Among the world’s most brutal and ruthless terrorist organizations, Hezbollah stands out for its deep pockets and extraordinary global reach. Backed by Iran, the group has built one of the most powerful non-state military forces in human history, using it to perpetuate a reign of terror around the world that has killed and maimed tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children over the course of the three decades spanning from Buenos Aires to Beirut to Bulgaria.

An international network of shell corporations, criminal enterprises, and phantom charities fund these global terrorist activities to the tune of more than $1 billion a year. For years, Hezbollah has gained freedom to operate this network in Europe and elsewhere by separating itself – on paper – into “political” and “military” wings. The military wing carries out the murder and violence. The political wing funds and supports this work.

However, the two wings are symbiotic – one can’t exist without the other. Hezbollah's own deputy secretary-general Naim Qassem said in 2012, “We don't have a military wing and a political one…every element of Hezbollah, from commanders to members...are in the service of the resistance.”

The United States, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan and many other Western Democracies have come to see this artificial distinction for the sham that it is, legally designating Hezbollah’s military and political wings as terrorist organizations. In 2016, the Arab League did the same.