Now that Hezbollah has toppled the government of Lebanon, it may soon control the entire government. Bassam Frangieh supports this murderous terrorist organization, which continues to be one of the most destructive terrorist organizations in the world. The Claremont Port Side, in effect, ignores its history of violence and says that we should actually consider it as a legitimate actor.
But here's what it has been up to.
- In 2010, Azerbaijan arrested Hezbollah terrorists who plotted to detonate car bombs next to Baku's Hyatt Tower, where the Israeli, Japanese, and Thai embassies make their office place.
- Hezbollah kills Americans in Iraq. Says one American soldier quoted by Michael J. Totten, "I don't know why Hezbollah is so much more ruthless [than Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia], but they are." In 2008, then Iraqi president Jalal Talabani told the U.S.-funded Alhurra that there had "been several occasions" when Hezbollah members have been detained in Iraq.
- Hezbollah agents are on trial for plotting to kill tourists in Egypt.
- America, owing to Hezbollah's radicalism and terrorism, will not fund Lebanon if Hezbollah is a part of the government.
- In 2004, both the United States and France banned Hezbollah's satellite television station, Al Manar. The State Department (you know, where Bassam Frangieh's wife, Aleta Wenger was employed), said the channel "preaches violence and hatred."
- During the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran armed Hezbollah by hiding weapons in Red Crescent ambulances.
- Who said that he "completely support[s] the Lebanese people's fight against the Zionist enemy"? Bassam Frangieh? No. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Bassam Frangieh signed a petition condemning the "Zionist killing machine" and calling Hezbollah the legitimate government of Lebanon.
- Ambassador Oren says that Hezbollah now has 15,000 missiles -- four times as many as it did during the 2006 war.
- Hezbollah plans to fire 400-600 missiles per day, according to Wikileaks, into Israel, targeting, Tel A Viv, among other cities.
A comment helpfully adds to this conversation:
Charles -
Sorry for the length, but I think if you re-read the piece you cite in support of your assertion that Hezbollah is killing Americans in Iraq, you would have stated that he is careful to be clear that he is are referring to Katai'b Hezbollah (1), an offshoot of the Shi'ite Mahdi army and a domestic Iraqi terror group - not the Lebanese militia-cum-political party. While it is true that Coalition forces have captured individual Lebanese Hezbollah operatives in the past (2), official Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Kevin Bergner specifically stated that these operatives were believed to be individual proxy's with deep connections to Iranian Qods Force or intelligence, not a network or group wide effort on behalf of Lebanese Hezbollah, contradicting non-disclosed source commentary that Lebanese Hezbollah as a whole was supporting or training Mahdi Army members in Iraq from a year prior (3).
You could perhaps make a stronger case that Lebanese Hezbollah has been responsible for training Mahdi Army special cell individuals, based upon the August 20, 2007 article printed in the UK Independent in which Madhi Army members claim to have been trained in Lebanon by Hezbollah (4), however, I find the timing of the article somewhat suspect as it falls just one month after Bergner stated their were no wider ties. My own suspicion is that the Mahdi Army and Sadr were hoping to cash in on the positive image of Hezbollah following the 2006 Israeli invasion to bolster their own reputation as they are particularly poorly organized and trained fighters and needed to contradict US reports that they were not involved.
In my admittedly brief review of open source information, I could not locate more direct commentary on confirmed reports of Lebanese Hezbollah activity in Iraq from reputable sources, but if you have them, please post them. I don't quite see how the Al Jazeera article you cited indicates that Katai'b Hezbollah is in fact connected to Lebanon. All the article states is that Hezbollah issued a statement in support of the Iraqi "resistance" and called for elections.
(1) “Hezbollah kills civilians as well as Americans with total disregard for Iraqis,” he said. He was referring, of course, to Hezbollah in Iraq, not to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, though, is a patron and armorer of both. A crucial difference between the two is that the Iraqi branch of Hezbollah, unlike the Lebanese branch, doesn’t have anything that looks even vaguely like a “political wing.” Its members don’t build hospitals, schools, or anything else. They just kill people.
(2) http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/press-briefings/press- briefing-july-2
(3) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/world/middleeast/ 28military.html
(4) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/mehdi- fighters-trained-by-hizbollah- in-lebanon-462289.html
In my view, this comment overstates the matter -- but is still rather helpful. Yes, it is true that Hezbollah in Iraq and in Lebanon are organization Both Hezbollah in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon are funded by Iran, which, as we know from summer 2009 and its slaughter of its own people, isn't exactly the most pleasant of regimes.
In any event, here's the source I was using, which relates to what you were talking about already. I have also been reading A Privilege to Die again about Hezbollah and will check that again when I get home but I don't think I read it there.
In any event, here's the source I was using, which relates to what you were talking about already. I have also been reading A Privilege to Die again about Hezbollah and will check that again when I get home but I don't think I read it there.
