Middle East and North Africa
Lebanon
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What Is Hezbollah?Military experience gained from fighting in Syria’s civil war and decades of clashes with Israel have made the Iran-backed group stronger than ever, but the biggest threat it faces may be upheaval in its own backyard.
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What’s Driving Lebanon’s Midpandemic Protests?An unprecedented financial and political crisis has sparked mass protests in Lebanon, but a nonresponsive government and the coronavirus pandemic could stand in the way of demonstrators’ demands.
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Lebanon’s Imminent Financial CrisisLebanon is in a deep financial hole, with no obvious way out.
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Iran’s Regional Armed NetworkIran’s web of armed partners such as Hezbollah serves to strengthen its influence in the Middle East and could pose a growing threat to the United States and its allies in the region.
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Is Lebanon Becoming A Real Nation?Amir Asmar is a Department of Defense analyst and CFR’s national intelligence fellow. Throughout his intelligence career, his primary area of focus has been the Middle East. He held a wide range of a…
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Protests Flare Around the Globe, U.S. House Votes, and MoreProtests intensify in Lebanon, Chile, and elsewhere, and the U.S. House of Representatives votes on rules that will govern the impeachment inquiry against President Donald J. Trump.
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UNIFIL and the Hezbollah TunnelsIsrael announced this week the discovery of several tunnels dug by Hezbollah and reaching from Lebanon into Israel. Their existence has been confirmed, and has been condemned not only by Israel but a…
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What is the Role of UNIFIL?This month the new head of UNIFIL took up his post. The new UNIFIL Force Commander and Head of Mission is Major General Stefano Del Col of Italy, and UNIFIL is the United National Interim Force in Le…
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Women this Week: Making History in LebanonWelcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post, covering April 27 to May 4, was compiled with support from Alexandra Bro, Rebecca Hughes, and Rebecca Turkington.
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What's Next for Lebanon? Stability and Security ChallengesOn Wednesday, March 21, 2018, Elliott Abrams testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Near East, South and Central Asian Affairs and Counterterrorism. His testimony can be viewed by clicking …
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Iran's Imperial Ambitions Challenge Middle East BordersIn May, 2017 Major General Qassem Soleimani, chief of the Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps’ foreign operations branch known as the Qods Force, visited the Iraq/Syria border in the company of an Iran-…
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Should the United States Be Supporting the Lebanese Army?In testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee last November, I raised some doubts about U.S. military aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). My main concern was that the LAF "is increasingly i…
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The Latest Developments in Saudi Arabia and LebanonOn November 29, 2017, Elliott Abrams testified before the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa about recent events in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.
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Saudi Arabia’s Lebanon GambitSaudi Arabia pressed Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign to try to weaken Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. The path to resolving the crisis could run through Yemen.
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Israel and Hezbollah: Deterrence and the Threat of MiscalculationNeither Israel nor Hezbollah may want to return to war, but the risk of conflict is real—especially in Syria. The Trump administration can take action to prevent unintended escalation.