Iran-Lebanese Hezbollah Relationship Tracker
This series tracks Hezbollah’s relationship with Iran. Between 2008-2012, CTP tracked Hezbollah’s interactions with Iranian officials, information regarding the organization’s funding transfers of arms and material, militant operations, meetings and relations with groups and countries, and Hezbollah’s official statements.
Below are the data points on Hezbollah statements, part of the 2012 Iran-Hezbollah Tracker.
Please see data on Hezbollah funding in previous trackers: 2009, 2010, and 2011.
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Hezbollah Statements
July 27: Hezbollah accused Israeli forces of “storming” the al-Aqsa Mosque and arresting an Imam. “This crime is not the first targeting al-Aqsa Mosque, and it will not be the last if Muslims remain silent and continue to neglect the dangers imposed on this holy mosque, be it the judaization of al-Aqsa, threats of collapse due to the underground excavations, or Zionist enemy practices on ground,” said a statement released by Hezbollah.
July 24: Hezbollah issued a statement denying involvement in the failed assassination attempt on March 14 MP Boutros Harb. “Despite our policy not to respond to fabrications and allegations against [the party], its leadership and its cadres, we completely deny any involvement [of the party] or any of its members in the so-called assassination attempt against Harb.”
July 23: Hezbollah condemned the series of deadly explosions which struck several Iraqi cities. “These criminal bombings translate to the bloody practices of some armed groups that satisfy the desires of the nation’s enemies through the intimidation of its citizens, killing of innocent people, and the dissemination of sectarian strife, regionalism and the destruction of state institutions,” read a Hezbollah statement.
July 18: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah announced that, "The most important weapons with which we fought Israel in the July war came from Syria." Nasrallah also stated that international sanctions against the Iran regime have only served to make it “100 times stronger than 30 years ago.”
July 10: Hezbollah released a statement denying allegations leveled by the United States Treasury Department which accused Hezbollah members of laundering money for the Ayman Joumaa network: “These accusations are pure lies and comes within the context of a suspicious U.S. campaign to smear the image of Hezbollah through fabrications and false allegations.”
July 10: Hezbollah denounced the arrest of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Baqer al-Namir by Saudi authorities and demanded his immediate release. “Hizbullah strongly condemns the arrest of Sheikh Nemer Baqer al-Nemer. It also condemns the security forces violence against peaceful demonstrators in the town of al-Awamiya and Qatif district which caused the fall of martyrs and injuries,” said an official Hezbollah statement.
July 5: Hezbollah issued a statement denying any responsibility for the violence in Bahrain, specifically that the group had supplied explosives to groups within Bahrain: “The Bahraini authorities continue their unjust campaign against Hizbullah through fabricating accusations related to alleged military and security activities in Bahrain.”
July 3: Hezbollah condemned bombings which killed 29 Iraqis in Karbala and Diwaniya. “[We] call on the Iraqi people to express patience and endurance in order to prevent the enemies of their nations from achieving their vicious goals to stir up strife,” said a statement from Hezbollah
June 25: Hezbollah issued a statement congratulating the Egyptian people on realizing the goals of their revolution through the election of Mohamed Morsi as President of Egypt. ““Hezbollah prays for Allah to help him (Morsi) to bear this great responsibility in this critical stage of Egypt’s history and the region, and to enable him to achieve the aspirations of the Egyptian people and return Egypt back to its advanced Arab and Islamic position in defending the causes of the nation and shaping the future and the fate of the region,” said the statement.
June 19: Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem announced that Hezbollah would be open to discussing the role its weapons play in Lebanon’s defense strategy during the next Lebanese National Dialogue session. Qassem drew a distinction, however, between Hezbollah’s arms and arms belonging to other Lebanese factions. “Those who think that weapons that cause strife could be compared with the Resistance’s arms are deluded,” said Qassem.
June 16: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah warned that Hezbollah’s missiles are capable of hitting all significant targets inside Israel and stressed that Hezbollah is militarily stronger now than during the 2006 war. "The resistance party's missiles are now capable of reaching all vital targets inside occupied Palestine," said Nasrallah.
June 14: Hezbollah condemned bombings that struck different parts of Iraq, killing and wounding hundreds: “Hizbullah condemns this ugly crime that has targeted the oppressed Iraqi people. Hizbullah also calls on the Iraqis to remain steadfast and reject strife and division. Also, Hizbullah urges the Iraqi people to reject terrorism, asking the Almighty God soon recovery to the wounded and peace to the souls of the martyrs,” said a statement released by Hezbollah.
