Iran-Lebanese Hezbollah Relationship Tracker

INTRODUCTION

Hezbollah grew in strength in 2009 by entrenching itself further within Lebanon’s political structure and by building up its military capabilities. As a proxy of Iran, Hezbollah continued to receive support from Tehran and maintained a close relationship with Iranian political leadership.

Top Iranian officials, including Speaker of the Parliament Ali Larijani and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki who made visits to Lebanon in January and December, respectively, met with Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.[1] Both Hezbollah and Iran made numerous statements expressing support for the other; however, Hezbollah did assert its independence from Iran on several occasions by insisting that it was not directly under Iranian order.[2] A report in the Jerusalem Post undermined this assertion, indicating that Iran placed military officials in Lebanon to command Hezbollah units.[3] Iran reportedly sought to prevent Lebanese Hezbollah commanders from instigating a conflict with Israel that could destroy the billions of dollars worth of Iranian investment in Lebanon.[4]

Iran remained the primary source of funding for Hezbollah in 2009. The U.S. Department of Defense estimated in April 2010 that Iran provides Hezbollah with $100 to $200 million in annual baseline funding, not including arms transfers and supplementary payouts.[5] Hezbollah receives additional funding through black-market activity in North and South America, West Africa and the Middle East. A report by the RAND Corporation indicated that the group earned approximately $20 million annually from illegal DVD sales in the tri-border region in South America.[6] Hezbollah has reportedly trafficked drugs in Israel, Mexico, and Curacao.[7]

The group’s military strength increased significantly throughout the course of the year, both in the size of its arsenal and in its capabilities. Israeli officials gave a variety of estimates for Hezbollah’s total rocket arsenal in 2009, usually approximated at 40,000 rockets, but with some estimates of up to 80,000 rockets.[8] The primary route for arms transfers to Hezbollah was from Iran, through Syria, and across the border into Lebanon.[9] Some insight into the composition of Iran’s ongoing transfer of weapons to Hezbollah emerged in November when Israeli forces boarded a cargo ship off Cyprus laden with 500 tons of Iranian weapons intended for the militant group. The ship, the Francop, was carrying Katyusha rockets similar to those fired at Israel during the July 2006 war, as well as a variety of other small arms.[10] A month earlier, U.S. Navy personnel boarded the Syria-bound German cargo ship, the Hansa India, in the Suez Canal and found seven containers filled with Kalashnikov ammunition allegedly destined for Hezbollah. American authorities diverted the ship, which was on lease to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), to Malta, where the containers were confiscated.[11]

An explosion of a Hezbollah arms cache in the UN-restricted demilitarized zone in southern Lebanon indicated Hezbollah’s non-compliance with Resolution 1701.  In July, a Hezbollah arms depot exploded in southern Lebanon 12 miles from the border with Israel.[12] Another explosion occurred in a suspected weapons stockpile inside the garage of a known Hezbollah member in October.[13] Additional reports of multiple arms transfers from Iran and Syria, including the transfer of SA-18 shoulder-fired anti-aircraft rockets, SA-8 anti-aircraft missiles, and medium-range Fateh 110 missiles, also support claims that Hezbollah has not complied with Resolution 1701.[14]

The rearmament of Hezbollah since the July 2006 war highlights the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon’s (UNIFIL) failure to effectively police the demilitarized zone south of the Litani River. UNIFIL commander Alain Le Roy said that he doubted Hezbollah had rearmed in southern Lebanon;[15] however, villagers attacked and repelled a UNIFIL patrol when it tried to investigate the site of a suspected Hezbollah weapons depot.[16]

Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for any attacks on Israel in 2009; nevertheless, the group still engaged in other militant activities. Hezbollah reportedly provided support to Hamas during Operation Cast Lead by transferring anti-tank technology to Hamas and training its fighters in Lebanon. Additionally, Hezbollah allegedly planned militant operations in Turkey, Venezuela, and Egypt.[17] In April, Egyptian authorities announced that they arrested 49 men associated with Hezbollah in the Sinai Peninsula who had allegedly planned terrorist operations on the Suez Canal and tourist destinations in Egypt.[18] Nasrallah admitted that one of the detained men, Sami Shihab, was a member of Hezbollah, but asserted that Shihab was only trying to provide aid to Palestinians in Gaza.[19] Earlier in the year, Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem said that Hezbollah will only operate inside Lebanon.[20]

While Hezbollah’s militant movements were more muted in 2009, the group secured significant political gains in Lebanon. The June 2009 parliamentary elections in Lebanon allowed Hezbollah to further its position within the Lebanese government. All of the candidates fielded by Hezbollah won their respective races, though the favored Hezbollah-led March 8 Alliance lost to the March 14 Alliance.[21] The elections guaranteed the continuation of Hezbollah’s effective veto-power over any decision made by the new unity government. Hezbollah also held onto the Telecommunications Ministry post, which allowed the group to maintain control over its own telecommunications network.[22] Formerly outspoken critics of Hezbollah and the March 8 Alliance Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt have moved closer to Hezbollah and cooperated with the group politically after the June elections. Hezbollah’s ability to leverage its political power is evident in the repeated delay of the discussion of its disarmament in the ongoing national defense dialogue talks; furthermore, the new Lebanese cabinet agreed on a policy statement that acknowledged Hezbollah’s right to serve as a “resistance” force against Israel.[23]

Hezbollah’s integration into the Lebanese government created favorable political opportunities for the group to engage with foreign countries and international institutions. Hezbollah members reportedly met with officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the run-up to the general election to discuss economic reform in the country and the conditions of an IMF loan.[24] European Union (EU) officials also reached out to Hezbollah members of parliament. Hezbollah officials met with British Ambassador to Lebanon Frances Guy, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, and EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana following the June elections to discuss the group’s position in the new government.[25]

Hezbollah’s position within the government strained the Israel-Lebanon relationship, especially when Hezbollah and Israel threatened each other. For example, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel would target Lebanon, not just Hezbollah, should the militant group initiate conflict.[26] Despite the level of rhetoric exchanged, Hezbollah and Israel did not engage directly in combat in 2009. Palestinian militants were suspected on several occasions of firing rockets from Hezbollah-controlled territory into northern Israel, with Israeli artillery responding by shelling the locations from which the rockets were fired.[27] In August, Israel cautioned Israeli businessmen and tourists abroad to be vigilant against a potential attack from Hezbollah[28] and later that month Israeli authorities arrested an Israeli-Arab man allegedly passing information to Hezbollah about Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi.[29]

 Please see below for a detailed summary of sources examining data in the following areas:

Iranian-Hezbollah Relations

Funding

ARMS TRANSFERS AND MILITANT OPERATIONS

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Hezbollah Statements

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Iranian-Hezbollah Relations

January 4: Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili met with Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut to discuss Operation Cast Lead. Jalili also met with other Lebanese leaders, such President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri during his visit.[30] While in Lebanon, Jalili visited the tomb of slain Hezbollah military leader Imad Mughniyeh.[31]

January 11: Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, met with Nasrallah to discuss the situation in Gaza.[32]

