Prime Minister Yair Lapid asserted that “Israel is working to prevent Iran from establishing terrorist bases throughout the Middle East and especially in Syria… Israel will not allow Syria to be used as an axis for the transfer of weapons to terrorist organisations, and will not accept the establishment of Iranian bases or militia bases on our northern border”. The following day, Defence Minister Benny Gantz posited that Iran had built “production facilities [in Syria] for mid- and long-range precise missiles and weapons, provided to Hizbollah and Iranian proxies. In other words, it became yet another Iranian front – a factory for advanced, strategic weapons”. “These sites, particularly the underground facility at Masyaf”, Gantz added, “host significant threats to the region and to the State of Israel… Masyaf, specifically, is used to produce advanced missiles”. He also said, “the Iranians are currently working to build missile and weapon industries in Lebanon and Yemen… If this trend will not be stopped, within a decade, there will be advanced Iranian industries across the region, producing weapons and spreading terror”.

Israel’s defence minister warned that a Hizbollah attack against maritime gas facilities “could trigger a reaction… leading to several days of fighting and to a military campaign. We are strong and prepared for this scenario, but we don’t want it”.

Referring to U.S.-mediated maritime talks between Lebanon and Israel, Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned that “whether a nuclear deal with Iran is signed or not, if the U.S. mediator does not give Lebanon what it asked for in terms of its rights, we are heading towards an escalation”. 

IRGC Commander Hossein Salami indicated that “in Lebanon, tens of thousands, even more than one hundred thousand missiles, are ready to be fired to create a hell for the Zionists [ie, Israel] at the moment of making the divine predestination happen”. On 7 August, Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel against any “miscalculation towards Lebanon”, adding: “It should not expect at all that the resistance will stand idly by in the face of a certain aggression or a certain infringement on our rights”.

Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson remarked that “we are more than ready to provide fuel to Beirut, provided an official request is made to us”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, referring to U.S.-mediated maritime negotiations, asserted that “when things reach a dead-end… we will reach Karish [maritime gas field], beyond Karish, and beyond, beyond Karish”, claiming: “The Americans distracted Lebanon with negotiations while Israel explored for gas and is preparing to extract it. The U.S. pressured the Lebanese state into agreeing to… the Israeli proposal for the maritime borders”. Nasrallah further warned that “no Israeli targets in the sea or land [are] out of the reach of the resistance’s precision missiles… If the extraction of oil and gas starts in September before Lebanon retains its rights, we are heading toward a confrontation”. Nasrallah also referred to “Hizbollah’s readiness to provide Iranian fuel to Lebanese power plants for free… Sadly, the Lebanese political class is not bold enough to take such a step out of fear of U.S. sanctions”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, discussing Karish maritime gas field, warned that “there will be no oil extraction across the Israeli entity if Lebanon does not obtain its rights… We might be heading to a war and we might not be. It is not our desire to open a front. We only want our rights and we’re escalating our rhetoric so that the Americans and Israelis submit, because the course of the collapse in Lebanon is continuing”.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid maintained that “Israel is interested in Lebanon being a stable and prosperous neighbour that is neither a platform for Hizbollah terrorism nor an Iranian tool… While we have no interest in escalation, Hizbollah’s aggression is unacceptable and is liable to lead the entire region into an unnecessary escalation, just when there is a genuine opportunity for Lebanon to develop its energy resources”. “Israel is taking action against all of Iran’s proxies in the region and beyond, and will continue to do so”, Lapid added. “Iran is the largest exporter of terrorism in the world. We will act on our own and in tandem with other countries in the region to prevent Iran from undermining regional stability”. The Prime Minister also flew over the Karish natural gas field and posited: “Israel’s natural gas reserves have the potential to contribute toward a solution for the global energy crisis. Lebanon could also benefit from developing the reserves in its economic waters, through negotiations, which should be concluded forthwith”.

The Israeli military reported downing a UAV “that likely belongs to the Hizbollah terrorist army [and] crossed from Lebanon into Israel”.

