Lebanon

Hezbollah’s coping with COVID-19: A test case of the conduct of the mini-state established by Hezbollah in Lebanon

According to data of the Lebanese Health Ministry (updated to March 30, 2020), there were 446 COVID-19 cases in Lebanon. The first two cases were two women who came back from a trip of 70 mothers of Hezbollah’s shaheeds that took place in Iran. Eleven of the patients died. Morbidity among the Shiite population in Lebanon was relatively low, possibly due to the high percentage of young people in Shiite society.
Read more...

The Martyrs Foundation – Palestinian Branch: a Hezbollah foundation operating in Lebanon, used as a channel for transferring Iranian financial support to families of Palestinian shaheeds

The Martyrs Foundation – Palestinian Branch (hereinafter: the Palestinian Martyrs Foundation) was established in 1993 by Hezbollah’s Martyrs Foundation as a branch of the Iranian Martyrs Foundation . Its purpose is to support the families of Palestinian shaheeds and cater to their needs in the social, educational and medical spheres.
Read more...

Green Without Borders: a Lebanese environmental organization that collaborates with Hezbollah and supports its activity near the Israeli border

Green Without Borders is a Lebanese environmental organization dealing mostly with forestation. It operates in areas populated mainly by Hezbollah-controlled Shi'ites in south Lebanon and the Beqa'a Valley. An examination conducted by the ITIC revealed that the organization collaborates with Hezbollah's civilian institutions, especially the Jihad al-Bina (the "construction foundation") and the Hezbollah Association for Municipal Activity.
Read more...

Spotlight on Iran (February 9, 2020 – February 23, 2020)

Senior Iranian officials avoided commenting regarding reports on deaths among the ranks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in a strike, carried out in the Damascus area on February 13, which was attributed to Israel. Another fighter of the IRGC was killed in Syria, likely in a strike of an anti-tank guided missile deployed by Syrian rebels in the Aleppo area. In mid-February, the Speaker of the Iranian Majlis, Ali Larijani, conducted an official visit to Syria and Lebanon. Further evidence for the growing challenges facing Iran’s efforts to increase its economic clout in the region.
Read more...

Spotlight on Iran (January 26, 2020 – February 9, 2020)

The issuance of President Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” aroused harsh criticism in Iran, expectedly.. During the ongoing battles between Syrian regime forces and its backers against the rebels in Idlib and western and southern Aleppo, an officer with the Qods Force was killed. Against the backdrop of political developments in Iraq and Lebanon, Iran welcomed the formation of a new government in Lebanon
Read more...