Hezbollah Under Attack & Iran’s “Soft Power” Play in Sudan | Media Arabic Booster 09/24

September 2024 was a volatile month in the Middle East, and this Media Arabic Booster focuses on two major developing stories.

We’ll start in Lebanon, analyzing how Arab newspapers like al-Sharq al-Awsat covered the pager attacks on Hezbollah and the subsequent assassination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah (حسن نصر الله). Then, we shift to a fascinating piece from al-Arab that details how Iran is using the crisis in Sudan as a “soft power” play to expand its influence in Africa.

This issue will equip you with the precise media Arabic vocabulary to discuss targeted strikes, regional power struggles, and ideological expansion.

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A close look at a headline

We start with Israel’s pager attack in Lebanon and the killing of Hassan Nasrallah.

al-Sharq al-Awsat: to cause someone to bleed

The month of September in 2024 was dominated by the events in Lebanon surrounding Hezbollah (حزب الله). It began in mid-September with Israel’s attack on thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah supporters. A few days later, on Friday, 27 September 2024, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah (حسن نصر الله) was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut.

Let us first look at how the London-based and Saudi financed newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat (الشرق الأوسط) reported the pager attack on Wednesday, 18 September 2024.

Let’s focus on two headlines:

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I’m not sure how best to translate the title into English. There are several reasons for this:

• Firstly, al-Sharq al-Awsat prefers serious and rather detached, factual language in its headlines – it is anything but a tabloid/yellow press. So I don’t think a literal translation of “bleeding” is really appropriate for this newspaper, although there was a real connection because after the pager attack many people in Lebanon were injured and bleeding.
• Secondly, the word “blood” in Arabic has a lot of abstract, very deep meanings. So I would tend towards a more abstract formulation.
• But I am not a native speaker, so I do not have the necessary feel for such phrases. I would be interested to hear what others think about this (please comment at the end of the article).

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Headlines on the death of Nasrallah

Hezbollah is supported by the Shiite regime in Iran. That’s why I wanted to see how the Sunni Arab media outlets reported the death of the Hezbollah leader.

• Almost all of them used neutral language and the word اِغْتِيالٌ which means assasination; murder. It is the verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) of the VIII-verb اغْتالَ – يَغْتالُ which means to murder; to assassinate. Arabic newspapers refrained from using Islamic or indirect phrases, which are usually used when important Arab figures die.
• Interestingly, the Egyptian newspaper al-Masry al-Youm (المصري اليوم)used different approach. They showed a picture of a waving and friendly-looking Nasrallah and used the headline حسن نصر الله يغادر ضاحيته الجنوبية which translates as Hassan Nasrallah leaves his southern suburb.

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For those who want to read more on the subject: In issue 08/24 of the Media Arabic Booster I wrote some background information on Nasrallah and Hezbollah.

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Translation of an article

Let’s look at parts of a longer newspaper article in Arabic. We will translate each sentence carefully. The highlighted words are in the vocabulary list below.

al-Arab: How Iran tries to gain influence in Sudan

On September 24, 2024, the following article was published by the London-based and Qatari-owned daily newspaper al-Arab (العرب). The article examines Iran’s efforts to increase its influence in Sudan during the current crisis and claims that Tehran uses educational institutions to spread Shi’ism and strengthen its presence in Africa. The author, Dr. Abdel Moneim Hemmat (عبد المنعم همت), is a Sudanese writer based in the UAE.

Let’s now take a closer look at a few complete paragraphs.

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إيران واستغلال الأزمة السودانية لتعزيز نفوذها الإقليمي

Iran and the exploitation of the Sudanese crisis to enhance its regional influence

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Section 1

إيران، بفضل موقعها الجغرافي وتوجهاتها السياسية والعقائدية، تسعى إلى التوسع خارج حدودها، خاصة في الأوقات التي تتسم بالأزمات في المناطق المحيطة. الأزمة السودانية المستعرة منذ سنوات ليست استثناءً لهذه الطموحات. مع تزايد حالة الفوضى الداخلية في السودان، تجد طهران فرصة لتعزيز وجودها في هذا البلد الهام والاستفادة من موقعه الجغرافي لتوسيع نفوذها في أفريقيا، وهي قارة تحاول إيران على مدى عقود الوصول إلى قلبها لأسباب سياسية واقتصادية وأيديولوجية.

