Mideast Crisis

War is raging in Lebanon and Israel, and Kevin Sites is en route to the region to cover the crisis. Keep checking the Hot Zone for fresh coverage. Meanwhile, we feature previous coverage highlighting the lives of people caught in the crossfire.

As Kevin Sites heads to the Middle East to cover the conflict raging between

Hezbollah's cross-border raid into northern Israel last week, in which they captured two Israeli soldiers, sparked a fierce Israeli response, with Israel bombing targets throughout Lebanon and Hezbollah continuing to shell towns in northern Israel. Thousands of people on both sides of the border have been forced to flee their homes.

Reporting from Lebanon in December 2005, Kevin Sites had the chance to interview Hezbollah's Director of Foreign Media, Hussein Naboulsi, in Beirut.

The current crisis has forever changed the dynamic in the Mideast. Yet parts of this story, filed half a year ago, still provide a valuable glimpse into the workings and mindset of Hezbollah.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 29, 2005 - Lebanon's militant political group Hezbollah (Party of God) has become a global brand name. But for Hezbollah — and those who must deal with the group — the overarching question is, "What's the brand?"

The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the parliament of the

Litany of Terror Attacks
The U.S. government blames Hezbollah for a litany of acts that nearly defined Middle East terrorism in the mid-'80s, including: the Beirut truck bombings in October 1983 that killed 241 U.S. Marines; the April 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut which killed 63 people and a second bombing of the U.S. Embassy that killed 22 people in September 1984; and the 1985 hijacking of Rome-to-Athens TWA Flight 847 in which a

Hezbollah denies involvement in any of these attacks.

The U.S. also claims the group carried out a series of kidnappings of Westerners from 1982-92, including the torture and killings of

Complex Organization
Most experts and observers agree that Hezbollah is a complex organization. In a 2003 report, the Brussels-based International Crisis Group wrote:

"Fully penetrating Hezbollah's decision-making process is almost impossible. The movement enjoys a highly effective regime of internal discipline and concealment."

Hezbollah's Beirut office

In addition to its militia, Hezbollah has a full-scale multimedia operation including a media relations department (ironically, when I arrived there to conduct interviews, I was not allowed to videotape and only managed to take this photo).

Still, Hezbollah's media wing is savvy. It publishes a monthly magazine called Qubth Ut Alla, (The Fist of God) and runs television network Al-Manar (The Lighthouse) and radio station al-Nour (The Light).

Hezbollah also maintains an aggressive program of charitable work, including building schools and hospitals for the Shia community in Lebanon.

And though it defines itself through opposition to Israel and the U.S., it has also condemned the 9/11 attacks and spoken out against some of the beheadings by insurgents in

Hezbollah, made up of Shia Muslims, also says it has no connection to Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda (dominated by Wahabist Sunnis who consider Shias heretics).

In an interview at their businesslike media relations office in west Beirut, Director of Foreign Media Hussein Naboulsi tried to clarify for me some of the enigma that is Hezbollah.

"Hezbollah is Hezbollah," he says, "there's no change in its definition. It's a political, religious party created as a reaction to Israel's invasion [of Lebanon] in 1982. Politically it's represented in both cabinet and parliament, and considered by all to be a legitimate party. But if you're against Israel, the U.S. administration labels you as they want."

Israel is uncompromising on its view of Hezbollah. Reached for comment on Hezbollah's emergence as a political force in Lebanon, Jeremy Issacharoff, deputy chief of the Israeli embassy to the U.S., said, "Israel's position regarding the blatant terroristic nature of Hezbollah is well known and needs no further elaboration."

Liberators?
And despite the terrorist allegations, many in Lebanon, especially among the majority Shia community (an estimated 40% of the population) consider Hezbollah a resistance movement. Some even regard Hezbollah as liberators that forced Israel to retreat from southern Lebanon in 2000.

"This organization should be considered the most patriotic in Lebanon," says Naboulsi. "We fought the Israelis and forced them to leave. Hezbollah sacrificed 1,800 martyrs and thousands of wounded soldiers for the sake of this country — for the sake of dignity and honor of this country."

Because of that perception, Hezbollah is the only faction in the country allowed to keep weapons, ostensibly as a buffer against Israeli incursions. Naboulsi says the militia has earned the right to be armed.

"Fighting the Israelis is not a picnic; it's blood spilled. It's not a reward in a festival," he says, his voice rising with emphasis. "No one can take that mission unless he has faith — extreme faith and loyalty to this country."

Yahoo! News Full Coverage: Mideast Conflict 

Related Hot Zone Mideast archives:

Lebanon
Israeli-Palestinian conflict 

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