USCFL - Hezbollah - The Party of God: A Middle East Threat Analysis

Report Summary: This intelligence report is to show how large and extensive the current terrorist organization known as Hezbollah or The Party of God; also known as the Islamic Jihad (Islamic Holy War), the Revolutionary Justice Organization, the Organization of the Oppressed on Earth and the Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine actually is since its founding in 1982 by Sheikh Fadlallah Mahallati. This paper will focus on current information that we have currently received since it has been in business since 1995. It will also show that Hezbollah is not only a state sponsored terror organization but is also sponsoring a government who's hiding its international terrorist activities world wide against both the United States and Israel.

Background History: Hezbollah or The Party of God had its origins in 1982 and was organized by cleric, military leaders and political figures inside the Iranian Government and certain disenfranchised Lebanese supporters of the AMAL terror organization. This group was first led by Fadlallah Mahallati. It was then that the Iranian leadership organized what the structure of Hezbollah was to look like and how it was to be formed.

It must be understood that although this organization is closely ideologically and spiritually linked to Iran, it is not a singular political/militaristic body that currently shows total subservience to the latter; but is rather more like a coalition of Lebanese Shi'ite Imams who each have their own political thoughts and views and built their own networks of followers and ties to Iran's political, military and clerical establishment.

Though both leading Hezbollah clergy and Iranian officials currently deny that the movement has a clearly defined organizational structure, Hezbollah is governed on the national and local level by a three-tier supreme political-religious leadership system that is composed of a small and select group of Lebanese Shiite Clerics directly elected by clerics in Iran.

Sheik Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah was directed by the clerics in Iran as the spiritual founder and leader of Hezbollah in 1982. Up until 1987, there was no real intelligence on the organization of Hezbollah except for certain leadership members that began to come into public view in this year. This was done due to the many terrorist’s attacks and hijackings that Hezbollah made on western interests in Beirut and the kidnapping of western civilians over the last two decades.

Further support by the late 1980’s was suspected and later proven to be coming directly from Syria and through Syria from Iran. In addition, Iran and Syria have guaranteed monies and weapons to Hezbollah and these nations have made it a national foreign policy priority to provide Hezbollah with yearly monies since its foundation in 1982.

Since the late 1980’s, and most particularly since the assassination of Sheik Abbas Musawi in 1992, Hezbollah has however become much more politically active inside of Lebanon by having to develop for itself an actual operational leadership infrastructure. It has also grown much more aggressive in nature both toward the West and Israel. This is partially due to Syrian insistence that Hezbollah be allowed to become an active part of the Lebanese Government, its military, its banking and economic system. This was accomplished through the "Taef Accord" that was signed on October 24, 1989 in Beirut, Lebanon.

The Current Organization of this Group: Hezbollah is a radical Shia Muslim terrorist group originally formed in Lebanon in 1982 that is strongly dedicated to the creation of an Iranian-style Islamic republic in Lebanon along with the removal of all non-Islamic influence from the area. It is politically, militarily and religiously, closely allied with, and often directed by, both Iran and Syria, is strongly anti-Western and is particularly anti-Israel. In fact, it does not recognize the fact that Israel was formed as a state in 1948.

All the followers of Hezbollah are strict followers of Islam and the teachings of the late Iranian Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini. Most of its members are poor Shiite Muslims who have abandoned the current political AMAL party teachings and mainstream policies for a more extreme approach to dealing with the current situation with Israel. All members of Hezbollah tend to be young, poor and radical.

Hezbollah internal structure and leadership is reportedly organized into the following three executive tier political legislative/religious offices:

The Executive Shura of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah: Currently the Executive Shura operates the day-to-day activities of Hezbollah, conducts meetings and makes the organizations daily decisions on all-financial, military, judicial, social, and political affairs.

The Consultative Council (Majlis ash Shura) currently is made of some of the 12 most prominent and most religious members of Hezbollah. These twelve members decide the following for Hezbollah on a weekly basis on such matters as all-financial, military, judicial, social, and political affairs.

