Lebanon: The Iranian State Within a State

Earlier this fall, after a protracted period of political infighting, Lebanon finally settled on a new government. How much of this government does Hezbollah control? To what degree is French President Emmanuel Macron going along with a Hezbollah- controlled government, despite his statement last year that he was “ashamed of Lebanon’s political leaders” because of their domination of, submission to and control by Hezbollah?

How much of the Lebanese Armed Forces does Hezbollah control? Why is the United States continuing to pour more taxpayer dollars into the Hezbollah-dominated Lebanese Armed Forces? What is happening to the reconstruction of the part of Beirut, blown up in August of 2020, and how does it relate to Hezbollah’s control of Lebanon’s commercial infrastructure?

To answer these questions and more, EMET is proud to host Tony Badran.

About the speaker: Tony Badran is a research fellow at Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on Lebanon, Hezbollah, Syria, and the geopolitics of the Levant. Born and raised in Lebanon, Tony has testified to the House of Representatives on several occasions regarding U.S. policy toward Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. His research currently focuses on the relationship between Iran’s Hezbollah model and regional states, as well as the history of and future scenarios for Israel-Hezbollah wars. His writings have appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal,  The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Post, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, and The Weekly Standard. He is a columnist and Levant analyst for Tablet magazine.