Shi'ite Muslims, traditionally the weakest religious group in Lebanon, had first found their voice in the moderate, and largely secular, Amal movement.
Following the Islamic Revolution in Shi'ite Iran in 1979 and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, a group of Lebanese Shi'ite clerics form Hezbollah (Arabic Hizb Allah, "Party of God") with the goal of driving Israel from Lebanon and establishing an Islamic state there.
Based in the predominately Shi'ite areas of the Biqa' Valley, southern Lebanon, and southern Beirut, Hezbollah coordinates its efforts closely with Iran, from whom it acquires substantial logistical support, and draws its manpower largely from disaffected younger, more radical members of Amal.