Iran’s Foreign Minister Visits Lebanon

Iran’s Foreign Minister Visits Lebanon

Lebanon

Iran’s Foreign Minister Visits Lebanon

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Lebanon this week. While there, he held meetings with the Secretary-General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad Ziyad al-Nakhalah; Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah; and Lebanese officials, including the prime minister, president, and speaker of parliament. The visit took place just days after a terrorist attack in Beersheba, which killed four Israelis, which Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah praised. A Hezbollah statement said Amir-Abdollahian and Nasrallah discussed “the latest situations and political developments in Lebanon and the region.” Lebanon’s president tweeted on Friday that Amir-Abdollahian assured him that Iran was ready to support Lebanon in all fields, “most notably in the provision of wheat.”

Lebanese President Michel Aoun Defends Hezbollah in Interview with Italian Paper

Lebanese President Michel Aoun gave an interview to La Republica on the sidelines of a visit to Italy. Among the many questions asked of the Lebanese president was one regarding the international community’s concern over Hezbollah, its military power, and its state-within-a-state. Aoun responded by defending Hezbollah, claiming that it “does not affect the security of the Lebanese in any way,” and that the group “cooperates” with the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon “regarding the situation on the southern border,” i.e. vis-à-vis Israel. He further noted that “Hezbollah is an armed party that liberated southern Lebanon from Israeli occupation, is made up of southern Lebanese and has not committed any terrorist act.” 

Paradoxically, however, Aoun answered the next question regarding Lebanon joining the Abraham Accords by saying that when Lebanon recovers territories from Israel that it claims as its own, “there will be no problems in ending the military conflict and starting a peace process with Israel.” Meanwhile, Aoun’s allies in Hezbollah have stated repeatedly that they will never accept peace with Israel and have repeatedly demonstrated their ability and willingness to act outside the authority of the Lebanese State – a matter which Aoun did not explain how Beirut intended to resolve.

Nasrallah Denies Presence of Hezbollah Fighters in Ukraine

Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech last Friday commemorating the 37th anniversary of the establishment of the group’s Mahdi Scouts. During the speech, Nasrallah “absolutely denied” reports regarding the presence of Hezbollah fighters in Ukraine. He said, “I absolutely deny the presence of fighters of advisors from Hezbollah in Ukraine fighting alongside Russian forces,” adding that “no one from Hezbollah, not a single fighter or advisor, have gone to this battlefield or any other battlefield in these wars.”

Nasrallah may very well be telling the truth. However, it is worth noting that after the Syrian Civil War broke out in 2011, he also denied that Hezbollah fighters had gone to Syria to fight alongside President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, until finally admitting Hezbollah’s involvement in the war in 2013.

Israel and the Palestinian Territories

Four Israelis Killed in Stabbing Attack

Four Israelis were killed and two others wounded Tuesday in a ramming and stabbing attack at an outdoor shopping mall in Beersheba officials said, in Israel’s deadliest terror attack in years. Palestinian media identified the stabber as 34-year-old Mohammad Ghaleb Abu al-Qi’an, a terror convict from the Bedouin town of Hura in the Negev. Abu al-Qi’an, who died of his wounds at the scene, had served four years in prison for plotting to join ISIS in Syria. He was released in 2019. In response to the attack, Iran-backed Palestinian militant groups praised the assailant. Hamas said it “salutes the executor of the heroic operation in occupied Beersheba.” Palestinian Islamic Jihad similarly called the attack “a natural response to the crimes of the occupation in the Negev,” adding that Israel “must realize that the Palestinian people will not surrender. Hezbollah proclaimed that “this is a true expression of the spirit of jihad and authentic resistance by the Palestinian people.”

Israel Reveals Foiling Hezbollah Plot to Smuggle Weapons into Israel for Future Terror Attacks

Israel’s security forces cleared for publication this week that, in February, two Israeli citizens from the western Galilee had been arrested during a joint operation between the Shin Bet, Israeli Police, and the Israel Defense Forces. During their interrogation, the two revealed that Hezbollah has been acting to recruit and activate a network in the area to act on behalf of Iranian intelligence officials, through Lebanese drug dealers who were engaged in smuggling their products into Israel. The two who were arrested were Sultan Atallah, a Druze Israeli from the village of Yarka, and Rami Shami, an Israeli Muslim from the village of Jadeidi. The press release says the two were convicted in the past for drug smuggling. Now, they were in touch with Hussein Chit, a Lebanese drug-smuggler connected to Hezbollah, who has also served time in an Israeli prison in the past.

Atallah and Shami met with Chit and another smuggler, Akram Chit, in Turkey, between November 23-30, 2021. During this meeting, Hussein Chit asked the two to smuggle weapons into Israel, and bury them in hiding places in Israel that had been dug out by other Hezbollah operatives. The two were also tasked with determining their capabilities to independently carry out terror attacks in Israel.

Atallah knew that Hussein Chit was a member of Hezbollah, also given that Chit detailed the reasoning for his requests, namely that Iran wants to assert regional control and seeks revenge against Israel for the latter’s actions against the Islamic Republic, by smuggling weapons to Hezbollah “sleeper cells,” to arm them for the “hour of need,” in order to attack important figures in Israel, IDF commanders, and politicians. According to Shin Bet, “the actors behind the planned smuggling of weapons are Hezbollah and Iran.”

Additionally, the two Israeli citizens were asked to personally carry out a kidnapping operation in Israel, and Atallah was promised very substantial financial compensation if he could assist in kidnapping people from Israel – either personally or by delivering intelligence on appropriate targets for kidnapping. Hussein Chit also asked Atallah to identify sensitive targets in Israel, for the purpose of firing rockets at them during wartime.

During the interrogation, it was also revealed that Rami Shami received similar requests from Hussein Chit, and that in coordination with Chit, Shami tried to smuggle drugs and weapons into Israel. An MP5 submachine gun was seized during the interrogation.

The Israel Defense Forces revealed that the entire operation was personally directed by Hajj Khalil Harb, whose involvement in smuggling weapons and drugs to Israel has been revealed in recent months. According to the IDF, Harb is a senior Hezbollah official who had previously served as security advisor of the group’s Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah.

Syria

Iran’s Foreign Minister Visits Syria

This week, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also travelled to Syria. While there, Amir-Abdollahian met with Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, and Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk. This visit was important as it came amid reports of Russia using Syrians in its invasion of Ukraine as well as on the heels of Assad’s visit to the United Arab Emirates. In Damascus, Amir-Abdollahian said “we welcome and we are satisfied with what some Arab countries are doing by normalizing relations with Syria.” He added, “we are in the same trench, and we support Syria’s leadership, government, and people.”

Iraq

Iran’s IRGC Threatens More Attack in Iraq

After Iran’s missile attack on Iraqi Kurdistan, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Spokesman Ramezan Sharif threatened last Friday that “if Iraqi officials do not take action to remove other bases of the Zionists in that country while our security continues to be threatened from this region, we will respond without hesitation. It is our natural right to destroy any base from which any attack is carried out against the security of Iran and this is a redline for us.” This came despite the protests from Iraqi officials to the Iranian embassy over the attack. Israeli media separately disclosed that two drones launched from Iran in February and intercepted by U.S. fighter jets over Iraq intended to hit targets in Israel, according to defense officials. This adds to the timeline of events that culminated in Iran’s missile attack on Iraqi Kurdistan, which came after Israel reportedly attacked an Iranian drone base in Kermanshah.