The political trend of “Amal Movement” was to follow Syria. It was re-listed by Treasury just a couple of months ago for its support of the Assad regime and for its undermining security and stability in Syria. And we see Hezbollah’s activities elsewhere as well. Only a year after the new coronavirus emerged, the first vaccines to protect against it are being administered. This financial support was the first and most important factor in attracting fighters into it; especially Shiites, who were relatively poorer at that time. Understanding the impact of state sponsorship on the decision-making of violent non-state actors is among the … What’s going on in Lebanon? Yet they have different religious orientations. April 6, 2021 Six months earlier, [there was] another Hezbollah plot targeting an Israeli tour bus on its way to Bulgaria for a skiing trip --an attack that was thwarted. “Iran and Hezbollah have planned that for now other proxies be used.” The main reason Hezbollah is forced to take a back seat is the absence of provocation from Israel. Hezbollah Iran-Hezbollah relations have always had to factor in Syria. Israeli warplanes recently bombed a truck convoy in Syria, reportedly carrying antiaircraft missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon. by Michelle Gavin by Claire Felter Differences over Taiwan’s status have fueled rising tensions between the island and the mainland. Panelists discuss how the Biden administration will approach relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, including issues pertaining to trade, migration, climate, and challenges to democratic governance. Backgrounder with Gabriel A. Salguero and Moshe Hauer Hezbollah has long stockpiled weapons in Syria, and the Assad government has long provided some of these weapons to Hezbollah. by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon For Israel and Hezbollah, the defeat of ISIS and the resulting shifts in focus will clarify the increasingly complex and dangerous relations between them. Iran exploited the chaos of Lebanon’s Civil War and the subsequent 1982 Israeli invasion to catalyze the rise of Hezbollah. 535A, Al Ghurair Centre, Al Riqqa, Deira, Dubai, UAE. They want to set things up so they are positioned to continue to have influence in Syria even after Assad is gone and a Sunni majority remains. Israel considers Iran an "existential threat", but the two countries were once firm allies. But production challenges, vaccine nationalism, and new virus strains are all presenting hurdles. “We don’t say that we are a part of Iran; but we are Iran in Lebanon, and Lebanon in Iran. So you think Hezbollah now has come to the conclusion that Assad is not long for the world? Without question the U.S. has a role to play, especially when it has partners that are willing to work with it. Consider Hezbollah’s involvement in the … When the State Department released that designation, it included --as State and Treasury always do in these press statements--a little bit of declassified intelligence. https://techbillies.com. It is a project that draws on the intelligence, political skill, publicity and media so as not to raise suspicion about the intentions. Middle East Program, Book But, in spite of the political and financial support that Hezbollah receives from Iran, Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah is trying to show some distance. As events in Syria turn worse for the Bashar al-Assad regime, Hezbollah is going to--as we’ve already seen--try to move as much of its weapons to safer ground. If we work carefully and patiently, by God willing, it will come to our influence. For this reason, it was difficult for Iran to dictate its policies on “Amal Movement”. One of the snippets that almost nobody’s picked up on was that the individual responsible for overseeing Hezbollah’s activities in Syria is Hassan Nasrallah himself, the group’s long-time leader. 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Stephen Biddle explains how nonstate military strategies overturn traditional perspectives on warfare. Exploring the Iran-Hezbollah Relationship: A Case Study of how State Sponsorship affects Terrorist Group Decision-Making @article{Devore2012ExploringTI, title={Exploring the Iran-Hezbollah Relationship: A Case Study of how State Sponsorship affects Terrorist Group Decision-Making}, author={Marc Devore}, journal={Perspectives on terrorism}, year={2012}, … The European Union designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist group would be a shot across the bow, telling the group that it needs to make a choice to be either political or militant. Corpus ID: 142964218. April 2, 2021 Matthew Levitt, Interviewee Bernard Gwertzman, Interviewer, In recent days, U.S. and Mideast officials have reported that Iran and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite group, are making military preparations for the sectarian chaos likely to engulf a post-Assad Syria. Beirut isn’t a thriving city; it’s a divided city. Africa in Transition, Gendered Disinformation, Democracy, and the Need for a New Digital Social Contract, Blog Post However, the political understandings reached by Hezbollah with Israel, including that of July 1993 and April 1996, indicate that