Pro-Government Militias
Hezbollah (Lebanon)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 641 |
| Country: | Lebanon |
| Date formed: | May 28, 2008 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | day |
| Details of Formation: | |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | 366 |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | political party |
| If link to party, name of party: | Hezbollah |
| Training and Equipment: | no |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | no information |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | Foreign government; foreign support |
| State Sponsor(s): | Iran; Syria |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; religious |
| Primary Membership: | religious |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Southern Lebanon |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | foreign military |
| Purpose(s): | protect national borders and integrity; destabilise neighbouring countries |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | Shi'a Muslims (Lebanon) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The Hezbollah militia is the militant wing of the Hezbollah party. Hezbollah operates at the southern border to Israel where it targets Israeli military. There is evidence that the militia is militarily involved in Syria. It is connected to the Lebanese government through the party’s involvement in the government coalition. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group was used as the military arm of the Hezbollah party, to support the government in security-related tasks. For instance, it was in control of the Lebanese southern border, and accused of being responsible for foreign attacks in Israel (the firing of rockets as well as the killing of an Israeli soldier). |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | Based on a news source the group was trained well, but it is not stated how and by whom. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | According to reports, the Hezbollah party was in charge of the PGM but it there is no information on how it exercised control concretely. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.