Hezbollah

Lebanon on Edge as Israel Raises the Stakes

The run-up to the mechanism meeting scheduled for December 19 is shaping up to be particularly tense—and for good reason. Israel has been gathering extensive data on Hezbollah’s efforts to rebuild its military capabilities. Israeli representative Yury Reisnick is expected to present these findings to the head of the Lebanese delegation, former ...

Trump: Nations Ready to Act on Hezbollah

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that “some countries want to intervene and deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon” during informal remarks at the White House. “You are not obliged to do it. You might have to do it later, but we have countries ready to step in and fully manage this issue,” he added.  According to U.S. sources cited by ...

Paris to Host Meeting on Lebanon Next Week

A meeting on Lebanon will be held in Paris next week with the commander of the Lebanese army and U.S. officials, as France and the United States push Beirut to speed up Hezbollah’s disarmament process, four sources familiar with the matter told AFP. “Rodolphe Haykal is expected on Wednesday,” one of the sources said. U.S. Middle East envoy ...

FM Warns of Imminent Israeli Offensive, Slams Hezbollah and Iran

Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi told Al Jazeera on Friday that Lebanon has received warnings from various Arab and international sources indicating that Israel may be preparing a large-scale military operation against the country. Raggi said the Lebanese government is intensifying diplomatic contacts to prevent any potential Israeli strikes on the ...

Israeli Army Strikes Hezbollah Training Compounds in Southern Lebanon

A new wave of Israeli airstrikes hit multiple areas in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Friday morning, targeting a training camp and Hezbollah positions in the region. The strikes reportedly focused on the villages of Jarmak, Mahmoudiyeh, Jabal Rafih (Jezzine), Jabal Safi (Nabatieh), the outskirts of Soujoud in Iqlim al-Tuffah, and the ...

Lebanon’s Collective Trauma Needs Peace

There was an unmistakable irony on Monday as Lebanon’s “Sunni street” marked the first anniversary of the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime. The same community that has condemned its Shia counterparts for venerating Iran’s rulers now engages in the same political canonization, this time for Syria’s new leaders. The motorbike convoys ...

No More Free Passes: U.S. Ties Security Aid to Lebanese Action

The U.S. Congress has sent a clear, stern message to Beirut that Washington’s support for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is no longer a blank check. The latest version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), up for a vote in the House of Representatives, imposes new conditions and restrictions on U.S. aid to the Lebanese army, ...

Al-Qard al-Hassan’s Gold: Hezbollah’s New Financial Scheme

After introducing ATMs, easy-access loans, and clandestine counters scattered throughout the alleys of Beirut’s southern suburbs, al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH), Hezbollah’s financial arm, has taken its operations a step further: direct gold trading. Gold bars, coins, and jewelry are reportedly now being offered to the Shiite community, turning gold ...

US Ambassador: Israel Differentiates Between Lebanon Talks and Hezbollah Conflict

Israel makes a clear distinction between its negotiations with the Lebanese government and its ongoing conflict with Hezbollah, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa said following a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday. The meeting was also attended by Edward Gabriel, chairman of the American Task Force for Lebanon ...

Israeli Airstrikes on December 8 Expose Hezbollah’s Extensive Tunnel Network in Southern Lebanon

On the night of December 8, the Israeli military carried out airstrikes in the Iqlim al-Tuffah area, north of the Litani River, in a region located north of Nabatiyeh and southwest of Jezzine. The strikes targeted multiple sites, including a training compound belonging to Hezbollah’s Radwan Unit and several rocket-launch locations. A report ...

Lebanon Sees Push for Foreign Troops in South Litani Region

Through Jean Yves Le Drian and the French military team in Lebanon, France has informed Lebanon’s political and military leadership that it is ready to take charge of an international force to be stationed south of the Litani River once UNIFIL pulls out at the end of 2026. The message added that Paris is working to rally backing for this ...

Could the IMF’s debt plan for Lebanon unintentionally bolster Hezbollah?

The International Monetary Fund risks unintentionally reviving a war-weakened Hezbollah by insisting Lebanon push heavier losses onto the banking sector than critics say is necessary — a move they argue would entrench the cash economy that Iran’s terror-designated proxy thrives on. At issue is how the IMF wants Lebanon’s ...