Hezbollah’s resistance is political in nature and that the relationship between Hezbollah and Iran is on a political and religious plank; as some Lebanese Shiites who represent Hezbollah cadres bound together by Iranian religious and spiritual links consider the Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei to be the biggest religious authority for them. There are also reports of snipers trying to hold key pieces of territory, especially along the border with Lebanon. Venezuela serves as Iran's entry point into Latin America, a foothold the Iranians are unlikely to cede without putting up a fight. by Lindsay Maizland “That does not mean that ours is an Iranian party on a Lebanese land. Now, the group can raise money through illicit means and funnel it through financial hubs in Central and South America. Women Around the World. The signs of Hezbollah are all over the place, especially where the group is dominant, like south of the airport. So, there’s a lot that can be done to a) counter Hezbollah’s actual terrorist operations, and b) frustrate the group’s ability to procure weapons and fundraise worldwide. Counterterrorism expert Matthew Levitt says that Hezbollah has closely aligned itself with Iran’s Quds Force, an elite paramilitary group linked directly to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while fighting alongside the Assad regime. Some of its stockpiles [are] in Lebanon where it has dug caves into mountains. Venezuela is submerged in crime and corruption. President Trump sent U.S. troops to the border with Mexico to supplement the work of authorities there. Ibrahim Al Ameen, spokesman of Hezbollah, replied to a question about the relationship between Iran and Hezbollah by saying: “We don’t say that we are part of Iran, rather we are Iran itself in Lebanon.”. Posted On: December 11, 2018 6 minutes read The 35-year relationship between Iran and the Lebanese branch of Hezbollah has transformed what was once a small isolated armed faction into the spearhead of Tehran’s regional policy. It may be concluded that Hezbollah or the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon is a political, military Shiite organization, which is classified by many Western and Arab countries as a terrorist organization. Ayatollah Khomeini’s idea is the creation of a Shiite Crescent, as explained by Abu al-Hassan Bani-Sadr on Al-Jazeera TV in an episode of “Private Visit” titled “The Iranian Revolution, America and the Arabs” on January 17, 2000. For Hezbollah, this means the Iranian leadership is also their leader--not for every foot soldier, but for Hezbollah’s senior leaders absolutely. For years, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro maintained a close relationship with Hezbollah and Iran, which empowered Hezbollah in terms of both money and influence. by Steven A. Cook Contributor/CTO Techbillies by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon by Stephen Biddle April 27, 2021, Nonstate Warfare The Military Methods of Guerillas, Warlords, and Militias, Book That means pressing the Europeans to take Hezbollah more seriously. But it’s not just an American or European effort: the Yemenis right now are tremendously concerned about recent arms shipments from Iran that they have seized destined for houthi rebels. Because Lebanon is located at the heart of the region and is one of the most important global centers, when Lebanon comes to the influence of the Islamic Republic, other countries will follow it. April 12, 2021, Backgrounder It would also empower European countries to do more to prevent the travel of Hezbollah operatives to Europe, which Hezbollah treats as its near abroad, and to raise funds there, which Hezbollah does today hand over fist. It focuses on the role of Hezbollah in the Iranian scheme of things. According to Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, "Hamas is funded by Iran. Some of the Shiite militant groups that Hezbollah trained to fight coalition forces in Iraq have now turned up in Syria, fighting alongside Hezbollah and supporting the Assad regime. According to an Israeli military source, Hezbollah assists Hamas with bomb production. After the 1989 Taif Accords, which ended Lebanon’s civil war, the group was rebranded as a kind of an Islamic resistance. May 7, 2021 By the end of the Lebanese civil war in 1990, however, things had changed. According to him, Imam Khomeini wanted to establish a Shi’ite belt spread across Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon so as to dominate the Islamic world. At the end of the day, the group’s commitment to Iran trumps its identity as a Lebanese political movement. May 6, 2021 Abstract. Does the United States have any role to play in combating Hezbollah? with Paul J. Angelo, Mauricio Mesquita Moreira and Celina Realuyo with Gabriel A. Salguero and Moshe Hauer. So the Bulgarian investigation is only the first shoe to drop in Europe. The Secretary General is Lebanese, and all cadres of the party are Lebanese, and the party exercises its activities on the Lebanese land, defends and offers martyrs for the liberation of the Lebanese land, and all of this clearly shows that the party is Lebanese and not Iranian.”