Showing posts with label Hezbollah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hezbollah. Show all posts

Friday, June 14, 2013

Hezbollah Vows To Continue The Fight In Syria

Hezbollah's leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah speaks on a TV screen during a ceremony in Beirut's southern suburbs, Friday, June 14, 2013. (The Daily Star/Hasan Shaaban)

Hezbollah Will Keep Fighting In Syria: Nasrallah -- Daily Star

BEIRUT: Hezbollah will continue fighting alongside forces loyal to President Bashar Assad against Syrian rebels, the head of the resistance group said Friday, adding that his party’s decision to intervene in Lebanon’s neighbor had been a calculated one.

Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah also said recent steps taken by Gulf Cooperation Countries targeting Hezbollah loyalists in the Gulf would not deter his group from its objectives in Syria.

“If anyone thinks that through lies, killings, and threats we will change our stances, they are wrong. Wherever we need to be, we will be. What we started taking responsibility for, we will continue to be responsible for, and there is no need to give details," Nasrallah said in an event commemorating wounded members of Hezbollah.

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More News On Reports That Hezbollah Will Continue To Fight In Syria

Hezbollah will stay involved in Syria war: Nasrallah -- AFP
Lebanon's Hezbollah Says to Keep Fighting in Syria -- ABC News/AP
Hezbollah leader says will keep fighting in Syria -- Reuters
Hezbollah leader vows to keep fight in Syria -- Al Jazeera
Nasrallah: Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria was ‘late’ -- Al Arabiya

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Hezbollah Has Tipped The War In Favor Of Syrian President Assad



Analysis: Hezbollah Tips Syria Power Balance, Polarizes Lebanon -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Lebanese have long viewed the Hezbollah guerrilla army as a state-within-a-state. But having watched it launch a military adventure in Syria and brutality on the streets of Beirut, they feel ever more hostage to the Islamist group's regional agenda.

Within minutes of a busload of unarmed demonstrators arriving on Sunday at the Iranian embassy in Beirut to protest against Iran and Hezbollah's military involvement in Syria, Hezbollah enforcers surrounded the building and scattered the crowd with batons and gunfire, leaving one dead.

The small demonstration by an anti-Hezbollah crowd showed that the "Party of God", armed and financed by Iran, is not prepared to contemplate even the smallest level of threat.

Such visibly frayed nerves in Lebanon's capital follow the Shi'ite group's dramatically increased involvement in the two-year-old Syrian civil war, helping troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad retake the border town of Qusair.

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My Comment: Hezbollah's involvement in Syria's civil war is resulting a backlash .... more to the point .... other countries have made it clear that if Hezbollah continues, there will be consequences.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Hezbollah Backed Militias Now Operate Openly In Syria



Crossing Into Syria With Lebanese Pro-Assad Militia -- France 24/AFP

With the Syrian civil war now spreading to neighbouring Lebanon, FRANCE 24 journalists crossed the border into Syria with Hezbollah-allied Lebanese militias fighting to defend Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The crack of gunfire keeps an irregular beat in this rugged mountainous region at the Lebanon-Syria border as a Lebanese militiaman, who goes by the name Abu Hamza, explains why he chose to fight in Syria.

“They're coming and killing us in our homes, killing our children,” said Abu Hamza, his face shrouded behind sunglasses and a carefully wrapped keffiyeh. “I'm fighting to defend myself, to defend my family, not for the interests of anyone else.”

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My Comment: A year ago Hezbollah and the Syrian government were denying any Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian civil war ... today ... they openly boast about it (I guess because they now know that they cannot hide it anymore).

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Hezbollah District Of Beirut Struck By Rockets



Two Rockets Hit Hezbollah District Of Beirut -- BBC

At least three people have been wounded by a rocket strike on the southern part of the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Two rockets hit a district controlled by the Hezbollah organisation, officials and residents were quoted as saying by news agencies.

Tension has been high over the conflict in neighbouring Syria.

On Saturday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised his supporters they would prevail in Syria, where they are backing President Bashar al-Assad.

There was no immediate indication who had fired the rockets but Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said the projectiles, believed to be 107mm rockets with an 8-km (5-mile) range, had been fired from a position to the south-east.

