Hezbollah has engaged in increasingly sophisticated attacks against Israel and fought in Lebanon's civil war throughout the 1980s, including repeatedly coming to blows with fellow Shi'ite group Amal.

During this time, Hezbollah has allegedly engaged in terrorist attacks including kidnappings and car bombings, directed predominantly against Westerners, but has also established a comprehensive social services network for its supporters.

Hezbollah is one of the few militia groups not disarmed by the Syrians at the end of the civil war, and they continue to fight a sustained guerrilla campaign against Israel in southern Lebanon.