Lebanon has entered talks with Israel amid a long history of conflict shaped by the presence of Hezbollah, a group formed in the 1980s during Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon. Backed and armed by Iran, Hezbollah has maintained its stated objective of opposing and seeking the destruction of Israel. Over time, it has grown into a powerful political and military force within Lebanon.

The 1989 Taif Agreement, which ended the Lebanese Civil War, required all militias to disarm and established a power-sharing system among the country’s religious communities. Hezbollah, however, retained its weapons by presenting itself as a resistance movement against Israeli occupation. Even after Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000, disputes over territory persisted.

A 2006 ceasefire brokered under a United Nations resolution called for Hezbollah’s disarmament, but the terms were never fully carried out. As Lebanon now engages in discussions with Israel, the enduring presence and influence of Hezbollah underscore the country’s limited leverage in negotiations.