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More News On Rockets Striking The Hezbollah District Of Beirut

Rockets strike Beirut suburb as sectarian strife flares in Lebanon, Syria -- CNN
Rockets hit Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut -- CBS/AP
Rockets Hit Hezbollah Strongholds in Beirut -- Wall Street Journal
Beirut hit by double rocket attack -- The Guardian
Beirut heartland hit as Syria war rages -- Gulf News
Two rockets hit Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut -- Washington Post
Rockets slam into Beirut neigborhood -- UPI
Rockets Land in Hezbollah Stronghold in Beirut -- Voice of America

Hezbollah Leader Commits To An All-Out Fight In Support Of The Syrian Regime

People applaud as Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah appears on a screen during a live broadcast to speak to his supporters at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Al-Nour radio station, which is operated by the Hezbollah in Beirut, May 9, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim

Hezbollah Commits to an All-Out Fight to Save Assad -- New York Times

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The leader of the powerful Lebanese militant group Hezbollah decisively committed his followers on Saturday to an all-out battle in Syria to defeat the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad. He said the organization, founded to defend Lebanon and fight Israel, was entering “a completely new phase,” sending troops abroad to protect its interests.

“It is our battle, and we are up to it,” the leader, Hassan Nasrallah, declared in his most direct embrace yet of a fight in Syria that Hezbollah can no longer hide, now that dozens of its fighters have fallen in and around the strategic Syrian town of Qusayr. Outgunned Syrian rebels have held on for a week there against a frontal assault by Hezbollah and Syrian forces.

The speech signaled a significant escalation in Hezbollah’s military involvement in Syria, deeply enmeshing the group in the war across the border.

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More News On The Hezbollah Leader Committing To An All-Out Fight In Support Of The Syrian Regime

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah vows victory in Syria -- BBC
Hezbollah chief defends group’s involvement in Syrian war -- Washington Post
Hezbollah Leader Vows to Fight on Behalf of Syrian Regime -- Wall Street Journal
Hezbollah leader affirms support for Assad in Syria -- Los Angeles Times
Hezbollah's role in Syrian conflict ushers new reality for its supporters -- The Guardian
Nasrallah says Hezbollah will bring victory to Syrian ally Assad -- Reuters
Hezbollah Chief Confirms Syria Presence -- Voice of America
Hezbollah leader acknowledges fighters' presence in Syria town -- CNN
Hezbollah leader vows to stand by Syrian regime in fight against rebels -- The Guardian

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

EU Preparing To List Hezbollah As A Terrorist Organization

Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters take part in a military parade. (File Photo: Reuters)

EU Poised To Put Hezbollah’s Military Wing ‘On Terror List’ -- Al Arabiya/AFP

The European Union stands poised to put the military wing of Lebanon’s Hezbollah on its list of terrorist organizations after a formal request to blacklist the group was filed by a member state Monday, diplomats said.

The request from Britain formally launches a process to blacklist the group, a move that has long been requested by Israel and which will be discussed in early June, several EU diplomats told AFP news agency.

"We hope to have an agreement by the end of June," one of the diplomats said, adding that EU experts would meet in a special committee to discuss the request early June.

Both Israel and the United States have pressured the 27-member bloc to follow their example and designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group but the issue remained sensitive and divisive, with Britain openly in favor while France and Italy were believed reluctant.

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More News On The EU Preparing To Label Hezbollah's Military Wing As A Terrorist Organization

EU set to brand Lebanon's Hezbollah as 'terrorists' -- The Australian/AFP
European Union poised to add Hezbollah to terror list -- Washington Times
EU set to blacklist military wing of Hezbollah -- Jerusalem Post
Sources: EU putting Hezbollah on terror list -- YNet News
UK asks EU to put Hezbollah military wing on terror list: diplomat -- Reuters
France confirms EU procedure underway to list Hezbollah as "terrorist" body -- KUNA
Germany Moves Closer to Listing Hezbollah a Terrorist Organization -- Heritage Foundation
Hezbollah has already been blacklisted in several countries -- The Daily Star
EU set to add Hezbollah "military wing" to terror list -- The Commentator

My Comment: Hezbollah has little if any support in Europe. Now that they are using their military wing to prop up the Assad regime in Syria .... the EU is going to act.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Hezbollah Forces Are Now Heavily Involved In Syria's Civil War


Syrian Rebels Suffer Setbacks From Fighting in Town Near Lebanon Border -- Voice of America

TRIPOLI, LEBANON — Syrian government troops backed by fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah movement have been in fierce battles in the rebel-held town of Qusair after weeks of fighting. Many wounded rebels are being treated across the nearby border in northern Lebanon.

