Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis… Besides these, what other terrorist organizations are there in the Middle East? Is Israel their only target?

Hundreds of pagers exploded, and panic spread across Lebanon. Several fighters from the Lebanese militia Hezbollah were injured in the blast, and more than a dozen others died. Now Hezbollah blames Israel for the blast and is discussing retaliation. It’s not just this group, the entire Middle East has become a fertile breeding ground for extremism. There are many organizations here, with different goals and funders.

Why is Lebanon following Israel’s example?

Last October, Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel, killing thousands and taking hundreds hostage. Hamas is a Palestinian terrorist organization. After that, it was understood that Israel was the aggressor, but then Lebanon also began to be mentioned. He also intervened and began to threaten Israel. But how did a third party intervene in the fight between two people? The answer lies in history.

In 1948, when Israel became an independent Jewish state, thousands of people fled from Palestine to Lebanon. This created instability in the country. The locals were angry at the increased crowds due to Israel. On the other hand, the people who took refuge were already angry at the Jews. While living in Lebanon, he formed extremist groups whose mission was to destroy Israel.

One such group is Hezbollah, which has been declared a terrorist by many countries, including the United States.

Its foundation was laid by Iran in the eighties when it defeated Israel. It is a Shia organization that is very powerful in Lebanon. It is also seen as the most powerful non-governmental military force in the world, and its mission is to harass Israel and its allies. While spreading Shia ideology, it also causes trouble for Sunnis. Since it is funded by Iran, it can be said that its work is also to keep this country as the most powerful in the Middle East.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels are often mentioned

This is an armed group of the Shia Zaidi community, whose aim is to eliminate the influence of the West in the world, including the United States and Israel. In the nineties, a movement was launched to overthrow the power of Abdullah Saleh, the then President of Yemen. It was initiated by Hussein Houthi. The group was named after him. The group supports Hamas and Hezbollah as they maintain roadblocks against the United States and Israel.

Hamas has only two goals

Hamas is a Sunni extremist group operating in Gaza. Since its founding in 1988, it has had only two goals: to destroy the Jewish state and to establish an Islamic state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. In 2020, the US State Department said that Iran provides hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the group each year.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad is also an organization

At first it was always talking about the Muslim Brotherhood, but then its goal became clear. It is the largest militant group in Gaza after Hamas, and it has always been talking about exterminating the Jews by force. Its fighters are known for their good training and aggressiveness. Iran is also its main sponsor, providing them with training and weapons.

These organizations are targeting the United States

Kataib Hezbollah is a Shia terrorist group active in Iraq that was trained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. While living in Iraq, it has been targeting the United States and its allies. For example, from 2007 to 2018, it carried out numerous attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, including drone strikes.

In Iraq itself, there are Shia groups like Asaib al-Haq, who are committed to uprooting the United States from the Middle East. It has the support of Iraq and Iran. However, in addition to funding, he continues to make money from criminal activities.

Where does the problem in the Middle East lie?

The reason so many terrorist groups have risen up at the same time in the Middle East is because of its religious and political history. Many countries have been fighting internally over religious issues, and external factors have also intervened, such as the United States and many Western countries’ continued support for Israel’s fight against Muslim extremism. Because of this, the fighting has not calmed down, but has intensified. Factions have emerged within countries, fighting each other for political gain. Even political groups in many countries have created proxy organizations to use weapons to instill fear and keep power in their hands.