February 7: At a conference in Munich, Iranian Speaker of the Parliament Ali Larijani said that labeling Hezbollah as a terrorist organization will not change the fact that it is an integral part of the Lebanese government.[33]

February 16: U.S. President Barack Obama directly accused Iran of supplying rockets and missiles to Hamas and Hezbollah.[34]

April 16: Iranian lawmakers issued a statement in support of Nasrallah in light of escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Egypt.[35]

May 21: Nasrallah said that Hezbollah was proud of its alliance with Iran and Syria.[36]

May 28: Nasrallah said Iran was prepared to provide the Lebanese army with advanced military equipment, like an air-defense system, to guard against future attacks from Israel.[37]

May 30: A report by a French parliamentary mission said Iran plans to promote Hezbollah’s influence in Lebanon, and use the group as a lynchpin for the Iranian-Syrian alliance. The report also stated that Hezbollah served as the go-between for any contacts between Lebanon and Iran.[38]

June 25: Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem accused Western countries of meddling in Iranian affairs and instigating protests against the announced results of the June presidential elections declaring Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner. Qassem also denied that Hezbollah was involved in any activity within Iran, saying, “Hezbollah has nothing to do with Iran’s internal affairs.”[39]

September 18: Iran is allegedly tightening its control over Hezbollah by placing Iranian military officers as commanders of Hezbollah units, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post. According to the report, Iran is also holding back Hezbollah from attacking Israel over fears that it could squander assets that Iran has invested billions in.[40]

December 22: Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met with Nasrallah in Beirut to express Iran’s support for Hezbollah’s right to deter Israeli aggression. Nasrallah thanked Mottaki for Iran’s continued support of the group, according to a report on al Manar.[41]

Independence from Iran

January 7: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said Iran had not imposed any decision on Hamas or Hezbollah, adding that meetings between Iran and militant groups were for “consultations.”[42]

February 13: Hezbollah MP Nawar Sahili acknowledged that Hezbollah has a relationship with Syria and Iran, but denied allegations that the militant group carried out orders from its foreign benefactors.[43]

May 15: Hezbollah International Relations officer Ammar Moussawi insisted that “Iran and Syria do not have a say in the Resistance’s decisions made on Lebanese territory.”[44]

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Funding

March 15: Hezbollah took in millions of dollars in pirated DVD sales in South America, according to a RAND Corporation report. The piracy occurs primarily in the tri-border region between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, and funnels approximately $20 million annually to Hezbollah. One transfer of $3.5 million from DVD pirate Assad Ahmad Barakat to Hezbollah warranted a message of appreciation from Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.[45]

March 27: Hezbollah is relying on the Mexican narcotics route into the U.S. as a source of financing. Hezbollah receives funding from a large network of Lebanese Shi’a Diaspora around the world, including Mexico. Lebanese Shi’ite expatriates are believed to negotiate contracts with Mexican drug cartels for use of the routes. Hezbollah is also believed to have smuggled members across the U.S. border.[46]

April 12: Israeli police say Hezbollah receives a cut of profits made from the drug trade that crosses the southern Lebanese border into Israel. Israelis allege that Hezbollah also uses the routes to recruit spies inside Israel. Israeli officials estimate that between four and five tons of heroin crossed the border into Israel from Lebanon in 2008.[47]

April 29: 17 people were arrested in the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao for their suspected involvement in a drug ring tied to Hezbollah. The ring allegedly funneled money through Middle Eastern banks, where some of the money was diverted to Hezbollah.[48]

May 1: A U.S. State Department Report said that in 2008, Iran provided over $200 million to Hezbollah and trained over 3,000 of the group’s fighters in Iran.[49]

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ARMS TRANSFERS AND MILITANT OPERATIONS

January 7 and 17: Hezbollah allegedly transferred technology to destroy Merkava tanks to Hamas[50]and trained Hamas fighters in Lebanon.[51]

February 3: Hezbollah distributed weapons to supporters in the Beqa’a Valley to influence the upcoming elections, according to Future Movement allegations.[52]

February 9: The UN confirmed that the cargo ship detained in Cyprus was carrying weapons from Iran to Syria in violation UN sanctions on Iran. Israeli media has reported that the weapons would have been passed from Syria to both Hezbollah and Hamas.[53]

July 14: A suspected Hezbollah arms depot in southern Lebanon exploded 12 miles from the border with Israel. A Lebanese army spokesman said that the depot predated the 2006 war with Israel.[54]

August 4: Citing a senior Israeli army official, the Times of London says Hezbollah has expanded its arsenal to more than 40,000 rockets, including missiles capable of hitting Tel Aviv. The Times also obtained footage of Hezbollah operatives searching the site of July’s weapons depot explosion to rescue undamaged explosives.[55]

August 5: Hezbollah has acquired “large numbers” of SA-18 shoulder fired missiles to counter Israeli helicopters. Hezbollah militants have also traveled to Syria to train on SA-8 anti-aircraft missiles, according to Western intelligence sources. Israeli threats to Syria have temporarily stalled the transfer of SA-8 systems to Lebanon. Hezbollah is also believed to want to acquire the Fateh 110 missile from Syria, which has a 125-mile radius. Hezbollah militants are believed to have traveled to Iran for training in bomb-making, anti-tank missiles, sniping, and firing rockets.[56]

September 4: In a report, Kuwaiti newspaper al Seyasseh quoted Western and European intelligence sources indicating that Hezbollah had acquired chemical weapons provided by Iran. The weapons were allegedly transferred by plane from Iran to Syria before being carried overland to Hezbollah bases in the Beqa’a Valley and near the Litani River in Lebanon.[57]

September 8: The report in al Seyasseh also indicated that chemical weapons were among those destroyed during the July 14 explosion at an arms depot in southern Lebanon. Three Hezbollah members allegedly died from chemical contamination following the blast. Furthermore, UNIFIL forces found traces of a chemical residue in the soil near the depot site.[58]

October 13: Israeli surveillance footage shows Hezbollah militants removing weapons from the site of an explosion at a Hezbollah member’s house near the southern Lebanese city of Tyre. Video showed the militants loading rockets and other weapons onto two trucks that were then driven to the nearby village of Dir al Nahar.[59]

October 15: A report on Israel’s Channel 10 said that Syria has provided Hezbollah with over a quarter of the group’s arsenal. The report added that Iranian and Syrian military officers are training Hezbollah militants in the Lebanese mountains.[60]

November 3: Israeli forces boarded an Antiguan-flagged ship allegedly carrying Iranian weapons destined for Hezbollah. Reports say that Katyusha rockets were found aboard the Francop when it was intercepted.[61] Iran and Syria both denied that the Francop was carrying arms intended for Hezbollah.[62]

November 24 and December 8: U.S. prosecutors indicted 10 people in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on charges of supplying Hezbollah with weapons, fake passports, counterfeit money, stolen laptops and game consoles. Two of the defendants, Hassan Hadroj and Dib Hani Harb, were accused of trying to export 1,200 Colt M-4 assault rifles to Latakia, Syria where they would have then been transferred to Hezbollah.[63] In another case, U.S. prosecutors accused Dani Nemar Tarraf of trying to supply Iran or Syria with FIM-92 Stinger missiles and 10,000 Colt M-4 carbines. Tarraf allegedly told investigators that he was a member of Hezbollah and was providing the weapons for Hezbollah use. He also said he had received military training from the organization.[64]