Eighteen year-old Obeida Abdel Nabi is recovering from a shrapnel wound to his lower abdomen. He was hurt several days ago in Qusair near Syria's border with northern Lebanon, where pitched battles have raged for days.

Syrian government forces have been staging air and artillery attacks to drive out the rebels in the increasingly brutal conflict. The fighting is causing many casualties among fighters and civilians alike.

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More News On Hezbollah's Involvement In Syria's Civil War

Syria: dozens of Lebanese Hizbollah fighters killed in battle of Qusair
-- The Telegraph
Hezbollah pulled more deeply into Syria civil war -- Miami Herald/AP
Battle in Syria Pulls Hezbollah Further Into Assad’s War -- New York Times
Syrian rebels target Hezbollah militia, fire rockets into Lebanon -- CNN
Syrian Army, Hezbollah bear down on rebels in strategic Qusayr -- Christian Science Monitor
28 Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria -- The Australian
Hezbollah fighters killed in battle for Syria's Qusayr -- AFP
Hezbollah members killed in Syria fighting -- Washington Post
Syrian Rebels Clash With Hezbollah for Strategic Post -- Wall Street Journal
Battle for Qusair inflicts heavy losses in Syria -- Euronews
Syria conflict: Qusair's strategic importance. -- BBC

Hezbollah Suffers Heavy Casualties As It Steps Up Military Operations In Syria



Hezbollah Steps Up Syria Battle, Israel Threatens More Strikes -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Lebanese Hezbollah militants attacked a Syrian rebel-held town alongside Syrian troops on Sunday and Israel threatened more attacks on Syria to rein the militia in, highlighting the risks of a wider regional conflict if planned peace talks fail.

Activists said it was the fiercest fighting in Syria's two year-old civil war involving Hezbollah, a Shi'ite group backed by Iran which they said appeared to be helping President Bashar al-Assad secure a vital corridor in case Syria fragments.

Speaking from Qusair near the border with Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, activist Hadi Abdallah said Syrian warplanes bombed the town in the morning and shells were hitting the town at a rate of up to 50 a minute. At least 32 people were killed.

"The army is hitting Qusair with tanks and artillery from the north and east while Hezbollah is firing mortar rounds and multiple rocket launchers from the south and west," he said.

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More News On Hezbollah Suffering Heavy Casualties As It Steps Up Military Operations In Syria

Hezbollah Suffers Losses in Fierce Battle for Syrian City -- New York Times
Thirty Hezbollah fighters killed in Syrian town: activists -- Reuters
Report: 23 Hezbollah members killed in Syria -- AP
Activists Say 23 Hezbollah Militants Killed in Syria Fighting -- Voice of America
Syrian offensive on Qusayr deepens -- Al Jazeera
Syrian army, Hezbollah attack rebels in border town: opposition -- Reuters
With Hezbollah's help, Syrian troops push to regain Lebanese border areas -- Christian Science Monitor
Syrian army storms rebel town of Qusair -- BBC
Syrian Forces Push to Retake Rebel Stronghold -- Wall Street Journal
Syrian TV: Troops Enter Rebel Stronghold of Qusair -- Voice of America
Assad's forces storm rebel town of Qusayr with help from Hezbollah -- Global Post

Friday, May 10, 2013

Hezbollah Admits To Being Supplied With Weapons From Syria (Updated)



Hezbollah Says Weapons Coming From Damascus -- Wall Street Journal

BEIRUT—Hezbollah's leader on Thursday said Syria will provide him with weapons that will change the balance of power in his battle with Israel and threatened to fight the Jewish state from inside Syria, ramping up tensions after last week's Israeli airstrikes there.

