Hezbollah Al-Hejaz is a Shi’a Islamist group outlawed in Saudi Arabia, composed of followers of Khat al-Imam (The Imam’s Line), a term referring to Shi’a loyalists who religiously and politically pledge allegiance to the authority of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
The organization was founded in May 1987, concurrently with the formation of the Tajam’u ‘Ulama’ al-Hijaz (the Ingathering of Hejazi Scholars) by Saudi students in Iran—an umbrella institution for religious students in Qom, Iran’s religious capital. Khomeini himself chose the name ‘Hejaz’ for this association, symbolizing a rejection of Saudi Arabia’s authority.
Hezbollah Al-Hejaz is seen as one of the most significant living examples of Iran’s project of exporting its revolution. It also represents the Iranian version committed to Imam Khomeini’s ideology and an alternative to Islamic Revolution Organization in the Arabian Peninsula, affiliated with the Risali movement under the marja’iyya (religious authority) of Sayyid Muhammad al-Shirazi, which was expelled from the Iranian revolutionary incubator.
Following the deadly clashes between Iranian pilgrims and Saudi security forces during the Hajj season on July 31, 1987, in which approximately 400 people were killed, Hezbollah Al-Hejaz vowed in its first official statement to “fight the ruling family in Saudi Arabia”.
Hezbollah Al-Hejaz is regarded as the most militant and clandestine organization within the Shi’a community in Saudi Arabia. It is the second organization of its kind to emerge in the Gulf region after ‘Hezbollah Kuwait’ and is known for targeting oil and military installations.
Religious and Political Leadership
The leaders of the Iranian Revolution, Ruhollah Khomeini (who passed away on June 3, 1989), and the current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, are recognized as the religious and political authorities by Hezbollah Al-Hejaz. The Iraqi marja (religious authority) Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr (died April 9, 1980) holds special symbolic importance for the first generation of the organization, who were mostly affiliated with or sympathetic to the Islamic Dawa Party in Iraq.
There is no evidence of a hierarchical organizational link between the Saudi preachers and clerics belonging to Khat al-Imam, who follow Khomeini or other marjas supporting velayat-e faqih (the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) —notably, Sayyid Hashem al-Shakhs, Sheikh Jaafar al-Mubarak, Sheikh Hussein al-Radhi, Sheikh Abdul Karim al-Hubayl, and Sheikh Abdul Jalil bin Marhoon al-Ma’a—and the military organization, Hezbollah Al-Hejaz, whose operations are managed from Tehran by active cells in eastern Saudi Arabia.
For Khat al-Imam, there are a number of figures who enjoy a special symbolic significance, including Dr. Sheikh Abdul Hadi al-Fadli, who represents a transnational intellectual authority that began with the Dawa Party in Iraq and later joined the velayat-e faqih movement, but focused on writing, academic and seminary education. Another notable figure is Sheikh Jaafar al-Mubarak (from Safwa) who represented a political authority in Qatif and Saihat during the 1990’s and was arrested several times as a result, and later made the unexpected decision to retire from both religious and political engagement.
Key Leaders and Members
– Abdul Karim Hussein Muhammad al-Nasser: A cleric from Ahsa, designated by the United States as the political and military leader of Hezbollah Al-Hejaz. The U.S. government offers a $5 million bounty for information leading to his arrest. However, there is no information on his whereabouts or whether he is still active. The U.S. government holds him responsible for the Khobar Towers bombing.
– Ahmed Ibrahim al-Mughassil, a.k.a. Abu Omran is from Qatif. He was in charge of the organization’s military wing. He was initially active in the Risali movement but left it to participate in the founding of Hezbollah Al-Hejaz with Iranian support. Al-Mughassil is accused of direct responsibility for planning the Khobar Towers attack and training the cell members who carried it out. In August 2015, he was arrested by Saudi authorities following a special operation at Beirut Airport, which involved cooperation with the Lebanese Ministry of Interior’s Information Branch.