Marking the anniversaries of Hizbollah attacks against a Jewish community centre in Argentina in 1994 and Israeli tourists in Bulgaria in 2012, the U.S. referred to the attacks as “a clear example of Iran’s support of international terrorism” and reiterated its determination “to countering Hizbollah and Iran’s malign influence. The funding, training, weapons and other support Iran provides Hizbollah support complex and heinous terrorist attacks like these. The callous murder of civilians must not stand”. The State Department went on to note: “With our support, more than a dozen countries… have issued national level designations, bans or other restrictions against Hizballah. We urge more countries to take similar measures, which make it harder for the group and its backers in Tehran to threaten peace and security around the globe”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah asserted that their 2 July drone operation over Karish maritime gas field was “a modest beginning to where the situation could be heading… The message of the drones meant that we are serious and we are not after a psychological war… Whatever we are supposed to do, we will without any hesitation. This message was understood by the Israelis and by the Americans”. “Whether our message was understood in Lebanon or not, we don’t care about that. What is important for us is that the enemy gets the message”, he added. He went on to warn that should the U.S. not “give us our rights that are demanded by the state and if you don’t allow companies to extract [oil] God knows what we will do. We will turn over the table in the face of the world”.

Prime Minister Lapid noted that “there have been repeated attacks on Israeli gas rigs. Israel will not agree to this type of attacks on its sovereignty and everyone who does so must know they are taking an unnecessary risk to their well-being. The Government of Lebanon needs to restrain Hizbollah in the face of such attacks or we will be compelled to do so”. The same day, Defence Minister Benny Gantz contended that the 2 July incident aimed to “disrupt the negotiations that are taking place on the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon”, and called it “an attack on Lebanese citizens… [that] shows Hizbollah is an extension of the Ayatollah’s regime – operating to destabilise the region and to cause miscalculations”. On 6 July, the Israeli military reported that in late June it had intercepted “a drone belonging to Hizbollah which was heading from Lebanon towards Israel’s territorial waters… The drone was dropped a far distance from the maritime border, without posing a threat or danger to Israel”.

The Israeli military announced that it had “intercepted three hostile UAVs from Lebanon which approached the airspace over Israel’s economic waters… An initial inquiry suggests that the UAVs did not pose any imminent threat”. Hizbollah claimed that its drones had conducted “reconnaissance” operations “over Karish maritime gas filed in the disputable zone”, adding: “The mission was completed and the messages were delivered”. The following day, Prime Minister Lapid contended that “Hizbollah is continuing on the path of terrorism and is hurting Lebanon’s ability to reach an agreement on a maritime border. Israel will continue to defend itself, its citizens and its assets”.

The U.S. and other participants of the Law Enforcement Coordination Group (LECG) convened for a two-day meeting discussing “Hizbollah’s ongoing global terrorist plotting, weapons procurement and financial schemes, and outlined how Hizbollah may adapt in the future to evade law enforcement detection”. Members also conferred on “how law enforcement or financial tools can be used to disrupt Hizbollah terrorist and criminal activities, and associated networks”.

Israel’s defence minister disclosed what he described as “recent malign activities conducted by Iranian security institutions in cooperation with Hizbollah”, asserting: “They launched a cyber operation with the aim of stealing materials about UNIFIL [UN Interim Force in Lebanon] activities and deployments in the area, for Hizbollah’s use. This is yet another direct attack by Iran and Hizbollah on Lebanese citizens and Lebanon’s stability”. In a statement, UNIFIL indicated that it had “not received any direct information on the alleged incident”. Gantz further asserted that IRGC-linked units had “tried to carry out operation against international, including charities and government networks in the U.S.”, and additionally noted “research to damage ships, gas stations and industrial plants in several Western countries… under the direct instructions of Iran’s leadership”.

Najib Mikati was appointed to form a new Lebanese government.

The U.S., Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and four other members of the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center (TFTC) announced sanctions designations against three individuals for being “part of two networks directed by and providing financial support to the IRGC-QF and its terrorist proxy Hizbollah”, and “two terrorist groups affiliated with the IRGC” active primarily in Bahrain. The designees had been previously sanctioned by the U.S.

Microsoft announced that it had “successfully detected and disabled attack activity abusing OneDrive by a previously undocumented Lebanon-based activity group”, evaluating “with moderate confidence that the observed activity was coordinated with other actors affiliated with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS)”. “Such collaboration or direction from Tehran”, the company added, “would align with a string of revelations since late 2020 that the Government of Iran is using third parties to carry out cyber operations on their behalf, likely to enhance Iran’s plausible deniability”. Microsoft further revealed that “since February 2022, POLONIUM has been observed primarily targeting organisations in Israel with a focus on critical manufacturing, IT and Israel’s defence industry”.

The Israeli military indicated that it had “no concern of leaked information” after a crashed IDF drone was reportedly recovered by Lebanese forces. 