"Take notice [Israel]: If you think Syria is a passageway for weapons for the resistance, well, Syria will give weapons directly to the resistance," Sayed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech during a ceremony commemorating the founding of the Iran-backed militant group's radio station.

"If you claim your aggression's goal is to prevent the resistance from boosting its capabilities, well, Syria will give the resistance qualitative weapons that it has never obtained before," he said.

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More News On Hezbollah Admitting That Syria Is Supplying Weapons To Them

Hezbollah: Syria to Supply Weapons to Militia -- Time/AP
Hezbollah says Syria will send it new weapons -- Al Jazeera
Hezbollah says Syria will provide ‘sophisticated weapons’ -- Euronews
Hezbollah: Syria Will Send New Arms After Israeli Raid -- Voice of America
Hezbollah to accept Syria arms ‘to break power balance’ with Israel – Nasrallah -- RT
Syria to equip Hezbollah with game-changing arms: Nasrallah -- Daily Star
Hezbollah offers to help Syria fight for Israel-occupied Golan -- Reuters

My Comment: Not surprisingly .... Lebanon is becoming nervous with such talk.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Hezbollah Leader: Syria To Supply 'Game-Changing' Strategic Weapons

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah speaks during a live broadcast in this still image taken from video, June 24, 2011. (photo by REUTERS/Manar TV via Reuters TV)

Nasrallah: Syria Will Provide Hezbollah With 'Game-Changing' Weapons -- Haaretz/Reuters

In televised speech, Hezbollah leader says his group would support Syrian effort to recapture Golan Heights from Israel.

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday that Syria would supply his organization with 'game-changing weapons' in response to recent air raids near Damascus, which foreign news sources said were carried out by the Israel Air Force.

According to the Daily Star, Nasrallah said Israel sought to achieve two objectives through the strikes: neutralize Syria in terms of the Israeli-Arab conflict, and prevent Hezbollah from building up its arsenal.

In response to alleged Israeli strikes, Nasrallah added, Damascus would provide the Lebanese resistance group with sophisticated weapons that it has not received in the past. He also said Hezbollah would support any group seeking to target Israel in the occupied Golan Heights.

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More News On The Hezbollah Leader Claiming That Syria Will Sypply Them With 'Game Changing' Weapons

Hezbollah chief: Syria to supply strategic weapons -- USA Today/AP
Hezbollah chief: Syria will supply ‘game-changing’ weapons to the Lebanese militia -- Washington Post
Hezbollah Says Syria Will Supply ‘Game-Changing’ Weapons -- Bloomberg

Syria to equip Hezbollah with game-changing arms: Nasrallah -- The Daily Star
Hezbollah says Syria to supply 'game-changing arms' -- AFP
Nasrallah: We'll Get Weapons and Help Syria -- Arutz Sheva
Hezbollah offers to help Syria fight for Israel-occupied Golan -- Reuters
President Assad says Syria must become a 'resistance nation like Hezbollah' -- The Independent

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Hezbollah Commits Itself To Defend The Syrian Government



Gauging Hezbollah's Role In Syria -- Al Jazeera

With Syrian opposition angered at Lebanese group's support for the regime, what does it mean for regional security?

Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, has promised not to let the government of neighbouring Syria fall, saying it has "real friends in the region".

Nasrallah's televised address on Wednesday angered the Syrian opposition who have accused his group of supplying assistance to the forces of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president.

The Hezbollah leader's comments not only re-ignited a war of words in the Syrian conflict, it also raised renewed questions about the involvement of foreign groups on either side of the Syria issue.

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More News On Hezbollah's Growing Role In the Syrian Civil War

Hezbollah Chief Pledges to Aid Assad Regime -- Wall Street Journal
Hezbollah hints Lebanese militia is ready to back President Assad in Syrian war as conflict threatens to spread -- Daily Mail
Hezbollah chief confirms group helping Assad -- UPI
Iran-backed Hezbollah warns it may intervene in Syria war -- NBC
Hezbollah are 'true friends' of Assad's regime – video -- The Guardian

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Hezbollah Commits Itself To Support Syrian President Assad

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah waves to the crowd in Beirut, on Monday, Sept. 17, 2012. (The Daily Star/Hasan Shaaban)

Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah In Syria Pledge -- BBC

The head of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has declared that Syria has real friends who will not let it fall to the US, Israel or Islamic radicals.