June 5: Hezbollah released a statement condemning a bombing which targeted the headquarters of a Shia religious foundation in Baghdad, killing22 people: “This horrible crime shows that it was executed by criminal terrorists, [linked] to the fundamentalist groups associated with the US and Western intelligence.”
May 28: Hezbollah released a statement condemning the massacre of nearly 100 civilians in the Syrian town of Houla: “Hezbollah expresses its pain toward the horror of the terrible massacre committed in Houla of Homs, and it strongly condemns this massacre and those responsible for it.”
May 22: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah called for the immediate release of 13 Lebanese Shia pilgrims kidnapped May 22 in Aleppo. Nasrallah also appealed for calm on the part of the families of the kidnapped men. "We will work day and night until those beloved are back with us and hopefully...by cooperating together we will reach a happy ending,” said Nasrallah.
May 21: Deputy Head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council Nabil Qaouk denounced the recent outbreak of violence in northern Lebanon while at the same time blaming the bloodshed on the March 14 Alliance. “Those who are keen on the country must work on stopping the bloodshed… all those keen on Lebanon cannot but support Speaker Nabih Berri’s call for a national dialogue,” said Qaouk.
May 12: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah announced that Israel, in 2006, failed to “subjugate Lebanon as part of the Israeli-American regional axis.”
May 10: Hezbollah released a statement condemning the twin suicide bombings that struck Damascus: “Hizbullah [sic] vehemently condemns and strictly rejects this terrorist act. Hizbullah also supports Syria and people in their attempt to reform, also supports the leadership's brave national stances.”
May 1: Hezbollah released a statement slamming Terry Jones’ burning of the Quran: “The burning of the Quran by this man could be considered in the first time a reckless action. However the repetition of the move and the silence by the concerned people in America and the world, along with the coincidence with the burning of Quran in the US base in Afghanistan, indicate that this act has not been by a single person who doesn’t know what he is doing.”
May 1: Hezbollah decried two bombings which struck Idlib, Syria April, 31. “These bombings that sowed death and destruction in a peaceful Syrian city seeking security and stability cannot be the work of a political opposition that wants the welfare of the country and its citizens, but rather criminal bombings aimed at undermining stability and raising tensions in the framework of implementing the conspiracy that is targeting Syria and the region,” said the statement from Hezbollah.
May 1: Hezbollah’s Head of International Relations Ammar Moussawi commended the Lebanese army for seizing a ship carrying weapons bound for Syria.
April 28: Deputy Head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council Nabil Qaouk stated that the violence in Syria is the result of an “Arab and foreign will to ignite the incitement in Syria, and foil [Kofi] Annan's initiative; therefore dividing Syria.”
April 27: Hezbollah issued a statement condemning a bombing which targeted the headquarters of the Arab Tawhid Party: “Hizbullah condemns the suspicious bombing in its objectives and timing, it expresses solidarity with the brothers in the Arab Tawhid Party in face of this targeting.”
April 19: Hezbollah denounced the United States over released pictures which show American soldiers posing with the remains of Afghan suicide bombers. “[The] false image that the U.S. presents about itself, as the land of human rights and freedoms, had given way to the true images, which confirm these immoral practices,” said the statement.
April 19: Hezbollah condemned the recent series of bombings in Iraq, saying that the violence is an attempt by the United States “to thwart the mission for building the [Iraqi] state.”
April 17: In an interview via video link with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah announced that he is willing to mediate between any Syrian opposition groups and the Syrian regime. Nasrallah also asserted that only solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the establishment of one state encompassing the entire land of Palestine inhabited by Muslims, Jews, and Christians.
April 16: The leader of the Hezbollah Executive Council Hashem Safieddine stated that despite developments in Lebanon and the region, Hezbollah remains capable and willing to confront Israel in any future conflict.
April 11: Hezbollah demanded that the killers of “Al-Jadeed” cameraman Ali Shaaban be held accountable: “We call on the Lebanese government to launch a probe into the incident and punish the culprits who targeted the media and its men,” said Hezbollah MP Hasan Fadlallah who also represented Hezbollah at Shaaban’s funeral.
April 3: Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem alleged that Israel’s provocative stance towards Iran is an attempt to distract from the situation in Jerusalem, specifically, “violations” which are being committed by the Israelis in Palestine.
March 30: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah stated that armed resistance will be unable to bring down the Assad regime in Syria. Nasrallah argued that the only way to reach an end to the Syrian crisis will be through a political solution and recommended that the Lebanese March 14th movement reconsider its position that the Syrian regime will fall. “The issue of bringing down the [Syrian] regime through a military option is over,” said Nasrallah.