Thanks to its geographical location and political and ideological orientations, Iran is seeking to expand beyond its borders, especially in times of crises in neighboring regions. The ongoing Sudanese crisis for years now is no exception to these ambitions. As the internal chaos is escalating in Sudan, Tehran seized the opportunity to strengthen its presence in this important country and take advantage of its geographical location to expand its influence in Africa, a continent that Iran has been trying to reach for decades for political, economic and ideological reasons.

Section 2

من أبرز الوسائل التي تستخدمها طهران لتحقيق هذا الهدف هو التعليم، حيث تقوم بإنشاء مدارس وجامعات في عدد من الدول الأفريقية، بما فيها السودان، بهدف نشر المذهب الشيعي وتعزيز ارتباط هذه المجتمعات بإيران. هذه المؤسسات التعليمية ليست مجرد منصات أكاديمية، بل أدوات لنشر الأيديولوجيا الشيعية وتثبيت النفوذ الإيراني في المجتمعات المحلية. التعليم، إذًا، يُعتبر من أسلحة طهران الناعمة التي تستخدمها لتوسيع نفوذها في أماكن يصعب عليها التدخل فيها مباشرة بالقوة العسكرية.

One of the main (most prominent) methods that Tehran uses to achieve this goal is education through the establishment of schools and universities in several African countries, including Sudan, with the aim of spreading the Shiite doctrine and strengthening these communities’ connection to Iran. These educational institutions are not mere academic platforms, but rather tools aimed at promoting the Shiite ideology and consolidating Iranian influence in local communities. Therefore, education is considered one of Tehran’s soft weapons used to expand its influence in places where it would have been otherwise difficult to enter directly through military force.

Section 3

على الجانب السوداني، يوجد ارتباط قديم بين بعض فصائل الإخوان المسلمين في البلاد وإيران. على الرغم من أن هذه الروابط التنظيمية لا تتمتع بالقوة الكبيرة، إلا أن هناك مجموعة صغيرة من أعضاء الإخوان تحمل ولاءً قويًا لإيران وشخصية الخميني، وتتأثر بالمذهب الشيعي. هذا الارتباط الفكري ظهر للمرة الأولى بشكل واضح في جامعة القاهرة فرع الخرطوم، حيث كان يتم التعبير عن هذه الأفكار من خلال نشاطات طلابية وصحف حائطية. وعلى الرغم من أن هذا التيار ظل ضعيفًا وغير مؤثر، إلا أن المتغيرات الحالية في السودان قد تتيح له الظهور مجددًا، خاصة إذا تمكنت إيران من ترسيخ وجودها في البلاد.

On the Sudanese side, there is a long-standing connection between some factions of the Muslim Brotherhood in the country and Iran. Although these organizational links are not very strong, there is a small group of Brotherhood members who have strong loyalty to Iran and the personality of Khomeini and are influenced by Shiism. This ideological connection first appeared clearly at the Khartoum branch of Cairo University, where these ideas were expressed through student activities and wall newspapers. Although this current has remained weak and ineffective, the current changes in Sudan may allow it to re-emerge, especially if Iran is able to establish its presence in the country.

Section 4

من ناحية أخرى، تسعى إيران من خلال إشعال الأوضاع في السودان إلى تخفيف الضغوط الداخلية التي تعاني منها. فطهران تعيش أزمة اقتصادية وسياسية خانقة نتيجة العقوبات الدولية المفروضة عليها، إضافة إلى تحديات داخلية متعلقة بالاستقرار الاجتماعي. لذلك، فإن تحريك الصراع خارج حدودها عبر التوسع في السودان سيمنح نظامها بعض الوقت للتنفس داخليًا ويخفف من الضغوط المباشرة عليه. في نفس الوقت، هذا التوسع سيجعل إيران أكثر قربًا من الدول التي ترى فيها تهديدًا لمصالحها، ويمنحها القدرة على التعامل المباشر مع أيّ تهديدات محتملة لأمنها الإقليمي.

On the other hand, Iran seeks, by igniting the situation in Sudan, to alleviate the internal pressures it is suffering from. Tehran is experiencing a stifling economic and political crisis as a result of international sanctions imposed on it, in addition to internal challenges related to social stability. Therefore, moving the conflict outside its borders by expanding in Sudan will give its regime some time to breathe internally and relieve the direct pressures on it. At the same time, this expansion will bring Iran closer to the countries it sees as a threat to its interests, and give it the ability to deal directly with any potential threats to its regional security.