Hassan Nasrallah said Syria's opposition was too weak to bring down Bashar al-Assad's regime militarily.

He was speaking in an address broadcast on Hezbollah's TV station al-Manar.

BBC Arab affairs analyst Sebastian Usher says the speech tacitly confirmed the group has been involved in fighting in neighbouring Syria.

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More News On Hezbollah Committing Itself To Support the Syrian Regime Of President Assad

Hezbollah chief suggests militant group would intervene in Syria on Assad side if need arises -- Washington Post/AP
Syria allies will prevent fall of Assad regime: Hezbollah -- Daily Star
Hezbollah: Assad's 'real friends' won't let Syrian opposition win -- Global Post
Hezbollah says opposition won't topple Assad with force -- Reuters
Hezbollah hints at possible intervention in Syria if Assad needs help -- FOX News/AP
Hezbollah taking part in Syria fighting: Nasrallah -- AFP

Friday, April 26, 2013

Hezbollah Now Actively Involved In Syria's Civil War



Lebanon Dragged In As Hezbollah Joins Syria War -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Along north Lebanon's highways, the portraits of Hezbollah militants who have died in skirmishes with Israel are fading. But there are glistening photos of those killed in Hezbollah's new fight.

These men died in Syria, battling alongside the army of Hezbollah's close ally President Bashar al-Assad against rebel units in a conflict which has killed more than 70,000 people and risks reigniting Lebanon's 15-year sectarian civil war.

The Shi'ite Muslim group, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, is the most effective military body in Lebanon and its growing involvement in Syria's quagmire has angered Lebanese Sunni rebel sympathizers.

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More News On Hezbollah's Growing Role In Syria's Civil War

Hezbollah faces mounting pressure to leave Syria -- Jerusalem Post
Hezbollah Base Questions Support for Assad -- Al-Monitor
The foreign jihadists fighting in Syria – for Assad's regime -- France24/AFP
Iran Told Hezbollah to Join Syrian War, Says Ex-Leader -- Bloomberg
Syrian opposition leader sends a message to Hezbollah -- Foreign Policy
US slams Hezbollah involvement in Syria -- Daily Star
Lebanon clerics call for jihad against Shiites in Syria -- Washington Times
Hezbollah threatens Syrian rebels with full-blown war -- Examiner
Lebanon Slips Into Syria Quagmire -- Nassif Hitti, Al-Monitor
Hezbollah's Syria role threatens Lebanon 'neutrality' -- AFP
Assad, Hezbollah plot to derail the Middle East -- Eyad Abu Shakra, Al Arabiya
Hezbollah and sectarian strife in Syria -- Hassan Al Mustafa, Al Arabiya

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Trial In Cyprus Reveals Hezbollah Operations In Europe


Smoke rising after a terrorist blast at Bulgaria's Burgas airport July 18, 2012. Photo by Reuters

Trial in Cyprus Gives Rare Look at Covert Work of Hezbollah -- New York Times

LIMASSOL, Cyprus — In a little-noticed trial in a small courtroom here on Wednesday, a 24-year-old man provided a rare look inside a covert global war between Israel and Iran, admitting that he is an operative of the militant group Hezbollah, for which he acted as a courier in Europe and staked out locations in this port city that Israelis were known to frequent.

Breaking with the group’s ironclad discipline and practiced secrecy, the operative, Hossam Taleb Yaacoub, described being handled by a masked man he knew only as Ayman. He told of doing simple tasks at first: picking up a couple of bags in Lyon, France, taking a cellphone, two SIM cards and a mysterious package wrapped in newspaper from Amsterdam to Lebanon.

When he was arrested last July, he had a small red notebook with the license plate numbers of two buses ferrying Israelis to vacation spots in the vicinity.

