Hezbollah Lebanon's 'Party of God' is a multifaceted organisation: it is a powerful political party in Lebanon, a Shia religious and social movement, Lebanon's largest militia, a close ally of Iran, and a terrorist organisation. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including recently declassified government documents, court records, and personal interviews with intelligence officials, Matthew Levitt examines Hezbollah's beginnings, its first violent forays in Lebanon, and then its terrorist activities and criminal enterprises abroad in Europe, the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and finally in North America.
He also discusses Hezbollah's unit dedicated to supporting Palestinian militant groups and the group's involvement in training and supporting insurgents who fought US troops in post-Saddam Iraq. The book concludes with a look at Hezbollah's integral and ongoing role in Iran's 'shadow war' with Israel and the West, including plots targeting civilians around the world. Levitt shows convincingly that Hezbollah's willingness to deploy violence at home and abroad, its global reach, and its proxy-patron relationship with the Iranian regime are all matters worthy of the utmost concern.
'Hezbollah reads more like a thriller than an academic work. Having said that, it is meticulously researched [and] replete with fascinating titbits of information significantly adding to the reader's growing impression of Hezbollah's global reach.' The Times of Israel
'[Matthew Levitt] narrates the full history of [Hezbollah] in absorbing detail with an emphasis on its thirty-year history of terrorism. While scholarly in tone and approach, Mr. Levitt's book delivers suspenseful and even terrifying blow-by-blow accounts of the most infamous of Hezbollah's attacks.' Wall Street Journal
'Matthew Levitt is a recognised authority on Hezbollah and its activities, both in the Levant and globally. ... Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God fills a vital gap in understanding the international dimensions of Hezbollah, its reach, and its capacities for terrorism worldwide.' Charles Allen, former Assistant Director of Central Intelligence for Collection, CIA
'Matthew Levitt has made a significant contribution to public understanding of Hezbollah's worldwide operations. He has shone a bright light into some of the darkest corners of the group's activities overseas.' Richard Barrett, former head of MI6/SIS/British Intelligence's Counter Terrorism Department and coordinator of the United Nations Al-QaedaTaliban Monitoring Team