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Section 5

إيران إذًا لا ترى في السودان مجرد فرصة جغرافية وسياسية، بل تعتبره نقطة انطلاق نحو تحقيق مكاسب إستراتيجية على المدى البعيد، سواء على مستوى التوسع في أفريقيا أو على مستوى التحكم في البحر الأحمر وتعزيز نفوذها الإقليمي.

Iran does not see in Sudan a mere geographic and political opportunity, but rather considers it a starting point towards achieving strategic gains in the long term, whether in terms of expansion in Africa or in terms of controlling the Red Sea and strengthening its regional influence.

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Vocabulary list

All the words in the above article marked in color can be found in this table with explanations.

Part 1: Analysis of a headline

ARABIC	EXPLANATION
اِخْتِراقٌ	penetration; breach; breakthrough. It is the verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) of the VIII-verb اخْتَرَقَ – يَخْتَرِقُ which means to break into; to penetrate; to hack. It is mostly used in a negative way, but occasionally also for positive things (e.g., a scientific breakthrough). For example: security breach, also used for hacking (اِخْتِراقٌ أَمْنِيٌّ); important breakthrough, e.g., in science (اِخْتِراقٌ مُهِمٍّ); breaking the sound barrier (اِخْتِراقُ حاجِزِ الصَّوْتِ); to ring/bark in someone’s ears (اِخْتَرَقَ مَسامِعَهُ)
أَدْمَى – يُدْمِي	to make bleed. It is a IV-verb of the root د-م-ي. If you want to express to bleed, you usually use the I-verb نَزَفَ – نَزَفَ and not the I-verb دَمِيَ – يَدْمَى which does also mean to bleed. For example:to bleed from the nose (نَزَفَ دَمًا مِنْ الْأَنْفِ). For example:to lose much blood, to bleed to death (نُزِفَ دَمُهُ). The verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) is نَزْفٌ and means exhaustion, draining, hemorrhage, weakening (by loss of blood). In the old times, it mainly denoted to exhaust a well and later to drain, to draw off blood.
تَأَهَّبَ - يَتَأَهَّبُ لِ	to prepare oneself for; to get ready for. V-verb (root: ء-ه-ب). The verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) is تَأَهُّب which means preparation or readiness. For example: to raise the alert level (رَفَعَ دَرَجةَ التَّأَهُّبِ)
اِسْتَدْعَى – يَسْتَدْعِي	to call/alarm; also: to subpoena. X-verb (root: د-ع-و) that can take a direct object (مَفْعُولٌ بِهِ), but sometimes is also used with the preposition لِ (e.g., when expressing called up for military service). The verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) is اِسْتِدْعاءٌ which means summons (in law) or convocation, call.
اِحْتِياطٌ pl: اِحْتِياطاتٌ	reserve (military); precaution; caution/cautiousness, care. It is the verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) of the VIII-verb اِحْتاطَ – يَحْتاطُ لِ (root: ح-و-ط) which means to take care; to make provisions (لِ for) in order to achieve something; to take care (for = بِ; that = بِأَنَّ). For example, to take precautionary measures (اِتَّخَذَ اِحْتِياطاتٍ وِقائيّةً); as a precaution (مِنْ بابِ اِلْاحْتِياطِ or عَلَى سَبِيلِ اِلْاحْتِياطِ); preventing something (اِحْتِياطًا لِ / مِنْ)
أَعَدَّ – يُعِدُّ	to prepare; to make ready. IV-verb (root: ح-د-د); the verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) is إِعْدادٌ. For example: to be prepared for; to make preparations for (أَعَدَّ عُدَّتَهُ لِ)
مَلْجَأٌ pl: مَلاجِئُ	shelter; refuge; hiding place. It is the noun of place (اِسْمُ الْمَكانِ) of the I-verb لَجَأَ – يَلْجَأُ إِلَى which means to flee to; to seek refuge in; also: to refer to. For example: air-raid shelter (مَلْجَأٌ ضِدَّ غاراتٍ جَوِّيَّةٍ)

Part 2: Article Headline

One more thing: If you were wondering what the Arabic writing in the feature image is, it’s just a bunch of garbage letters that somehow look Arabic, generated by the Midjourney AI, which still has some problems with letters. But since it only serves the purpose of illustration, I left the funky picture.

Footnotes

1. Source: https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-update-24-june-2024 ↩︎

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Drißner, G. (2024, September 30). Hezbollah Under Attack & Iran’s “Soft Power” Play in Sudan | Media Arabic Booster 09/24. Arabic for Nerds. https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-09-24/

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Published: September 30, 2024

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Publication ISSN: 3055-1730