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More News On How A Trial In Cyprus Is Revealing Hezbollah's EU Operations

Cyprus terror suspect admits Hezbollah membership -- Threat Matrix
Cyprus bomb-plot suspect admits Hezbollah ties -- Jerusalem Post
Arrest of Lebanese in Cyprus sheds light on Hezbollah's EU operations -- Haaretz
Lawyer: Suspect in Cyprus admits Hezbollah ties, denies plotting attacks on Israelis -- Washington Post
Suspect in Cyprus attack plan says he's Hezbollah -- AP
Man admits scouting Israeli targets -- UPI
Man tells Cyprus court he scouted targets for Hezbollah
-- Globe and Mail/New York Times

Monday, February 18, 2013

Hezbollah Accused Of Sending Forces Into Syria



Hezbollah Accused Of Fighting For Assad -- Sydney Morning Herald

DAMASCUS: The main opposition bloc in Syria has accused Lebanon's Hezbollah movement of fighting alongside regime forces in Damascus.

Hezbollah fighters crossed into Homs province, in central Syria, on Saturday and attacked three villages in the Qusayr region near the Lebanese border, the rebel Syrian National Council said.

The operation resulted in ''civilian casualties and the exodus of hundreds of people'', the opposition said.

The council said Hezbollah was using heavy weapons ''under the auspices of the Syrian regime army'', and that Beirut was responsible for ending this ''aggression''.

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More News On Accusations And Reports That Hezbollah fighters Are Now Involved In The Syrian Civil War

Syrian opposition accuses Hezbollah of fighting for Assad
-- Deutsche Welle
Syria opposition slams Hezbollah 'intervention' -- AFP
Rebels: 1,000 Hezbollah fighters invaded Syria
-- YNet News
Hezbollah fighters reported killed in clashes with Syrian rebels -- L.A. Times
Hezbollah fighter, five Syrian rebels killed on border -- Reuters
Syria: Rebels kill 12 Hezbollah operatives in Homs -- YNet News
Hezbollah 'Invades' Syria Sparking Battle with Rebels -- IBTimes
Syrian opposition slams Hezbollah for role in conflict -- Jerusalem Post
Hezbollah condemned for 'attack on Syrian villages'. -- BBC
Gemayel: Hezbollah meddling in other states, harming Lebanon -- Daily Star
Hezbollah should keep out of Syria: Jumblatt -- Daily Star

My Comment:
For Hezbollah to send in their own troops tells me that they are fearful that Assad is losing the momentum in this war .... and he is. When we start hearing reports about Iranian Revolutionary Guards involved in the fight .... that is when we will definitely know that the end is near.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Hezbollah Denies Any Involvement In Last Year's Terrorist Attack In Bulgaria



Hezbollah Dismisses Claims of Bulgaria Bomb Blast -- Voice Of America

Lebanon's Shi'ite militant Hezbollah group has dismissed Bulgaria's claim that is was behind last year's bomb attack that killed five Israeli tourists.

Hezbollah Deputy Leader Naim Qassem said the accusations were part of a smear campaign waged by Israel after it failed to defeat the group militarily.

On Tuesday, the Bulgarian government said that two Hezbollah operatives were among the three men responsible for the July 18 bombing of a tour bus at the Black Sea town of Burgas.

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More News On The Hezbollah Link To Last year's Terrorist Attack In Bulgaria

Hezbollah hits out after Bulgaria bus bomb report -- BBC
Hezbollah Says Israel Wages Campaign After Bulgaria Bomb -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Hezbollah official: Israel inciting against us -- YNet news
Bulgaria says it knows names, whereabouts of 2 living terror suspects in Israeli bus bombing -- FOX News/AP
Two Burgas Bombing Suspects Are Identified -- Tablet
Europe set to resist U.S. pressure to brand Hezbollah 'terrorists' -- Daily Star/AFP
EU reluctant to blacklist Hezbollah after probe -- Jerusalem Post
U.S. steps up pressure on Europe to brand Hezbollah a terrorist group -- Washington Post

My Comment: The next step is for Bulgaria to demand the extradition of these suspects from Lebanon/Hezbollah. By doing so Hezbollah will be put in a situation where they must decide to 'give-up' these men or not. My prediction is that Hezbollah will refuse Bulgaria's requst, hence laying the groundwork for them to be labeled as a terrorist group by Europe.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

The Impact On Hezbollah If The Assad Regime Falls



What Will Hezbollah Do If The Assad Regime Falls? -- Stars and Stripes/Daily Star

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- What Hezbollah will do if and when the regime of Syria’s embattled President Bashar Assad is toppled by the widening armed rebellion is of increasing concern to the Lebanese.