The U.S. designated “an international oil smuggling and money laundering network led by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF) officials that has facilitated the sale of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil for both the IRGC-QF and Hizbollah. This oil smuggling network… backed by senior levels of the Russian Federation government and state-run economic organs, has acted as a critical element of Iran’s oil revenue generation, as well as its support for proxy militant groups”. The State Department asserted that “while the U.S. continues to seek a mutual return to full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), we will strictly enforce sanctions on Iran’s illicit oil trade. We will not hesitate to target those who provide critical support for the IRGC or Hizbollah and facilitate their access to the international financial system. We work vigorously to counter sanctions evasion and continue to strictly enforce sanctions on Iran’s illicit oil trade. Anyone purchasing oil from Iran faces the prospect of U.S. sanctions”. Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson described the move as a “sign of the U.S. government’s ill will toward the Iranian people and an extension of the disastrous ‘maximum pressure’ policy”, adding: “Iran reserves the right to counteract such measures in a proportionate and firm manner in accordance with the principles of international law”.

The IDF announced that Israeli military officials had met with Lebanese and UN officials the previous day, and “highlighted the increase of hostile forces and illegal weapons along the Blue Line”.

The U.S. designated “a Lebanese businessman and Hizbollah financial facilitator, as well as five of his associates and eight of his companies in Lebanon and Iraq”. One of the designees, according to the Treasury Department, was engaged in “the import of Iranian oil on behalf of Hizbollah”, and another, in “the import and export of food products from Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq”. The State Department asserted that “we continue to counter Hizbollah’s exploitation of businesses to fund its terrorist activities and its efforts to destabilise Lebanon and the wider region”.

Israel’s military reported downing “a Hizbollah drone [that had] crossed from Lebanon into Israeli airspace”.

Visiting Northern Command, Defence Minister Benny Gantz asserted that “Israel will continue to act against any enemy that threatens it, and prevent the transfer of advanced capabilities from Iran that endanger the citizens of Israel and harm the stability of the entire region”. He further described the objective of a month-long military exercise as “preparing for various scenarios against our enemies in the various theaters, and against Hizbollah and Hamas, which also operates from Lebanon”.

Israel announced the arrest of “three suspects who approached the northern border between Israel and Lebanon in a weapon smuggling attempt”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah indicated that “Hizbollah has raised its military alert” in light of the start of a month-long Israeli drill. He also warned that “if Israel prevents Lebanon from investing its offshore gas resources, Hizbollah will prevent the Zionists from carrying out similar projects”, adding: “Lebanon’s socioeconomic crisis is severe to the extent that the only way to cope with it is extracting the offshore gas… Hizbollah protects Lebanon’s offshore resources from Israeli infringement”.

Marking Quds Day, Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, referring to upcoming Israeli military drills, cautioned that “any Israeli folly will be met by harsh response. In such case… [Israel] will not hear ‘we reserve right to respond in the appropriate time and place’. We will retaliate at once”. Nasrallah also claimed that “Iran informed normalising countries that any aggression against Iran from these countries will be responded to, and this message has made it to [Israel]… Iran could strike Israel directly, and its preludes are becoming greater by the day”.

Israel’s military reported that “a projectile was launched from Lebanon into northern Israel… [falling] in an open area”, in response to which IDF Artillery forces targeted “the source of the launch”. An Israeli military spokesperson assessed that the attack was “linked to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the riots on the Temple Mount”, and said Israel’s reaction aimed “to make clear to all who are on the other side, whether it is Palestinian factions, Hamas, the government of Lebanon or Hizbollah that we won’t allow Israeli sovereignty to be violated”. Relatedly, Defence Minister Benny Gantz called upon “the Lebanese government [to] take responsibility for what happens on its territory”, warning: “If terrorism and violence continue, we will know to use the necessary force against the right targets”. The same day, the IDF reported firing warning shots as two individuals “attempting to smuggle two weapons and approximately 100 grenades into Israel” from Lebanon were spotted at the Blue Line.

IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi assessed that Israeli strikes “had a decisive impact on preventing the entrenchment of Iranian forces in Syria, on preventing the establishment of Hizbollah forces in the southern Golan Heights, on preventing enemy intensification with advanced weapons systems, and on the direct and immediate thwarting of threats to infiltrate Israel”.

During a visit to Lebanon, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian underscored that “we are ready to continue our support and important trade and economic cooperation with Lebanon”. He further noted that Iran had expressed “readiness to establish two 1,000-megawatt power stations in Lebanon”, adding: “We have made other proposals to work with Lebanon to overcome the current difficult economic situation”. The following day, Amirabdollahian again emphasised Iran’s willingness to fulfil Lebanon’s “energy needs, including in the fields of electricity and gas”.