The Hezbollah Politburo hears dictates once every three months from the Consultative Council then returns to their five regional areas and hands down these dictates to their commands in their regions. The Politburo is also a supervisory committee composed of 15 select clergy that is in charge of coordinating the propaganda and support services for Hezbollah on both the regional and local level.

As of today, Hezbollah has operations geographically organized not only throughout Lebanon but also throughout the world. Intelligence reports indicate that this organization currently has branches in the Bekaa Valley and Al Janub provinces along with West Beirut and the southern outskirts of the city. There are also reports to indicate that Hezbollah has cells in South America, Indonesia, Malaysia, Canada, France, United States, Germany, England and Belgium.

Bottom Line: Hezbollah is now able to take its message of militancy to an all new level by being actually a state recognized by the people of a nation and being “democratically” elected into office. And this has been going on since as early as 1992 and due to the 1989 Syrian brokered "Taef accord" in Lebanon. It is a fact that by the late 1990’s Hezbollah had six ministers in the Lebanese National Parliament and by 2000 eight.

The third and fourth sections of the internal structure of Hezbollah are currently thought to be the organization's military wing and intelligence section. These apparatus operate the organizations television, newspaper, magazine and radio networks.

According to known intelligence reports, this is today the only public set organization structure that Hezbollah as an organization currently has. The rest of the organization at least internationally has been organized into independent cells. This has been accomplished so that no one group has the knowledge of what the other group’s operational assignments are ....in case they are under a “military” (terrorist) attack operation.

The following is a short list of Hezbollah's top leadership. A dossier on each one of them will be available to our constituents soon.

Hezbollah’s and now Lebanese Army commander of southern Lebanon, Sheikh Nabil Qaouk

Hezbollah’s Director of the Jihad el-Bina' social wing of the Islamic Jihad for Social Construction is Mahmoud Mais.

Ali-Akbar Mohtashemi, the former Iranian ambassador to Syria and former Interior Minister.

What is Hezbollah’s current location and areas of operation: Currently Hezbollah operates both in the Bekaa Valley and the Shebaa Farms area though it is also known to have cells in Africa, Southern, Central and Northern America and through most of Asia.

Hezbollah’s Community Works that Reap Rewards for its own organization: All of Hezbollah’s civilian programs revolve around one thing and one thing only. The growing of poppy to be cultivated for heroin production in the Bekaa Valley for sale and distribution in the West.

Hezbollah has in fact set up elaborate ways and means to manage the civilian populous to work for them. First of all the local population has limited to no employment in the region but to work for Hezbollah's operated enterprises and this mainly includes fieldwork-cultivating poppies.

From there the poppies are taken to processing facilities and turned into heroin, opium tar and hashish. These drugs are then packaged for shipment out of Lebanon to the European Union, Asia, South America an North America. However, certain amounts of these illicit drugs are produced for medicinal purposes for Hezbollah’s two hospitals. Hezbollah's Agriculture Minister Ali Abdullah is reportedly in charge of producing a yearly cash crop of these drugs for Hezbollah. Reportedly production is at a rise and so are profits at a tune of an estimated $85 to $95 million US dollars annually.

To assist bringing these drugs to Lebanese ports Hezbollah has franchised into its own construction firm called the Jihad el-Bina' or social wing of the Islamic Jihad for Social Construction. Its director is a man by the name of Mahmoud Mais. Reports state that since the May 2000 pull out of the SLA and Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, Jihad el-Bina' have assisted Lebanese Army units in fortifying border positions and towns, built new roadways, have begun to rebuild villages severely damaged by the war and have begun to rebuild airfields and port facilities throughout Lebanon.

Other reported building projects that Jihad el-Bina' has started with United Nations monies include the repair of the electrical systems and oil pipelines that have been damaged from fighting during the Israeli occupation and during the civil war that run from Syria to Sidon and Tyre along with fresh water pumping systems and wells, irrigation canals systems, filtrations plants and sewerage treatment plants.

What Hezbollah is actually doing to the trained eye is rebuilding its infrastructure to support its new an lucrative trade in illegal narcotics. What is the rationale?

1: Fresh water means healthier people to work the fields more. However, most importantly fresh water means plentiful poppy fields and more heroin.