December 9: Top Israeli military intelligence officer Brigadier General Yossi Baidatz presented evidence to the Knesset of current Hezbollah militant operations south of the Litani River. Baidatz said tens of thousands of Hezbollah militants and rockets were in place on both sides of the river. He added that the current rockets deployed could reach southern Israel.[65]

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International Relations

Lebanon

January 22: Following years of hostile relations, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt met finally with Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad. The meeting is the first thaw in relations between the two sides since Hezbollah and Druze militants fought in May 2008 in a battle that left 74 dead.[66]

February 12 and March 16: Saad Hariri, the leader of the March 14 bloc, said that March 14 would not join a Hezbollah-led coalition if the group wins elections in June.[67] In another statement, Hariri said the June 7 parliamentary elections will be a choice between Hezbollah and Lebanon’s sovereignty.[68]

April 11: Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem said there are ongoing contacts between the group and Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader of the Progressive Socialist Party and an outspoken critic of Hezbollah.[69]

May 28: The IMF acknowledged that officials from its branch in Lebanon had spoken to Hezbollah about economic reform within the country. An IMF spokesman denied reports that the organization had discussed the possibility of a loan with Hezbollah.[70]

June 7: The Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition lost the Lebanese general election to the pro-western March 14 alliance. March 14 won 68 seats and the March 8 coalition won 57 seats.[71]

June 19: Hassan Nasrallah and long-time Hezbollah critic and leader of the Lebanese Druze faction Walid Jumblatt met to reconcile their differences. The meeting was the first between the two leaders in three years. Jumblatt had previously been one of the most outspoken critics of Hezbollah, accusing the group of trying to destabilize Lebanon on multiple occasions.[72]

June 26 and 28: Hariri met with Nasrallah for the first time in three years, to discuss the formation of the cabinet in the new government.[73] Following his nomination to become Prime Minister, Hariri promised to work with the rival Hezbollah-led coalition.[74]

July 22: A Lebanese military prosecutor charged 17 suspects with attacking UNIFIL and Lebanese army forces after their forces were stoned by villagers in south Lebanon. The prosecutor claimed the suspects were part of a terrorist network led by a Syrian, without elaborating further.[75]

September 2: Lebanese authorities arrested a wealthy investor with ties to Hezbollah on suspicion of fraud. Salah Ezzedine took hundreds of millions in investment before declaring bankruptcy. His alleged victims included high-ranking members of Hezbollah, including MP Hussein Hajj Hassan, who filed as a plaintiff in the case.[76]

October 12: A rocket exploded in the garage of a senior Hezbollah official’s home in the village of Tayr Filsay in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan said no one was killed in the explosion; however, Lebanese security forces said five were killed in the blast. Israel said the explosion was further evidence that Hezbollah was stockpiling weapons.[77]

November 7: Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance agreed to a new unity government proposal after five months of failed negotiations. Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s coalition will have 15 seats in the cabinet and the opposition March 8 coalition will hold 10 seats. President Michel Suleiman will fill the other 5 seats in the cabinet. The new agreement will allow Hezbollah to retain control over the telecommunications ministry, which is an important security post in Lebanon.[78]

November 25: The Lebanese cabinet agreed on a policy statement that acknowledges Hezbollah’s right to use weapons against Israel, retaining the same language as the previous government. However, the policy acknowledges the disapproval of several Christian parties in the group to the clause.[79]

December 12: Lebanese President Michel Suleiman is urging the United States to speed up the delivery of military aid. The U.S. has been cautious to hand over any sophisticated weaponry to Lebanon for fear that it will fall into Hezbollah hands.[80]

December 26: An explosion in a Hezbollah controlled suburb of Beirut killed two Hamas members according to a Hamas spokesman. There were conflicting reports as to whether the bomb was strapped underneath a car, or whether it exploded in a Hamas official’s office.[81]

December 29 and 31: Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces party, said Hezbollah was linking Lebanon’s destiny to regional affairs unrelated to Lebanese interests. He suggested that Hezbollah review its relationship with Iran when considering the interests of Lebanon.[82] Geagea also publicly wondered whether Lebanon would face a threat from Israel if Hezbollah disarmed.[83]

Israel

January 6: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned Hezbollah against beginning new conflict with Israel over Operation Cast Lead. Olmert insinuated that Israel would be ready to respond to any Hezbollah aggression.[84]

February 2: Israel urges vigilance for citizens abroad against potential Hezbollah attack.[85] The Israeli counter-terrorism bureau said Hezbollah was likely planning to kill or capture Israeli officials before the anniversary of the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh.[86]

February 3: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says Hezbollah participation in the Lebanese cabinet makes the Lebanese government complicit in any Hezbollah attack on Israel.[87]

February 16: The Lebanese army worked in conjunction with Hezbollah to capture a suspected Israeli spy in southern Lebanon.[88] Hezbollah said that it had changed its security protocol following the arrest.[89] 

May 10: Lebanese authorities arrested 17 men in total suspected of being of an Israeli “sleeper cell” in Lebanon set up to spy on Hezbollah.[90]

April 12 and June 8: Israeli Transport Minister Yisrael Katz said that Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah deserves to die.[91] Katz later said that Hezbollah must disarm following the group’s loss in Lebanese parliamentary elections on June 7.[92]

August 6: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak vowed to “use all necessary force” in the event of a new conflict in southern Lebanon. He added that Israel “cannot accept that a neighboring UN member state” has a militia with over 40,000 rockets, and said that the Jewish state “must ensure certain types of weapons should not enter Lebanon.”[93]

August 24: Israeli President Shimon Peres alleged that Hezbollah now possessed up to 80,000 rockets, twice the size of previous estimate suggested by Israeli intelligence officials. Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh dismissed Peres’s claim as “lies.”[94]

August 30 and September 17: An Israeli Arab was charged with passing information to Hezbollah on the whereabouts of Israeli Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. Rawi Fuad Sultani admitted to meeting a Hezbollah operative in Morocco to provide information about Ashkenazi.[95] The Israeli Arab political party Balad denied that it was paying for Israeli Arabs to attend a Hezbollah indoctrination camp in Morocco.[96]

September 18: Sources within the Israeli military said that Hezbollah cannot prevent other militant groups from launching attacks at Israel. Hezbollah’s ability to control militant groups in south Lebanon is believed to have diminished since the conclusion of the 2006 war.[97]

November 5: Israel released the cargo ship Francop from the port of Ashdod after unloading 500 tons of Iranian arms and ammunition allegedly destined for Hezbollah.[98] Israeli defense officials claimed that the weapons seized from the Francop would have allowed Hezbollah to wage war on Israel for one month. The officials noted that the weapons on the ship already existed in Hezbollah’s arsenal.[99]

November 14: A report in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth published excerpts of an alleged Hezbollah document suggesting the group knows everything about Israeli military activity along the Lebanese border. The report adds that Hezbollah spies are in place in the Israeli army and provide information on both regular Israeli communication and coded communication networks.[100]

