hezbollah

Hezbollah Ambiguous on Disarmament and Disbanding of Its Security and Financial Arms

According to Lebanese sources, the anticipated response to the message conveyed by US envoy Tom Barrack regarding the disarmament of Hezbollah is expected to align with what Barrack stated in an interview with The New York Times, specifically the application of a carrot-and-stick approach toward the group. Lebanon's official response, however, ...

US Plan on the Table: Disarm Hezbollah and Revive Lebanon’s Economy

In an interview with The New York Times, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Syria and US ambassador to Turkey, Thomas J. Barrack Jr., revealed that he had recently presented a proposal to the Lebanese government aimed at disarming Hezbollah and reviving the country’s economy. The plan, delivered in June and attributed to Secretary of State ...

Lebanon Risks Missing the Train

There was a time when the idea of Syria normalizing ties with Israel would’ve been laughed out of every Arab capital. Not anymore. Damascus is reportedly engaged in serious discussions to join the Abraham Accords. Once-controversial deals, the Accords now seem like the Middle East’s new baseline. That Syria, of all countries, is entertaining ...

Reuters: Hezbollah Weighs Partial Disarmament Amid Mounting Pressures

According to a detailed Reuters report published on July 4, Hezbollah has begun internal discussions over potentially scaling back its military role without fully disarming, a significant strategic reconsideration in the aftermath of its devastating war with Israel. Citing three sources familiar with the ongoing, unfinalized deliberations, the ...

US Sanctions Seven al-Qard al-Hassan Officials and Iranian Oil Smuggling Network

The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday against seven individuals linked to al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH), Hezbollah’s illicit financial institution, the US Treasury Department announced in a statement. Sanctions also targeted a commercial network involved in smuggling Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi. The seven individuals sanctioned for ...

Israeli Airstrikes Target Southern and Eastern Lebanon

Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon on Thursday afternoon, targeting suspected Hezbollah positions, according to the Israeli army. The main strikes hit areas near the Litani River, between Deir Siryan and Zawtar al-Sharqiya, as well as Aishiyeh, Mahmoudiyeh and Jarmaq, northeast of Nabatieh. ...

President Aoun Receives Saudi Envoy Ahead of Barrack Visit

President Joseph Aoun met on Thursday with Saudi Arabia’s special envoy for Lebanon, Prince Yazid bin Farhan, at Baabda Palace. The Saudi envoy’s visit precedes the arrival in Beirut of United States envoy Tom Barrack, who gave Lebanese officials a one-week deadline to respond to the US roadmap for Lebanon – which aims, among other things, ...

Hezbollah: Unverified Figures Point to Heavy Losses Since October 2023

Hezbollah has reportedly sustained heavy losses since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, according to information relayed Thursday by Al-Hadath. Approximately 10,000 fighters are said to have been put out of action, including over 4,000 killed, among them several senior military and political officials of the Shia party. These ...

Berri Allegedly Awaits Hezbollah’s Response to Barrack’s Proposal

As discussions continue over the document submitted by US envoy Tom Barrack, Lebanese authorities are still awaiting Hezbollah's official response to the comments issued by the Lebanese side. According to local broadcaster Al-Jadeed, a Hezbollah representative met on Tuesday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and handed him what was described as ...

The Final Red Line: Can Lebanon Avoid the Consequences?

As the dust settles from the most consequential Israel–Iran confrontation in decades, attention is shifting sharply to a more familiar, but no less volatile, battleground: Lebanon. The war may have moved west, but its logic remains the same. Deter, dismantle, destroy. The question no longer is whether Hezbollah will disarm, it’s what Israel ...

Six Pages That Could Make or Break Lebanon

Six pages: that’s the full length of the US document handed to Lebanese authorities. The official response to those six pages is what US special envoy Tom Barrack will be seeking during his upcoming visit, scheduled on Monday. For Lebanon’s leadership, the time has come to “step out of the shadows” and take clear, time-bound action. As ...