2: New roadways and local airfields mean that Hezbollah can transport troops to reinforce its growing fields when and where it sees fit. It also means that these narcotics can get to market faster while the airfields can be used as a cover by either the military or the civilian populous to land aircraft.

3: The building of new fortified positions means just that! Both along the Lebanese/Israeli border and in the Bekaa Valley new fortified military positions that will be used by the Lebanese Army, the Syrian Army and Hezbollah to stop any Israeli or foreign aggression into these areas.

4; The rebuilding of civilian villages near poppy fields mean that workers that cultivate these fields will not have far to travel to get to work each day. The rebuilding and fortification of such villages is in Hezbollah’s best interests as a group.

5: The repair of current electrical power stations with a French assisted built nation wide power grid is thought to be on line by 2006. This is important to Hezbollah due to the fact that it is currently depending on large gas powered generators to run most of its current operations. However, secondary systems are starting to come back on line. According to our latest intelligence estimates, by 2004 the Bekaa Valley and most of Southern Lebanon will no longer have daily blackouts or brownouts times during certain parts of the working day.

Other civilians run businesses that Hezbollah is currently involved include taxi services that operate in southern Beirut, the Bekaa valley and in Southern Lebanon. These Taxi services mainly are used to bring persons that are employed by Hezbollah to and from their jobs on a daily basis.

Other social services projects that Hezbollah currently concerns itself with is the operation of nine schools that teach children from the ages of approximately kindergarten to the senior year of high school and three hospitals that are all currently built in southern Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and in Southern Lebanon. Hezbollah medical administrator Hajj Mohammad Hijazi operates these three hospitals and is the director a Shi'ite non-governmental organization called the Al-Shahid (Martyrs) Association (This group is also fully funded by Hezbollah and has in the past received donations from Iranian and Syrian governmental backed organizations as well.).

Other social services in Beirut's southern suburbs, a known Hezbollah stronghold, include Hezbollah-run banking and loan institutions that provide easy housing loans for the poor and under privileged.

To conclude, it is a fact that Hezbollah is today no longer a mysterious terrorist foundation but an entity that has interposed itself through the Taef Accord into Lebanese Governmental politics and has now become an instrumental political body in the Lebanese parliament.

Hezbollah has also taken the American psychological warfare thought of “Heart and Minds” to an all new level to make money on the international drug market by promoting major civilian contracts to serve a regional or central government purpose to meet their own and that is either to move their heroin or opium to market or send terrorists out of the country on specific operational assignments.

And with these these civilian and social service projects being rebuilt from the ravages of war, Hezbollah is hence keeping the populous happy in the territories that it controls by being able to give all or most of the basic social services that the central Lebanese government has not been able to give and is still having trouble giving to the civilian populous over the past 25 years.

Hezbollah’s Military Wing: Hezbollah’s military wing is known as the Islamic Resistance Movement (al-muqawama al-Islamiyya, This should not to be confused with HAMAS which also uses the name). In the past, intelligence sources have stated that Hezbollah is said to have anywhere from 1,800 to as many as 6,500 fighters at any given time. Currently, we estimate that Hezbollah has approximately 4,032 fighters currently operating on the ground inside Lebanon including reservists and in the following geographic regions:

The Bekaa Valley: Currently the reported Hezbollah and Special Security Apparatus Commander in the Bekaa Valley is Sheikh Husayn al-Khalil, who was the deputy commander of this region's Hezbollah’s militia units when Sheikh Husayn al-Musawi was assassinated by the Israelis in 1992. His deputy is Mustafa Mahmud Madhi who was a lesser figure in Hezbollah until the Sheikh's death. However it was and still is Mustafa Madhi's responsibility to receive and sign for weapons shipments that arrive from Iran via Syria to the now jointly controlled and modernized Lebanese/ Hezbollah Sheikh Abdallah barracks.

Southern Beirut: Currently the reported Hezbollah and Special Security Apparatus Command is divided between Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sheikh al-Amin. Both of these men can muster the required support needed to carry out activities for the movement and operationally responsible involving aspects to military and terrorist operations.

