Forty years on, Hezbollah is isolated but more powerful than ever

Over the years, the Lebanese Shiite group has tried to rebrand itself from a paramilitary “Hezbollah has poisoned Lebanese relations with the Gulf states, which have been crucial economic lifelines for the Lebanese diaspora and state,” said Hokyem. “In Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and elsewhere, Lebanon is seen as a threat, too weak to constrain its main political party from endangering their security.” Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese work in the oil-rich Gulf Arab states, sending billions in hard currency back home. Inward remittances account for 54% of Lebanon’s economy, according to the World Bank. But the group now appears to be softening its tone towards the Gulf. Nasrallah in his recent 40th anniversary speech said, “we don’t have a problem with Lebanon’s relations with Arab countries and especially the Gulf countries, and for these relations to evolve and strengthen.” “Now as Iran is about to return to the [nuclear deal] and resume diplomatic relations with the Gulf states, Hezbollah should logically follow suit, and de-escalate its rhetoric,” Ali said. The digest Iranian women attend domestic league football match for first time in over 40 years Iranian women attended Thursday’s domestic premier league match between Esteghlal FC and Mes Kerman FC at Tehran’s Azadi stadium for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to semi-official state news agency Fars. However, only 500 tickets were set aside for women in the 78,000-seat Azadi stadium. Background: Thousands of women were permitted to attend a World Cup Qualifier game between Iran and Cambodia in 2019, following pressure from human rights groups and the sport’s world governing body FIFA. That was the first time since the Revolution that women were able to attend an international football competition inside Iran. Why it matters: FIFA had come under increasing pressure to force Iran to overturn a ban on women entering sports stadiums, in particular following the death of Sahar Khodayari. The female fan set herself on fire after she was denied access to a football stadium in Tehran in 2019. Video from the stadium on Thursday showed women dressed in blue waving Esteghlal flags and chanting “blue girl” from the stands, referring to Khodayari. France’s Macron urges future with Algeria beyond ‘painful’ history French President Emmanuel Macron indicated his country and Algeria should move beyond their “painful” shared history and look to the future on Thursday at the start of a three-day visit to the North African country, Reuters reported. Background: The trauma of French colonial rule in Algeria and the independence war that ended it in 1962 has haunted relations between the two countries for decades. Last year Macron was quoted as suggesting that Algerian national identity did not exist before French rule, and accused Algeria’s leaders of rewriting the history of the independence struggle based on a hatred of France. Algeria withdrew its ambassador and closed its airspace to French planes. Why it matters: Ties with Algeria have become more important for France because the war in Ukraine has increased demand in Europe for North African gas, and due to surging migration across the Mediterranean. Algeria is meanwhile seeking to capitalize on higher energy prices to lock in European investment. Biden says US struck Iran-linked targets in Syria to disrupt attacks US strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria this week were carried out to deter Iran and Iran-backed militia groups “from conducting or supporting further attacks on United States personnel and facilities,” President Joe Biden said in a letter to Congress on Thursday. Background: The US carried out additional airstrikes targeting enemy positions and rocket launchers near Deir ez-Zor in northeast Syria on Thursday following a rocket attack on coalition bases in the region that injured three US troops on Wednesday, according to a US official. Why it matters: Iranian militias have a strong presence in the town and have long targeted the nearby Al Omar oil field on the eastern bank of the Euphrates where the US coalition has its biggest base in Syria. The flare-up occurred amid diplomatic efforts between Tehran and the West to try to save Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with major powers.Time capsule