How Hezbollah Built a Shadow State in Lebanon

News Analysis If Israel begins a long-brewing ground war on its northern front, it goes up against a unique opponent. Hezbollah, designated as a terror group by the United States, is the strongest force in Lebanon and operates a shadow state there. The international community is pressing for a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon in a letter signed Sept. 25 by the United States, the European Union, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, and leading European nations including France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. But it is not Lebanon that has fired more than 9,300 missiles at Israel in the past year. That would be Hezbollah, which went to war on Oct. 8, 2023, in support of Hamas’s invasion and massacre of Israelis the previous day....