COMMENTARY
Hizbullah and Russiaʼs Nascent Alliance
Aurora Ortega and Dr Matthew Levitt
23 May 2023
10 Minute Read
While the worldʼs attention is focused on Ukraine, Russia has
been steadily expanding its presence in the Middle East,
including through its dealings with the Lebanese terrorist group
Hizbullah.
Over the last few years, Russia has quietly extended its reach into Lebanon,
seeking to cultivate cultural, economic and military ties in Beirut as part of a
strategy to expand Russian inuence in the Middle East, while side-lining the
US and elevating Moscowʼs role as a peacemaker. However, Russiaʼs
encroachment into Lebanon has been overshadowed by the conict in Ukraine,
and its growing alliance with Hizbullah has likewise received scant attention.
And yet, a close read of US government designations related to Iranian and
Hizbullah illicit nancing schemes reveals a distinct trend in Russian
cooperation with and support for such activities.
Sanctions Evasion
Russiaʼs alliance with Hizbullah was born out of the conict in Syria, where
Russian and Hizbullah forces fought side-by-side in alliance with the Assad
regime. For years, this alliance appeared strictly limited to military activity in
Syria, but in 2018, Hizbullah and Russia began to engage in unprecedented joint
