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 Iran-Hezbollah relations, part of the 2012 Iran-Hezbollah Tracker.
Please see data on Iran-Hezbollah relations in previous trackers: 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.
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Iran-Hezbollah Relations
July 3: Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) Ahmed Jibril asserted on Syrian television that the PFLP-GC, Hezbollah, and Iran will fight with al-Assad against any foreign aggression into Syrian territory. Jibril also stated that he has personally discussed the issue with Hezbollah Secretary Genereal Hassan Nasrallah, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and that all parties are in agreement that “what is happening in Syria will be a decisive battle.”
June 23: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah met with an Iranian delegation headed by Representative to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for Hajj Affairs Ali Qazi Askar. Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi was also present. The parties discussed the “general situation.”
June 20: The head of Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization Mohammed Baqer Khorramshad led an Iranian delegation to the tomb of former Hezbollah Commander Imad Mughniyeh. “His blood and the blood of martyrs have given pride and victory to Islam,” said Khorramshad.
June 1: Former Revolutionary Guards commander and current adviser to the Supreme Leader Yahya Rahim Safavi stated that, “Should the Israelis desire to hit us, Hezbollah would most likely operate against them. I consider Mr. Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah a soldier of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution.”
June 1: Commemorating the 23rd year since the death of Rouhollah Khomeini, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah stated that, “a day will come when the importance of Imam Khomeini's role will be recognized as being the cornerstone for all the changes and revolutions that erupted decades later in the region."
May 24: Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi delivered a message on behalf of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulating Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah on the 12th anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon . “Ahmadinejad, in the letter, praised the Hezbollah secretary general and the great Lebanese people and its government, particularly the role of the resistance during this period,” said a statement released by the Iranian embassy in Lebanon.
May 19: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah met with an Iranian delegation headed by a representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and head of Kermanshah Welfare Organization, Mohammad Mohammadi. Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi was also in attendance. The two sides reportedly discussed “shared topics.”
May 16: The public relations office of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps denied “rumors” surrounding Quds Force Commander Qassem Suleimani’s reported rebuke of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.
May 15: Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Suleimani, in conversation with Hezbollah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah, warned Hezbollah against engaging in "any preemptive strike against the Zionist regime." The story was quickly retracted by Iranian media.
May 14: A high ranking official in the Israeli Defense Force claimed that an order to attack Israel would be sent from Tehran to Hezbollah in the case of an Israeli strike against Iran. The unnamed official also stated that Israel’s next war with Hezbollah will be less lengthy than 2006. “They (Iran) have so many high-ranking officials in Lebanon. I don’t think this is a decision of Nasrallah -- he will get orders. That’s why he was created,” said the official.
May 11: Lebanese Future Bloc MP Jamal Jarrah stated that Iran exists in Lebanon politically and militarily through Hezbollah.
May 7: Lebanese Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad argued that Western led pressure on Iran is an attempt to undermine the resistance effort. Raad also asserted that the assistance offered to Lebanon from Iran is non-conditional.
May 4: In a meeting with Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah announced that Hezbollah is able to confront “all forthcoming challenges.”
May 3: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah met a high level Iranian delegation including Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, and Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi in Beirut. In the meeting the Iranians assured their readiness to continue supporting Lebanon in all areas while Nasrallah thanked Iran for its ongoing support to Lebanon and the resistance effort.
April 18: Iranian Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani praised Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and other members of the organization killed in the conflict with Israel and pledged Iran’s support to “the resistance of Lebanese, Palestinian, and Syrian people against the plots of the global arrogance.” (“Speaker voices Iran's support for Gaza, Lebanon, Syria,” FARS News Agency, April 18, 2012. Available on LexisNexis)
April 9: In an interview with FARS News Agency, Hezbollah Central Council member Kadar Noureddin claimed that Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution is the inspiration for the revolutions taking place in the Muslim world.
April 6: Haaretz, citing western intelligence sources, reported that Iran and Hezbollah have significantly increased aid to the Assad regime in Syria. The sources indicate that Iran and Hezbollah have been active in training and supplying the rebels with equipment, including arms and that Hezbollah fighters have been reported killed in clashes with Syrian rebels.
March 30: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah met with Iranian Deputy Minister of Arab and African Affairs Amir Abdollahian and Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi. The three officials discussed Lebanon and regional issues. Abdollahian also reportedly toured the Lebanon-Israel border with Hezbollah officials.
March 26: American Ambassador Gerald Feierstein alleged that Hezbollah and Hamas are active in Yemen on behalf of Iran. "There is evidence that Hezbollah and Hamas support this Iranian effort [in Yemen]. We are aware of a southern Yemeni presence in Beirut that has been used as a conduit for Iranian support for obstruction in southern Yemen," Feierstein said.
March 23: Former Secretary General of the Idlib branch of the Baath Party in Syria, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, stated that Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah are “walking to one rhythm” in dealing with the unrest in Syria. Abdullah added that Tehran, Hezbollah, and Damascus jointly manage the crisis in Syria.
March 21: Republican chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security Peter King stated during his committee’s hearing that there may be hundreds of Iranian-backed Hezbollah operatives in the United States. "As Iran moves closer to nuclear weapons and there is increasing concern over war between Iran and Israel, we must also focus on Iran's secret operatives and their number one terrorist proxy force, Hezbollah, which we know is in America," said congressman King.
March 1: Former Hezbollah Secretary General Subhi Tufayli announced that Hezbollah must purge all those who called for the assassination of Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, saying that it is not a sectarian or political issue, but for the greater good. Tufayli also criticized Iran’s role in the Shi’i world, including Lebanon. “The Shiites in Lebanon are part of a political system led by Iran, and Iranian politics does not see the world in any perspective except their own.”
February 9: Lebanese Future Bloc MP Khaled Zahraman accused Lebanese Hezbollah of being subservient to the will of Iran. Zahraman also criticized the Lebanese government for not condemning Syria over its violent response to popular protests. “Hezbollah’s political and jurisprudential decisions are not made by Hezbollah but by the Wilayat al-Faqih in Iran,” said Zahraman.
February 7: In a speech broadcasted via video link to followers, Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah denied that Tehran will ask Hezbollah to attack Israelin the case that Israel strikes Iranian nuclear facilities. Nasrallah, however, did not specifically rule out the possibility of attacking Israel.
