Hezbollah formed in the early 1980s in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon during the 1982 Lebanon War.

Initially, they were a militia group funded by the Ayatollah Khomeini and trained by Iran's Revolutionary Guards with the primary goals of combating colonialism, punishing those responsible for committing war crimes, and establishing an independent Islamic government in Lebanon.

Hezbollah has defined Israel as an "unlawful entity" and the group's leaders have repeatedly called for its destruction. Since 1992 the Hezbollah has been lead by Hassan Nasrallah.

Two things triggered the violence. First was the Lebanese government's decision to outlaw Hezbollah's private telecommunications network. Second was the dismissal of the security head at Beirut airport, Brigadier Wafiq Shuqair, who is said to be too close to Hezbollah. Hezbollah had managed to fit their own video surveillance cameras at the airport. Wafiq Shuqair was reinstated on May 10, pending an investigation.