Labour Friends of Israel published a new policy paper, Hezbollah: Tehran’s most powerful proxy. Read on to understand the trajectory of Hezbollah’s actions since 7 October, as well as the evolving nature of the group’s relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Lebanon.
Long the world’s most well-armed non-state group, Hezbollah represents the crown jewel of Tehran’s anti-West ‘axis of resistance.’ After launching multiple past wars against Israel and killing hundreds of Americans and Europeans in terror attacks, Hezbollah began bombarding Israel one day after the 7 October massacre.
Over the course of several months, Hezbollah attacked thousands of Israeli civilian and military targets, killing dozens and displacing more than 60,000 Israelis in the process. In August 2024, fighting escalated after a Hezbollah missile killed 12 children.
By the signing of a ceasefire in November 2024, Israel had eliminated over half of Hezbollah’s weapons arsenal and much of the group’s senior command. Until the ongoing Iran war, Hezbollah avoided direct conflict with Israel in favour of quietly rebuilding its arsenal—in contravention of the November ceasefire—as the Iranian regime resupplied the group and took a more direct role in managing its strategic direction.
Despite severe warnings against the move, Hezbollah resolved to make Lebanon a partner in the ongoing Iran war by renewing its missile fire on Israel in early March. Lebanon’s government responded by taking unprecedented action against the group, including banning its military activities and pledging to ramp up efforts to disarm the Iran-backed terror group.
“In resuscitating Hezbollah, the Iranian regime had all but guaranteed the next cycle of war and bloodshed.”
Read the full policy paper to learn:
• The strategic calculations behind Hezbollah’s decision to escalate its confrontation with Israel in recent weeks
• The history of Hezbollah’s involvement in transnational narcotics and terrorism
• The factors which enabled Hezbollah’s rearmament following the November 2024 ceasefire
• The story of Hezbollah’s decades-long rise in Lebanon
