The New York Times reports that Iran-backed Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorists who have previously busied themselves with hit-and-run tactics against Israel, are now aiding Assad’s government forces in Syria;
Recently, however, a spate of funerals in the Bekaa Valley for Hezbollah members — including a military commander — killed while performing “jihad duties” has provided firmer signs that the organization is sending men to fight in Syria.
Free Syrian Army fighters in towns around the city of Qusayr, just across the border from Lebanon, say that Hezbollah is reinforcing government troops engaged in a hard-fought offensive in the area. Last week, the Free Syrian Army, saying that it had captured 13 Hezbollah fighters near Qusayr, threatened to strike Hezbollah strongholds in south Beirut. The rebels said the recent Hezbollah funerals were for men killed in Syria.
Free Syrian Army rebels also say that Hezbollah has for several weeks been launching Katyusha and Grad rockets at Syrian targets from territory that it controls in the northeastern Bekaa Valley.
But, I guess we can still consider Iran a benevolent force in the region that battles for the rights o the individual. Or, more likely, we can guess that since they got away with putting down their own Green Revolution, they figure western powers will allow them to export their jack-booted thugs to murder revolutionaries every where.
So, let me see if I have this straight. We have the Saudis and Qatar arming the al Qaeda-linked foreign jihadists in Syria and now the Iranians, through their Hezbollah proxies are helping the government. No, I don’t see anything that could end up being bad for anyone. Well, other than the Hezbollah folks are leaving Israel alone for the time being and that al Qaeda crowd who we’ve decimated in Afghanistan, says Bite-Me, is otherwise occupied for the time being. I wish them a lot of luck in killing each other in large numbers.
Israeli news was talking about this over a month ago. The more the Arabs kill each other now, the fewer troops will be deployed when the dust settles…
I hope the free Syrian Army kills more!!!!! And, they should give the captured ones the same treatment the Soviets gave family members of hostage takers in the 1980’s! Lets hope the run out of cemetery space in the Bekka….
I was at BNCOC this summer, and this topic came up actually. The area is something I grew up learning about, as my Dad is a Beruit Vet, and I read almost all of Robert Baer’s books on his time in the area. The debate between a room full of E6’s and E5’s was, what is the more dangerous place, FATA, the Korengal, or the Bekka…
And Syrians caught in the middle. Interestingly, there are reports that the arms shipped to al-Qaeda from Saudi Arabia, are funded by the US.
Meawhile, there are democratically minded rebels that are left in the cold, but are turning to any help they can get, even al-Qaeda.
But yes, we’ve reported on Iranian ran Hezbollah supporting Assad for several weeks. And also that Iranian supported Hamas has turned against Assad, and is supporting the AQ side.
And don’t forget that Russia is also helping Assad.
The idea to wall off the entire place and fill it with water 1000 ft deep just gets more appealing every day.