Terrorist Organizations

Backgrounder

The Al-Qaeda-Hezbollah Relationship

Author: Eben Kaplan

Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah are supposedly rival groups on opposite sides of sectarian lines. Yet recent statements from senior al-Qaeda leadership suggest a common enemy may be drawing them together, and experts believe such a liaison could pose grave new dangers for the United States.

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Primary Sources

An Open Letter: The Hizballah Program

Hezbollah was founded in Lebanon in 1982 as a Shiite Muslim political group with a militant wing. On February 16, 1985, Hezbollal published its manifesto,"Nass al-Risala al-Maftuha allati wajahaha Hizballah ila-l-Mustad'afin fi Lubnan wa-l-Alam," which explains the characteristics of its membership and its goals. A slightly abridged translation was provided in the Jerusalem Quarterly in the fall of 1988.

See more in Religion and Politics, Terrorist Organizations