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☆ What is Lebanon's Hezbollah?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

ORIGINSIran's Revolutionary Guards founded Hezbollah in 1982 to export its Islamic Revolution and fight Israeli forces that had invaded Lebanon. Lebanese parties opposed to Hezbollah say the group has undermined the state and accuse it of unilaterally leading Lebanon into conflicts. Hezbollah fighters took over parts of Beirut after the government vowed to take action against the group's military communications network. Referring to those attacks and hostage-taking, Hezbollah leader Nasrallah said in a 2022 interview they were carried out by small groups not linked to Hezbollah. TERRORIST DESIGNATIONSWestern countries including the United States designate Hezbollah a terrorist organisation.

Persons: Aziz Taher REFILE, Israel, Bashar al, Assad, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Saudi Arabia spiralled, Syria, Rafik al, Hariri, Michel Aoun, Imad Moughniyah, Nasrallah, Tom Perry, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Guards, Islamic, POWER Hezbollah, United, West, Marine, U.S ., European Union, Thomson Locations: Halta, Lebanon, Israel, Rights BEIRUT, Gaza, Iran, Lebanese, United States, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, LEBANON, Beirut, Saudi, U.S, Arab, Argentina, Buenos Aires

☆ Syria says Israeli attack puts Aleppo airport out of service
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man walks at Aleppo international airport after it was reopened for the first time in years, Syria February 19, 2020. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI/AMMAN, Aug 28 (Reuters) - An Israeli air attack put Syria's Aleppo airport out of service on Monday, the Syrian defence ministry said, while regional intelligence sources said an Iranian arms depot was hit. "The Israeli enemy carried out an air attack ... targeting Aleppo International Airport. The Israeli military declined to comment. Two regional intelligence sources said the attack targeted an underground munitions depot run by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps within the compound of Nairab military airport next to Aleppo airport.

Persons: Omar Sanadiki, Bashar al, Assad, Iran's, Yomna Ehab, Suleiman al, Khalidi, Clauda Tanios, Jacqueline Wong, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, Israel, Lebanon's, Hezbollah, Fighters, Thomson Locations: Aleppo, Syria, Rights DUBAI, AMMAN, Israeli, Iranian, Israel, Lebanon's Iran, Aleppo province, Damascus, Iran

[1/9] United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) members stand near their vehicles in Naqoura near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, August 16, 2023. Israel and Hezbollah have avoided war across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since their last major clash 17 years ago, deterred by mutual threats of destruction. The tensions come against the backdrop of a political crisis in Israel that has emboldened its enemies. Lebanon can ill afford conflict four years into a financial meltdown that has paralysed the state. Hezbollah last year gave its blessing to a maritime border deal with Israel that allows Lebanon to explore for offshore energy.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Israel, Tzachi Hanegbi, Hassan al, Baghdadi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohanad Hage Ali, General Lázaro, Andrea Tenenti, Tom Perry, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Nations Interim Force, REUTERS, Reuters, National Security, Iran's, Guards, Carnegie Middle East Center, West Bank, UNIFIL, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Naqoura, Lebanese, Israel, JERUSALEM, BEIRUT, Iran, Syria, Ghajar, Western, Tel Aviv, Palestinian, Gaza, Jerusalem, Al, Aqsa, Beirut

☆ Factbox: Lebanon's Hezbollah rises from shadows into regional force
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Governments including the United States deem it a terrorist organisation. ORIGINSIran's Revolutionary Guards founded Hezbollah in 1982 to export its Islamic Revolution and fight Israeli forces that had invaded Lebanon. The United States estimates Iran has allocated it hundreds of millions of dollars annually in recent years. Hezbollah fighters took over parts of Beirut after the government vowed to take action against the group's military communications network. TERRORIST DESIGNATIONSWestern countries including the United States designate Hezbollah a terrorist organisation.

Persons: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Aziz Taher, Imad Moughniyah, Bashar al, Assad, Nasrallah, Critics, Saudi Arabia spiralled, Syria, Rafik al, Hariri, Michel Aoun, Tom Perry, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Guards, Islamic, United, Marine, U.S ., POWER Hezbollah, West, European Union, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Houla, Israel, Rights BEIRUT, Lebanese, United States, Syria, Beirut, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, LEBANON, Saudi, U.S, Arab, Argentina, Buenos Aires

☆ Lebanon Christian cleric urges state control of weapons after clash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIRUT, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Lebanon's top Christian cleric called for state control over weapons on Sunday, days after a deadly clash between Christian villagers and the heavily armed group Hezbollah over an overturned truck of ammunition. A Hezbollah member and a Christian resident were killed in Wednesday's exchange of fire in the village of Kahaleh, near Beirut, which began when a Hezbollah truck carrying ammunition turned over while driving through the area. In his sermon on Sunday, cleric Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai called for "all parties" and other elements of the country "to unite under the banner of the state, especially regarding the use of weapons". Its arsenal has long been a point of conflict in Lebanon, where its opponents accuse the group of undermining the state. Lebanon has been suffering a four-year-long financial collapse that has marked its most destabilising episode since the 1975-90 civil war.

