Hezbollah is founded.

Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon. Its name, which means “Party of Allah” or “Party of God” in Arabic, reflects its ideology which is heavily influenced by the teachings of Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini. Hezbollah was founded in the early 1980s following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, with the primary goal of resisting Israeli occupation of Lebanese territories.

Origins and Ideology: Hezbollah emerged in the early 1980s in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. It was initially formed with the support of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and received training and weapons from Iran. The group’s ideology combines Shia Islamism with anti-Israeli and anti-Western sentiments.

Political Wing: Hezbollah operates both as a political party and a militant organization. It has a significant presence in Lebanese politics, holding seats in the Lebanese parliament and having representation in the cabinet. Hezbollah’s political wing provides social services, including schools, hospitals, and other welfare programs, which has earned it support among Lebanon’s Shia population.

Militant Activities: Hezbollah gained international notoriety for its involvement in several conflicts, including the Lebanese Civil War, the conflict with Israel, and the Syrian Civil War. It is known for its guerrilla warfare tactics and its ability to launch rocket attacks into Israel. Hezbollah also fought alongside the Syrian government forces in the Syrian Civil War, supporting the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Finances and Support: Hezbollah is believed to receive significant financial and military support from Iran. It also generates income through legitimate business enterprises, as well as through illicit activities such as drug trafficking and money laundering. Additionally, it receives support from the Lebanese Shia diaspora.

Designation as a Terrorist Organization: Many Western countries, including the United States, Canada, and the European Union, designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization due to its history of attacks against Israeli and Western targets. However, within Lebanon and some other parts of the Middle East, Hezbollah is seen as a legitimate resistance movement against Israeli occupation and as a defender of Shia interests.

Influence and Power: Hezbollah is one of the most powerful non-state actors in the Middle East and wields significant influence in Lebanese politics. Its military capabilities, coupled with its political and social influence, make it a key player in the region’s geopolitics.

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Hezbollah is founded.

Hezbollah is founded.

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The Blaine Act ends Prohibition in the United States.

The Blaine Act, formally titled Joint Resolution Proposing the Twenty-First Amendment to the United States Constitution, is a joint resolution adopted by the United States Congress on February 20, 1933, initiating repeal of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which established Prohibition in the United States. Repeal was finalized when the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was ratified by the required minimum number of states on December 5, 1933.

“Wets” in Congress perceived that support for Prohibition was waning. A week after the defeat of the Bingham repeal proposal, House “wets” began drafting legislation to amend the Volstead Act to permit the manufacture of beer once more. Their goal was to force a vote before the session of Congress ended in July 1932. With only 34 “wet” votes in the Senate and 190 in the House, repeal lobbyists believed no action could be taken until after the November 1932 elections.

Congressional “wets” received a major boost on February 20 when a leading Democratic candidate for president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, announced he supported repeal of the 18th Amendment as a means of generating tax revenues for the federal government and states. Roosevelt’s support for repeal boosted “wet” support in the House. On February 16, the House Judiciary Committee had voted 14-to-9 against the Beck-Linthicum resolution, which would have asked state legislatures to reaffirm or repeal the 18th Amendment. House “wets” then shocked political leaders in both sides on February 25 by obtaining 110 signatures on a discharge petition for the Beck-Linthicum resolution. The “wets” secured the required 145 signatures for discharge on March 1. The Beck-Linthicum resolution received 187 votes, resulting in the smallest majority “drys” had managed to muster since the start of Prohibition. House “wets”, who considered the vote on Beck-Linthicum only a test of their growing strength, were thrilled by the vote.

The House test vote was encouraging to Senate “wets” as well. On March 19, Blaine’s Judiciary subcommittee favorably reported a bill by Senator Bingham proposing the legalization of 4 percent beer. Surprisingly, the subcommittee report even called modification of the 18th Amendment useless. Three days later, a bipartisan group of 38 Senators surprised the Senate by signing a letter demanding a vote to modify or repeal the 18th Amendment. The letter referred to four resolutions before Blaine’s subcommittee. Senator George W. Norris, chair of the full Judiciary Committee, promised the group that his committee would report at least one of the bills, and give senators a chance to vote on it on the Senate floor.

House “wets” appeared to suffer a setback on March 25 when the House rejected a bill, proposed by Rep. Thomas H. Cullen, to amend the Volstead Act to permit the manufacture of 2.75 percent beer and tax it.

“Wets” in the Senate also lost ground. Blaine began holding hearings on repeal of the 18th Amendment in mid April, and on April 19 the Senate Manufactures Committee unfavorably reported a 4 percent beer bill which had the perverse outcome of enabling a floor vote. In this test vote, “wets” were able to secure only 24 votes.

In May 1932, House “wets” shocked the political establishment again by securing enough signatures on a discharge petition to free the O’Connor-Hull bill from the House Ways and Means Committee. The House defeated the bill, which would have permitted 2.75 percent beer and taxed it at a rate of 3 percent of its retail value, 228 to 169. It was a significant drop in anti-Prohibition support.

Hezbollah is founded.

The ideology of Hezbollah has been summarized as Shiite radicalism. Hezbollah was largely formed with the aid of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s followers in the early 1980s in order to spread Islamic revolution and follows a distinct version of Islamic Shi’a ideology developed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the “Islamic Revolution” in Iran.

Hezbollah declared its existence on 16 February 1985 in “The Hizballah Program”. This document was read by spokesman Sheikh Ibrahim al-Amin at the al-Ouzai Mosque in west Beirut and simultaneously published in al-Safir as “The Hizballah Program, an open letter to all the Oppressed in Lebanon and the World”, and a separate pamphlet that was first published in full in English in 1987.

Since then, Hizbullah published a new manifesto on 1 December 2009, which shifts its direction to better stay coherent with the current situation in their community. This new manifesto contains language that downplays the Islamic rhetoric and focuses more on integration into their community. Furthermore, the new manifesto calls for the elimination of the sectarian system in place right now in Lebanon and calls for replacement of this system by a secular modern system. However, the new manifesto states that the US and Israel are still Hizb’Allah’s prime enemies. Moreover, it eliminates the possibility of open discussion on its right to bear arms. It pursues this agenda with the assistance of various like-minded Allies in the region.

Hezbollah is founded.

Flooding from the North Sea in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.