Lebanon

Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (July 30—August 6, 2025)

The IRGC spokesman reiterated his warning that if Israel attacks Iran again, the latter’s response will be harsher and broader. The Friday prayer leader in Tehran threatened that Iran would turn Tel Aviv into a ghost town; Senior Iranian regime figures exploited the first anniversary of the elimination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran to emphasize the need for continued “resistance” to Israel and harshly criticized Western countries, especially the United States, for their support for Israel; Amid efforts to disarm Hezbollah, an article in a hardline Iranian newspaper warned that Hezbollah is now capable of renewing the fighting against Israel; The Houthi military spokesman claimed responsibility for eight attacks against Israel using ballistic missiles and drones. The IDF Spokesperson announced the interception of two ballistic missiles and two drones launched from Yemen; The United States has reportedly warned the Iraqi government that it will impose sanctions on those supporting the armed militias if attacks against energy facilities in the Kurdish region continue, and that it may also attack illegal weapons depots; A Hezbollah operative responsible for directing terrorist squads in southern Syria with the aim of launching rockets into the Golan Heights was eliminated; The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria warned that any Israeli military operation in the south of the country would be considered a “declaration of war” and would be met with an immediate response.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (July 28-August 5, 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, including attacking Hezbollah's largest precision missile production site in the Beqa'a Valley. The IDF reported that in the eight months since the ceasefire began in November 2024, approximately 500 attacks had been carried out in Lebanon and more than 230 commanders and terrorist operatives had been eliminated;  According to reports, Hezbollah is preparing for the possibility of renewed fighting with Israel and has begun preparing shelters in north Lebanon for displaced persons; The commander of the Lebanese army claimed that Israel's presence in south Lebanon was the only obstacle to the full deployment of Lebanese army forces; Tensions are rising in Lebanon ahead of a government meeting on the state's monopoly on weapons. The United States reportedly rejected Lebanon's demand that disarmament take place only after the cessation of Israeli attacks and the withdrawal of IDF forces. Washington has demanded that the government determine a detailed timeline for implementing "the state's monopoly on weapons." The Lebanese presidential office told Hezbollah that it had to cooperate with the state, but Hezbollah's leadership refused, claiming that the demand to disarm the organization came from Israel and they would not surrender; Kuwait added Hezbollah and the organization's financial wing to its sanctions list; A Hezbollah operative convicted of killing a UNIFIL soldier in 2022 was sentenced to death in absentia in Lebanon; The Hamas representative in Lebanon claimed the Palestinians were committed to respecting the country's sovereignty and laws.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (July 21-28, 2025)

IDF forces attacked Hezbollah facilities and eliminated terrorist operatives as part of the continuing activity against Hezbollah's presence in south Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire agreement understandings and against the organization's efforts to renew their arsenal and military-terrorist capabilities; Hezbollah reportedly raised its alert level and ordered its operatives to be prepared for any development; Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated that ten thousand Lebanese soldiers were expected to deploy in the south of the country by the end of the year and that illegal weapons were being collected everywhere the forces were deployed; While in Beirut, American special envoy Thomas Barrack said the United States had no demands from Lebanon but warned that "time was running out" regarding Hezbollah's disarmament. According to reports, Barrack's meetings with the Lebanese leadership were tense and he warned that without progress, the United States would cease its involvement in Lebanon; Hezbollah denied the report that it was not willing to give up its weapons and was prepared for a confrontation with the Lebanese state. Hezbollah accused Barrack of being biased and claimed that relinquishing weapons would bring about the state's destruction; Hezbollah reportedly stopped paying university tuition for the children of the organization's shaheeds because of its economic crisis; The Lebanese army reportedly uncovered a military camp of Hamas and of the military wing of the Jama'a al-Islamiyya in the Mount Lebanon area. Both movements denied the allegations.
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (July 16—23, 2025)

The chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, and the commander of the regular army stressed that the Iranian forces are prepared to resume the war with Israel if it attacks Iran again; Amid reports of a worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the Iranian leadership and the heads of Shiite militias called for the Muslim world to mobilize against Israel and support the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip; Iran has reportedly transferred weapons to Hezbollah via Iraq and Syria and begun using small vehicles instead of large trucks for smuggling; Iran strongly condemned the IDF’s attacks in Syria, especially in Damascus. Senior Iranian officials warned that the developments in Syria provide further evidence of Israel’s threat to stability in the entire region. A senior member of a pro-Iranian militia in Iraq said that events in Syria show that there is no justification for the demand to disarm the militias; The IDF attacked the port of Hodeidah after the Houthis attempted to restore infrastructure that had been damaged in previous attacks. The Houthis claimed responsibility for launching four ballistic missiles and nine drones in four attacks on Israel. The IDF Spokesperson said that three ballistic missiles and a drone launched from Yemen were intercepted, and another missile fell on its way to Israel. There were no hits in Israeli territory; The US Central Command said that anti-Houthi forces in southern Yemen seized a vessel carrying 750 tons of Iranian weapons for the Houthis, including cruise missiles and anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman denied the report, claiming that it was an attempt to distract attention from the “crimes of the Zionist regime"; The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria called on its operatives to raise their alert level and prepare for an Israeli operation in the south of the country. 
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (July 14–21, 2025)

IDF forces attacked Hezbollah facilities and eliminated operatives as part of continued activity against Hezbollah's presence in south Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire understandings and against the organization’s efforts to renew its arsenal and military capabilities. Radwan Force facilities in the Beqa'a Valley were attacked and Lebanon claimed that 12 people had been killed; Na'im Qassem, Hezbollah secretary general, accused the United States of trying to promote a new agreement which ignored the "thousands of violations" Israel had committed since the beginning of the ceasefire. Hezbollah demanded that Lebanese state institutions put an end to the "useless silence" following the "killing" in the Israeli attacks in the Beqa'a Valley; Thomas Barrack, the American special envoy to Lebanon, met with President Joseph Aoun and was given a new Lebanese response regarding Hezbollah’s disarmament. Barrack said that no progress on the issue would be disappointing, but the United States had no intention of taking punitive measures and only sought to assist and guide. Qassem claimed that relinquishing the weapons would place Lebanon and the "resistance" in existential danger and "allow ISIS to take over the country."; Iran reportedly successfully transfers weapons to Hezbollah through Iraq and Syria using small vehicles instead of large trucks, and the organization also manufactures its own unmanned aerial vehicles and medium-range missiles; A new directive from the Bank of Lebanon, Lebanon's central bank, bans any ties with the al-Qard al-Hassan Association, Hezbollah’s economic wing, due to American sanctions and the Association's financing of terrorism. Hezbollah condemned the decision, and al-Qard al-Hassan said it was continuing its operations and opening additional branches; The Palestinian national security forces reported that they had begun handing over the weapons at some of their headquarters in Lebanon in accordance with the directive of Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas. However, a senior operative in one of the armed "factions" in the refugee camps said that it was unrealistic to ask the Palestinians to disarm without guarantees for their security in light of the "complex" regional situation.
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (July 9—16, 2025)

The representative of the Iranian Supreme Leader in the IRGC declared that the Iranian people would not rest until the complete destruction of the “Zionist regime.” The Iranian chief of staff reiterated his warning that in the event of another Israeli attack, Iran would respond even more harshly and decisively than in the past; Iran’s ambassador to Beirut met with a delegation of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party and emphasized Iran’s support for the campaign against Israel. The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel’s attacks in the Bekaa Valley and the silence of the UN Security Council; The Iranian media reported extensively on the contacts between Israel and Syria, and the violent clashes between Druze, Bedouins, and Syrian security forces in the south of the country. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman condemned the IDF’s activity in the region. The Iranian reactions to the developments in Syria can be seen as another expression of Iran’s efforts since the collapse of the Assad regime to highlight the instability in the country and the failures of the new regime to deal with the challenges it faces, both in the domestic arena and vis-à-vis Israel; The Houthis’ military spokesman claimed responsibility for three attacks against Israel using a ballistic missile and drones. The IDF Spokesperson confirmed the interception of a ballistic missile and a drone launched from Yemen; The Houthis claimed responsibility for sinking a cargo ship in the Red Sea, claiming that it violated the “sailing ban” to Israel, and confirmed that some of the crew members were being held by them. The Houthis threatened to continue their attacks against vessels trying to reach Israel until the “blockade” over the Gaza Strip is lifted. 
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