Persons: Bechara Boutros, Rai, Maya Gebeily, Nick Macfie Organizations: Iran's, Guards, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Kahaleh, Beirut, Iran, Lebanese, Lebanon

☆ Lebanon's Hezbollah sees Israel on path of 'collapse'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIRUT, July 24 (Reuters) - The Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah said on Monday its arch-foe Israel was on a "path of collapse and fragmentation," referring to divisions in Israeli society over a contested overhaul of its judiciary. "Today, in particular, is the worst day in the history of the entity, as some of its people say," Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech, referring to Israel. "This is what puts it on the path of collapse, fragmentation, and disappearance, God willing," he added. Shi'ite Hezbollah has fought numerous conflicts with Israel since being established by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982. Reporting by Laila Bassam in Beirut Writing by Tom Perry Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Netanyahu, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Monday, Iran's, Guards, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Iran, Lebanese, Israel, Beirut

☆ Iran's Revolutionary Guards seize commercial ship in Gulf - U.S. Navy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards "forcibly seized" a commercial ship in international waters in the Gulf on Thursday and the vessel was possibly involved in smuggling, a U.S. Navy spokesperson said. The U.S. Navy had monitored the situation and decided not to make any further response, U.S. 5th Fleet spokesperson Commander Tim Hawkins said. Iran said on Thursday it had a court order to seize one of the tankers sailing in Gulf waters on Wednesday after it collided with an Iranian vessel. read moreTehran seized two other tankers in May including the Marshall Islands flagged Advantage Sweet, which had been chartered by Chevron. read moreSince 2021, "Iran has harassed, attacked or seized nearly 20 internationally flagged merchant vessels", the U.S. Navy said this week.

Persons: Tim Hawkins, Ambrey, Hawkins, Jonathan Saul, Hugh Lawson, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Guards, U.S . Navy, . 5th Fleet, Richmond, Marshall, Chevron, Thomson Locations: Gulf, U.S, British, Saudi, Dammam, Iran, Hormuz, Oman, Gulf of Oman, Iranian, Bahamas, Chevron, Tehran

☆ Israeli secret service says it captured plot leader in Iran, foiling attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, June 29 (Reuters) - Israel said on Thursday its Mossad intelligence service carried out an operation in Iran to capture the suspected leader of an Iranian plot to attack Israeli businesspeople in Cyprus and thwart the attack. Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment. Mossad did not say when the capture took place, where the suspect is now nor when the Cyprus attack would have happened. Israel accuses Iran of backing militant attacks against it, while Iran says Israel has carried out a number of killings of Iranian officials. U.S., European and Israeli officials fear Iran may seek nuclear weapons.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yousef Shahabazi Abbasalilu, Netanyahu, Henriette Chacar, Mark Heinrich, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Sunday, Revolutionary Guard, Thomson Locations: Iran, Cyprus, Hatzerim, Israel, Tehran, United States

☆ Shooting attack in Jerusalem, clashes in West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Israeli security force members search and patrol the area following a shooting incident in East Jerusalem, April 18, 2023. On Monday, Israel's domestic security service said it had uncovered an attempt by Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force to recruit Palestinian operatives in the West Bank. U.S.-brokered peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem collapsed almost a decade ago and show no sign of revival. Israel annexed East Jerusalem after the 1967 Middle East War when it also captured Gaza and the West Bank, in a move not recognised internationally. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as their own future capital.

Summary Sources: Military equipment disguised as relief suppliesSyria is a conflict zone for Israel and IranIsrael mounts swift campaign against IraniansAMMAN, April 12 (Reuters) - Iran has used earthquake relief flights to bring weapons and military equipment into its strategic ally Syria, nine Syrian, Iranian, Israeli and Western sources said. The sources told Reuters that the goal was to buttress Iran's defences against Israel in Syria and to strengthen Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The supplies included advanced communications equipment and radar batteries and spare parts required for a planned upgrade of Syria's Iran-provided air defence system in its civil war, said the sources, two regional sources and a Western intelligence source said. Regional sources told Reuters that Israel quickly became aware of the flow of weapons into Syria and mounted an aggressive campaign to counter it. A radar station used for drones was also hit on April 3, the regional source added, corroborating what two Western intelligence sources had told Reuters.