Southern Lebanon: With the signing of the Taef Accord in 1989, Hezbollah military command forces were consolidated and reorganized under one leader. This leader is currently according to intelligence reports Sheikh Nabil Qaouk. Sheikh Qaouk however does not only command Hezbollah and Special Security Apparatus Command units in the Southern Lebanese/Israeli border region but also all Lebanese Army national army units in southern Lebanon as well.

It can be today said that Hezbollah has become an active part of the Lebanese Army. Reports fluctuate on the current standing of active armed personnel that are in their ranks however the following has been estimated:

Southern Beirut: Two infantry battalions each with 252 men. Of these two Infantry companies one is motorized.

The Bekaa Valley: Seven infantry battalions each with 252 men. Of these seven Infantry companies three are motorized.

Southern Lebanon: Seven infantry battalions each with 252 men. Of these seven Infantry companies five are motorized.

Hezbollah's Military Infrastructure: Currently Hezbollah is equipped with 4x4 and 6x6 transport trucks and reports indicate it has now begun to procure through Iranian sources Chinese and Russian built light tanks, wheeled and tracked armored infantry fighting vehicles.

Other weapons currently being used by the ordinary Hezbollah fighter inside Lebanon include the AK-47/74 assault rifle, the RPK-74 SAW, RPD-47 SAW, the AKM submachine gun and the Vz-24 autopistol as well as the M-16A2 and Galil assault rifles and Uzi submachine guns. Some of these are armed with 40mm grenade launchers.

Hezbollah has also been equipped with new anti tank weapons that include large quantities of shoulder fired Russian RPG-7V and the Iranian built version of this weapon known as the Saghegh that is better equipped with a lethal 80mm tandem HEAT warhead that is able to puncture the armor of an Merkava Main Battle Tank.

Other anti-tank weapons include the fact that Hezbollah has been able to acquire a significant quantity of US made TOW-II ATGW weapons most like from Iranian sources. Other anti tank weapons that Hezbollah has recently procured include the AT-3 Sagger/Ra'ad from Iran, the AT-5 and AT-10 from Russia.

Hezbollah artillery at this time consists of an estimated 72 6x6 mounted 122mm MLRS, an estimated 144 Chinese built Type-63 107mm towed MRL’s, and estimated 7,500 107mm and 122mm Katyusha-style man portable bombardment rockets most with a range of 20km and an estimated 36 240mm 'Fadjr-3' MLRS bombardment rockets most with a range of 30km.

What is most disturbing is the next shipments of weapons that will be coming months of March, May, Augusts and December of 2002. It will be in these weapon shipments that Hezbollah will finally be receiving the 333mm 'Fadjr-5' MLRS bombardment rockets with a range of 50km.

Other light artillery systems currently in use by Hezbollah include the Chinese built 82mm B-I0 and 107mm B-11 recoilless anti-tank guns and the infantry battalions are supported by a large array of 60mm, 82mm and 120mm mortars systems.

For air defense Hezbollah has currently deployed ZSU-23-1 and ZSU-23-2 23mm anti aircraft guns either in static positions in the Bekaa Valley, Southern Lebanon or in Southern Beirut. These anti aircraft guns are reinforced by SA-7B and now reportedly SA-14 and SA-16 MANPADS systems.

Since the SLA and the Israelis have withdrawn from Lebanese territory in May of 2000, Hezbollah with the assistance of its construction firm Jihad el-Bina' constructed new static defense systems throughout the territories it currently controls. These static defense systems along the Israeli/Lebanese border include the placement of anti-tank/anti-personnel mines and explosives along the border areas. These mines reportedly are of Czech, Chinese, Russian, Italian and Iranian origin.

Hezbollah’s regular fighters in Lebanon currently receive their military training from Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps units that are permanently stationed inside of Lebanon. These IRGC units train these lower forces and separate lower ranking individuals that will stay in regular Hezbollah infantry battalions with those that have potential. Those that IRGC show potential may be selected as a Hezbollah NCO or officer in a Hezbollah infantry (fighter) unit or may be tested further for entrance into Hezbollah’s Special Security Apparatus.

