What is Hezbollah?

You can't turn on the news without hearing about Lebanon, Israel, and Hezbollah. But what is Hezbollah (aka Hizbollah, Hizbullah).

Hezbollah is a Shiite Islamic group and political party based in Lebanon, founded in 1982 in opposition to Israeli forces occupying southern Lebanon.

Those who consider Hezbollah to be a militant group and terrorist organization contend that Hebollah and its sponsors violate U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1373, 1566, and 1599.

For more information, read the Council of Foreign Relations Backgrounder Report on Hezbollah. U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1373, 1566, and 1559 are also available online.