The U.S. sanctioned “two key Hizbollah financiers operating in Guinea” with the Treasury Department saying “this action is aimed at disrupting Hizbollah’s business network in West Africa”. The State Department contended that “Hizbollah has developed a global network of financiers, supporters, donors and facilitators, enabling the group to constantly threaten the security, stability and prosperity of Lebanon and the broader region… The U.S. will continue to expose individuals such as those designated today who support Hizbollah’s destabilising activities”.

The Israeli military reported that “a radio-controlled aircraft crossed into Israel from Lebanon. Sirens were sounded and aerial defense systems were activated. After a few minutes, radar contact was lost with the aircraft”. Hizbollah stated that it had dispatched the drone, which “returned safely despite all the Israeli measures and attempts to shoot it down”.

The Israeli military reported intercepting “a Hizbollah drone that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli airspace”, and in a second incident downed a drone launched by Hamas in Gaza.  

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah remarked that “we now possess the ability to transform our thousands of rockets into precision-guided missiles… We started that years ago and converted a large number of our missiles into precision-guided ones, so we do not need to bring them from Iran”. “We have been producing drones in Lebanon for a long time”, he added. Nasrallah further noted that Israel “tries throughout its aggression in Syria to prevent the reach of precision-guided weapons to the resistance in Lebanon. I tell the Israelis that what they call a ‘battle between wars’ has turned the threat into an opportunity for the resistance”.

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah asserted that “Iran itself, not its allies, will respond forcefully to any Israeli attack”.

Israel sanctioned “three Lebanese companies that Israel accuses of supplying materials to advance Hizbollah’s efforts to manufacture precision missiles”. Defence Minister Benny Gantz asserted that “Hizbollah is endangering the citizens of Lebanon and the State of Lebanon. We will continue to offer humanitarian assistance to the citizens while acting resolutely in the face of the Iranian precision [missile] project operating from the heart of Lebanon”.

Defence Minister Benny Gantz remarked that “Lebanon has unfortunately become an island of instability, and the citizens of Lebanon are not our enemies. Therefore, I offered four times this year to assist Lebanon, including last week in an application sent to the UNIFIL commander”. He further indicated that the offer had been made “in a targeted manner” to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which he argued was threatened by “the strengthening of Hizbollah with the direct support of Iran”.

A U.S. diplomatic spokesperson confirmed that the Biden administration had “notified Congress of the intent to provide additional support for the Lebanese Armed Forces”, adding: “We want to ensure that the Lebanese Armed Forces is able to carry out its duties and functions, including the ability to defend Lebanon’s territorial integrity, provide internal security and preserve stability”.

The U.S. sanctioned a “Hizbollah-affliated financial facilitator... as well as members of an international network of facilitators and companies connected to him”. The designees were linked to other individuals blacklisted three days earlier. The State Department asserted that “the sanctions evasion efforts of those designated today are a stark example of how Hizbollah abuses the international financial system to fund its acts of terrorism and illicit activities. The U.S. is committed to disrupting Hizbollah’s illicit activity, including attempts to evade sanctions through business networks”.

The U.S. blacklisted “three Hizbollah-linked financial facilitators and their Lebanon-based travel company”, asserting that “through businessmen like those designated today, Hizbollah gains access to material and financial support… to fund its acts of terrorism and attempts to destabilise Lebanon’s political institutions”. In a statement on the sanctions announcement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserted that “it is clear Hizbollah and its associates are more concerned with advancing their own interests and those of their patron, Iran, than the best interests of the Lebanese people”.

The Israeli military reported downing “a Hizbollah drone that crossed from Lebanon into Israel”, adding: “the IDF will continue to operate against any attempt by terrorists to violate Israeli sovereignty”.

The Saudi-led coalition presented what it described as evidence of Hizbollah training Huthi forces, with a spokesperson asserting: “The terrorist organisation Hizbollah… bears the responsibility for targeting civilians in Saudi Arabia and Yemen”. “The Iranian regime sponsors its proxies in the region to carry out destruction and devastation”, he added, further stating that “the Huthis do not have the ability to make the decision to be part of the political solution in Yemen”.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan assessed that “since Donald Trump made the decision to pull the U.S. out of the Iran Nuclear Deal in 2018, Hizbollah has continued to menace Lebanon and the region. Iran’s proxies in Iraq and Syria and Yemen have continued to move forward. So, not being in the nuclear deal has hardly been a solution to the proxy”. He further asserted that “nothing about the nuclear deal stops the U.S.’s capacity to deal with those proxies. And we are prepared to do so”, adding: “ultimately, an Iran with a nuclear weapon is going to be a greater menace in partnerships with its proxies than Iran without one. And so it is our determination to ensure they never get a nuclear weapon, and diplomacy is the best way forward”.