The Special Security Apparatus: The Special Security Apparatus of Hezbollah has several assignments; one of the most important being to carry out all overseas military strikes ordered by the Majlis al-Shura with precision and professionalism. The current head of the SSA is Security and Intelligence Director Imad Mughniyyah and his Deputy Director is Abdul Hadi Hamadi.

Imad Mughniyyah responsibilities encompass the following at the Majlis al-Shura:

1: The National Preventative Security Apparatus: This department is currently thought to still operated by Muhammad Hammud whose responsibility it is to insure the personal security of prominent Hezbollah clergymen.

2: Hezbollah internal Security and Intelligence Apparatus: This department is currently thought to still operated by Salah Nun whose responsibility it is to insure the political and religious reliability of its members.

3: Hezbollah National Central Security Apparatus: This department is currently thought to still operated by Sheikh Hussein Khalil whose responsibility it is to infiltrate and if it become a necessity liquidate any military or political opponents that move to block any of Hezbollah’s causes inside of Lebanese’s territory.

4: Operating overseas terrorist cells and Intelligence apparatus: This departments command is overlapped by a central security committee due to the types of orders that are given to each Hezbollah cell commander in each terror/intelligence cell around the world. Currently the following persons are thought to operate as the following regional intelligence heads:

Imad Mughniyyah currently the senior commander for Hezbollah operations in North America.

Hussein Khalil is currently thought to be senior commander for Hezbollah operations in South and Central America.

Asia: Muhammad Haydar is currently thought to be the senior commander for Hezbollah operations in Asia.

Kharib Nasser and Abd al-Hamadi are currently the senior commanders for Hezbollah operations in Europe. Waid Ramadan acted as the chief coordinator of Hezbollah with Iran concerning any European operations the organization was conducting in Europe at any given time.

Abd al-Hadi Hamadi is currently thought to be the senior commander for Hezbollah operations in the Near East.

Ibrahim Aqil is currently thought to be the senior commander for Hezbollah operations in Middle East.

Due to operational security within the Special Security Apparatus little is known of its overseas terror/intelligence cells. However, if the Al Qaeda terror cells that committed the 9-11-2001 terrorist attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon are any indication on how a cell such as these are formed and how they are structured then there is a blueprint in existence on how this group and others like it operate when conducting “military” operations overseas.

For most of its overseas “special military operations” the Special Security Apparatus currently uses personnel from Hezbollah’s special forces branch. These personnel are considered highly trained, intelligent and are willing to die for the cause when ordered to do so. Most personnel are from former terrorist organizations such as FORCE-17, the PFLP or some other Arab or Islamic terrorist group that is no longer in operation today. The Special Security Apparatus is currently in overall command of all Hezbollah Special Operations and receives assistance and support from Iranian and Syrian Intelligence and Special Forces and the IRGC when in the field.

Currently Hezbollah special operations forces are sent overseas to operate in terror/intelligence cells. To be in these cells these persons must have a knowledge, understanding and know the language of the host country they are going to be living in. This is not to draw unneeded attention from civilian or military authorities that would hinder the completion of Hezbollah’s goals in the region. This was the case of all of the Al Qaeda Operatives that attacked both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

For local operations inside the Middle East, Hezbollah's "Special Forces" operative trying to infiltrate into Israel have been known to dress like Israeli soldiers. They practice and speak fluent Hebrew, learn to fire the same types of weapons as IDF troops and have current knowledge of all IDF and regional weapons systems. Information shows a clear distinction of a Special Forces Infiltration team members and a Suicide member by the way they dress.

Hezbollah Special Forces Infiltration Units: The personnel in these units are usually dressed in camouflage uniform that is made in Pakistan, IDF uniform or a region military uniform depending on mission requirements. Personnel are equipped with weapons, radios and food of this country as well to try to blend in as close as possible to be able to complete their assignment. Until they reach a border area, they cover their faces with ski masks and hood to not be recognized by anyone locally or in what towns they are passing through

Hezbollah Jihad Special Forces Units: The personnel in these units wear green or black clothing, are wired with Semtex, C-4 or C-9. These units usually conduct their operations with their faces covered by ski masks or with a hood.