. People tend to misunderstand the relationship between Hezbollah and Iran, which has changed over time but is now extremely close. Hezbollah and Hamas both emerged during the 1980s, regard themselves as Islamist resistance organizations, and are long-time allies. For advertising opportunities please contact: Pan Asian Group, Office No. In recent years, the strategic alliance between Iran and Hezbollah has grown to the point where the Lebanese militant group’s fealty to Tehran is paramount, a dynamic currently on display in Syria, says counterterrorism expert Matthew Levitt. In recent years, the partnership between Hezbollah and Iran has tightened to the point that the group’s allegiance to Khamenei is paramount, he says. What confirms the subordination of Hezbollah to Iran is that the party supports the Houthis in Yemen, like Iran, which has led to the exacerbation of the current crisis in Yemen. Therefore, the strategic partnership has become even closer. There is also the issue of Iran. There’s tremendous amount of evidence that Hezbollah has been aiding the regime, especially with training. Moreover, Hezbollah operatives, including Mustafa Badre al-Dine, stand accused by the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon at The Hague of assassinating former prime minister Rafik Hariri, who was the de facto leader of the Sunni community. The Iranian strategy is cloaked in secrecy and disguised in an Islamic dress. issue by examining the relationship between Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The nature of the relationships between Hezbollah and Iran are: First, the religious and political subordination to Iran’s Supreme Leader. Farjo is the best and most original islamic gift we could find!! Hezbollah was designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. government in 1997; it’s on the State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations and on the Treasury Department’s list of global terrorist entities. Matthew Levitt Fromer-Wexler fellow and director of the Reinhard program on counterterrorism and intelligence at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. … The Bulgarians recently concluded that Hezbollah operatives carried out the July 2012 bus bombing in Burgas. Approach to Latin America and the Caribbean, Virtual Event This series tracks Hezbollah’s relationship with Iran. Hezbollah as Iran’s multi-purpose tool For Iran, Hezbollah is a strategic asset that extends Iranian influence to the Mediterranean. President Biden pledges a new approach as pressures mount along the boundary. With Iran and Hezbollah’s firm footprint in Syria, they are able to exercise tight control over the Lebanese-Syrian border. The Yemenis have said there’s evidence that Hezbollah is involved. Backgrounder April 6, 2021 How has Hezbollah been helping out Syria in this civil war? White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan made an excellent point speaking in Ireland last October, where he said one of the reasons Washington wants the Europeans to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group is that some European countries cannot or will not open counterterrorism investigations into the group until this distinction is made. by Melanne Verveer and Lucina Di Meco Just last week, a Hezbollah member was arrested for the July 2012 attempted assassination of Bourus Harb, a member of parliament; and the group has also been implicated in the killing of Wissam al-Hassan a few months later. Why is the United States still struggling to figure out what to do about the Assad regime? The U.S. intelligence community has publicly described this as a "strategic partnership." Mugniyeh, who was instrumental in establishing Hezbollah's military wing, was a constant presence in both Tehran, where he worked closely with senior members of Iran… Mughniyeh led Hezbollah and is believed to have had close ties with the Iranian Quds force. Interview by Steven Ward Former Senior Analyst, CIA. In recent years, the partnership between Hezbollah and Iran has tightened to the point that the group’s allegiance to Khamenei is paramount, he says. A week before the Burgas bombing, an individual Hezbollah operative with dual Lebanese-Swedish citizenship was arrested in Cyprus for carrying out surveillance on Israeli flights and tourists. Hezbollah’s connection to Iran is more organic than an equal partnership, and there have been a number of occasions throughout the group’s history where Tehran either directly influenced its decisions or blatantly gave it specific orders. Because of that, Iran had tremendous faith in him. Iran has given a great interest for Hezbollah party, and ensured financial support for it. [email protected] Tel: +971506259940, Saifur Rahman What is Driving the Future of Connected Living in the GCC? If you look at Hezbollah’s attacks against Israeli tourists worldwide, there’s no way they can be described as in Lebanon’s interests in any way. Hezbollah, which translates to “The Party of God,” is an Iran-backed, Shiite-dominant political and military group that began in Lebanon in 1982, following the Israeli occupation. February 17, 2021. Since 2013, Iran has been trying to arm Hezbollah in Lebanon with precision guided missiles. Part of that has to do with