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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (August 11 – 18, 2025)

The IDF attacked Hezbollah facilities above and below ground and eliminated operatives as part of its ongoing activity against Hezbollah's presence in south Lebanon which violates the ceasefire, and against the organization's efforts to rebuild its military capabilities and restore its arsenal; There were differences of opinion between the American administration and the European countries ahead of the discussion in the Security Council on extending the UNIFIL mandate in south Lebanon; American special envoy Thomas Barrack arrived in Beirut for talks, the first time since the government's decision to disarm Hezbollah. He said it was now Israel's turn to implement its own measure. Hezbollah's opponents reacted angrily to secretary general Na'im Qassem's statement that Hezbollah would not give up its weapons as long as "Israeli aggression" continued, adding that the "resistance" would battle the decision and would not agree to surrender; The secretary of Iran's supreme national security council, Ali Larijani, visited Lebanon and met with the heads of state and with Hezbollah's leadership. The president of Lebanon and the prime minister said they did not agree to Iranian intervention in the state's internal affairs; Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestinian Authority, instructed the new Palestinian ambassador in Lebanon to carry out the decisions regarding transferring Palestinian weapons and refugee camps to the authority of the Lebanese state.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (August 5 – 11, 2025)

IDF forces attacked Hezbollah infrastructure and eliminated operatives of the organization as part of its continued activity against Hezbollah's presence in south Lebanon, in violation of the understandings of the ceasefire agreement, and against the organization's efforts to renew its military capabilities and restore its arsenal. Facilities in south Lebanon for storing engineering equipment for the restoration of capabilities were attacked and three Hezbollah operatives were eliminated, as was a senior terrorist operative from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; Hezbollah secretary general Na'im Qassem reported that the organization had lost about 5,000 operatives in the campaign against Israel before the November 2024 ceasefire. In his assessment, Israel would not launch a new large-scale operation in Lebanon since the response would be missile fire into its territory; Six Lebanese army soldiers were killed in an explosion in a tunnel used for storing Hezbollah weapons near Tyre. A UNIFIL force uncovered a tunnel network with weapons in south Lebanon; The Lebanese government instructed the army to prepare a plan to disarm and dismantle all armed militias, including Hezbollah, by the end of the current year, and approved the principles of the document received from American special envoy Thomas Barrack. Hezbollah stated that it would ignore the government's decisions and warned that no one would be able to disarm the "resistance."; According to reports, Hezbollah's public health organization suspended hospitalization payments for the families of Hezbollah operatives, a consequence of its economic crisis
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Lebanese Government Decides to Disarm Hezbollah – Positions of Power Actors

On August 5, 2025, the Lebanese government instructed the army to prepare a plan to disarm all armed militias, including Hezbollah, by the end of the current year. Two days later, the government approved the principles submitted in a document by the American special envoy, Thomas Barrack, which included a timetable for disarmament. Ministers from Hezbollah and Amal left the meetings before they ended; The president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, and the prime minister, Nawaf Salam, noted after the government meetings that the state would implement the state's monopoly on weapons and ensure its sovereignty over its territory, despite the complexity of the task; Hezbollah made it clear that it would ignore the government's decisions and warned that no one could disarm the "resistance." The organization stated that it was not willing to discuss its weapons before state authorities took action to end the "Israeli aggression." Hezbollah and Amal were reportedly considering toppling the government in a vote of no confidence in the Lebanese Parliament; Hezbollah supporters held rallies in its strongholds across the country, while articles in Hezbollah-affiliated media accused Aoun and Salam of acting in the service of the United States and Saudi Arabia; Hezbollah's political opponents welcomed the government's decision to disarm the organization, calling it a "final decision" with which Hezbollah had to comply. They stressed that the weapons in Hezbollah's hands had only damaged Lebanon; Senior Iranian officials expressed support for Hezbollah and dismissed the decision to disarm it. In response, the Lebanese foreign ministry condemned Iran's meddling in internal Lebanese affairs, and politicians called for the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador; In ITIC assessment, the Lebanese government will continue to exert pressure on Hezbollah and try to continue dialoguing with it so that it obeys the government's decision and disarms, while the Lebanese army will continue to work with UNIFIL to dismantle Hezbollah's infrastructure in south Lebanon. However, Hezbollah will find it difficult to cooperate due to the combination of the uncompromising "resistance" ideology against Israel, the expectation of reconstruction funds from Iran, and the fear that its opponents will exploit its disarming to attack the Shi'ite community in Lebanon. As a result, it becomes increasingly likely that internal clashes will begin, which could deteriorate into armed confrontations and harm politicians leading the pro-disarmament line.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (July 29 – August 4,2025)