The "Islamabouli" Brigade: This brigade is thought to currently be trained in specialized assassinations/suicides or is being trained as a specialized assassinations/suicides brigade with the goal of being able to approach and eliminate certain world leaders when ordered to do so.

The Jerusalem Brigade organized with the following two suicide companies of approximately 56 men per company:

With this type of Intelligence, Internal Security and Special Operations Force that not only can collect needed intelligence quickly but can analyze, process and plan an attack in multiple parts of the world, one must wonder what other dealings Hezbollah has to either assist it in its cause or assist it in its operational planning and strike phase when it is warranted. Hezbollah, though now a large and layered organization and again very political in Lebanon has the following backers that support it in many ways but most of all militarily. They are:

Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus Liaison with Iran: Since Iran first supported and started Hezbollah in 1982 and fully funds its many social service projects and the political body of Hezbollah, the Iranian Government has a direct role and say in the military direction that Hezbollah takes when conducting any type of military operations against the West, another Arab state or against Israel.

Currently, the Iranian government through its embassies in both Damascus and Beirut has constant and direct contact with Hezbollah’s Special Security Apparatus representatives. The direct representative in Beirut is Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Ali Siobhan and is jointly represented by three Iranian Intelligence officers from VEVAK . For security reasons most intelligence briefings and intelligence sharing is done at the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Syria.

Other than monetary support, the Iranian Government supplies major weapons and ammunition to Hezbollah. As of the end of January 2002, an estimated 2,200 Iranian Revolutionary Guards has now its permanent barracks headquartered in Baalbek, Lebanon and its headquarters in the Syrian border village of Zebdani, Lebanon where it currently trains all Hezbollah fighters. There is also an IRGC contingent assigned military attachés office in the Iranian Embassy in Beirut .

The Iranian Diplomatic staff also provides secure and valuable intelligence to Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus. The types of Intelligence in the past have included targets that have been bombed and persons that have been kidnapped by Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus and Special Forces Branch. The Iranian Government has also been gracious enough to provide to Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus, the movement, location and times of these and the needed targets that Hezbollah wants to strike out at.

Due to this relationship with Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus, past kidnap victims and former hostages have reported being interrogated and housed by VEVAK and IRGC personnel when the Iranian government feels the need to do interrogations on their own and in their territory. It is evident that when Hezbollah has taken any hostages in Lebanon, VEVAK has Carte Blanche from the Special Security Apparatus on how it interrogates their own prisoners, with no one from the Special Security Apparatus even batting an eye over security or the care of the prisoner that is being interrogated.

In the military political sphere, Iran had a major hand in bringing about an alliance between Hezbollah and AMAL after almost twenty years of internal fighting. Though AMAL’s position inside of Lebanon is seen as greatly weakened by this move, Iran felt that this alliance was a necessity for future operations against Israel to continue unhindered without any internal factional fighting among rival organizations.

Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus Liaison with Syria: The Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus began operating with Syrian Intelligence in Lebanon as early as 1982 by planning actively to destroy the western Multinational Forces facilities that were stationed throughout Beirut in 1983. By doing this, it hoped that this would lead to the eventual withdrawal of all western Multinational Forces from Beirut, which it did.

After these attacks Syrian Intelligence assisted by supporting Hezbollah in the abductions of foreigners as long as it was in line with Syrian Government policy and strategic interests in Lebanon. At times though Syria has been forced to put its foot down on Hezbollah’s actions inside of Lebanon when they proceed to far away from Syrian foreign and strategic policy.

So the relationship between both Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus and Syrian can be seen as hot and cold, the best of lovers and worst of enemies at times. Currently both Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus, the Hezbollah Military Wing and Syrians are the best of friends. Recently it is understood that it is Syria, not Hezbollah, that has strategic dominance over the Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah was allowed for political reasons in the past to think it was strategically dominant in the Bekaa but no longer.