☆ Syrian says air defenses confront Israeli attack over Homs area
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMMAN, April 2(Reuters) - Israel targeted outposts in Syria's Homs province in a raid early on Sunday, the Syrian defence ministry said, while Western intelligence sources said the strikes hit a series of air bases in the central region of the country where Iranian personnel are based. The strikes pointed to intensifying Israeli efforts to counter Tehran's foothold in the country, analysts said. Two Western intelligence sources said the rocket strikes targeted the T4 air base located west of the ancient city of Palmyra, and al Dabaa airport near al Qusayr city near the Lebanese border where Iranian backed Hezbollah are entrenched. Iranian military personnel alongside fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah are stationed at both airports and there is a strong presence of pro-Iranian militias in that area of Homs province, the sources said. A Syrian military source said on state media that the strikes caused some material damage with five military personnel injured.

☆ Syria says Israel hits Homs outposts, sources say air bases bombed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Iranian military personnel alongside fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah are stationed at both airports and there is a strong presence of pro-Iranian militias in that area of Homs province, the sources said. Syria denies Western and Israeli allegations that Iran, whose top military officials frequently visit Syria, has an extensive military presence in the country. A Syrian military source said on state media that the strikes caused some material damage with five military personnel injured. Israel has intensified strikes in the last year on Syrian airports and air bases to disrupt what it says is Iran's use of aerial supply lines to deliver arms to militias. read moreIran declined to comment on the Western and Israeli accusations.

☆ Iraq and Iran sign deal to tighten border security
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Ahmed Rasheed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani looks on as Iraq's National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji and Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani sign the security agreement that includes coordination in protecting the common borders between the two countries, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 19, 2023. The joint security agreement includes coordination in "protecting the common borders between the two countries and consolidating cooperation in several security fields", a statement from the Iraqi prime minister's office said. Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani signed the deal with Iraq's National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji, in the presence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, the prime minister office said. "Under the signed security deal, Iraq pledges it would not allow armed groups to use its territory in the Iraqi Kurdish region to launch any border-crossing attacks on neighbour Iran," said an Iraqi security official who attended the signing. Iran has also accused Kurdish militants of working with its arch-enemy Israel and has often voices concern over the alleged presence of the Israeli spy agency Mossad in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region.

☆ Pentagon chief makes unannounced trip to Iraq as 20-year anniversary of invasion nears
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Austin, the most senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration to visit Iraq, was the last commanding general of U.S. forces there after the invasion. “I'm here to reaffirm the U.S.-Iraq strategic partnership as we move toward a more secure, stable, and sovereign Iraq,” Austin said. The United States is broadly interested in a strategic partnership with the government of Iraq," the senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told reporters. The United States and Iran came close to full-blown conflict in 2020 after Iran's Revolutionary Guards' top commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a drone strike. "I think that Iraqi leaders share our interest in Iraq not becoming a playground for conflict between the United States and Iran," the defense official added.

☆ Here's what happens to the thousands of weapons the US military seizes from smugglers and gunrunners
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Tim Hawkins, a public affairs officer with the US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), told Insider. In one incident, US forces seized dual-use chemical fertilizer, which can be used for agricultural purposes and also to make explosives. U.S. naval forces seized 2,116 AK-47 assault rifles from a fishing vessel transiting along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen. US Navy photoEarlier in 2022, UK naval forces confiscated surface-to-air missiles and cruise-missile rocket engines. Shortly after that, and most recently, French special forces seized over 3,000 assault rifles, 578,000 rounds of ammunition, and 23 advanced anti-tank guided missiles.

☆ Western forces are raiding gunrunners at sea and throwing wrenches into Iran's plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

CENTCOM said this month that it supported "partner naval forces" during a January raid in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. naval forces seized 2,116 AK-47 assault rifles from a fishing vessel transiting along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen. UK naval forces also seized surface-to-air missiles and cruise-missile rocket engines that came from Iran. U.S. naval forces seized 2,116 AK-47 assault rifles from a fishing vessel transiting along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen. It remains to be seen whether the increase in raids will actually impact Iran's regional influence over the long-term.

☆ Azerbaijan strongly protests to Iran after fatal embassy shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Nailia Bagirova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Necessary security measures have been taken to continue normal activities at the embassy and diplomats of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Tehran," he said. [1/5] A general view of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan after an attack on it, in Tehran, Iran, January 27, 2023. It said an "anti-Azerbaijani campaign" in Iran had contributed to the attack, without elaborating, and accused Tehran of long ignoring its appeals to boost embassy security. Iran's Amirabdollahian later told Azeri Foreign Minister Jayran Bairamov in a phone call that he hoped the attack would not damage bilateral ties. Israel has had an embassy in Baku since the early 1990s and has been a significant military backer of Azerbaijan in recent years.

