A year after suffering its most severe blow in decades, Lebanon’s Hezbollah showed that its grassroots base remains intact and capable not only of defying government decisions but also of turning political pressure into an opportunity to showcase its street power.

Baghdad’s ability to resist Iranian pressure is under scrutiny after reports that a senior Iraqi official rejected a request to channel money to Hezbollah via Syria, leaving open the question of whether the cash could yet reach Lebanon.

The Lebanese government has taken its first concrete step to tighten the noose around Hezbollah’s financial network by banning the central bank from dealing with institutions that fund the group—starting with al-Qard al-Hassan, considered its financial backbone.

Hezbollah has started implementing a new organizational plan aimed at merging several of its jihadist and operational units, along with institutions that share similar functions, as part of an internal restructuring process.

U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks about the need to eliminate “Tehran’s proxies” in the region have raised pressing questions about whether Washington intends to target Iraqi factions, especially following Israeli Occupation’s attacks on Iran on June 13, 2025.