On the sideline of a military drill in northern Israel, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett asserted that “we are surrounded by security challenges and the goal is to utilise periods of relative quiet to build up strength”, adding: “we are dealing with Iran and its proxies, in Lebanon and Syria. It does not matter what occurs between Iran and the major powers. We are concerned by the fact that there is not enough firmness in the face of the Iranian violations; Israel will defend itself, by itself”. Speaking alongside Bennett, Defence Minister Benny Gantz remarked that “the world needs to take action against Iran, and Israel needs to continue to do what it needs to on all fronts in general, and on the northern front in particular”.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz maintained that “on an operational level, we are acting extensively. We won’t allow Hizbollah and other Iranian proxies in the area to be equipped with weaponry that will harm Israel’s [military] superiority in the region”. Relatedly, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, told Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that “the IDF will continue to act to remove threats and will respond forcefully to any violation of [Israeli] sovereignty, in Gaza or in the north”, adding: “[the army] is accelerating operational planning and preparedness to deal with Iran and the military nuclear threat”.

Discussing a diplomatic rupture between Riyadh and Beirut, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan remarked that “dealing with Lebanon and its current government is not productive and not helpful with Hizbollah’s continuing dominance of the political scene”. “Engagement [with Lebanon] at this point is not productive or useful. And it’s not really in our interest”, Farhan added. “The political scene in Lebanon continues to be dominated by Hizbollah, a terrorist group, a group that by the way, arms and supplies and trains that Huthi militia”. Subsequently, Lebanon’s foreign minister underscored that “If they just want Hizbollah’s head on a plate, we can’t give them that… Hizbollah is a component of politics in Lebanon. It has a regional armed dimension, yes, but this is beyond what we can resolve”.

The U.S. designated “two Lebanese businessmen and a member of Parliament whose actions”, according to the Treasury Department, “have contributed to the breakdown of good governance and the rule of law in Lebanon”. 

A senior U.S. diplomat announced that Washington was providing “an additional $67m in new U.S. support for the Lebanese Army”. She also contended that “what Iran is offering here on the energy front is a publicity stunt. A bunch of trucks full of dirty stuff that is not sustainable for the Lebanese people. What we are working on are short, medium and longer-term solutions to the energy issues that have long plagued this country, that are particularly acute now, and then onward toward clean energy in the future”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah urged the Lebanese “government to seek a waiver of sanctions in order to import fuel from Iran” and “respond to the latest offer made by the Iranian Foreign Minister to solve the electricity problem in Lebanon [by constructing power plant]”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian visited Beirut and met with senior Lebanese officials. He expressed Iran’s “steadfast support for Lebanon and its readiness to provide Beirut with full support in the areas it requires, especially in the difficult economic conditions it is going through”, while voicing Iran’s willingness “to play an active role in development plans in Lebanon, particularly in power plant projects”.

Addressing reports that a third Iranian tanker carrying fuel to Lebanon had arrived in Syria, a U.S. diplomatic spokesperson indicated that “we are aware of that… broadly speaking, fuel from a country subject to extensive sanctions like Iran is not very clearly a sustainable solution to Lebanon’s energy crisis”. He further underscored that “we support efforts to find transparent and sustainable energy solutions that will address Lebanon’s acute energy and fuel shortages. This is, in our minds, Hizbollah playing a public relations game, not engaged in constructive problem solving”. The following day, during a visit to Beirut, Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian affirmed that “at any point in time if the Lebanese government asks Iran formally within the context of their brotherly ties... Iran is ready to send fuel products”.

The Israeli military confirmed that “during routine activity, an IDF drone fell within Lebanese territory. The incident is being investigated”. Hizbollah issued a statement claiming that it had downed the UAV using “suitable weaponry”.