November 24: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Lebanon, not Hezbollah, would be the target of its attacks if the militant group instigates violence along the border with Israel. Barak added, “Lebanon grants Hezbollah permission to operate on its soil.”[101]

Palestinian Territories

April 13: Mohammed Nazzal, Hamas’s politburo deputy chief, said that the group had no ties to Hezbollah’s arm smuggling in the Sinai Peninsula.[102]

April 18: The armed wing of Fatah, the al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, said they have severed ties with Hezbollah, saying that the group refused to be a tool of a non-Palestinian entity.[103]

Syria

January 29: French Ambassador to Lebanon Philippe Marini said that Syria had constrained Hezbollah during Operation Cast Lead and prevented it from retaliating against the Israeli operation in Gaza.[104] Syria denied the allegation.[105]

April 29: Syrian President Bashar al Assad said that Syria would not assist Hamas or Hezbollah in any plot to attack Israel.[106]

May 4: A U.S. report on Hezbollah said that Hezbollah’s military commander Imad Mughniyeh’s assassination in Damascus in 2008 was proof of Syria’s connections to the militant group.[107]

September 12: Amos Gilad, a top advisor to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Iran’s influence on Hezbollah far outweighed that of Syria’s. He added that at this point, he did not believe that Syria had the power to curb Hezbollah’s actions.[108]

U.S.

January 6: The U.S. placed the Waad Project, a reconstruction project affiliated with Hezbollah, on a list of individuals and groups that sponsor or participate in terrorism. U.S. officials believe Hezbollah is using the Waad Project to rebuild its command center and underground storage facilities.[109]

March 26: Jeffrey Feltman, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs, said American aid to Lebanon is contingent on the outcome of June parliamentary elections.[110]

May 27: The U.S. Treasury Department froze the assets of Kassim Tajideen and Abd al Menhem Qubaysi for allegedly having transactions with Hezbollah. According to the Treasury Department Tajideen is “an important financial contributor to Hezbollah,” and Qubaysi is a personal representative of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah in Africa, and helped establish Hezbollah’s presence in the Ivory Coast.[111]

June 16: Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said that Hezbollah could surpass al Qaeda as the biggest terrorist threat to the United States. Chertoff states that Hezbollah is better equipped, trained, and politically positioned than al Qaeda to do harm to the United States.[112]

October 8: U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said the United States provides Lebanon with aid so that Hezbollah will not replace services provided by the Lebanese government.[113]

Venezuela

May 27: Israel has accused Iran of setting up Hezbollah cells in Venezuela, especially in the Margarita islands off the northern coast of the country. Israel is worried that Hezbollah could use the islands as a base to smuggle advanced anti-aircraft missiles into Lebanon.[114]

August 13: An Israeli government official said that Hezbollah has established command posts in Venezuela and is conducting intelligence operations in other countries in South America, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Aharonoth. The Israeli official indicated that Hezbollah was working with the al Quds brigade from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to kidnap Israeli businessmen travelling in South America.[115]

Egypt

April 8: Egypt announced that it had arrested 49 men on suspicion of being Hezbollah agents and attempting to “destabilize Egypt’s general security.” Egyptian officials believe the men were assigned to collect intelligence along Egypt’s border with Gaza, and to scout tourist sites on the Sinai Peninsula, as well as along the Suez Canal.[116]

April 9 and 12: Egyptian officials said one of those arrested on suspicion of plotting attacks for Hezbollah is Sami Hani Shihab. Shihab is believed to head a Hezbollah unit in neighboring countries.[117] Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah later admitted that Shihab was a Hezbollah member working in Egypt.[118]

April 12: The lawyer for the detainees being held for their alleged links to Hezbollah said his clients were tortured while in custody. The lawyer, Abd al Moneim Abd al Maqsoud, said one of his clients, Adel Ghareez, had been paralyzed by abuse from Egyptian police.[119]

April 14: Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said, “Iran used Hezbollah to gain a presence in Egypt and to say to Egyptians: we are here.”[120]

April 20: A report in al Hayat newspaper said the officials within the Lebanese government helped facilitate the Hezbollah cell operating in Egypt. In particular, the paper alleges that Lebanese officials must have helped several of the Lebanese suspects with forged documents.[121]

April 21: Sudan says rebels in that country may have assisted Hezbollah in transferring weapons to the Sinai Peninsula, adding that suspicions of Hezbollah and Sudanese rebel collaboration are “real.”[122]

April 25: News reports in Egypt indicate that suspected Hezbollah agents in custody confessed to meeting known Hezbollah operative Mohammad Qabalan to plan an attack on Taba on the Sinai Peninsula.[123]

April 29: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he would not tolerate Iran or Hezbollah tampering with his country’s security or stability.[124]

October 28: Mohammed Mansur, one of the 26 men on trial for their participation in a Hezbollah plot, said he had been brutally tortured by Egyptian interrogators. Mansur said his harsh treatment had left him deaf in one ear. He added that all 26 men had been electrocuted.[125]

Turkey

February 18 and April 27: 22 people were arrested in an operation against Hezbollah in Istanbul. [126] Later, in April, Turkish authorities detained 35 people suspected of aiding Hezbollah’s “Ilim” group.[127]

October 21: A report on the Israeli Ynet website said that Hezbollah is planning attacks in three Turkish cities on Israeli and American institutions. The attack is allegedly being planned by Hezbollah member Abbas Hussein Zakr in retaliation for the 2008 assassination of Imad Mughniyeh. Turkish police are preparing for attacks in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.[128]

December 13: Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Turkish authorities prevented a Hezbollah attack on an undisclosed Israeli target in Turkey. According to Turkish reports, Hezbollah had set up a network of Iranian agents posing as tourists in Istanbul.[129]

Europe

May 22: The head of the EU’s observer mission Jose Ignacio Salafranca Sanchez-Neyra said that the EU considers Hamas a terrorist group, but not Hezbollah. He added that Lebanon has put in place stronger electoral laws than the law used in the Palestinian territories in 2006.[130]

June 12: EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana met for the first time with Hezbollah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan in Beirut to underscore Europe’s support for Lebanon. Hassan indicated that the meeting “means more EU overtures towards Hezbollah, and one at a higher level.”[131]

France

March 13: France regards Hezbollah “as a political force as a piece in the Lebanese political game.”[132]

July 10: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner met with Hezbollah MP Nawwaf Moussawi to discuss ongoing efforts to form a new Lebanese government. Kouchner is third high-ranking European official to meet with Hezbollah MPs in recent weeks, following EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, and British ambassador to Lebanon Frances Guy.[133]

U.K.

