Iran Focus
London, 25 Oct – There is one clear winner in the Syrian Civil War, the Iran-backed Lebanese terror cell Hezbollah, which has made significant advances in its military capabilities.
This, along with the Iranian Regime’s destabilising efforts, poses a serious threat to stability and security of the Middle East. If the international community does not constrain this threat, they could soon be faced with a third Lebanon war, far worse than those that have come before.
Since the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Hezbollah, which now takes pride of place among Iran’s terrorist proxy groups, has been vying to show itself as a feasible military force in Lebanon by suppressing the Lebanese people and infiltrating the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
They have also focused on increasing their weapons cache and now hold over 100,000 highly sophisticated rockets and missiles, with which they can strike many strategic targets within Israel (an enemy of both Iran and Hezbollah). Soon, Hezbollah need not wait for an illicit arms shipment (which are supposed to monitored by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)) as thanks to the Iranian Regime, they are on the verge of creating the weapons themselves.
There is no real reason for Hezbollah or the Iranian Regime to hate Israel; it is just part of their radical Islamic terrorism, as confirmed by both Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah’s rhetoric and Hezbollah actions on the Lebanon-Israel border. As Hezbollah has killed many Muslims in the Syrian Civil War (at the behest of Iran), they need to justify this to the people of Lebanon but, as they have no excuse, they attack Israel in response.
General Klaus Dieter Naumann, the former Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr and Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, and General Lord Richard Dannatt , the former Chief of the General Staff of the British Army, wrote an op-ed for The Hill explaining how their group- the High Level Military Group– sees the Hezbollah threat and what they advise to counter it.
They wrote: “Our new report into the situation for the High Level Military Group makes clear that as a result of these developments Israeli officials are prepared for a renewed assault from Lebanon. They left us in no doubt that Hezbollah’s capabilities today mean Israel would be forced to take drastic action to protect its civilian population.”
They advised that the US and its allies take decisive action to prevent another Lebanon war- which could cement Hezbollah’s place within the Lebanese government- and prioritise severing the ties between Hezbollah and Lebanon.
They also believe in imposing sanctions upon Lebanon if they continue to work with Hezbollah and welcomed the bills aimed at curtailing Hezbollah that are going before Congress this week.
Naumann and Dannatt wrote: “America and [its] allies must stand with Israel, clearly and vocally, making clear that Iran and Hezbollah’s campaign of terror against Israel will be met by an insurmountable response, politically, and if unavoidable, by Israel’s fully legitimate military reaction. Such a deterring message will contribute more to peace now than lamentations once hostilities have been instigated by Hezbollah.”