the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh in 2008, who led Hezbollah’s military wing. They came to that conclusion a little while ago. Ever since Iran has established its covert operations in Venezuela, Hezbollah has come along, as its proxy. So what we see now is that Hezbollah is going to do things today that are in Iran’s interest even if they expressly run counter to the interests of Lebanon and Hezbollah’s own interest there. Senior Fellow Gayle Tzemach Lemmon tells the extraordinary story of the women who took on the Islamic State and won. by Marc R. DeVore . Also, the Secretary General of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah is called the legitimate agent for Ayatollah Khamenei. None of this is in Lebanon’s interest. Hezbollah, also known as The Party of God, is a radical Shia Muslim group fighting The relationship between Iran and Syria is based on a unique convergence of interests. |By Hanan Alsuraihi| “Hezbollah and the Iranian regional strategy” is considered one of the hottest themes debated today in the Arabic and Islamic world. Hezbollah is a role model to Hamas in terms of its military, political, and media operations. Since Hezbollah’s inception, Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah insists on denying the group’s growing global footprint in the world of transnational organized crime in order to maintain legitimacy in Lebanon—even to the point of admitting Hezbollah’s financial support from Iran in order to distract from its other illicit sources of revenue. But people don’t fully appreciate Hezbollah’s ideological commitment to the concept of "velayat-e faqih," or guardianship of the jurists, which holds that a Shiite Islamic cleric should also serve as supreme head of government. by Amelia Cheatham, Claire Felter and Zachary Laub The strategy envisaged to penetrate the Arab world from the ideological, political or social point of view. If he was told to do something by Iran, he could hold them off a little bit. Hezbollah has a tight relationship with Iran. email: [email protected], Vishnu Raja What we’re seeing is the stockpiling of weapons for that second phase of conflict. In addition, Iran has often supplied weapons to Hezbollah through Syria. Religion and Foreign Policy Webinars, Transition 2021 Series: The U.S. National Security and Defense Program, COVID-19 Vaccines and the Faith Community, Webinar Second, the establishment of Hezbollah and its role in the Iranian strategy. December 2, 2020 by Lindsay Maizland and Eleanor Albert As the geographic link to Lebanon, Damascus leveraged Iran’s quest for influence in Lebanon to enhance its own power and position. February 16, 2021 Nasrallah has declared his support for the al-Aqsa Intifada. the Hezbollah-Syria relationship developed as Iran 1attempted to export its Islamic revolution. What Is the World Doing to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines? Hezbollah’s relationship with Syria has changed much over the past 16 … We are committed to the orders of the fair and wise leadership, represented by the Wali al-Faqih, and presently embodied in the Imam Ayatollah Khomeini, who is the protagonist of the Muslim revolution and its glorious renaissance. The Venezuelan government has been infiltrated by transnational organized crime for more than a decade. At different times, Hezbollah’s and Syria’s agendas contradicted one another, leading to short periods of violence. "What we see now is that Hezbollah is going to do things today that are in Iran’s interest even if they expressly run counter to the interests of Lebanon and Hezbollah’s own interest there.". Iran provides political and financial support and weapons to Hamas, an organization committed to the destruction of Israel by Jihad. Though Hezbollah was at first under Iranian control and mentoring in the 1980s, it began to operate more independently in the 1990s to position itself as a legitimate player in Lebanon's restored political system. The Natanz Blackout: Can the Iran Deal Talks Still Succeed. However, the political understandings reached by Hezbollah with Israel, including that of July 1993 and April 1996, indicate that Hezbollah’s resistance is political in nature and that the relationship between Hezbollah and Iran is on a political and religious plank; as some Lebanese Shiites who represent Hezbollah cadres bound together by Iranian religious and spiritual links consider the Iranian … Axis of Resistance: The Hezbollah-Iran-Syria Relationship. But his successors, his cousin Mustafa Badre al-Dine in particular, are nowhere near Mughniyeh in stature, so Iran doesn’t have the same trust in him. Between 2008-2012, CTP tracked Hezbollah’s interactions with Iranian officials, information regarding the organization’s funding transfers of arms and material, militant operations, meetings and relations with groups and countries, and Hezbollah’s official statements. Hezbollah has lost nearly 2,000 fighters in Syria, damaged its reputation through unfettered support for the regimes in Iran and Syria, and is rumored to face financial trouble. It is the Lebanese Hesbollah’s allegiance to the Wali al-Faqih that brings Iran and Hezbollah together. The group is also Lebanon’s largest militia. Here is a recap of their volatile