|
Trending Topics
|
How Oil Price Slump Is Putting a Squeeze on Hizbullah
(Christian Science Monitor) Nicholas Blanford - A slump in global oil prices and nuclear-tied sanctions are squeezing Hizbullah's patron Iran. As Iran tightens its belt, Hizbullah has had to impose salary cuts on personnel, defer payments to suppliers and reduce monthly stipends to its political allies in Lebanon, according to political and diplomatic sources in Beirut. "Salvaging the regime in Syria and fighting ISIS in Iraq have forced Iran to divert more resources away from Hizbullah at a time when the resource base in Iran is shrinking," says Randa Slim, a director at the Middle East Institute.