Naim Qassem is finally the bride
Hezbollah has a new secretary-general, though far from the obvious choice. On October 29, the group announced that its demure and soft-spoken Naim Qassem, rumored to be hiding in Iran, had succeeded...
Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist
Hezbollah c’est moi: The Party of God without Hassan Nasrallah
On September 27, the unimaginable happened. At approximately 5:22 p.m. local time, reports emerged of a massive Israeli strike on the predominantly Shia southern suburbs of Beirut, known colloquially as...
Op-eds
10 Things to Know About Hezbollah
1. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Islamist terrorist organization Hezbollah (also spelled “Hizballah”) is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and a political party based in Lebanon. The...
Insights
Khamenei is Iran’s most important voter, and he wants more extremism, not less
Elections have consequences, even in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Nobody knows this better than Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the country’s most powerful person and most important “voter.” Through...
Op-eds
Jaish al-Adl claims deadly IRGC bus bombing
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Op-eds
Hezbollah doesn’t want a President – Because it doesn’t want a Lebanese Republic
Hezbollah appears to have switched loyalties in Lebanon’s never-ending presidential race. Despite maintaining long-standing support for the candidacy of the pro-Syrian former general Michel...
Op-eds
Hezbollah doesn’t want a President – Because it doesn’t want a Lebanese Republic
Hezbollah appears to have switched loyalties in Lebanon’s never-ending presidential race. Despite maintaining long-standing support for the candidacy of the pro-Syrian former general Michel...
Op-eds
Joining Hezbollah: An Insider’s Account
In late December 2015, Lebanese journalist Carol Malouf held an in-depth interview with two Hezbollah captives of Jabhat al-Nusra. The intervi...
Op-eds
The IRGC v Rohani: Spy v Spy
While the United States has pinned its hopes for a negotiated solution to the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme on Iranian President Hassan Rohani’s government, the “...
Op-eds
The Islamic Republic of Iran Under President Hassan Rouhani
Thank you for providing me with this opportunity to share my analysis with you. Allow me in particular to express my gratitude to this subcommittee for raising the twin issues of the Islamic Republic’s use of terror against its own citizens, and the regime’s sponsorship of international terrorism.
Congressional Testimonies
The Islamic Republic of Iran Under President Hassan Rouhani
Violation of Human Rights and State Sponsorship of International Terror Ladies and Gentlemen, Thank you for providing me with this opportunity to share my...
Congressional Testimonies
A Power Struggle in Iran
Every time trouble has erupted in Iran against the regime—1999, 2003, and, most recently, 2009—university students have been at the forefront of protests. This is partly why Iran&rsqu...
Op-eds
The Nasrallah speech: Hezbollah ruled, the West is fooled
In the next days a major battle in the War of Ideas will be unfolding worldwide and particularly through the international media. We are now witnessing a massive campaign by Hezbollah's stra...
Op-eds
The Death of A Marja
The passing of Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah over the weekend marks the end of an era for Lebanese Shiism. What comes next, and who will attempt to fill his shoes as the leadi...
Op-eds
A Syria in Minor Key
The strategic vacuum the United States is leaving in the Middle East is creating a dangerously unstable situation, arguably similar to the one immediately preceding the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Thi...
Op-eds
Umbilically Yours, Says Nasrallah to Iran
Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general, has carefully cultivated a personality cult, a central tenet of which is that his word is always true. However, in a speech on the recent an...
Op-eds
Hezbollah Is Being Elusive on Wilayat al-Faqih
There is a glaring contradiction between Hezbollah's recent statements about the concept of Wilayat al-Faqih (the rule of the jurisprudent) and events in Iran. The reverberations of the even...
Op-eds
Hezbollah’s Agenda in Lebanon
This article was...
Op-eds
The Nasrallah Speech: Hezbollah Ruled, the West is Fooled
In the next days a major battle in the War of Ideas will be unfolding worldwide and particularly through the international media. We are now witnessing a massive campaign by Hezbollah's stra...