IDF forces continued extensive aerial and ground strikes in the Gaza Strip, eliminated terrorist operatives, and destroyed weapons and terrorist facilities; Hamas announced it was suspending its participation in indirect ceasefire negotiations, citing the continuation of the "policy of hunger and killing." Videos were published of Israeli hostages suffering from malnutrition, for which Hamas blamed Israel; Hamas continued promoting its "hunger" narrative despite the increase in the number of humanitarian aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip and the expansion of aid airdrops; Hamas said it would not give up the weapons of the "resistance," and condemned the statement by the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, who said that only those who accepted the international commitments of the PLO would be allowed to participate in the Palestinian National Council elections; The Egyptian foreign minister reported that his country was training hundreds of Palestinians to take on roles in security in the Gaza Strip after the war ended; Hamas leadership figures met with the Turkish foreign minister, who condemned Israel and accused it of "deliberate killing."; IDF forces continued extensive counterterrorism activity in Judea and Samaria and eliminated an operative in a terrorist cell in the Jenin area; Violent clashes continued between Jewish settlers and Palestinians in Judea and Samaria. The deaths of two Palestinians were reported, including an American citizen; The Palestinian Authority welcomed announcements of several countries, including the UK and Canada, of their intention to recognize a Palestinian state, while Hamas called it "one of the fruits of October 7." The UN conference on the two-state solution concluded with a call for Hamas to relinquish control of the Gaza Strip and disarm; The American administration imposed sanctions on the PLO and the Palestinian Authority because of their appeals to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, and their continued incitement and support for terrorism.
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (July 23—30, 2025)

The IRGC spokesman stated that the Israeli defense minister’s threats against the Iranian Supreme Leader were intended for psychological warfare and that the Iranian armed forces are prepared to resume fighting with Israel. The Iranian chief of staff also stressed that his country is prepared to deal decisively with the renewal of attacks against it; The Iranian foreign minister held a round of telephone conversations with his counterparts in the Arab and Muslim world and stressed the need to increase cooperation against Israel amid the worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The Iranian president criticized the lack of effective action by the international community in light of the situation; The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman denied the US president’s claim that Iran had interfered on behalf of Hamas in the negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip; Commentary in the Iranian press presented the recent developments in the As-Suwayda province in southern Syria as another expression of the Syrian regime’s failure to deal with Israel and warned against Israel’s efforts to expand its influence in southern Syria; The commander of the IRGC’s Qods Force visited Iraq again and met with senior members of the pro-Iranian Shiite militias. The visit took place amid the security escalation in Iraq and the parliamentary elections expected in November 2025; The Houthi military spokesman claimed responsibility for five attacks against Israel using ballistic missiles and drones and threatened to target any vessels of companies that maintain relations with Israeli seaports. The IDF Spokesperson announced the interception of two ballistic missiles and a drone launched from Yemen. Another missile fell on its way to Israel. 
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (July 22 – 29, 2025)

IDF forces continued widespread aerial and ground attacks on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip and eliminated Hamas terrorist operatives. Three IDF soldiers were killed in the fighting. Hamas raised its level of alert, fearing of an Israeli operation to rescue hostages; Hamas claimed "surprise" after the American administration accused it of not being willing to reach a ceasefire agreement despite the mediators' efforts. The movement reiterated its claim that it had shown "flexibility" and its desire to end the war. Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, said there was no point in continuing the talks under the "attack, destruction and hunger" of the Palestinians in the Strip, and angered Egypt and Jordan after he accused them of not doing enough and called on their citizens to march toward "Palestine."; The IDF initiated a series of measures to improve the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip, including airdrops and opening humanitarian corridors. Nevertheless, Hamas continued to promote the false narrative of "deliberate hunger" and blamed "collaborators with Israel" for looting aid trucks; IDF forces took peaceful control of the ship Handhala, which tried to reach Gaza with about 20 foreign activists; Eight soldiers were injured in a vehicular ramming carried out by an Arab-Israeli terrorist near Kfar Yona. Stabbings were prevented in the communities of Migdal Oz and Shim'a. The terrorist who planted explosives on buses in the Dan region in February 2025 was detained; The UN conference for a two-state solution sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia began in New York. The Palestinian Authority prime minister said they aspired to establish an independent and democratic state which would live in peace alongside Israel. The Palestinians welcomed the French president's announcement that France would recognize a Palestinian state.
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