relationship over the past half-century: There’s a lot of tension because Hezbollah has recently been accused of doing things that are not in Lebanon’s interest. Women and Foreign Policy Program, Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls in the Middle East: An Analysis of Current Trends and U.S. Policy, Testimony But Syria also often limited Iran’s role for two reasons: First, in order to maintain paramount Syrian control over Lebanon. Iran created mutinies within the Amal Party – a nationalist Lebanese Shiite party founded by Imam Musa al-Sadr – splitting off a faction (known as Islamic Amal) that would later become the nucleus of Hezbollah. Hezbollah is no longer a national consensus issue in Lebanon, and its activities and positions are scrutinized by harsh critics who accuse Hezbollah of being the ultimate source of … It claims it is financed by donations, but the donations are nothing like what it receives from Iran." Article May 10, 2021, In Ethiopia, Peace Requires Domestic Reconciliation, Blog Post To preview its conclusions, there are two main perspectives to consider with regard to the terrorist group – state sponsor relationship. First, state support has a powerful, yet indirect effect on violent non- Look back at Hezbollah’s support of Shiite militants in Iraq during the Iraq war; look now today to Hezbollah helping to ferry Iranian weapons to houthi rebels in Yemen; look just recently to Hezbollah’s flying a drone near the Israeli nuclear reactor in Dimona. A Proxy for Iran. May 3, 2021. Exploring the Iran-Hezbollah Relationship: A Case Study of How State Sponsorship Affects Terrorist Group Decision-Making . The relationship between Iran and Hezbollah can be described as a reciprocal system. Executive Editor It still is, but Hezbollah is multiple things: Hezbollah is one of the dominant political parties in Lebanon, as well as a social and religious movement, catering first and foremost to Lebanon’s Shiite community. Iran’s support for the Syrian regime is one of the key elements safeguarding the survival of Syria’s embattled President Bashar al-Assad, who has been fighting a fierce anti-government uprising since Spring 2011.. Women and Foreign Policy Program, Backgrounder The relationship between Iran and Hezbollah is religiously and politically interrelated. So, Hezbollah was established from Shiite elements that originally belonged to the Amal movement. Beijing has tightened its grip on Hong Kong in recent years, dimming hopes that the financial center will ever become a full democracy. Is Beirut a thriving city now? Although Iran maintains strong support of Hezbollah, Pollack agreed with Semati's comment that Hezbollah has increasingly begun to make decisions on its own. SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 23 April 2021 -, SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 23 April 2021, News Summary:Webex customers can preview real-time translations from English, K. Raveendran The alliance between Hamas and Hezbollah is a direct result of the renewed relations between Iran and Hamas. Moreover, the arming of the party by Iran enabled it to possess more military assets than the Lebanese state itself, which enabled the party to have a bigger say, and led to the creation of a state within the Lebanese state, leading to political and sectarian problems that are hindering the political process in Lebanon. Why would Syria be shipping weapons to Lebanon instead of the other way around? Managing Editor How Have The United States and Other Countries Treated The Group? How evident is Hezbollah’s presence? There’s a tremendous amount of activity going on and none of it can be described as being in Lebanon’s interests, or in the interest of Hezbollah’s political aspirations in Lebanon. In the founding statement of the party, entitled “Who we are and what is our identity?” dated February 16, 1985, the party identified itself by the following:” We are the sons of Hezbollah nation that God issued its forefront in Iran, and founded the nucleus of the central state of peace in the world. "At the end of the day, the group’s commitment to Iran trumps its identity as a Lebanese political movement.". Conflict over Taiwan also has the potential to be a flash point in U.S.-China relations. While Iran is a benefactor of Hezbollah, giving it weapons, money, training, and advice, and while the two parties consult on strategic matters, they are separate entities with interests that do not always coincide. Hezbollah is backed by a regime in Tehran that provides it with upward of $700 million annually, according to some estimates. And once he became the master of this belt, he would use oil and the Persian Gulf to dominate the rest of the Islamic world. They are now more sharply at odds than ever over Iran's nuclear programme, and engaged in a shadow war across the Middle East. The Transition 2021 series examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Biden administration. The two groups share common tactics and common goals as well as close ties to Iran. The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon said in 1984: Lebanon is considered a good hope for the export of the Islamic revolution, and Lebanon now is similar to Iran in 1977.