1982: Israel invades Lebanon to drive out the PLO’s terrorist army,
which had frequently attacked Israel from its informal "state-within-a-state" in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah, a Shiite
group inspired by the teachings and revolution of Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, is created with the assistance of Iran’s
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The group is called Hezbollah–or "party of God"– after initially taking
responsibility for attacks under the name "Islamic Jihad." (Not to be confused with the Palestinian terror organization
Islamic Jihad.)
July 19, 1982: The president of the American
University in Beirut, Davis S. Dodge, is kidnapped. Hezbollah is believed to be behind this and most of the 30
other kidnappings of Westerners over the next ten years.
April 18, 1983: Hezbollah attacks the U.S.
embassy in Beirut with a car bomb, killing 63 people, 17 of whom were American citizens.
Oct. 23, 1983:
Hezbollah attacks U.S. Marine barracks with a truck bomb, killing 241 American
military personnel stationed in Beirut as part of a peace-keeping force. A separate attack against the French military
compound in Beirut kills 58.
Sept. 20, 1984: The group attacks the U.S.
embassy annex in Beirut with a car bomb, killing 2 Americans and 22 others.
March 16, 1984: William F. Buckley, a CIA
operative working at the U.S. embassy in Beirut, is kidnapped and later murdered.
April 12, 1984: Hezbollah attacks a restaurant
near the U.S. Air Force Base in Torrejon, Spain. The bombing kills eighteen U.S. servicemen and injures 83 people.
Dec. 4, 1984: Hezbollah terrorists hijack a
Kuwait Airlines plane. Four passengers are murdered, including two Americans.
Feb. 16, 1985: Hezbollah publicizes its manifesto. It notes that the
group's struggle will continue until Israel is destroyed and rejects any cease-fire or peace treaty with Israel. The
document also attacks the U.S. and France.
June 14, 1985: Hezbollah terrorists hijack TWA
flight 847. The hijackers severely beat Passenger Robert Stethem, a U.S. Navy diver, before killing him and dumping his
body onto the tarmac at the Beirut airport. Other passengers are held as hostages before being released on June 30.
Dec. 31, 1986: Under the alias Organization of the Oppressed on Earth,
Hezbollah announces it had kidnapped and murdered three Lebanese Jews. The organization previously had taken
responsibility for killing four other Jews since 1984.
Feb. 17, 1988: The group kidnaps Col. William
Higgins, a U.S. Marine serving with a United Nations truce monitoring group in Lebanon, and later murders him.
Oct. 22, 1989: Members of the dissolved
Lebanese parliament ratify the Taif Agreement. Although the agreement calls for the "disbanding of all Lebanese and
non-Lebanese militias," Hezbollah remains active.
Feb. 16, 1992: Sayyad Hassan Nasrallah takes
over Hezbollah after Israel kills the group’s leader, Abbas Musawi.
March 17, 1992: With the help of Iranian
intelligence, Hezbollah bombs the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, killing 29 and injuring over 200.
July 18, 1994: Hezbollah bombs the Jewish
community center in Buenos Aires–again with Iranian help–killing 86 and injuring over 200.
Nov. 28, 1995: Hezbollah bombards towns in northern Israel with volleys
of Katyusha rockets in one of the group's numerous attacks on Israeli civilians.
March 30, 1996: Hezbollah fires 28 Katyusha rockets into northern
Israeli towns. A week later, the group fires 16 rockets, injuring 36 Israelis. Israel responds with a major offensive,
known as the "Grapes of Wrath" operation, to stop Hezbollah rocket fire.
Aug. 19, 1997: Hezbollah opens fire on northern Israel with dozens of
rockets in one of the group's numerous attacks on Israeli civilians.
October 1997: The United States lists Hezbollah as a terrorist
organization.
Dec. 28, 1998: Hezbollah opens fire on northern Israel with dozens of
rockets in one of the group's numerous attacks on Israeli civilians.
May 17, 1999: Hezbollah opens fire on northern Israel with dozens of rockets in one of
the group's numerous attacks on Israeli civilians.
June 24, 1999: Hezbollah opens fire on northern Israel, killing 2.
May 23, 2000: Israel withdraws all troops from
Lebanon after 18 years patrolling the "security zone," a strip of land in the south of the country. The security zone
was set up to prevent attacks on northern Israel.
June 2000: United Nations Secretary General
Kofi Annan certifies Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. Shortly thereafter, the U.N. Security Council endorses Annan’s
report. Hezbollah nonetheless alleges Israel occupies Lebanon, claiming the small Sheba Farms area Israel captured from
Syria during the 1967 war as Lebanese territory.
Oct. 7, 2000: Hezbollah attacks an Israel
military post and raids Israel, kidnapping three Israeli soldiers. In mid-October,
Hezbollah leader Nasrallah announces the group has also kidnapped an Israeli civilian, former Colonel, Elchanan
Tannenbaum. In January 2004, Israel frees over 400 Arab prisoners in exchange for Tannenbaum and the soldiers. The
soldiers were dead, a fact not made known to Israel until the exchange took place. Tannenbaum, a former IDF officer, had
been kidnapped while attempting to cement a drug deal. Israel wanted him back in order to ascertain whether or not he
had given his captors any military secrets.
March 1, 2001: The British government adds Hezbollah’s "military wing"
to its list of outlawed terrorist organizations.
April 9, 2002: Hezbollah launches Katyusha rockets into northern Israeli
town. This assault comes amidst almost daily Hezbollah attacks against Israeli troops in Sheba farms.
Dec. 11, 2002: Canada lists Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
Aug. 10, 2003: Hezbollah shells kills 16-year-old Israeli boy, wound
others.
June 5, 2003: Australia lists Hezbollah’s "military wing" as a terrorist
organization.
Sept. 2, 2004: United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1559 calls for "the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias," a reference to
Hezbollah.
December 2004: Both the United States and France ban Hezbollah’s
satellite television network, Al Manar. A U.S. State Department spokesman notes the channel "preaches violence and
hatred."
March 10, 2005: The European Parliament overwhelmingly passes a
resolution stating: "Parliament considers that clear evidence exists of terrorist activities by Hezbollah. The (EU)
Council should take all necessary steps to curtail them." The European Union nonetheless refrains from placing the group
on its list of terror organizations.
July 12, 2006: Hezbollah attacks Israel with
Katyushas, crosses the border and kidnaps two Israeli soldiers. Three Israeli soldiers are killed in the initial
attack. Five more soldiers are killed as Israel launches operation to rescue the soldiers and push Hezbollah from its
border. Hezbollah launches rockets into towns across northern Israel.
