Hassan Nasrallah

Naim Qassem Stands Firm: Weapons or Karbala

Hezbollah continues its standoff with the Lebanese state, issuing yet another threat. “We refuse to be disarmed, and we will wage this battle as we did in Karbala,” declared Hezbollah’s Secretary General Naim Qassem on Saturday. Speaking during a ceremony commemorating the assassination of his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, on September ...

Larijani in Beirut Praises Qassem’s Initiative Toward Saudi Arabia

While in Lebanon for the commemoration of the assassination of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at Ain el-Tineh. After the meeting, Larijani hailed Lebanon as a “friendly country,” describing his talks with Berri as ...

Hezbollah: From Military Power to Spoiler Power

By defying an official ban and illuminating Pigeon Rock in Raouche with portraits of its two former leaders assassinated by Israel in 2024, and mobilizing thousands of supporters for a flagrantly ostentatious show of force, Hezbollah once again pushed the boundaries of its provocative maneuvers. This time, it was through deeds rather than words ...

Nasrallah’s Assassination: Raoucheh Instead of Jerusalem

No one could have imagined it for a single moment. At the time, it never occurred to anyone that an operation of such magnitude was possible or even conceivable. The massive resources mobilized for the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, exactly one year ago to the day, sent shockwaves not only through the ranks of the pro-Iranian party but also ...

Hezbollah vs. the State: A Sisyphus Moment at Raouche

In a bold display of power that lays bare Lebanon’s fragile balance of forces, Hezbollah flouted every law and directive, trampling both state decisions and promises to its own allies. On Thursday evening, despite an explicit ban from Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud, the Pigeon Rock in Raouche, an iconic national and tourist landmark, was ...

The End of an Era: Hezbollah Without Its Anchor

September 27, 2024, marked a turning point for Hezbollah. At 6:30 PM, a powerful shockwave tore through Beirut’s southern suburb and its surroundings, but the deeper tremor was political. In a matter of seconds, the “Party of God” entered free fall. Hassan Nasrallah, the movement’s towering figure, its uncontested leader and the symbol of ...

Salam Condemns Hezbollah for Defying State Decisions, Calls for Legal Action

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called on Thursday on the ministers of Interior, Justice and Defense to take “immediate action” and arrest those responsible for projecting images onto Beirut’s iconic Raouche Rock, in defiance of an official ban. In a post on X, Salam urged that the perpetrators be referred for investigation and “punished in ...

Hezbollah: 'I Am the State'

Hezbollah has once again crossed a red line. Defying an explicit state ban, the Pigeon Grotto was illuminated with portraits of Nasrallah and Safieddine, a symbolic act of defiance that speaks volumes. The message is clear: this militia takes orders only from Tehran and openly disregards both Lebanese law and international resolutions. Since the ...

Rebuilding to Restore Control? Hezbollah’s $3 Billion Gamble

Three billion dollars. That is the amount estimated by Hezbollah for the reconstruction of war-torn areas through its Waad project and the Jihad al-Bina association. Yet such a figure immediately raises questions. The group is widely believed to be strapped for cash—squeezed by US sanctions and by a land, air and sea blockade meant to choke off ...

Hezbollah Challenges the Law in Raoucheh

Hezbollah has announced plans to project portraits of Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine onto the Pigeon Rock in Raoucheh on September 25 at 5 PM, marking the first anniversary of their death. The announcement sparked swift backlash, prompting Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to remind the public that using heritage or public sites without prior ...

Between the State and the Rock…

In Lebanon, even rocks can spark existential crises. The Raoucheh Rock has become the focus of a growing political and public controversy after plans emerged to project an image of Hezbollah’s former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, alongside Hashem Safieddine, onto the rock to mark the anniversary of their death last year. What began as a ...