the pro-Western Lebanese army and pushing it back.

Thanks to its active activities and the support of the Shiite population, Hezbollah was able to take its significant place in the political arena of the Lebanese state.

Tensions remain between Hezbollah and the State of Israel. Both view each other as political opponents and openly quarrel with each other, as evidenced by clashes between Hezbollah troops and Israeli government forces.

This organization had 4 religious leaders. Currently (since 1992) this post is occupied by Hassan Nasrallah.

Attitude to this organization in the world

In some countries of the Western world, this organization is considered terrorist (we are talking about the USA, Britain, Australia and Canada). Also, the Hezbollah group is recognized as terrorist in Israel and the Persian Gulf countries, which are allies of the Anglo-Saxons.

This attitude is understandable if we consider it from the point of view of the interests of these states. The fact is that if Hezbollah leaders achieve their goals, this will strengthen the position of Shiites in the Middle East region and weaken the influence of Western countries on this region. In addition, members of this group proclaim one of their goals to be strengthening the sovereignty of the state and the expulsion of foreign capital and foreign companies from Lebanon.

Hezbollah is supported by Iran and Syria. The forces of this organization are fighting in support of the government forces of President B. Assad.

Organizational performance assessments

For those who know about the activities of the Hezbollah organization, what kind of movement it is is quite clear. Of course, the understanding of this issue depends on the ideological orientation of people. Therefore, some consider this group a liberation movement, while others declare it a terrorist organization.

Hence the different assessments of Hezbollah’s activities that are present in the media of different countries.

As for Russia, in our country the Lebanese Hezbollah is not considered a terrorist organization. Unlike the countries of the Western world, the Russian Federation does not seek to interfere in the affairs of the Shiite-Sunni conflict (although our country is inhabited mainly by Sunni Muslims). The official position of the Russian Foreign Ministry is that Hezbollah is a legitimate political force in Lebanon, whose members are represented in parliament.

They have different attitudes towards this political force. Thus, in Egypt it is viewed not just as an undesirable group, but as a terrorist force. Therefore, the leader of Hezbollah was put on the international wanted list by the Egyptian authorities.

Organizational and military structure of Hezbollah

Today this organization has a clear and fairly well-coordinated system of relations. It is based (as is customary among Shiites) on the primacy of religious leaders.

Hezbollah, according to data, has 10 thousand soldiers, some of whom are in reserve. This group has enough weapons that can cause significant damage to Israel (including missile strikes on this state).

Understanding the meaning of the movement in Western media

The modern Western press writes a lot about the Hezbollah movement. What does this give to readers in these countries? Most likely, the information instills fear of this movement.

Thus, it is most often said that the goal of this group is to export the Islamic revolution in a Western country. It is emphasized that the leaders of the organization breathe hatred towards America and its satellite countries. The terrorist essence of Hezbollah and the number of its militants in the countries of the East, ready to fight with the civilian population of European countries, are pointed out.

In general, Western media paint a purely negative image of this movement.

Own media

Hezbollah members attach great importance to the work of the propaganda department in their activities. Therefore, they have a network of their own media. Among them are the satellite TV channel "Mayak" (in Arabic "Almanar") and the radio station "Svet" ("Alnur").

In a number of countries in the Western world, broadcasting of this TV channel and radio station is banned. In addition, members of this organization are trying to attract young people through active work on social networks, videos, propaganda speeches and even through the creation of special computer games in which the heroes fight and defeat the Israelis, gaining eternal heavenly bliss.

Hezbollah: what is it in the modern world

The role of this organization in the modern world is twofold. On the one hand, this group is fighting between the Sunni and Shiite Muslim worlds, on the other hand, it was born against the backdrop of anti-Israeli and anti-American sentiment in Eastern society, and on the third, it is only an instrument in the political struggle of various factions in the Middle East.

Now this organization has clearly shown itself thanks to its participation in Taking a position of supporting B. Assad and his troops against ISIS, Hezbollah unwittingly found itself on the side of the Syrian people in their struggle for liberation from terrorists.

The Hezbollah movement today is not only gaining combat experience, but also attracting to its side all those who oppose the rule of ISIS. Despite the fact that this movement often does not suit many politicians in the modern world, it has its own stable platform and opportunities for growth.