March 4: Britain said it is willing to engage in direct talks with Hezbollah since the group became part of the unity government in 2008. British Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell said the U.K. looks “press Hezbollah to play a more constructive role, particularly to move away from violence.” The U.K. has had no official talks with Hezbollah since 2005.[134]

March 7: David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, said he approved low-level contacts with Hezbollah’s political wing. He underscored the need to counterbalance Iran’s influence in the region.[135]

March 28: Hezbollah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan is scheduled to hold meetings with members of the British parliament this week in London to discuss “regional issues.”[136]

June 18: British ambassador to Lebanon Frances Guy met with Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad in the first high-level contact between the British government and the militant group since 2005. The two discussed the recent general elections and the formation of the new Lebanese government.[137]

UN

March 4: Hezbollah officials met with Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare. Sources close to the discussions say the talks were “fruitful and extremely positive.”[138]

March 30: A UNIFIL vehicle lost its way in southern Lebanon and ran into a small contingent of Hezbollah militants. The militants stopped and searched the vehicle, confiscating a map and camera before escorting it back to a Lebanese army base.[139]

May 9: In a report to the UN Security Council, UN Special Representative to Lebanon Terje Roed-Larsen said Hezbollah’s militant activities represent a threat to both the stability of Lebanon and the broader Middle East. He added that there was “growing concern that Hezbollah has engaged in clandestine and illegal militant activities beyond Lebanese territory.[140]

May 22: UNIFIL commander Alain Le Roy said he doubts that Hezbollah has rearmed extensively in the Lebanese region south of the Litani River to the Israeli border. He said that he could provide assurances for Hezbollah’s activities north of the Litani, as UNIFIL’s mandate does not extend there.[141]

May 23: The German magazine Der Spiegel reported that UN commission investigating the 2005 assassination of Rafiq Hariri now suspects Hezbollah as the prime culprit.[142]

July 15: A UNIFIL statement said that the recent explosion at a Hezbollah weapons cache in southern Lebanon represented a “serious violation” of the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel. The blast underscored suspicions that Hezbollah has maintained a military presence in southern Lebanon following the UN brokered ceasefire.[143]

July 18: Villagers in a Hezbollah-controlled region of southern Lebanon stoned UNIFIL troops as the approached the site of arms depots which recently exploded. Around 100 villagers approached the soldiers and attempted to prevent them from investigating the depot site.[144]

July 23: In a brief to the UN Security Council, UNIFIL chief Alain Le Roy said there were strong indications that Hezbollah was illegally stockpiling weapons at the site of the depot explosion in southern Lebanon. He added that some of the villagers preventing UNIFIL forces from investigating the site were Hezbollah members dressed as civilians.[145]

July 28: UNIFIL leaders met with officials from the Lebanese army and members of parliament to discuss the explosion at an arms depot in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah attended the meeting, which discussed UNIFIL’s ability to effectively conduct its mission in southern Lebanon.[146]

October 15: UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams said Israeli surveillance footage of Hezbollah operatives moving weapons in southern Lebanon represented a violation of UN resolution 1701. [147]

October 30: UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon defended the UN Special Representative to Lebanon Terje Roed-Larsen, saying that he enjoyed Ban’s “full confidence and trust.” Hezbollah harshly criticized Larsen following his recent report to the Security Council calling for Hezbollah to disarm.[148]

November 11: UN Special Envoy for Lebanon Michael Williams said that both Israel and Hezbollah must do more to comply with UN resolution 1701. Williams said both sides had repeatedly violated the resolution, with Israel conducting regular flights over Lebanon, and Hezbollah allowing continued rocket fire from south Lebanon into Israel.[149]

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HEZBOLLAH STATEMENTS

January 19: Hezbollah’s chief of International Relations Nawwaf Moussawi said Lebanon needed the militant group to protect against an aggressive Israeli state. Moussawi additionally claimed that the Lebanese army does not have enough weaponry to confront Israel on its own.[150]

February 6: Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad urged Arab countries to reject the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and unite against Israel. Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem concurred, saying that Israel’s incursion into Gaza “buried” any chance for peace.[151]

March 2: Hezbollah denied allegations by the French paper Le Monde that its members were photographing the headquarters of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the Hague.[152]

March 23: The director of Waad, Hezbollah’s reconstruction effort for Lebanon, said $400 million has been allocated to rebuild buildings throughout the country. Iran is believed to be providing much of the funding for Waad’s reconstruction drive.[153]

March 23: Qassem says that Hezbollah gave Lebanese security forces information of suspected Israeli spy Adib al Aalam, who was subsequently arrested near his office in Beirut.[154]

May 28: Hezbollah officials say they are talking to both the IMF and the European Union about continued financial assistance to Lebanon in the event that the group wins the general election slated for June. The EU provides $84 million a year to Lebanon, while the IMF provides $114 million.[155]

June 4: Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said that U.S. President Barack Obama’s speech to Muslims in Cairo “reveals no real change to the position of U.S. policy in the region.”[156]

June 7: Following the March 14 alliance’s win in the Lebanese parliamentary elections, Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad said the new government must commit to not questioning Hezbollah’s weapons arsenal.[157]

June 7: Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said all eleven candidate fielded by the group won in the Lebanese parliamentary elections, without commenting on the overall results.[158]

October 10: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt urged the formation of a new Lebanese unity government “as soon as possible.” The two issued a joint statement following a meeting. Nasrallah and Jumblatt have reconciled their differences from May 2008, when their respective forces clashed in the Druze mountains.[159]

October 15: A Hezbollah statement on al Manar television channel said that the rockets shown in an Israeli surveillance video were actually metal shutters. The video appeared to show Hezbollah militants transferring rockets from an explosion site in Tayr Felsay to another village in southern Lebanon.[160]

November 11: Hassan Nasrallah said Hezbollah would cooperate with the new government, but asked that it avoid the “big issues,” in reference to his group’s weapons. Nasrallah said addressing the issue now would lead Lebanon “straight for problems.”[161]

November 13: Hezbollah issued a statement on al Manar television channel suggesting that the group had committed espionage inside Israel, taking photographs and copying sensitive Israeli defense documents.[162]

November 19: Hezbollah announced that Hassan Nasrallah was re-elected as its leader. Naim Qassem also was reelected as the deputy secretary general of the group. The group was scheduled to hold elections in 2007, but delayed for two years due to the aftermath of the 2006 war.[163]

November 29: Hezbollah issued a new political strategy that has a less overt religious overtone but maintains a tough stance against Israel and the United States. Hezbollah said Israel remains a constant threat to Lebanon, and that the U.S. is largest supporter of terrorism in the world. The manifesto also vows that Hezbollah will continue to rearm, despite a UN resolution expressly forbidding the group from doing so.[164]

December 20: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah praised Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s decision to visit Syria as an important step in de-escalating tensions between the two countries. The visit was the first for Hariri since his father Rafiq was assassinated in 2005.[165]

Statements regarding Operation Cast Lead

January 1: Nasrallah urges Egypt to provide Hamas with weapons and personnel in its fight against Israel during Operation Cast Lead.[166]

January 1: Hezbollah official Nawwaf Moussawi said Israeli air raids on Gaza had no effect on Hamas’s fighting capability, and that Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip would fail.[167]

January 3: Nasrallah urges Hamas members to inflict as many casualties as possible on Israeli troops during Israel’s incursion into the Gaza Strip.[168]

January 4: During the Arab Parliamentary Meeting in Tyre in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said that Hamas’s resistance “up until now in Gaza is a direct for the Palestinian resistance and a failure for Israel.”[169]

January 7: Nasrallah warned Israel against invading Lebanon, saying that “all possibilities are open” against Israel, but said that Hezbollah would only participate in Hamas’s defense of Gaza “morally but not physically.”[170]

January 21: Nasrallah congratulated Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal via telephone for the group’s “victory” over Israeli forces during Operation Cast Lead. Both sides agreed to a ceasefire January 18.[171]

Return to top.

