Lebanon

Spotlight on Terrorism : Hezbollah, Lebanon and Syria (May 1 – 14, 2022)

Hezbollah's preparations for election day were the following: a particular effort was made to raise voter turnout. The first phase of the campaign concentrated on an appeal to the minds of the Lebanese, stressing Hezbollah's contribution to its supporters and to Lebanese in general in fields such as health, education and the economy. During the last two weeks of the campaign the focus was on the hearts of the Lebanese, creating a sense of impending danger and the need for closing ranks around the organization, encouraging voter turnout for the sake of the shaheeds, the wounded and the families of the shaheeds, and as an expression of personal loyalty to Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah.
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The explosion of a weapons storehouse in the Burj al-Shemali refugee camp east of Tyre revealed the extent of Hamas’ military presence in Lebanon.

On the evening of December 10, 2021 there was an explosion in the Burj al-Shemali Palestinian refugee camp east of Tyre in south Lebanon. The media in Tyre reported it had taken place in a storeroom under a mosque, damaging the mosque and nearby structures. The Lebanese National News Agency reported the blast had killed and wounded several people (Lebanese National News Agency, December 10, 2021).
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Tension on Israel’s Northern Border – Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel for the first time since the Second Lebanon War (2006)

On two separate occasions this past week rockets were fired from south Lebanon at Israel. On August 4, 2021, three rockets were fired at the region of Qiryat Shemonah, Israel's northernmost city. In response Israel fired artillery at the launch sites. The rocket fire this past week was the outcome of the increasing tension along the Israel-Lebanon border.
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Escalation in the Gaza Strip – Operation Guardian of the Walls (Updated to 12:00 noon, May 20, 2021)

Operation Guardian of the Walls entered its eleventh day. With reports of an upcoming ceasefire rocket and mortar fire continues, although slightly smaller in number. During the 24 hours between 0700, May 19 and May 20, 2021, 270 rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip. So far, since the beginning of Operation Guardian of the Walls, 3,153 rockets have been fired at Israel. About 90% of those attacking populated areas were intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system. Most of the rockets fired during the past 24 hours had ranges of about 40 kilometers (25 miles) and targeted the southern Israeli coastal cities of Ashqelon and Ashdod, and the Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip border.
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Hezbollah’s response to the economic crisis in Lebanon

For over a year, there has been a severe economic and political crisis in Lebanon, whose end is not in sight. Underlying the crisis are fundamental problems, mainly firmly-rooted corruption and a chronic state of political instability. Additional difficulties have been added to the fundamental problems: the COVID-19 crisis; the negative effects of US sanctions on the Lebanese economy and banking system; the explosion at the Port of Beirut; difficulties stemming from the Syrian civil war (the problem of Syrian refugees who fled to Lebanon); and the lack of external assistance due to Lebanon’s failure to carry out the reforms required by the international community
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The events in Lebanon for the anniversary of the killing of Qassem Soleimani were exploited by Hezbollah for a propaganda campaign within the Shi’ite community to spread a message of solidarity with Iran and its policies

At the beginning of January 2021 Hezbollah held a series of events and ceremonies within the Shi'ite community in Lebanon to mark the anniversary of the killing of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC) Qods Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandas, the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization in Iraq (January 2, 2020). Most of the ceremonies were held in south Lebanon (in the Shi'ite villages near the Israeli border). Some of them were held in the Dahiyeh, Beirut's Shi'ite southern suburb, and in the Beqa'a Valley.
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