In any case, Hezbollah is one of the forces in the Arab world advocating the independence of the states of the East from the developed countries of the planet, a force with which the West is forced to partly reckon.

Hezbollah

Hezbollah, Hezbollah, Hezbollah is a paramilitary Lebanese Shiite organization and political party that advocates the creation of an Islamic state in Lebanon modeled on Iran. Translated from Arabic, the name means “Party of Allah.” This expression is taken from the Koran: “After all, the party of Allah - they will win.” The movement also goes under the names: Islamic Resistance, Organization of the Oppressed, Organization of Revolutionary Justice and others. The ideology is based on the ideology of the leader of the Islamic revolution in Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini, created by him. In its 1985 manifesto, the organization declared its three main goals to be:

– “expulsion of any colonial institutions from Lebanon”,

- “bringing the Phalangists to justice for their crimes”,

- establishment of an Islamic regime in the country.

Its initially hard-line ideological position has softened somewhat over time, and in its 2003 political platform the organization emphasized that it advocated the establishment of Islamic rule through peaceful democratic means. A significant place in Hezbollah's policy is given to social issues. Regarding the Middle East problem, the movement supports the slogan of the destruction of the State of Israel. Hezbollah represents the first and most successful example of a central tenet of Iranian foreign policy: exporting the Islamic revolution.

The group operating in Lebanon was created in 1982 as a branch of the Iranian organization with the same name. The movement was created with the assistance of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the wake of anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment to combat the Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah's main goal in the 1980s and 1990s was to expel Israeli and Western military forces from Lebanon. The armed units of the Islamic resistance that it created widely resorted to the tactics of guerrilla warfare and terrorist actions. Suicide bombers said to be linked to Hezbollah carried out a number of attacks against American, French and Italian troops stationed in Lebanon.

The armed struggle against the foreign military presence has strengthened Hezbollah's authority in the country, where it is widely seen as a national Lebanese resistance organization. Despite the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory, Hezbollah believes that the occupation has not ended because Israel occupies the Shebaa region, which was part of the Syrian Golan Heights until 1967. Its militants repeatedly fired rockets at the northern regions of Israel, which, in turn, caused attacks from Israeli aircraft.

In accordance with the UN Security Council resolution, after the withdrawal of Israeli troops in May 2000, the Lebanese army was supposed to take control of southern Lebanon, but this did not happen. The Lebanese government has tacitly given Hezbollah the ability to completely control southern Lebanon. The Israelis were replaced by Hezbollah militants, who created a powerful network of defensive fortifications along the border with Israel. At the same time, they, as a rule, used defensive structures left by the Israeli army. The area also contains multiple launch sites for multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), which Hezbollah uses to bomb populated areas in northern Israel.

The capture of two Israeli soldiers on the border with Lebanon by Hezbollah militants on July 12, 2006 led to another Middle East war, which is commonly called the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. Since 2011, Hezbollah has been actively involved in the fighting of the civil war in Syria on the side of the government of Bashar al-Assad. In Egypt, after the discovery of the Hezbollah network in 2008–2009, which was planning a series of terrorist attacks in the country, mass arrests of members of this organization were carried out. The Egyptian authorities intend to put the Hezbollah leader on the international wanted list through Interpol.

Initially, Hezbollah did not have a clear organizational structure, and its members "had no membership cards or clearly defined responsibilities." Currently, the movement has a formal structure based on the principles of the primacy of religious leaders.

According to some estimates, the number of regular Hezbollah forces in 2006 was about 1,000 people, and with reservists - from 7,000 to 11,000. According to other estimates, the movement has about 30,000 fighters, a third of whom have extensive combat experience.

In modern Lebanon, Hezbollah operates as a political organization. Its civilian branch has its own hospitals and clinics, orphanages, orphanages, the Al-Manar television station, the Al-Hyp radio station and print publications. It enjoys significant influence in the Shiite areas of the country and has participated in parliamentary elections since 1992. In 1992, Hezbollah took part in parliamentary elections for the first time, winning 12 of the 128 seats in parliament. Since the 2005 parliamentary elections, Hezbollah is represented in the Lebanese parliament (23 out of 128 deputies) and the government. In June 2009, the March 8 coalition, led by Hezbollah, won 57 of 128 seats in the Lebanese parliamentary elections.