Also, Arab and foreign countries have repeatedly voiced concerns through their ambassadors in Beirut over the country’s stability and security in a post-Assad era.

The issue has gained much credence in recent weeks amid growing signs pointing to predictions of the “imminent collapse” of the Assad regime by senior Western officials as well as Syrian rebel and opposition groups.

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My Comment: I suspect that for Hezbollah, the fall of Assad is still unthinkable .... that they have yet to even contemplate on what his fall would mean to them. As to what is my take if a Sunni dominated government takes power in Damascus .... their focus will be to rebuild and to punish those who supported Assad. They will also be hostile to those outside powers that gave Assad support (i.e. Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah).

Friday, November 16, 2012

A Terrorist Responsible For The Murder Of Americans Walks Out Of An Iraqi Jail And Into The Hands Of hezbollah

A U.S. solider shows a picture of Ali Mussa Daqduq (L) during a news conference at the heavily fortified Green Zone area in Baghdad July 2, 2007. REUTERS/Wathiq Khuzaie/Pool

Iraq Releases Suspected Hezbollah Operative Ali Mussa Daqduq -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Iraqi authorities on Friday released suspected Hezbollah operative Ali Mussa Daqduq who was accused of killing American troops, his lawyer said, adding he had made his way to Lebanon.

"There was no reason for his detention. last night the decision was made to release him. He is out now and arrived in Beirut two hours ago," Abdulalmehdi al-Mutairi told Reuters by phone.

Read more
....

My Comment: This mass murderer should have been jailed in Guantanamo. As for U.S. - Iraq relations .... more proof on how these ties are slowly unraveling.

Monday, November 12, 2012

If Assad Goes, What Will Be The Impact On Hezbollah?

Supporters wave Hezbollah and Syrian regime flags as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah addresses thousands of supporters by video during the sixth anniversary of Second Lebanon war. Photo by Reuters

If Assad Goes, Hezbollah Will Be Alone In The Levant – Much To The Delight Of Israel -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

Syria's fate is crucial to the future of the Lebanese group.

Hezbollah was once the Lebanese “resistance”, the tough, courageous, self-sacrificing guerrilla army which drove Israel’s occupation soldiers out of Lebanon 12 years ago.

Today, it looks more like yet another Arab “security” institution – or insecurity institution – as it flies drones over Israel and continues to support, to the increasing condemnation of many Lebanese, the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Read more ....

My Comment: Hezbollah will survive, but it will definitely be weaker.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Is Hezbollah About To Drop It's Support Of The Assad Regime?

In Hizbollah’s South Beirut stronghold Mr Assad is still a hero Photo: Ali Hashisho/REUTERS

Hizbollah Debates Dropping Support For The Regime Of President Bashar al-Assad -- The Telegraph

Hizbollah has been one of the staunchest supporters of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, but now there are bitter arguments within its ranks about whether it is time to change course.

The giant banner with a portrait of Bashar al-Assad, strung across a busy street in South Beirut, proclaimed loyalty to the Syrian president — and cursed his enemies.

“Those who hate the Lion of Syria are sons of bitches,” it read, in Arabic slang with a play on the meaning of the Assad name.

Elsewhere in the Arab world he may be hated as a bloody tyrant, but in Hizbollah’s South Beirut stronghold Mr Assad is still a hero.

A couple of streets away, the British hostage Terry Waite was held captive for four years until his release in 1991, and nearby is the site of the notorious massacre of Sabra and Shatila where perhaps as many as 3500 people were murdered by pro-Israeli militias in 1982.

Read more ....

My Comment: I doubt that they will withdraw their support of Assad .... they are both mutually dependent on each other. But Hezbollah is concerned about talk from Europe on designating their organization as a terrorist group, a prospect that would severely limit their access to resources that they sorely need. What's my take .... by raising the suggestion that they may drop their support of the Assad regime they may be looking for some quid pro quo .... my suggestion to Europe .... do not believe them.