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Outlet profile

Al Mayadeen

Pro-Iran/Hezbollah 'Axis of Resistance' state-aligned

Owned byPrivately held by founder Ghassan bin Jiddo, a former Al Jazeera anchor, along with his wife and son as listed shareholders; the network is widely reported to operate under Hezbollah's influence
FundingFinancial backing is opaque — bin Jiddo has cited unnamed 'Arab businessmen' — but researchers and analysts widely believe Iran is the network's primary financial sponsor, with earlier reported ties to Syrian state-linked figures as well
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

Al Mayadeen launched in June 2012 in Beirut, founded by Ghassan bin Jiddo, a Tunisian-born former Al Jazeera anchor who resigned from that network in 2011, criticizing its coverage of the Arab Spring and the Syrian uprising as biased against President Bashar al-Assad. Several other Al Jazeera journalists left with him to help start the channel, which was set up with reported support from Iran and, according to some accounts, figures connected to the Syrian government. It quickly built a reputation as a strongly pro-Assad, pro-Hezbollah, and pro-Iran outlet, describing itself as a voice for pan-Arabist and 'resistance' politics against Israel and Western intervention. Its ownership structure has never been fully disclosed, and researchers such as Copenhagen University's Christine Crone have concluded that Iran is likely its main financial backer. The channel has drawn sustained criticism from Western and Israeli officials for amplifying Hezbollah and Iranian government messaging, and in 2024 Israel's security cabinet approved an order to shut down its local operations, calling it a Hezbollah-affiliated outlet. It continues broadcasting from Lebanon and remains a leading Arabic-language voice for narratives aligned with Iran, Hezbollah, and allied governments across the region.

Sources

  1. Al Mayadeen - Wikipedia
  2. Who owns Al Mayadeen? | Beirut Report
  3. US Should Sanction Lebanon's pro-Iran 'Resistance TV' - FDD
  4. Security cabinet approves order to shut down Hezbollah-affiliated al Mayadeen news - Times of Israel
  5. The Al Mayadeen news network gives voice to left-wing Arabs - University of Copenhagen
  6. 'Anti-Al Jazeera' channel Al Mayadeen goes on air - France 24
  7. Al Mayadeen - Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check

Profile compiled 2026-09-24; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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