A rocket attack, blamed on Hezbollah by Israel, killed 12 children and young adults in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, raising fears of a war between Israel and Hezbollah. This incident was the deadliest along Israel’s northern border in nine months of near-daily fighting.
Hezbollah is a powerful Shia Muslim group in Lebanon, both politically and militarily. It was created in the 1980s by Iran to fight against Israel, which had occupied southern Lebanon during Lebanon’s civil war. Hezbollah has been involved in Lebanese politics since 1992 and has a strong armed wing that has attacked Israeli and US forces in the past. When Israel left Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah claimed victory.
Hezbollah still has many fighters and a large stockpile of missiles in southern Lebanon and opposes Israel’s presence in disputed areas. Many Western countries, Israel, Gulf Arab countries, and the Arab League consider Hezbollah a terrorist group. In 2006, a war broke out between Hezbollah and Israel after Hezbollah’s deadly raid. Israel invaded southern Lebanon, but Hezbollah survived and has since grown stronger with better weapons.
Hezbollah’s leader is Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, a Shia cleric who has led the group since 1992. He turned Hezbollah into a significant political and military force and has close ties with Iran’s leaders. Nasrallah has not been seen in public for years, fearing assassination by Israel, but he remains a respected figure in Hezbollah, giving weekly televised speeches.
This situation shows the ongoing tensions in the region and the potential for further conflict.
[Source: BBC]
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67307858