Lebanon

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah, Lebanon and Syria (September 21-27, 2023)

A Lebanese tractor crossed the border into Israeli territory, in the Har Dov area, and took down a mound erected by the IDF. According to the Lebanese army, the tractor operated in Lebanese territory. At the same time, the Lebanese army was paving a road nearby. IDF forces also continued their work in the area. In an interview to an Iranian news channel, Wafiq Safa, head of Hezbollah’s liaison and coordination unit, said that it was still too early to predict whether the decisive campaign against Israel was imminent In the Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp, a temporary calm is apparent. Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s interim prime minister, said in an interview that a peace agreement with Israel could only be possible through negotiations carried out by the Arab League . A drone targeted, apparently in Syria, two Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives. The two were killed. In one of the reports, the attack was attributed to Israel. Hezbollah reportedly moved a system of surface-to-air missiles from Lebanon to one of its bases in the Dimas area on the outskirts of Damascus. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah, Lebanon and Syria (September 15-21, 2023)

This past week no unusual incidents were reported along the Israel-Lebanon border. Hezbollah-affiliated media outlets reported on works carried out by Israel in the Ghajar region. The exposure of Iran and Hezbollah's secret airport in south Lebanon continued to make headlines. Preliminary details have been published about the plan of Amos Hochstein, the American president's coordinator for energy security, to resolve the issue of the land border between Israel and Lebanon. Tensions continue in the Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp. Several meetings were held in an effort to calm the situation. So far, there has been no solution to the presidential crisis in Lebanon nor is one on the horizon. Hezbollah and Amal continue to promote the candidacy of Suleiman Frangieh. Read more...

UNIFIL’s Mandate Renewed The Resolution – Its Implications and Consequences

On August 31, 2023, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2695 renewing UNIFIL's mandate in south Lebanon for another year. Thirteen countries voted in favor; Russia and China abstained. Since the establishment of UNIFIL, the renewal of the mandate had been a routine procedure taking place every year at the end of August. This year, however, under the pretext of maintaining Lebanon's sovereignty, the Lebanese government and Hezbollah exerted strong pressure to undermine UNIFIL's power and limit its activities to those approved by the Lebanese army. During deliberations, the Security Council condemned the violations of both sides along the border and called on the parties to honor their commitments and help promote a permanent ceasefire. The Security Council also charged the Lebanese government with the responsibility of keeping south Lebanon demilitarized, except for the arms in the hands of the government, and asked UNIFIL to be deployed in south Lebanon in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1701. In ITIC assessment, the resolution as passed will not change the nature of UNIFIL's activities in south Lebanon. Lebanese army cooperation with UNIFIL will be limited as before and Hezbollah will do everything in its power to preserve and expand its freedom of action in south Lebanon, even at the cost of confrontations with UNIFIL. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah, Lebanon and Syria (September 8 – 14 , 2023)

This past week no unusual incidents were reported along the Israel-Lebanon border. In south Lebanon there were reports of explosions and Israeli planes circling over the area. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant revealed the existence of an Iranian airport in south Lebanon. In Lebanon the reactions to the revelation were mixed. The United States Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Hezbollah operatives and economic institutions in south Lebanon and South America. An arms-smuggling network from Iran to Lebanon for Hamas was exposed, with the involvement of officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Qods Force. Violent clashes were renewed in the Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon. The presidential crisis in Lebanon continues despite the efforts of Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French envoy, who visited Lebanon, to help resolve it. In Syria, two attacks attributed to Israel were carried out in the area of Tartus and Hama. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah, Lebanon and Syria (August 31- September 7, 2023)

This past week no incidents were reported along the Israel-Lebanon border. The UN Security Council renewed UNIFIL's mandate in south Lebanon, according to it which UNIFIL will act independently and not require prior approval to carry out its missions. Reactions in Lebanon were mixed .Amos Hochstein, senior advisor to President Biden, met with Abdullah Bou Habib, the Lebanese foreign minister, to discuss the possibility of further mediation for delineating the Lebanon-Israel land border. Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, called for a week-long dialogue of all the parties, which would culminate in the election of a president; Hezbollah's opponents rejected the initiative. The Lebanese are concerned about the possible renewal of Syrian refugees' entering Lebanon. A Free Lebanese Forces activist called on Christians to purchase property in the Beqa'a Valley region to stop "Iranian expansion. "Hezbollah condemned the developing diplomatic relations between Israel and Bahrain. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah, Lebanon and Syria (August 25-31, 2023)

This past week no exceptional incidents were reported along the Israel-Lebanon border. Ali Hamia, the Lebanese minister of public works and transportation, who participated in a ceremony launching a road-paving project, made menacing statements towards Israel. Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah secretary general, gave a speech to mark the anniversary of the "victory over ISIS" in Syria. He warned Israel against targeted killings in Lebanon and supported the Lebanese government's position on the renewal of the UNIFIL mandate. Amos Hochstein, an advisor to the president of the United arrived in Lebanon for a visit. In Baalbek in the Beqa'a Valley, Hezbollah opened its Jihad Museum, where examples of the organization's various weapons are displayed, including IDF weapons which fell into their hands. An investigation aired on al-Hadath TV revealed how Hezbollah's control of Beirut's international airport allows Iran to smuggle weapons into Lebanon.In Syria, an attack attributed to Israel was carried out at the Aleppo airport in the north of the country. According to the reports, military equipment from Iran intended for Hezbollah was targeted. Read more...

Previous years bulletins

2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005

Lebanon

Lebanon is a small country with a population of only about 4.1 million. Situated on the Mediterranean Sea, Lebanon borders on Israel in the south and Syria in the east and north. It gained its independence from France on November 22, 1943. Due to Lebanon’s varied ethnic composition, its history is rife with schisms, conflicts and civil wars based on sectarian allegiances. Since its independence, Lebanon has had a unique political system of ethnic distribution with a parliamentary democracy based on ethnic-sectarian-religious representation. The most important offices are divided among the various religious groups, in accordance with the national charter of 1943.

Lebanon’s social complexity, the weakness of its central government, and the social and economic gaps between the various ethnic groups led to the rise of many armed sectarian-political militias, some of which turned to terrorism. The most prominent Shiite terrorist organization in Lebanon is Hezbollah, which was founded in the summer of 1982 during the First Lebanon War. It is not only a terrorist organization which owes its allegiance to the Iranian regime, it has also been incorporated into the Lebanese political system.

Lebanon has traditionally served as an arena for foreign forces, both Middle Eastern and international. In the past, Syria’s intervention in Lebanon was most conspicuous. Today, Iran’s intervention is most conspicuous: it provides Hezbollah in Lebanon with weapons, ammunition, financing and military training. The border between Israel and Lebanon has undergone some tense periods and several confrontations where IDF forces entered the Lebanese territory. Since the Second Lebanon War (2006), the border between Israel and Lebanon has been relatively quiet, a situation exploited by Hezbollah to advance its military buildup and intensely intervene in the civil war in Syria, under Iranian direction.