Hezbollah

This past week there were relatively few Lebanese provocations along the Israel-Lebanon border. Hezbollah's deputy secretary claimed Hezbollah was not interested in war, but was ready to engage in fighting quickly and effectively. Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah secretary general, met with senior Iranian officials to discuss the latest developments in Lebanon. An ISIS operative involved in carrying out the attack on the shrine of al-Sayyidah Zaynab in Damascus, was killed when Hezbollah attempted to apprehend him. Senior Lebanese government officials visited the offshore drilling rig in the Qana field, and the prime minister of Lebanon's interim government called it a historic day for Lebanon. A senior Hezbollah figure claimed the arrival of the rig had been made possible by the organization's "successful strategy." Read more...

Hezbollah unveiled a twin-barreled missile-launch system capable of firing two anti-tank missiles almost simultaneously. The United States Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on the Hezbollah-affiliated Green Without Borders organization. The Security Council formulated a draft for the renewal of UNIFIL's mandate which apparently did not include the amendments requested by Lebanon.On August 14, 2023, the rig for the trial drilling in the Qana field reached Lebanon's offshore area In Syria there were explosions in Hezbollah missile warehouses with conflicting reports about the circumstances. Hezbollah provided training in the use of UAVs for operatives of the pro-Iranian militias. Read more...

Tensions continued on the Israel-Lebanon border, but with fewer Hezbollah provocations than in previous weeks. The Lebanese government again claimed Israel violated UN resolutions regarding the border. Lebanese army officers conducted a tour for 15 embassy representatives of UN Security Council members and showed them the disputed sites along the Lebanon-Israel border. Lebanon is expected to send an official delegation to UN Headquarters in New York to advance its position for the renewal of the UNIFIL mandate in Lebanon. Calm returned to the Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp (near Sidon) after last week's violent incidents. During the disturbances several Arab countries called on their citizens to leave Lebanon and others called on them to avoid conflict zones. A Hezbollah truck carrying weapons overturned in the Christian town of al-Kahala, southeast of Beirut, causing riots between Hezbollah operatives and local residents which resulted in the deaths of a Hezbollah operative and the local resident who shot him. Read more...

Tension along the Israel-Lebanon border This past week Hezbollah and its affiliates continued provocations near the border; the most blatant was a patrol of armed Hezbollah operatives very close to Dovev, an Israeli moshav. Road construction works continued in Kafr Shuba. Lebanese politicians back Hezbollah's demands for Israel's complete withdrawal from the area of the Shebaa Farms and Kafr Ghajar Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's secretary general, delivered a speech in which he referred to the passing of Israel's Standard of Reasonableness Law and its influence on Israel's internal affairs UNIFIL said in a statement that every day its forces carried out more than 450 [sic] operational activities in south Lebanon, stressing that the force acted independently.The presidential crisis in Lebanon continues, with Hezbollah officials continuing to support the candidacy of Suleiman Frangieh. The international attempts to resolve the crisis have led to increasing tensions between Hezbollah and Saudi Arabia. Iran might also join the countries assisting the process of electing a president. Read more...