Hezbollah is recognized as a terrorist organization in Canada, the USA, Israel and Egypt, the Gulf countries, and also partially in the EU, Australia and the UK. Hezbollah receives financial and military support from Iran and Syria. The organization is accused of terrorist acts against civilians and the military. In Russia, Hezbollah is not considered a terrorist organization, although in 1985 its members kidnapped three diplomats, and the famous terrorist Imad Mugniya, nicknamed “Hyena,” shot diplomat Arkady Katkov.

Branches of the organization were formed in the territories occupied by Israel, which immediately began armed operations against the IDF. The first terrorist actions of Hezbollah were the bombings of the barracks of the American and French peacekeeping contingents in Lebanon on October 23, 1983. About 300 military personnel died then.

In 1984, the organization's militants carried out a similar operation against the US Embassy in Beirut. 24 people were killed and 90 were injured.

Hezbollah often conducts its activities on behalf of such extremist organizations as Islamic Jihad, Revolutionary Justice Organization, Organization of the Dispossessed, Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine and Islamic Resistance. The militants are subjected to ideological indoctrination, they are told that martyrdom in the name of Allah will atone for their sins and the sins of their family members.

It is estimated that the organization today numbers about 5 thousand people, and it is financed mainly by Iran, which provides Hezbollah with up to $100 million annually. This allows us to carry out charity events, social programs to help the poor, and engage in economic activities. The organization has branches in Europe, Africa, North and South America.

The leader of the group was Sheikh Seyyid Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah. The organization is led by the Supreme Advisory Council, consisting of 12 religious, political and military leaders. In case of disagreement, the issue is referred to Tehran for consideration. The organization's activities extend to southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and the Shiite part of Beirut. Each region has its own Advisory Council.

Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Ayatollah, is the chief mujtahid (expert in Sharia law) of the Shia community in Lebanon. Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah was born in 1935 in the city of Najaf (Iraq) into a Lebanese Shiite family who came to Najaf - one of the world centers of Shiism - to study Islam. He studied at various religious schools (kuttabas) of Najaf, then at a modern school (madrassa) at the religious society "Muntada al-Nashr". He took lessons from major Shiite theologians and jurists: Abu l-Qasem al-Khoi, Mohsen al-Hakim, Mahmud Shahrawardi, Sheikh Husaytsn al-Khalli, Mullah Sadra al-Kafkazi and others. He collaborated in the religious and cultural magazine "Al" published in Najaf -Adva" (Light).

In 1952 he returned to Lebanon. In 1966, he settled in the town of Naba, a poor Shiite suburb of East Beirut. He founded a number of schools, religious schools, free hospitals, and Islamic centers in Lebanon. He is the author of numerous articles and works on religious and social topics. In 1976, at the beginning of the Lebanese civil war, he moved to the south of the country along with other Shiite refugees. After the revolution in Iran, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, Sheikh Fadlallah, by his own admission, began to recognize the need for an Islamic revolution in Lebanon.

Since 1985 he has been president of the Lebanese Council of the Hezbollah movement. He participated in the development of the “Lebanese Islamic Constitution,” the model of which was proposed back in 1979 by his friend, the prominent Shiite theologian Musa Sadr. Sheikh Fadlallah acts as the highest spiritual authority and advisor to Hezbollah members, but is not directly involved in the movement's political activities and combat operations. He considers his main political goal to be helping to “ripen the conditions” for the Islamic revolution in Lebanon. He is a supporter of the fight against Israel, which he considers “a great danger to our future generations.” According to Fadlallah, Iran is the only ally of the Palestinian people, "the whole of Palestine is a war zone," and "every Jew who illegally occupies a house or land belonging to a Palestinian is a legal target."

The activities, views and materials relating to Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah can be found on his personal Bayynat website at www.bayynat.org. The English-language website is located at www.bayynat.org/www/english.

Sheikh Hussein Fadlallah headed the organization until 1985, when Israeli intelligence services made an attempt on his life. After that, he left all posts of the organization, remaining its spiritual leader. His place was taken by Abbas Moussavi, who was killed by the Israelis in 1992.

