U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon cited recent intelligence reports that “indicate arms are being shipped into Lebanon. He said that although potential threats remain in the country, the situation at the present time is calm.” The UN’s Security Council recently “invited” the Sec-General to send an independent monitoring group to access the entire border for arms shipment violations by the Syrians and Iran.
The Front Page Mag yesterday, had an interesting article by Michael Widlanski, in which he lays down the present day scenario that “Leading Arab and Israeli officials are increasingly convinced that another major Arab-Israeli conflict will erupt within months, according to recent statements and background briefings.” According to Widlanski, this means that the Hezbollah is gearing up for another round of fighting with the Israelis, with a more concentrated effort in building a similiar “Hezbollah like” base inside Gaza, that will be run by the Hamas.
But it’s not exclusively the Hamas alone which will make up the “sixth pillar” of Iranian foreign hegemony, Widlanski points out that:
“Fatah has become an Iranian organization,” declared Maj. Gen. Galant during a recent briefing, referring to the organization founded by Yasser Arafat and supposedly run by his successor, Mahmoud Abbas, the PLO Chairman and president of the Palestinian Authority. Brig. Gen. Shalom Harari, one of Israel’s top analysts of Palestinian affairs, said 40 percent of the various Palestinian organizations were directly funded by Iran. “There is a growing strategic alliance between Iran and the radical Palestinian forces in the territories,” noted General Harari during a recent briefing. “Iran is involved in supporting both the Islamic factions and Fatah, as well. Today, at least 40 percent of Fatah’s different fighting groups are also paid by Hezbollah and Iran. Hamas thinks it can build a new southern Lebanon in Gaza, and this is what it is busy doing.”
Also worrying, according to Israeli diplomatic sources, Iranian support of the Hamas is unprecedented and includes;
Intensive meetings at both operational and political levels with instruction by members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard regarding military tactics and the manufacture of munitions. Economic aid ($250 million has been pledged), Encouragement and funding of terrorist attacks (to the Hamas and other organizations), assistance in smuggling weapons into the West Bank” In our opinion, Hamas has an interest in relying on a regional power, while Iran seeks to establish an additional strategic arm, thus cloning the Hizbullah model into Palestinian society.
Both political and operational cooperation between Hamas and Hizbullah is growing constantly. Similarities between the Hizbullah model and the Hamas model encompass several characteristics, including: Belief in an extreme Islamic ideology, intolerance for strategic compromise, methodical preparation for future medium and long-term confrontations with Israel, establishment of capabilities that enable deep and costly strikes on the Israeli rear (civilian targets), establishment of a power base in regions where the central government is weak.Legally gaining partial or complete control of the government (through elections), striving to turn their armed wing into one of the country’s significant military forces, establishment of educational, healthcare and welfare systems, and the cultivation of a corruption-free image, establishment of a defensive infrastructure in the event of an IDF attack, the construction, deployment and camouflage of military infrastructure in populated areas, as well as the establishment of a rocket-launching strategic wing, and the assimilation of similar training methods, inspired and instructed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
hizbollah is going to follow the course of the palestinian terrorists, carrying out a regular round of attacks, then calling for a truce when israel responds, then using the pause to rearm and resume the attacks
and it won’t stop until they or their iranian sponsors really get beaten down
In full agreement, the only way for an enemy to be fully convinced of failure, is to be fully beaten, not half way.
To date, neither the Hezbollah nor any of the Palestinian movements have been convinced otherwise.
yes, the west and israel keep thinking that they can land a solid blow on terrorism and go home and it just doesn’t work that way
proxies can absorb severe losses, be rearmed and have plenty of expendable cannon fodder to throw right back into the fight