– Khalid al-Ulq is a Saudi citizen from Qatif and a member of the so-called Cell of Four accused of bombing the SADAF Petrochemical Plant in Jubail in March 1988. He was executed along with his fellow cell members in September of the same year.
– Ali Abdullah al-Khatem is a Saudi citizen from al-Rabia’iya village in Qatif. He worked for ARAMCO and was active since 1980. He was arrested in July 1980 on charges of possessing a firearm and released after four months. In August 1981, he left Saudi Arabia and settled in Lebanon, where he fought alongside Lebanese Hezbollah. He returned to Saudi Arabia and was arrested while conducting reconnaissance of a military site, but was released in February 1987. Al-Khatem participated with Azhar al-Hajjaj and Khaled al-Ulq in several operations within a cell led by Hezbollah Al-Hejaz leader Jaafar al-Shuwaikhat. He was arrested following an armed clash with Saudi security forces and was executed on September 30, 1988.
– Jaafar al-Shuwaikhat is a Saudi born in Saihat in 1966. He left for Qom to study in the seminary. Upon his return, specifically on April 19, 1988, Saudi authorities arrested Jaafar in connection with two operations carried out by Hezbollah Al-Hejaz. After six years in detention, he was released in 1994 as part of a reconciliation between the government and the Shi’a opposition, led by Sheikh Hassan al-Saffar from Damascus, following the September 22, 1993 agreement. This reconciliation benefited Khat al-Imam followers despite the fact that they did not endorse it due to their deep-rooted conflict with the Risali (Shirazi) movement. Jaafar al-Shuwaikhat left Saudi Arabia concurrently with the Khobar Towers bombing. On August 19, 1996, Syrian authorities arrested al-Shuwaikhat after Saudi Arabia insisted on his extradition. Three days later, Syrians officials reported that Jaafar had committed suicide by swallowing a bar of soap in the bathroom. After a grand funeral procession, attended by a delegation from Lebanese Hezbollah, Jaafar al-Shuwaikhat was buried in a Shi’a cemetery in the Sayyida Zeinab area.
– Hani al-Sayegh is a Saudi from Saihat. He returned to Saudi Arabia after the reconciliation with the Shirazi movement. He was accused of being the driver of the vehicle that scouted the area and parked in the far corner of Building 131 in the Khobar Towers bombing. In August 1996, Hani al-Sayegh left Syria for Canada, where he was arrested by Canadian authorities in March 1997, followed by his extradition to the U.S. government three months later. In October 1999, the U.S. Justice Department stated that “the United States lacks sufficient evidence to charge al-Sayegh in an American court.” Therefore, he was deported to Saudi Arabia, where he is currently imprisoned. There are other individuals accused of being affiliated with Hezbollah Al-Hejaz, but limited information is available regarding the legal proceedings against them.
Military Operations
Ju’ayma Bombing
On August 16, 1987, an explosion occurred at an ARAMCO petroleum facility in the Ra’s al-Ju’ayma area, located 32 km north of Qatif. This marked the first operation by Hezbollah Al-Hejaz, although Saudi authorities refused to classify the incident as a terrorist act.
SADAF Bombings
In March 1988, Hezbollah Al-Hejaz carried out a bombing at a SADAF petrochemical facility in Jubail, and another bombing at the Ra’s Tanura refinery (north of Qatif). These operations were conducted by four activists from Tarut Island, namely Ali Abdullah al-Khatim, Azhar al-Hajjaj, Khalid al-Ulq, and Muhammad al-Qarous. Following the bombings, several explosive devices were found in the Ra’s Tanura and Ra’s al-Ju’ayma areas.