The U.S. and Qatar sanctioned “a major Hizballah financial network based in the Arabian Peninsula”. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the designations as “one of the most significant joint actions we have taken with a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) partner to date”, adding: “Hizbollah seeks to abuse the international financial system by utilising global networks of financiers and front companies to support its malign activity. The U.S. will continue to cooperate with partners… to protect the U.S. and international financial systems from terrorist abuse”.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the UN General Assembly that “Israel is, quite literally, surrounded by Hizbollah, Shiite militias, Islamic Jihad and Hamas... And they’re all backed by Iran. They get their funding from Iran, they get their training from Iran, and they get their weapons from Iran”. Bennett also said that “just this year, Iran made operational a new deadly terror unit — swarms of killer UAVs armed with lethal weapons that can attack any place any time… Iran plans to arm its proxies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon with hundreds and then thousands of these deadly drones”.

Hizbollah reported that “the second ship delivering diesel oil from the Islamic Republic [of Iran] docked in [Syria’s] Banias Port”.

A senior U.S. intelligence official assessed that “Lebanese Hizbollah maintains a high threshold for conducting attacks in the Homeland”, adding: “Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah balances his organisation’s view of the U.S. as one of its primary adversaries against the likelihood of U.S. retaliation if the group decided to conduct an attack”. Relatedly, FBI Director Christopher Wray indicated that “Hizbollah also continues to conduct intelligence collection, financial activities and procurement efforts to support its terrorist capabilities… the Government of Iran and Hizbollah each seek to establish infrastructure here, potentially for the purpose of conducting operational or contingency planning”.

Media reports indicated that a” convoy of diesel tankers brought by Hizbollah from Iran crossed the Syrian border towards Lebanon”.

The U.S. designated “Lebanon- and Kuwait-based members of a financial network that funds Hizbollah, as well as members of an international network of financial facilitators and front companies that operate in support of Hizbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF)”. According to the State Department, “together, these networks have laundered tens of millions of dollars through regional financial systems and conducted currency exchange operations and trade in gold and electronics for the benefit of both Hizbollah and the IRGC-QF”. Asserting that “Hizbollah uses revenues generated by these networks to fund terrorist activities and to perpetuate instability in Lebanon and throughout the region”, Washington warned that it would “not relent in targeting these networks, and we will continue to take actions to disrupt their activities”.

Hizbollah’s media hailed “breaking the U.S. blockade” after four convoys bearing Iranian fuel arrived in Lebanon via Syria.  

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reported that “the first fuel ship, which the Party [ie, Hizbollah] decided to import from Iran, arrived in [Syria’s] Banias seaport… [and] finished unloading”. “The truck tankers transferring the diesel load will enter Lebanon” within days, he added, going on to assert that “some political sides wished Israel could have struck the ship and banned its arrival… the Resistance could have engaged in a naval confrontation with the Zionist enemy had this happened”.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid contended that “there won’t be stability in Syria, or in the wider Middle East, while there is an Iranian presence… [Israel] will not sit quietly by while Iran builds terror bases on our northern border or while Iran supplies advanced weapons to terror organisations”.

IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi maintained that “a significant chunk of the boost to the defence budget” related to “greatly accelerated” planning for operations targeting Iran’s nuclear program, adding: “It’s a very complicated job, with much more intelligence, much more operational capabilities, much more armaments. We’re working on all these things”. He also indicated that the Israeli military’s priority was “minimising Iranian presence in the Middle East, with an emphasis on Syria. But these operations take place throughout the Middle East. They’re also against Hamas, against Hizbollah”. “[Israeli strikes] greatly diminished Iran’s presence and weaponry in the northern arena, certainly in comparison to what they sought”, Kohavi asserted, also noting that the IDF had been “very active in disrupting the smuggling routes of Hizbollah, of Hamas, of Iran, in all regions”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian indicated that “if the government and businessmen of Lebanon need more oil, Iran is ready to sell and send it…there is no limitation for expansion of bilateral ties”.

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah revealed that “we have agreed to start loading a third vessel” of Iranian fuel, adding that “coming days will prove those doubtful about the shipments arriving with fuel wrong”. He also called on the U.S. to “go ahead and give Lebanon an exemption for Iranian gasoline”. In 1 September remarks, Lebanon’s caretaker energy minister indicated that “we did not receive a request for permission” for Iranian fuel imports.

A senior U.S. official noted that “the Israelis are quite concerned in terms of the precision-guided missile technology transfer piece to Hizbollah. And we’re quite con-cerned about that, but also quite concerned about the real potential for state collapse if... the Lebanese political elites do not get their act together, essentially, and form a new government”. 

Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson asserted that “we sell oil according to our own decisions and upon the announcement of demand from our friends… We express readiness to sell fuel to the Lebanese government if it is also willing, in addition to the fuel that has be