Iraq

Quds Force Commander Visits Iraq

Media reports this week indicated that the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force, Esmail Ghaani visited Iraq on August 15. The New Arab reported, "Ghaani has urged leaders within the coordination board of the Islamic resistance to stop all military operations against the U.S. and global coalition forces at this time.” This comes amid news of a de-escalation “understanding” between the United States and Iran. One reported element was Tehran directing its militias to cease attacking U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.  

Israel and the Palestinian Territories 

Fatah Moves Closer to Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Rare Gaza Meeting 

Leaders of the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the ruling Fatah faction held a rare meeting in the Gaza Strip to discuss ways of strengthening bilateral relations between the two sides. 

The meeting on Monday evening was held one day after the leader of PIJ, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, and his deputy, Mohammed al-Hindi, met in Beirut with Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Hezbollah issued a statement that said the talks focused on the “latest developments in Palestine, Lebanon, and the region,” as well as “threats facing the axis of resistance during the current phase.” It was unclear whether the meeting in Beirut was linked to the discussions between Fatah and PIJ officials in the Gaza Strip.

The meeting in the Gaza Strip came amid mounting tensions between the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority and PIJ, the second-largest armed group in the coastal enclave after Hamas. It was attended by Maher al-Helles, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, and Sheikh Khaled al-Batsh, a member of the PIJ political bureau, as well as several officials from the two groups. A statement issued at the end of the meeting said that it came “within the context of strengthening bilateral relations between the two movements and strengthening the home front in the face of projects to liquidate the Palestinian cause.” The statement did not say whether the two sides discussed the Palestinian security crackdown on PIJ members in the West Bank. According to the statement, the two sides “agreed to continue these meetings in a way that contributes to strengthening bilateral relations between the members and leaders of the two movements in confronting the occupation, restoring the unity of our Palestinian people, strengthening their resistance, and preserving the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”  

Lebanon and Hezbollah 

U.S. Sanctions Hezbollah’s Environmental Front Group “Green Without Borders” 

The United States imposed sanctions Wednesday on a Lebanese environmental organization accused of being an arm of the Hezbollah terror group. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Green Without Borders (GWB) and its leader, Zuhair Subhi Nahla, for allegedly providing support and cover to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon along the “Blue Line” boundary between Lebanon and Israel “while operating under the guise of environmental activism.”

The Treasury Department said GWB outposts are manned by Hezbollah operatives, serving as cover for the terror group’s warehouses and munitions tunnels. Workers at the outposts have allegedly prevented U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon from accessing areas that the United Nations is supposed to be able to reach. 

GWB sites “have been used to conduct Hezbollah weapons training, to provide support for Hezbollah’s activities along the Blue Line in southern Lebanon and to impede the freedom of movement of the U.N. Security Council-mandated United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),” the State Department said, adding that the sanctions are “part of our efforts to prevent and disrupt financial and other support for terrorist attacks in Lebanon, Israel, and around the world.”

Nasrallah Gives Speech on Anniversary of End of Second Lebanon War 

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Monday continued his terror organization’s war of words with Israel, warning that if conflict erupts, the Jewish state “will cease to exist.” In a televised speech marking 17 years since the end of the Second Lebanon War, the head of the Iran-backed Shiite terror group claimed that Israel’s military has gradually “weakened” since the “defeat” it allegedly suffered in 2006. “After 17 years of attempts, preparation, and development, the Israelis have been unable to restore the image of the Israeli army,” he said.

“The Israeli army today is in its worst shape in history,” he added, referring to warnings by top IDF officers that military readiness has been hurt by reservist protests against the government’s judicial overhaul. Nasrallah also noted that a law exempting Haredim from the IDF draft would be a “major blow” to the Israeli army. 

Nasrallah additionally referenced the points along the Lebanese-Israeli border disputed by the two countries, stressing “the resistance will regain the rest of the occupied border points.” For the past few months, Hezbollah has kept a tent in territory claimed by Israel, Lebanon, and Syria in the Shebaa Farms region and in recent weeks has demanded that Israel withdraw from any points Lebanon claims along the border which are currently under Israeli control. 

Nasrallah then addressed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s threat last week that Israel “will return Lebanon to the Stone Age” if there is a war. He said it would take “a few high-precision missiles” for Hezbollah to destroy targets, including “civilian and military airports, airbases, power stations…and the Dimona [nuclear] reactor.” 

Hezbollah Continues to Promote Socially Conscious Image 

Hezbollah continues to conduct initiatives throughout Lebanon to promote a socially-conscious image for the group. In the Beqaa Valley, Hezbollah stepped in to conduct repairs on water systems after a request by the Bekaa Water Establishment. In south Lebanon’s provincial capital of Sidon and its environs, Hezbollah’s Amana Fuel Co., designated by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2020, provided its “26th delivery of diesel fuel” to fuel water-pump generators belonging to the government-owned South Lebanon Water Establishment, alongside continued trash-collection efforts in that same area. In northeast Lebanon’s Hermel District, in the eponymous administrative capital city of al-Hermel, Hezbollah’s Jihad al-Binaa arm – which often operates with the group’s Green Without Borders environmental arm – organized a ”Mulukhiya Day” farmer’s market to aid locals in selling their crops.  

Hezbollah has engaged in socially-directed activities since its inception, operating a massive array of social and charitable institutions. However, since Lebanon’s economic collapse began in late 2019, the group has increased its promotion of such activities. The purpose of this self-promotion has been to strengthen Hezbollah’s image of social responsibility among Lebanese, but particularly its support base. In doing so, Hezbollah seeks to avoid being blamed for contributing to the decades-long corruption, mismanagement, and lawlessness which have caused Lebanon’s current dire straits.  

Syria 

Explosions in Damascus 

The sound of repeated explosions could be heard in the area around the Syrian capital before dawn on Sunday, state media and Damascus residents said. There was no immediate statement from government officials on the source or target of the attack. A Britain-based opposition war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the explosion came from a warehouse storing rockets for Iran-backed militias. However, it could not confirm whether it was an Israeli strike.  

 ###