Then Hezbollah was headed by Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, who still holds the post of Secretary General. In the early 80s, Hassan Nasrallah was the plenipotentiary representative of the Shiite Amal movement in the Bekaa Valley, broke with this movement and joined Hezbollah with his many supporters).

Hassan Nasrallah led Hezbollah down a completely new path. His participation in the elections to the Lebanese parliament was decisive. Under Mousavi, Hezbollah was primarily a military organization, an instrument of the Islamic revolution that fought the Israeli invaders. It has always been very different from other organizations, especially non-Shiite ones. All this changed after an Israeli helicopter blew up Mousavi's car in February 1992. Nasrallah, 32, not only led Hezbollah in a guerrilla war against the Jewish state in the Middle East, but also completely changed the face of the organization.

Until this point, Hezbollah was simply the representative of the Iranian revolutionaries in the war against the Zionist enemy. Participation in the elections, to which Iran consented, despite the dissatisfaction of many members of the organization itself, was the first step towards its “Lebanonization”. Then Hezbollah members received 8 mandates in parliament - the maximum possible given the demographic and political situation in Lebanon. But what is most important is that from that day on the organization began to act in two directions. And whether Sheikh Nasrallah is going to unite them, the future will show. In southern Lebanon, Hezbollah has become the main force leading the armed struggle against Israel. In the domestic political arena, it (with generous financial support from Iran) has turned into a kind of system that exists alongside the official Lebanese regime, into a civil organization gaining political strength. Moreover, not only among the Shiite population.

It is not surprising that many Israeli experts believe that the future belongs to Nasrallah. First of all, because he masterfully knows how to use religious leaders for the practical purposes of his organization. Hezbollah's military doctrine was also revised. In November 1997, Nasrallah announced the creation of the Lebanese Resistance and invited other organizations to join him. The Amal movement, Hezbollah's main rival for influence in the Shiite community and the vast Shiite representation in parliament, became part of the unified command, but Nasrallah exercised complete control over its activities. Only when it was in his interest to create tension in the area, without taking any responsibility, did he allow Amal militants to fire at the Israeli border.

The last months of 1997 became decisive for Nasrallah in the struggle for leadership in Hezbollah. In July of the same year, his rival Subhi Tufeili launched a “rebellion of the hungry.” He argued that Nasrallah was neglecting the needs of the Shia community, especially in the Bekaa Valley (Tufaili himself is from there). Nasrallah showed his political talent this time too. After all Iranian attempts to reconcile the opponents failed, the sheikh managed to achieve the removal of Tufeili. In early 1998, the Lebanese army suppressed the "rebellion of the hungry." However, Nasrallah, mindful of the accusations of neglecting the interests of the residents of Bekaa in favor of the Shiites of the south, that is, his people, introduced additional representatives from the Bekaa to the Hezbollah Supreme Council, citing unfair discrimination against the Shiites (that is, using in his own favor, words of Tufayli). This was a classic move by Nasrallah: to create the appearance of taking some measures, but not before ensuring complete control over what is happening.

On September 12, 1997, Hadi, the eldest of Nasrallah’s four children from his wife Fatima, was killed in a clash with Israeli soldiers from the Egoz unit. The Israelis, who did not know who they had killed, took the corpse with them in the hope of exchanging it for the body of their fellow tribesman killed a week earlier. Nasrallah refused to negotiate for the return of his son's body, not singling him out among the rest of those who fell in the struggle for a holy cause.

“When we are talking about resistance,” he said in an interview, “we are also talking about victims. The leadership must be prepared for this. This is the only way it can earn trust in itself. Hezbollah is the first Arab movement in which the son of the leader nothing more than a simple soldier. I mourn for Hadi just as I mourn for the other fallen." According to many observers, Nasrallah's behavior in this incident further elevated him in the eyes of his comrades. In 1998, he was elected Secretary General of Hezbollah for the third time. And the clause limiting the possibility of holding this post for two terms was repealed.