Assassinations of Diplomats
In 1988, the Second Secretary of the Saudi Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, Abdul Ghani Abdul Hamid Badiwi was shot dead. In the same year, an unknown assailant opened fire on three Saudi diplomats in Lagos, Nigeria, injuring all three. In 1989, gunmen shot Hassan al-Omari, the Saudi Deputy Consul in Karachi, Pakistan, twice as he was returning home. Jund al-Haqq (Soldiers of the Right) and Munazzamat al-Jihad al-Islami fi al-Hijaz (Islamic Jihad Organization in Hejaz) claimed responsibility for some of these attacks. Sources suggest that these organizations were merely a diversion to mislead Saudi authorities away from the responsibility of Iran and Hezbollah Al-Hejaz for the operations.
Khobar Towers Bombing
This is considered the organization’s bloodiest operation. On June 25, 1996, an organized cell carried out a truck bomb attack on a housing complex for the U.S. Air Force stationed in the Eastern Province. The bombing claimed the lives of 19 American officers and soldiers, along with one Saudi national, and left more than 400 people of various nationalities injured.
The 2011 Uprisings
Starting in 2011, Saudi Arabia experienced protests that coincided with security events in Bahrain. Both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain accused Iran of interference in the unrest. A BBC documentary highlighted some Shi’a protesters wielding machine guns, while Sheikh Abdul Karim al-Hubayl and other Shi’a clerics condemned the use of weapons. Sources suggest that some participants received training in Iran or Iraq, pointing to Hezbollah Al-Hejaz as having played a significant role and being involved in the events.
In March 2013, Saudi Arabia announced the arrest of a “spy ring” that included Saudis, an Iranian, and a Lebanese national. Fifteen Saudis were sentenced to death for spying for Iran, and on April 23, 2019, authorities executed 11 members of this group. However, Iran denied recruiting any spies in Saudi Arabia.
It is evident that those who engaged in confrontations with Saudi security forces are linked to an extremist faction of the Shirazi movement. It was considered at the time that Iran had begun to re-establish its relations with this faction of the Shirazi movement, which was led by the prominent cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
Despite the absence of any statements claiming responsibility for military operations inside or outside Saudi Arabia, the organization remains active. This is evident from its continued publication of statements on Iranian-funded media outlets and websites.
Funding and Training Entities
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – Iran (funding and training)
Several Western and Gulf sources indicate that Officer Ahmed Sharifi (Abu Jalal) is responsible for the organization, an Iranian intelligence intelligence officer who works as a liaison between the Saudi Shiite Revolutionary Guards and the Saudis. However, there is no accurate information about his identity.
Hezbollah – Lebanon (collaboration and training)
In addition to the involvement of numerous Hezbollah Al-Hejaz members in training programs within Hezbollah camps in Lebanon and Syria, the US indictment in the Khobar Towers bombing refers to a Lebanese individual known by the alias ‘John Doe’. The organization is politically, operationally, and logistically linked to groups such as Hezbollah Bahrain, Hezbollah Kuwait, and Iraqi militias associated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
Terrorist Designation
Hezbollah Al-Hejaz is designated as a terrorist organization by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain. On August 21, 2014, the FBI released a list of 26 individuals described as the world’s most dangerous terrorists, including five members of Hezbollah Al-Hejaz charged in connection with the Khobar Towers bombing.
References and suggested further readings:
Arabic
- Hezbollah Hejaz: a Saudi Shiite group shrouded in mystery: Dr. Abdullah Faisal Al-Rabh
- Book: The Shiites in Saudi Arabia, published by Dar Al-Saqi (2006): Fouad Ibrahim
English
- https://www.mei.edu/blog/hzb-allh-alhjaz-jmat-shyyt-swdyt-yktnfha-alghmwd
- Hizbullah al-Hijaz: A History of The Most Radical Saudi Shi‘a Opposition Group: Toby Matthiesen – https://muse.jhu.edu/article/380306
- Radical Shiism and Iranian Influence in Saudi Arabia. Interview with European Eye on Radicalization. Alrebh, Abdullah (March 2021) – https://eeradicalization.com/radical-shiism-and-iranian-influence-in-saudi-arabia/