☆ EU foreign policy chief hopes bloc agrees next tranche of military aid to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he hopes member states will approve another 500 million euro ($545.00 million) tranche in military aid for Ukraine during a foreign ministers' meeting on Monday. The ministers will also discuss using Russian assets frozen in Europe under sanctions - including 300 billion euros ($327 bln) worth of the Russian central bank reserves - and using the money to help rebuild Ukraine from the war. The foreign ministers are due to add more individuals to its Iran sanctions list over human rights abuses. Borrell said, however, that the bloc could not list Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist entity until an EU court has determined that they are. ($1 = 0.9174 euros)Writting by Tassilo Hummel, Gbariela Baczynska, Ingrid Melander, Bart Meijer, Philip BlenkinsopOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU says it cannot brand Iran's Guards as terror group before court ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The European Union cannot list Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist entity until an EU court has determined that they are, the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Monday. The European Parliament has called on the EU to list the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist entity, blaming it for the repression of domestic protests and the supply of drones to Russia. "It is something that cannot be decided without a court, a court decision first. He said the court of an EU member had to issue a concrete legal condemnation before the EU itself could act. The Iranian regime, the Revolutionary Guards terrorise their own population day after day," Baerbock said.

☆ EU lawmakers want Iran's Guards branded terrorist group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The European Parliament called on Wednesday for the EU to list Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, blaming the powerful force for the repression of protesters and the supply of drones to Russia. Ties between the European Union (EU) member states and Tehran have deteriorated in recent months as efforts to revive nuclear talks have stalled. Tehran has detained several European nationals and the bloc has become increasingly critical of a continuing violent crackdown on protesters, including executions. The text called for the EU and its member states to include the IRGC on the bloc's terrorist list "in the light of its terrorist activity, the repression of protesters andits supplying of drones to Russia". The European Parliament has no power to compel the EU to add the IRGC to its list.

☆ DAVOS 2023: EU's Von der Leyen backs listing Iran's Guards as terrorist group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 17 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday she backed listing Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation to respond to the "trampling" of "fundamental human rights" in the country. Ties between the EU member states and Tehran have deteriorated in recent months as efforts to revive nuclear talks have stalled. The European Union is discussing a fourth round of sanctions against Tehran over the crackdown and Iran's supply of weapons to Russia. "We are looking indeed at a new round of sanctions and I would support also listing the Revolutionary Guards. I have heard several ministers asking for that and I think they are right," Von der Leyen said.

☆ Iran and Britain's history of strained relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

DUBAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - British-Iranian relations, which have been strained for decades, were back in the spotlight after Iranian authorities executed British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari for spying, charges he had denied. 1988 - Britain restores full diplomatic relations with Iran. 1994 - Britain accuses Iran of contacts with the outlawed Irish Republican Army, a charge Iran denies but relations worsen. 1999 - Iran says relations between Tehran and Britain have been upgraded to ambassadorial level. The same year, Iran accuses Britain of being behind bombings that killed six people in Iran.

☆ Britain to proscribe Iran's Revolutionary Guard as terror group - Telegraph
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] British Minister of State for Security Tom Tugendhat walks outside Downing Street in London, Britain December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Peter NichollsJan 2 (Reuters) - Britain will officially declare Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which has arrested seven people with links to the United Kingdom over anti-government protests, as a terrorist group, the Telegraph reported on Monday, citing sources. The move, which will be announced within weeks, is supported by Britain's security minister, Tom Tugendhat, and Home Secretary Suella Braverman, the report said. Proscribing Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group would mean that it would become a criminal offence to belong to the group, attend its meetings, and carry its logo in public. The UK Home Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Telegraph report.

☆ Iran says UK-linked arrests reflect 'destructive role' in protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 26 (Reuters) - Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday that the arrests of citizens linked to the United Kingdom showed London's "destructive role" in the recent protests in Iran. "Their role was totally destructive and incited the riots". Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday that the seven, including some who held dual nationality, were arrested over anti-government protests that have rocked the country. The British foreign ministry had said it was seeking further information from Iranian authorities on the reports that British-Iranian dual nationals had been arrested. Kanaani said the files of some of the detainees had been completed, while those of others were still being investigated.

DUBAI, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister said on Wednesday he spoke with his Saudi counterpart on the sidelines of a conference in Jordan the previous day, the highest-level encounter reported between officials from the rival states since they cut ties in 2016. The Middle East's leading Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran have been on opposing sides of conflicts across the region including in Syria and Yemen. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, tweeting in Arabic, on Wednesday listed his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, as one of several foreign ministers with whom he had the chance to hold "friendly talks" on the sidelines of the Jordan conference. "My Saudi counterpart assured me of his country's willingness to continue the dialogue with Iran," Amirabdollahian wrote. The Saudi foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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