Hezbollah

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (september 15 – 28, 2025)

IDF forces attacked Hezbollah infrastructure and eliminated operatives of the organization as part of ongoing operations against Hezbollah's presence in south Lebanon, which violates the ceasefire agreement understandings, and against Hezbollah's efforts to increase its military capabilities and restore its arsenal. A precision missile production site and Radwan Force camps were, attacked and seven Hezbollah operatives were eliminated; The continued Israeli attacks, and especially the deaths of four uninvolved family members in Bint Jbeil, aroused anger in Lebanon: Hezbollah accused the Lebanese government of weakness, while leaders criticized the performance of the committee supervising the implementation of the ceasefire and that it was biased in Israel's favor; Hezbollah marked the anniversary of the pager attack and the killing of secretary general Hassan Nasrallah and his designated successor Hashem Safi al-Din, as well as other senior figures. Na'im Qassem, the current secretary general, reiterated the organization's refusal to disarm and claimed Hezbollah was prepared for "martyrdom."; Lebanese President Aoun used his visit to the UN General Assembly to call for pressure to be exerted on Israel to stop its attacks and withdraw from Lebanese territory while reiterating the commitment of the Lebanese authorities to Hezbollah's disarmament. Aoun reportedly instructed the army commander to ensure weapons were cleared from all the territory south of the Litani River; Senior Lebanese government officials met with senior Iranian officials who reiterated their promises not to interfere in Lebanon's internal affairs. The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council denied that his country was sending weapons to Hezbollah.
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The Anniversary of Nasrallah’s Death and the Challenges facing Hezbollah

Hezbollah held formal ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the pager attack and the deaths of secretary general Hassan Nasrallah and his designated successor Hashem Safi al-Din, among others. The ceremonies exposed the challenges facing the organization, led by the demand it disarms, its status in Lebanon, continued Israeli attacks and economic and other internal difficulties; Hezbollah secretary general Na'im Qassem and others used the ceremonies as a platform to reiterate that the "resistance" would not disarm and threatened violence if disarmament were implemented by force. On the other hand, President Aoun and Prime Minister Salam reiterated their intention, with increasing American pressure, to achieve a state monopoly on weapons: Aoun was the more cautious of the two, fearing civil war; Hezbollah ignored the ban on projecting pictures of Nasrallah and Safi al-Din on the tourist site of the Raouche [Pigeon] Rock in Beirut, causing the tensions between the organization and Prime Minister Salam to resurface; Salam demanded the arrest of those responsible and threatened to resign; In ITIC assessment, the Lebanese state's inability to enforce its sovereignty over Hezbollah, despite the blows inflicted on the organization in the past two years, reflects the Lebanon's fundamental weakness and the difficulty of the international system to motivate the state's institutions to act. Hezbollah, on the other hand, maintains its military capabilities and has a wide enough circle of loyalists to allow it to challenge the decisions of the government of which it is a part and to use threats of force to achieve its goals. However, the continuing attempts to disarm Hezbollah and the continued Israeli enforcement of the ceasefire agreement may cause Hezbollah to use force in the domestic arena, or attempt to act against Israel as a "common Hezbollah and Lebanon enemy," despite its weakness and its restraint so far. 
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (September 10—17, 2025)

Iran took advantage of the Israeli attack against the Hamas leadership in Doha to intensify efforts to mobilize the Arab and Islamic world against Israel. During the emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Qatar, Iran’s President and foreign minister stressed that statements and condemnation are not enough and that practical steps against Israel are needed; The Iranian foreign minister met with his Lebanese counterpart and claimed that Iran is not interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs and that the decision to disarm Hezbollah is up to the organization and the Lebanese government; The IDF attacked Houthi military targets in Sana’a and Al-Jawf, as well as the port of Hodeidah, which is used for smuggling weapons from Iran. The Houthis claimed that dozens of people were killed in the attacks, many of them journalists, and threatened a broad response against Israel along with continued “support” for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip; The Houthis claimed responsibility for launching three ballistic missiles, including one with a cluster warhead, and seven drones against targets in Israel. The IDF Spokesperson confirmed two cases of intercepting drones and three interceptions of ballistic missiles; Kata’ib Hezbollah reportedly decided to release the Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov without compensation following growing pressure from the Iraqi government and the United States. A source in the militia claimed they gave up so as not to embarrass the government; The commander of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces visited Baghdad and met with the Iraqi interior minister and the chairman of the umbrella organization of the pro-Iranian Shiite militias. 
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (September 8 – 15, 2025)

IDF forces attacked Hezbollah infrastructure and eliminated operatives of the organization as part of ongoing operations against Hezbollah's presence in south Lebanon, which violates the ceasefire agreement understandings, and against Hezbollah's efforts to increase its military-terrorist capabilities and restore its arsenal. They attacked elite Radwan Unit training camps in the Beqa'a Valley in northeastern Lebanon and eliminated at least eight Hezbollah terrorist operatives, including one who also belonged to the Imam Hussein Division of the Iranian Qods Force; Lebanese President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun met with the French envoy and called for international pressure to be exerted on Israel to stop its attacks in Lebanon; Na'im Qassem, Hezbollah secretary general, opposed the Lebanese government's plan for a state monopoly on weapons and called on the government to realize its sovereignty, fight corruption and reorganize the state. Other Hezbollah figures said the organization was not prepared to give up its weapons and claimed the government discussions on disarmament were contrary to the National Pact. The United States approved an aid package of $14.2 million to assist the Lebanese army in implementing the monopoly on weapons; The authorities in Syria foiled more than ten attempts to smuggle weapons from Syria to Lebanon within the past two months; The Lebanese army continued to disarm the PLO and Fatah, and for the first time removed weapons from the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Sidon, one of the most complex in the country, and from the al-Badawi camp in northern Lebanon. According to reports, the Lebanese authorities were continuing talks with Hamas representatives to persuade them to hand over their weapons.
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (September 3-10 2025)

Iran, the Houthis, and other pro-Iranian militias within the Shiite axis strongly condemned the Israeli attack on the Hamas leadership in Qatar. Iran’s Supreme Leader urged Muslim countries to sever their trade and political ties with Israel. The Iranian foreign minister discussed developments in the Palestinian arena in his meetings with the Emir of Qatar and the Egyptian foreign minister. Iran had reportedly asked a senior Iraqi official to grant it exceptional concessions at the border crossing between Iraq and Syria to transfer cash shipments for Hezbollah. An Iranian news agency strongly criticized the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, claiming that the organization’s weapons not only provide a guarantee for Lebanon’s security but are part of the regional deterrence equation. Elizabeth Tsurkov, holding Israeli and Russian citizenship, who was kidnapped in Iraq by the Kata’ib Hezbollah militia, was released from captivity and handed over to the United States.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (September 1– 9, 2025)

IDF forces attacked Hezbollah facilities and eliminated operatives of the organization as part of ongoing operations against Hezbollah's presence in south Lebanon, which violates the ceasefire agreement understandings, and against Hezbollah's efforts to increase its military-terrorist capabilities and restore its arsenal. The army's plan for disarming all organizations in Lebanon was presented and approved at a Lebanese government meeting. Amal and Hezbollah government ministers left the meeting in protest as soon as the issue of disarmament was raised, and one of their ministers declared that any decision made without the representatives of the Shi'ite community was contrary to the National Agreement. According to reports, American transport planes landed at an air force base in the Beqa'a Valley carrying military equipment to aid the Lebanese army in carrying out the disarmament plan.  Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met in Beirut with Admiral Brad Coooper, the new United States CENTCOM commander, who also met with the committee monitoring the ceasefire.
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