what you need to know about the latest outbreak

A war between Hezbollah and Israel could have catastrophic consequences. Hezbollah has greater military power than Hamas and is supported by Iran, whose direct involvement could lead to a regional conflict.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensified this week, with Lebanon suffering its bloodiest day in decades, escalating a conflict with the Lebanese-based militant group — Israel’s northern neighbor — that has been simmering for a year.

Hezbollah fired a rocket into Tel Aviv on Wednesday, while Israel sent missiles into Lebanon that killed more than 500 people on Monday, pushing both sides closer to a wider war. The group, an ally of Hamas, has stepped up rocket fire into Israel since the siege of Gaza began following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

An all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel could have devastating consequences. Hezbollah has greater military power than Hamas and is supported by Iran, whose direct involvement would lead to a much larger and more destructive regional conflict.

What is Hezbollah?

Hezbollah is both a Shiite Muslim armed movement and a Lebanese political party designated a terrorist organization.

The group was officially founded in the early 1980s during the Lebanese Civil War to combat two Israeli invasions of Lebanese territory, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. In a 1985 manifesto, Hezbollah stated its goal of expelling Western forces from the Middle East and driving Israeli forces out of Lebanon.

Hezbollah operates as a “state within a state,” running its own network of political, military and social services in areas it controls, independent of the Lebanese government. It entered politics in the early 1990s and has held on to seats in the Lebanese parliament, although the group and its allies lost their majority in the 2022 elections, according to the Wilson Center.

Hezbollah has been sending rockets at Israel almost every day since October 7.

Hezbollah is an ally of Hamas and has pledged to support the organization in its fight against Israel.

Hezbollah began firing rockets almost daily at the border with Israel shortly after Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7.

The group says its rocket attacks are in retaliation for Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza, which has left much of the enclave in ruins and more than 41,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Israel has intercepted many of the attacks, but in July 12 children and teenagers were killed on a soccer field in the Golan Heights in an attack blamed on Hezbollah. The group has denied involvement.

More: Israeli airstrikes kill hundreds in Lebanon: Maps show Hezbollah conflict escalates

What are Hezbollah’s ties to Iran?

Iran has provided financial support to Hezbollah since its inception. It counts the group as part of its “Axis of Resistance,” a network of proxy forces across the region.

The State Department has designated Iran a state sponsor of terrorism and imposed sanctions on the network that finances Hezbollah.

In 2015, Congress imposed sanctions on foreign institutions that used U.S. bank accounts to finance Hezbollah in an effort to combat the group’s “criminal activities” and “ability to finance its global terrorist activities.” Both the Trump and Biden administrations have imposed additional sanctions targeting Iranian and Hezbollah finances.

Why did pagers and walkie-talkies explode in Lebanon?

The escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah was sparked by the spontaneous explosion of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon over two days last week, killing 37 people and leaving many seriously injured, including the loss of hands and eyes.

Reports say the Israeli spy agency Mossad planted small amounts of explosives in the devices that Hezbollah used because they were difficult to track. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.

How strong is Hezbollah’s army?

According to the National Counterterrorism Center, there are some 40,000 or more fighters operating in Hezbollah’s ranks.

The group significantly increased its stockpile of missiles and drones after Israel launched an invasion of Lebanon in 2006—it now has an arsenal of more than 150,000 rockets, missiles and drones, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

The 2006 conflict began after Hezbollah fighters crossed into Israeli territory, killed three Israeli soldiers and took two hostages. The month-long war claimed the lives of at least 1,100 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and razed large swaths of Beirut, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

Nearly a million people have fled Lebanon. In Israel, 300,000 fled after Hezbollah destroyed some 2,000 homes with rocket fire. More than 120 Israeli soldiers were killed.

Who designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization?

The United States, Israel and more than 60 other countries and organizations have designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, the Counterterrorism Center said.

U.S. officials say the organization is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks, including the 1983 bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and a U.S. Marine Corps barracks in the same city, which killed more than 300 people.

Ibrahim Aqil, a Hezbollah commander wanted for his role in the bombings, was killed last week in an Israeli airstrike, the Israeli military said.

The group is also believed to be behind the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847, which resulted in the death of a U.S. Navy diver.

Collaborators: Reuters