[1] “Gaza Fight Confronts Threat From Iran,” The Sunday Telegraph, January 11, 2009, www.nexis.com.

“Hezbollah Welcomes Iranian Minister,” UPI, December 22, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[2] “Iran Not Imposing Decision on Hezbollah,” Fars News Agency, January 7, 2009. Available at WNC.

“Iran, Syria ‘Do Not Have Say,’ in Hezbollah Decisions,” The Daily Star, May 15, 2009. Available at WNC.

[3] Editor’s Note: In February 2010, reports confirmed the presence of military commanders.  Hassan Mahdavi, the Force Commander of the Lebanese Quds Corps, IRGC, oversaw the disbursement of a $300 million transfer from Iran to Hezbollah to go towards those affected by the Salah Ezzedine ponzi scheme.

See: “’Clean Money’ Saves Nasrallah from the Repercussions of the Crisis,” al Seyassah, February 28, 2010.  Available: http://www.al-seyassah.com/AtricleView/tabid/59/smid/438/ArticleID/80631/reftab/36/Default.aspx

[4] “Tehran is Restraining an Already Wary Hizballah,” The Jerusalem Post, September 18, 2009. Available at WNC.

[5] “Military Power of Iran,” The Department of Defense, April 2010. Available: http://www.politico.com/static/PPM145_link_042010.html

The State Department estimated that Iran provided over $200 million in baseline funding to Hezbollah in 2008.  See: Country Reports on Terrorism 2008, “Chapter 3: State Sponsors of Terrorism,” U.S. Department of State, April 30, 2009.  Available: http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2008/122436.htm

[6] “Think Tank Links Hizbullah to South American Piracy,” The Daily Star, March 5, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[7] “On Jumpy Lebanon-Israel Frontier, A Quiet Drug War,” AP, April 12, 2009, www.nexis.com.

“Hezbollah Uses Mexican Drug Routes Into U.S.,” The Washington Times, March 27, 2009, www.nexis.com.

“17 Arrested in Curacao in Alleged Drug Ring,” AP, April 29, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[8] “Hezbollah Can Strike Tel Aviv,” al Arabiya, August 4, 2009, www.nexis.com.

“Peres: Hezbollah ‘Has 80,000 Rockets,’” UPI, August 24, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[9] Country Reports on Terrorism 2009, U.S. Department of State, August 2010.  Available: http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2009/index.htm

[10] Jeremy M. Sharp, “Syria: Background and U.S. Relations,” Congressional Research Service, RL33487, April 26, 2010. Available: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33487.pdf

[11] “German Ship Transporting Arms For Iran,” Der Spiegel, October 12, 2009. Available: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,654596,00.html

[12] “Suspected Hezbollah Arms Depot in Lebanon Explodes,” AFP, July 14, 2009, www.nexis.com

[13] “One Wounded in Lebanon Blast: Lebanese Army,” al Arabiya, October 12, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[14] “Hezbollah Threat to Rain Rockets on Tel Aviv as it Rearms For Fresh War; Lebanon,” The Times, August 5, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[15] UNIFIL Doubts Major Hizbullah Rearming in South,” The Daily Star, May 22, 2009. Available at WNC.

[16] “Lebanese Stone UN Peacekeepers, Injure 14,” AP, July 18, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[17] “Hezbollah Operating in South America,” UPI, August 13, 2009, www.nexis.com.

“Egypt Accuses Hezbollah of Plotting Attacks,” al Arabiya, April 7, 2009, www.nexis.com.

“Israel Accuses Hizbullah of Planning Attacks in Turkey,” The Daily Star, October 21, 2009. Available at WNC.

[18] “Egypt Arrest Alleged Hezbollah Operatives,” AP, April 8, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[19] “2nd LD Lebanese Hezbollah Chief Denies Plotting Attacks Against Egypt,” Xinhua, April 10, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[20] “Hezbollah Savors Rising Legitimacy,” Los Angeles Times, April 13, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[21] Chris Harnisch, “2009 Lebanese Parliamentary Elections,” Critical Threats, June 12, 2009. Available: http://www.criticalthreats.org/lebanon/2009-lebanese-parliamentary-elections

[22] “Rival Lebanon Faction Agree on Unity Government,” November 7, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[23] “Lebanon Gives Hezbollah Right to Attack Israel,” al Arabiya, November 25, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[24] “IMF Talks With Hezbollah About Lebanon Reforms,” AFP, May 28, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[25] “French Foreign Minister Meets Hezbollah Legislator,” AP, July 10, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[26] “Israel to Target Lebanon if Hezbollah Escalates Tension: Barak,” Xinhua, November 24, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[27] “Israel Hits Lebanon With Rocket Fire,” Fars News Agency, January 14, 2009. Available at WNC.

[28] “Israel Deputy FM Warns Against Attacks,” AFP, August 9, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[29] “Arab Israeli Accused of Spying on Army Chief,” al Arabiya, August 30, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[30] “Iran’s Jalili Meets Lebanese Leaders on Gaza,” Mehr News Agency, January 4, 2009. Available at WNC.

[31] “Gaza, Lebanon: Israel Military Keeps Wary Eye On Northern Border,” The Guardian, Janurary 5, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[32] “Gaza Fight Confronts Threat From Iran,” The Sunday Telegraph, January 11, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[33] “Larijani Proposes Nuclear Disarmament at Munich Meet,” Mehr News Agency, February 7, 2009. Available at WNC.

[34] “Lebanese Army and Hizbullah Arrest Israeli Spy,” al Bawaba, February 16, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[35] “Tehran Issues Statement on Nasrallah,” UPI, April 16, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[36] “Nasrallah: Resistance Proud of Alliance With Iran, Syria,” The Daily Star, May 21, 2009. Available at WNC.

[37] “Hezbollah Says Iran Ready to Aid Lebanon’s Army,” al Arabiya, May 28, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[38] “Lebanon: French Report Lists Iran’s Plans to Promote Hizballah in Lebanon,” The Daily Star, May 30, 2009. Available at WNC.

[39] “Hezbollah Accuses West of Fomenting Turmoil in Iran,” AFP, June 25, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[40] “Tehran is Restraining an Already Wary Hizballah,” The Jerusalem Post, September 18, 2009. Available at WNC.

[41] “Hezbollah Welcomes Iranian Minister,” UPI, December 22, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[42] “Iran Not Imposing Decision on Hezbollah,” Fars News Agency, January 7, 2009. Available at WNC.

[43] “Lebanon Provides Fertile Ground For Iranian Influence,” VOA, February 13, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[44] “Iran, Syria ‘Do Not Have Say,’ in Hezbollah Decisions,” The Daily Star, May 15, 2009. Available at WNC.

