Orientul Mijlociu

Terror organization: Hezbollah

Status: Was a Lebanese cleric and politician who served as the secretary-general of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militia, from 1992 until his assassination in September 2024

Role:

Under Nasrallah’s leadership, Hezbollah acquired rockets with a longer range, which allowed them to strike at northern Israel. After Israel suffered heavy casualties during its 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon, it withdrew its forces in 2000, which greatly increased Hezbollah’s popularity in the region, and bolstered Hezbollah’s position within Lebanon

How Israeli spies penetrated Hezbollah

In a shocking report The Financial Times reports that Israel’s relentless efforts to eliminate Hezbollah’s leadership have reached unprecedented levels of sophistication, marked by cutting-edge intelligence gathering and military precision.

The prices for dairy products have soared, with a kilogram of sheep cheese costing up to 100 Turkish liras, al-Araby al-Jadeed.

Livestock in Idlib governorate, northwestern Syria, is experiencing a sharp decline, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of families dependent on this sector. The crisis is exacerbated by ongoing conflict, soaring costs of fodder and veterinary care, and a deteriorating climate.

Netanyahu’s ruthless strategy sets off a wave of retribution that could drag the U.S. into a showdown with Iran, and risks a broader war

The war in the Middle East is continuing to spiral toward catastrophe: Iran fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles against Israel Tuesday, targeting what it said were three military bases around Tel Aviv. Only moments before, two attackers fired on a crowd of train passengers in the same city, killing seven before being themselves killed by armed members of the public.

Israeli media said Hashem Saifeddine was likely wounded in an attack on Beirut, but Hezbollah has issued no official statement

Israeli media has reported that Hashem Saifeddine, widely considered to be a possible successor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was wounded in an attack on Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Thursday or Friday.

Earlier this month, Iraq’s prime minister said American troops were no longer needed in his country. That might sound surprising, but it’s nothing new: Iraqi leaders have been calling on the U.S. to withdraw its forces for years.

American troops in Iraq completed their mission fully more than five years ago, in March 2019, when ISIS lost all of its territory. Yet for inexplicable reasons, U.S. troops have remained, overstaying their welcome and becoming magnets for insurgent attacks, including from Iranian proxies.

Criticising Hezbollah isn’t sectarian nor does it ignore the Israeli threat. Resistance is a must but we must think about our future, says Karim Safieddine.

October 7 happened. Since then, Gaza has witnessed a brutal genocide which has killed over 41,000 Palestinians and indefinitely paralysed and destroyed the Strip’s economy and social fabric.

From the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure and whole neighbourhoods to the deliberate bombing of universities, schools, and hospitals, it has been a plan of erasure meant to depopulate Gaza and ethnically cleanse the Palestinian population.

Israeli conducted strikes near the Syrian coast this morning, with explosions reported in the vicinity of the Russian-operated Khmeimim Air Base, near the city of Latakia. At this stage, it’s not clear if the Russian airfield was actually hit, deliberately or otherwise — which would be a first. Either way, however, the attacks represent a notable escalation in terms of Israel’s willingness to prosecute targets that are very close to this key Russian military facility in Syria and a major point of pride for Moscow.

Analysis: Whether indiscriminate mass bombing, forced displacement, or targeting civilians, Israel is employing the same tactics in Lebanon as it did in Gaza.

As Israel officially began its invasion of south Lebanon this week, a sense of déjà vu immediately struck people who have been living through or observing Israel’s year-long war on Gaza.

1. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Islamist terrorist organization

Hezbollah (also spelled “Hizballah”) is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and a political party based in Lebanon. The group seeks the destruction of Israel and conducts terrorist and criminal activity around the globe. Hezbollah provides its Lebanese supporters with public services, including social welfare, schools, and housing, and indoctrinates them with its Shiite revolutionary ideology.