March 24: A Hezbollah delegation led by Hajj Ghaleb Abu Zeinab and former Hezbollah Minister Amin Sherri offered condolences over the death of Coptic Pope Shenouda III at the Coptic Church in Beirut. "The demise of this extraordinary Pope is a big loss. He was a man who existed during tough times and held his full responsibility," Abu Zeinab said.
March 12: Hezbollah denounced the assassination of Popular Resistance Committees leader Sheikh Zuhair al-Qaisi. Al-Qaisi was killed during an Israeli air raid on the Gaza Strip March 9, 2012. “Hezbollah condemns this terrorist Zionist crime, and the raids that followed on the Gaza strip, which caused the martyrdom of several other Palestinians, especially figures and fighters of the Islamic Jihad movement,” the statement read.
March 11: Hezbollah issued a statement praising the protesters in Bahrain and calling on the Bahraini government to implement reforms demanded by the people: “Hezbollah pays tribute to this popular wave [of protests] that has continued over several months and sees that the Bahraini authorities need to respond to the rightful demands of the people in order to prevent bloodshed of the innocent as well as to save the country from the state of oppression that it suffers from.”
March 6: Top Hezbollah military commander Sheikh Nabil Qaouk predicted the decline of U.S. influence in the Middle East and asserted that the majority of Syrian people reject American proposals and support the resistance movement. Kaouk also warned that, “America and its followers are approaching an abysmal defeat many times worse than their defeat in Iraq.”
March 4: Speaking via television link to “The Gathering to Announce Jerusalem as the Capital of Palestine and Arabs and Muslims,” Hezbollah Secretary General Hasan Nasrallah said thatMuslims are closer than ever to attaining the liberation of Jerusalem. “We do not take responsibility for its [Jerusalem’s] occupation, but we bear the responsibility of living under occupation today ... We can defend Islamic and Christian sanctities and confront the Judaization of Jerusalem,” said Nasrallah.
February 21: Hezbollah issued a statement in response to reports that U.S. troops had burned Qurans at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan. “In a new crime that reveals US-Zionist desecration of Islamic sanctities and disparage to the feelings of more than one billion Muslims, foreign troops in Afghanistan burned copies of the Holy Quran in the Bagram US military airbase,” said the statement.
February 16: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah denied accusations that Hezbollah was involved in the plots against Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia, in a speech before followers commemorating the death of former Hezbollah military commander Imad Moughniyah. Nasrallah also denied Hezbollah’s involvement in the foiled bomb plot in Bangkok, Thailand. "I assure you that Hezbollah has nothing to do with this," said Nasrallah.
February 13: Hezbollah’s official website released a statement condemning the Bahraini government’s “escalating repression” against its citizens. The statement accused the Bahraini regime of acting in concert with Arab and other foreign governments to suppress the ongoing unrest in the Gulf nation. (“Hizbullah Condemns Bahraini Regime Continuous Series of Brutality: Regime Relies on Int’l Support, Arab Collusion” February 13, 2012. Available at the official English language Hezbollah website, english.moqawama.org)
February 12: Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem announced that Lebanon will not be used as base to launch attacks against other Arab nations. Qassem thanked Lebanese soldiers for their service on the Syrian border and reasserted that, “We will not allow Lebanon to be used as a platform to attack others or a conduit for settling political scores in order to execute Israeli and American projects.”
February 7: Hassan Nasrallah denied that Tehran will ask Hezbollah to attack Israel in the case that Israel strikes Iranian nuclear facilities, in a speech broadcasted via video link to followers. Nasrallah, however, did not rule out the possibility of attacking Israel. In a departure from previous statements, Nasrallah acknowledged that Hezbollah receives financial support from the Islamic Republic.
January 23: Deputy Head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council Sheikh Nabik Qaouk denounced critics of Assad who predict the imminent downfall of the regime. “The conspirators against Syria have hit a wall of failure. They are today living in a state of strategic loss,” said Qauok.
January 15: Hassan Nasrallah rejected Ban Ki-Moon’s call for Hezbollah to disarm following a UN delegation visit to the peacekeeping operation in Lebanon. Nasralleh dismissed Moon’s comments saying that Hezbollah’s weapons are the only way to protect Lebanon."Your concern, secretary-general, reassures us and pleases us. What matters to us is that you are worried, and that America; and Israel are worried with you.
January 11: Hezbollah condemned the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan. Roshan was killed in a drive-by bombing attack outside a university campus in Tehran. Hezbollah blamed western media as the driving force behind the assassination. “The assassination of the martyr, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, is a terrorist crime that targets a large scientific power that contributes to the progress of Iran.” (“Hezbollah slams ‘terrorist’ killing of Iranian scientist,” NOW Lebanon, January 11, 2012. Available on World News Connection.)