[45] “Think Tank Links Hizbullah to South American Piracy,” The Daily Star, March 5, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[46] “Hezbollah Uses Mexican Drug Routes Into U.S.,” The Washington Times, March 27, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[47] “On Jumpy Lebanon-Israel Frontier, A Quiet Drug War,” AP, April 12, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[48] “17 Arrested in Curacao in Alleged Drug Ring,” AP, April 29, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[49] Country Reports on Terrorism 2008, “Chapter 3: State Sponsors of Terrorism,” U.S. Department of State, April 30, 2009.  Available: http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2008/122436.htm

[50] “Method of Destroying a Merkava Tank Has Been Conveyed By Hezbollah to Hamas. Hemayat, January 7, 2009. Available at WNC.

[51] “Hezbollah Plots Bloody Vengeance,” The Times, January 17, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[52] “Jumblatt Comes Down Against on Funding For Council of the South,” The Daily Star, February 3, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[53] “Ship is Carrying Banned Weapons, Says UN Panel,” Cyprus Mail Online, February 9, 2009. Available at WNC.

[54] “Suspected Hezbollah Arms Depot in Lebanon Explodes,” AFP, July 14, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[55] “Hezbollah Can Strike Tel Aviv,” al Arabiya, August 4, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[56] “Hezbollah Threat to Rain Rockets on Tel Aviv as it Rearms For Fresh War; Lebanon,” The Times, August 5, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[57] “Hizbullah Silent Over Report That Got Chemical Weapons,” The Daily Star, September 4, 2009. Available at WNC.

[58] “Iran ‘Offers Missiles to Lebanon,’” UPI, September 8, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[59] “Hezbollah Removes Rockets From Bomb Site,” October 13, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[60] “Report Says Syria Gave Hezbollah Rockets,” UPI, October 15, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[61] “Israel Seizes Hezbollah-Bound Iranian Arms,” al Arabiya, November 3, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[62] “Iran, Syria Deny Israeli Accusations Over Hezbollah Arms, AFP, November 4, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[63] “Washington Accuses 10 In Hezbollah Arms Ring,” al Arabiya, November 24, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[64] “Alleged Hezbollah Member Ordered Held As Flight Risk in Weapons Case,” Philadelphia Daily News, December 8, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[65] “Hezbollah Rockets Deployed South of the Litani River,” Qatar News Agency, December 9, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[66] “Lebanon’s Majority Leader Meets With Hezbollah Official,” Xinhua, January 22, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[67] “Lebanon’s Hariri Says Would Not Join Hezbollah Coalition,” AFP, February 12, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[68] “Lebanon Votes Face Hezbollah Independence Choice: Hariri,” AFP, March 16, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[69] “Nasrallah to Meet Jumblatt When ‘Time is Ripe,’” The Daily Star, April 11, 2009. Available at WNC.

[70] “IMF Talks With Hezbollah About Lebanon Reforms,” AFP, May 28, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[71] “Lebanon’s Pro-Western Majority Declares Victory,” AP, June 7, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[72] “Lebanon Hezbollah, Rival Hold Reconciliation Talks, AP, June 19, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[73] “Lebanese Sunni Majority Leader Met Shiite Hezbollah Chief,” Xinhua, June 26, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[74] “Pro-West Leader Will Be Lebanon’s Prime Minister; Hariri to Work With Hezbollah,” AP, June 28, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[75] “Lebanon Charges 17 With Plotting to Attack UN Peace Forces,” Xinhua, July 22, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[76] “Lebanon’s Prominent Shiite Financier in Detention,” AP, September 2, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[77] “One Wounded in Lebanon Blast: Lebanese Army,” al Arabiya, October 12, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[78] “Rival Lebanon Faction Agree on Unity Government,” November 7, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[79] “Lebanon Gives Hezbollah Right to Attack Israel,” al Arabiya, November 25, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[80] “Lebanon Pressing US to Deliver Military Aid,” AP, December 12, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[81] “Hamas Confirm Two Members Killed In Beirut Blast,” al Arabiya, December 26, 2009, www.nexis.com

[82] “Lawmakers Blast Hezbollah’s Rhetoric,” UPI, December 29, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[83] “Wrangling Continues Over Hezbollah Weapons,” UPI, December 31, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[84] “Olmert Reaffirms Ceasefire Conditions, Warns Hezbollah,” AFP, January 6, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[85] “Israel Warns Citizens Abroad of Hezbollah Hit Plot,” Canadian Press, February 2, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[86] “Zionist State Frets Riposte for Mughniyeh Hit,” The Daily Star, February 2, 2009. Available at WNC.

[87] “Jumblatt Comes Down Against on Funding For Council of the South,” The Daily Star, February 3, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[88] “Lebanese Army and Hizbullah Arrest Israeli Spy,” al Bawaba, February 16, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[89] “Hezbollah Adopts Security Changes After Arrest of Israeli Agent,” Xinhua, February 19, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[90] “Israel ‘Sleeper’ Unmasked in Lebanon,” AFP, May 10, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[91] “Israel Minister Says Hezbollah Chief Deserves to Die,” AFP, April 12, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[92] “Israel Calls For Disarming Hezbollah After Vote Defeat,” AFP, June 8, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[93] “Israel Warns It Would Get Tough in Any Conflict With Lebanon,” AFP, August 6, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[94] “Peres: Hezbollah ‘Has 80,000 Rockets,’” UPI, August 24, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[95] “Arab Israeli Accused of Spying on Army Chief,” al Arabiya, August 30, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[96] “Israeli Arab Party Denies Funding Hizballah ‘Indoctrination Camp’ In Morocco,” The Jerusalem Post, September 17, 2009. Available at WNC.

[97] “Hezbollah Can’t Stop Militants – Israel,” UPI, September 18, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[98] “Israel Releases Ship After Unloading Weapons,” Xinhua, November 5, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[99] “Israel: Weapons Would Let Hezbollah Fight a Month,” AP, November 6, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[100] “Hizbullah ‘Knows Everything’ About Israel’s Border Force,” The Daily Star, November 14, 2009. Available at WNC.

[101] “Israel to Target Lebanon if Hezbollah Escalates Tension: Barak,” Xinhua, November 24, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[102] “Hamas Denies Ties With Hezbollah Cell,” Xinhua, April 13, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[103] “Fatah Armed Wing Says It Severed Ties With Hezbollah,” Xinhua, April 18, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[104] “French Envoy Says Syria Prevents Hezbollah From Attacking Israel,” Xinhua, January 29, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[105] “Syria Denies French Envoy’s Statements On Its Role Towards Hezbollah,” Xinhua, January 30, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[106] “Syria Won’t Help Hizbullah Or Hamas Attack Israel: Assad,” The Daily Star, April 29, 2009. Available at WNC.

[107] “US Report Brands Hizbullah Most Capable ‘Terror Group,’” The Daily Star, May 4, 2009. Available at WNC.

[108] “Israeli Official Doubts Syria’s Clout on Hezbollah,” Reuters, September 12, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[109] “US Goes After Hizbullah’s Waad Rebuilding Effort,” The Daily Star, January 11, 2009. Available at WNC.

