Logo of the Saudi armed group Hezbollah al-Hijaz.
The name of this little-known movement resurfaced during the ongoing war in Lebanon, after a Saudi national was killed in southern Lebanon. He was identified as the son of the leader of the armed group Hezbollah al-Hijaz, affiliated with Iran.L’Orient-Today takes a look back at the movement.How was Saudi Hezbollah founded?Hezbollah al-Hijaz was established in Saudi Arabia in 1987 with Iranian support, modeled after the Lebanese Hezbollah, which had officially formed a few years earlier.That same year, clashes between Shiite pilgrims and Saudi security forces during the Hajj pilgrimage left nearly 400 dead, leading to a diplomatic rift between Riyadh and Tehran. With its ties to Tehran, Hezbollah al-Hijaz sought to spread the Iranian revolution into Saudi Arabia, bringing the principle of welayat al-faqih — the mandate to follow the...
The name of this little-known movement resurfaced during the ongoing war in Lebanon, after a Saudi national was killed in southern Lebanon. He was identified as the son of the leader of the armed group Hezbollah al-Hijaz, affiliated with Iran.L’Orient-Today takes a look back at the movement.How was Saudi Hezbollah founded?Hezbollah al-Hijaz was established in Saudi Arabia in 1987 with Iranian support, modeled after the Lebanese Hezbollah, which had officially formed a few years earlier.That same year, clashes between Shiite pilgrims and Saudi security forces during the Hajj pilgrimage left nearly 400 dead, leading to a diplomatic rift between Riyadh and Tehran. With its ties to Tehran, Hezbollah al-Hijaz sought to spread the Iranian revolution into Saudi Arabia, bringing the principle of welayat al-faqih — the mandate to follow the...
Humanitarian convoy reaches Rmeish, Ain Ibl, Dibil despite obstacles