Today, Sheikh Nasrallah advocates the creation of a state built on a religious basis, creating highly specialized schools and charitable organizations. He achieved all this by skillfully maneuvering between the sometimes conflicting interests of Tehran and Beirut. Simply put, he managed to find the optimal combination of pragmatism and religious ideology. Thus, over the past few years, Hezbollah has spent two billion dollars received from Iran on social activities in southern Lebanon. Two large-scale Israeli operations played into the organization's hands. After Operation Din Veheshbon in 1993, it financed the repair of 1,800 buildings damaged by shelling. And after Operation Grapes of Wrath in 1996, its leaders claimed that they not only rebuilt five thousand houses, but also rebuilt highways and compensated 2,300 peasants for damage.

Hezbollah has built schools and kindergartens, hospitals and clinics in Lebanon, and even opened supermarkets. It provides support to families of fighters and provides low-cost healthcare. Education in Hezbollah schools costs much less than in government schools. Scholarships are provided to those in need. During training, special attention is paid to the Arabic language, Islam and Shiite culture. But at the same time, they do not forget about English, as well as the exact sciences. By the way, many parents who are not Shiites prefer that their children study in the Hezbollah school system, which is distinguished by a high level of teaching.

Moreover, with Nasrallah taking over the leadership of the organization, an alternative court system was created, where even cases of murder are considered. Here the sheikh played on the weakness of the Lebanese regime, offering an alternative not only to the Shiites, but to all Lebanese without exception.

At the same time, the once harsh ideology was softened. The forced imposition of religion stopped, forcing women to wear the burqa stopped, and the ban on the consumption of alcoholic beverages was lifted.

Nasrallah himself stated: “From an ideological point of view, we believe that an Islamic state is the best way to solve social problems. But we do not support the idea of forcibly imposing such a state, especially in a country as rich in different movements as Lebanon.”

Israeli intelligence officers monitoring Nasrallah have repeatedly admitted that he is very interested in what is happening in Israel. Palestinian refugees settled in Beirut translate all important Israeli press reports for the sheikh. He can quote not only Prime Minister Ehud Barak or Chief of General Staff Shaul Mofaz, but also the first head of the Israeli government, David Ben-Gurion.

“When I read the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in the morning,” Nasrallah once said, “I always know for sure whether the Jewish state’s intentions regarding us are serious or whether they are just empty threats.”

Hezbollah understands more than just what concerns Israel. But also in what has to do with the entire Western world in general. I had the opportunity to meet some of the leaders and activists of this organization. From my conversations with them, I became convinced that no other movement understands the West as deeply as Hezbollah. Moreover, Nasrallah himself has never been to any Western country. But his people visited there, and Fadlalla’s son studied in the USA. They have learned the necessary lessons from guerrilla warfare and know how to use the press to their advantage. Sheikh Nasrallah created his own press service. The organization's television station, El Manar, recently ranked third in the Lebanese ratings table. And it is not surprising: in addition to reporting from the fighting in the south (and Nasrallah issued a decree according to which each detachment must be accompanied by a television cameraman), the station also broadcasts children's programs, soap operas and sports programs. Hezbollah has several radio stations and has its own websites on the Internet. Nasrallah recently ordered the broadcast to begin in Hebrew.

What is curious: Hezbollah media is not engaged in creating a personality cult for Nasrallah. He earned a reputation as a modest man. This explains his order to remove all of his portraits that decorate the streets in the southern districts of Beirut, and instead hang up portraits of those killed in battle. Getting an audience with Nasrallah is not so easy. He constantly moves from place to place, he is accompanied by guards, and the place of meeting with him is kept in the strictest confidence. Typically, meetings are held at one of Hezbollah's five offices in southern Beirut. There, strangers are immediately visible, and anyone who arouses suspicion is immediately stopped and carefully checked. There are no identifying marks on the offices themselves. All these precautions are justified. However, despite the fact that many of Hezbollah's leaders were indeed killed by Israeli intelligence services, Israel appears to have never attempted to eliminate Nasrallah. The death of Mousavi led to serious retaliatory measures - the Israeli mission in Argentina was blown up. Besides, perhaps Israel doesn't want Nasrallah to become another symbol. The sheikh himself is doing everything possible to demonstrate complete disregard for his personal safety.

The activities, views and opinions of Hezbollah leaders and activists can be found on the websites of the head of this organization, Nasrallah Hassan Moqawama, at