[110] “U.S. Envoy Links Aid to Lebanese Elections,” UPI, March 26, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[111] “US Imposes Sanctions on Hezbollah Financial ‘Supporters,’” AFP, May 27, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[112] “Former US Security Chief Warns on Hezbollah Threat,” AFP, June 16, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[113] “US Funding to ‘Prevent Reliance on Hizbullah,” The Daily Star, October 8, 2009. Available at WNC.

[114] “Israel Claims Iran Set Up Hizbullah Cells in Venezuela,” The Daily Star, May 27, 2009. Available at WNC.

[115] “Hezbollah Operating in South America,” UPI, August 13, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[116] “Egypt Arrest Alleged Hezbollah Operatives,” AP, April 8, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[117] “Egypt to Question ‘Hezbollah Plotters’ Further,” AFP, April 9, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[118] “Egypt Press Blasts Hezbollah Chief As ‘War Criminal,’” AFP, April 12, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[119] “Torture Allegations Surface in Hezbollah Cell Case,” Daily News Egypt, April 12, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[120] “Iran Using Hezbollah to Enter Egypt: FM,” AFP, April 14, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[121] “Sources Reveal Official Lebanese Involvement in Hezbollah Cell’s ‘Conspiracy’ in Egypt: Report,” Xinhua, April 20, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[122] “Sudan Says Rebels May Have Assisted Hezbollah In Arms Smuggling,” Sudan Tribune, April 21, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[123] “Egyptian Media Says Hizbullah Cell Planned Bombings in Taba,” The Daily Star, April 25, 2009. Available at WNC.

[124] “Egypt’s Mubarak Warns Iran, Hezbollah,” AP, April 29, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[125] “Hezbollah Operative in Egypt Trial Protests ‘Brutal Torture,’” AFP, October 28, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[126] “Twenty-Two People Detained in Hezbollah Operation in Turkey,” Hurriyet Daily News, February 18, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[127] “Turkey: 35 Detained in Operations Against Hizbullah in Elazig, Malatya,” Anatolia, April 27, 2009, www.nexis.com. 

[128] “Israel Accuses Hizbullah of Planning Attacks in Turkey,” The Daily Star, October 21, 2009. Available at WNC.

[129] “Israeli Official Says Turkey Thwarted Hizbullah Attack,” The Daily Star, December 13, 2009. Available at WNC.

[130] “EU Sees Big ‘Difference’ Between Hizbullah, Hamas,” The Daily Star, May 22, 2009. Available at WNC.

[131] “EU Chief Holds First Ever Meeting With Hezbollah,” al Arabiya, June 12, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[132] “France Keen to Show Support for Lebanon During President’s Visit to Paris,” AFP, March 13, 2009. Available at WNC.

[133] “French Foreign Minister Meets Hezbollah Legislator,” AP, July 10, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[134] “Britain Says Open to Lebanon’s Hezbollah Talks,” al Arabiya, March 4, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[135] “U.K. Approves Low-Level Contact with Hezbollah’s Political Wing,” The Daily Star, March 7, 2009. Available at WNC.

[136] “Hezbollah MP to Travel Britain for Rare Meeting,” AP, March 28, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[137] “Hezbollah MP Meets British Ambassador,” AFP, June 18, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[138] “Hizbullah, Bellemare Met Before Tribunal Launch: Report,” The Daily Star, March 4, 2009. Available at WNC.

[139] “Hezbollah, UNIFIL Butt Heads in Yohmor: Reports,” The Daily Star, March 30, 2009. Available at WNC.

[140] “UN Envoy Calls Hizbullah ‘Threat’ to Stability,” The Daily Star, May 9, 2009. Available at WNC.

[141] UNIFIL Doubts Major Hizbullah Rearming in South,” The Daily Star, May 22, 2009. Available at WNC.

[142] “Hariri Murder Probe Suspects Hezbollah: Report,” al Arabiya, May 23, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[143] “UN Says South Lebanon Weapons Cache a Violation,” AP, July 15, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[144] “Lebanese Stone UN Peacekeepers, Injure 14,” AP, July 18, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[145] “Hezbollah Actively Maintained Arms Cache: UN,” al Arabiya, July 23, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[146] “UNIFIL Meets Hizbullah, Amal to Discuss Khirbet Silim Blasts,” The Daily Star, July 28, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[147] “Israeli Footage of Hezbollah Official Home Violation of Resolution 1701: UN Official,” Xinhua, October 15, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[148] “UN Chief Defends Officer Slammed For Urging Hizbullah to Disarm,” The Daily Star, October 30, 2009. Available at WNC.

[149] “U.N. Warns Israel, Hezbollah Over 1701,” UPI, November 11, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[150] “Hezbollah: Lebanon Needs Shiite Group Since Israel is Aggressive,” Xinhua, January 19, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[151] “Hizbullah Rejects Calls For Peace With Israel, Urges Resistance,” The Daily Star, February 6, 2009. Available at WNC.

[152] “Hariri Tribunal Begins Operations in the Hague,” The Daily Star, March 2, 2009. Available at WNC.

[153] “Hezbollah Spends Millions to Rebuild Beirut Stronghold,” AFP, March 23, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[154] “Hezbollah Says Gave State Information on Arrested Spy,” AFP, April 15, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[155] “Hezbollah Says It Is Talking to European Union and I.M.F.,” The New York Times, May 28, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[156] “Obama Speech Signals No Real Change in US Policy: Hezbollah,” AFP, June 4, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[157] “Lebanon’s Ruling Majority Wins Crucial Elections,” al Arabiya, June 7, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[158] “Hezbollah Says All Its Candidates Won In Poll,” AFP, June 7, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[159] “Jumblatt and Nasrallah Urge Lebanon Unity Government,” AFP, October 10, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[160] “Hezbollah Says ‘Rocket’ Pictures Were Metal Shutters,” AFP, October 15, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[161] “Hezbollah Chief Urges New Government to Avoid ‘Big Issues,’” AFP, November 11, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[162] “Hezbollah Spies Infiltrate Israel,” UPI, November 13, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[163] “Hassan Nasrallah Reelected as Hezbollah Leader,” AP, November 19, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[164] “Hezbollah Cuts Islamist Style From New Manifesto,” al Arabiya, November 29, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[165] “Hezbollah: Hariri’s Syria Trip Positive For Lebanon’s Political Climate,” Xinhua, December 20, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[166] “Egypt Minister Accuses Hamas of Providing Israel With Excuse to Hit Gaza,” MENA Online, January 1, 2009. Available at WNC.

[167] “Hezbollah: Israeli Army Operation in Gaza to Fail,” IRNA, January 1, 2009. Available at WNC.

[168] “Hezbollah Chief Urges Hamas to Hit Israel Hard,” AFP, January 3, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[169] “Arab Legislators Speak Out for Gaza from Tyre Meeting,” The Daily Star, January 4, 2009. Available at WNC.

[170] “Hezbollah Steps Up Rhetoric Against Israel,” VOA, January 7, 2009, www.nexis.com.

[171] “Lebanese Hezbollah Chief Congratulates Hamas For Victory Over Israeli Offensive,” Xinhua, January 21, 2009, www.nexis.com.