To prove this point the Syrian Army reportedly has planes and is constructing launch sites for three SA-10B surface to air missile batteries to begin to replace the older SA-2, SA-3 and SA-5 and SA-6 SAM’s that are currently in the region. The current leadership of Hezbollah was quite pleased with this due to the fact that this also bolsters their air defense as well. Other air defense systems that the Syrians are putting into the Bekaa include SA-13 and modernized SA-9B SAM batteries and ZSU-23-4 and possible 2S6 SPAAG’s.

The Syrian Army and Syrian Air Defense Command have also begun to reinforce the Shouf region of the Lebanon and near the Shebaa Farms area that is inside the Israeli border. Reinforcements include artillery, anti tank and anti aircraft weapons and at least four new advanced radar systems that are being built into the mountains east and north of Beirut with another fixed, and very heavily defended site being made ready at Dayr al-Ashayr, close to the Syrian border. Another two radar sites are being built in Akkar in the north and another is being built the Bekaa valley. There are also very good intelligence reports that the Syrians have a mobile system that may prove difficult for Israel to detect and destroy that is currently operational in the mountains of southern Lebanon and has yet to be found.

This and there are also reports that under joint Hezbollah Special Forces and Syrian Guard some 42 SS-21B SCUD missile launchers are stationed in the central and southern Bekaa Valley. With these Syrian reinforcements and the added support Syria was giving to Hezbollah, Syria suggested negotiations between it and three other political/terror organizations in Damascus.

To assist in these negotiations Mustafa Dirani the liaison between Hezbollah’s Special Security Apparatus and the Syrian Intelligence Service since 1993 brought Hezbollah’s main military leadership into the room with the other organization leadership for this monumental terrorist sit-down. The groups not only included Hezbollah but also the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Decisions that were made were critical to furthering all of their own causes.

Basically some of which were, they were all being supported by two single entities Syria and Iran, their goals were the same, the freedom of Palestine from a Zionist backed regime. Moreover, these terrorist groups had a declared Jihad against the west and western influences on the Near East and Middle East as a whole. Both the Iranian and Syrian intelligence and military leadership convinced these groups that it would be best for them to operate together.

Convinced of this new method of warfare and in a joint declaration made by all three parties in December of 2001 that stated all three terrorist organizations would begin joint military operations against Israel and the West.

Though this is the first time a public statement has been made about these groups joint political policies and military operations on this magnitude, according to Western intelligence analysis, all three of these terrorist groups have been cooperating together since 1995.

Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus Conducts Combined Military Operations With Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas: The contact established between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas actually started at some point in 1988. However it had really flourished into a particularly strong pact between the three groups back in 1995. It was then that members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas transformed their “peaceful fundamentalist” organizations into paramilitary styled organization resembling the philosophy and structure of Hezbollah.

Currently it is known through civilian press sources and through MOSSAD that the Jihad organization has obtained weapons through Hezbollah. In 1991,1992 and 1994 members of the Islamic Jihad were logistically supported by the Hezbollah in carrying out at least three armed operations against IDF targets in the security zone in southern Lebanon.

Press reports concerning the Jihad-Hizbullah-Iranian military connection continue to be published regularly. This has included Hezbollah Hamas and Islamic Jihad personnel training in specifically built camps in Iran. Recent intelligence source have been quoted as saying that Hezbollah-Palestinian Islamic Jihad-Hamas and possibly members of Al Qaeda have all trained together inside of Iran. According also to current intelligence information it is also more than 90% likely that all four of these major organizations are operating together due to the fact that their philosophy and their internal organizational structure are much alike.

Other Hezbollah Combined Operations: Intelligence reports indicate that Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus is currently funding several other movements in the Near East and Middle East such as Kuwait or Gulf Hezbollah, Saudi Hezbollah and Turkish Hezbollah.

Currently, the members of these groups are trained in Lebanon by IRGC units and senior members of the Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus. All of these groups are reportedly funded and armed by Hezbollah, Iran and Syria. These groups are trying to bring fundamentalist Islamic governments to power under the strict teachings of the late Iranian Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini. The difference between the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Saudi, Kuwaiti and even the Turkish Hezbollah personnel is the fact that most of the members of these groups are very wealthy individuals.

Other Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus Operations: Other Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus operations currently include the operations of a physiological warfare department. A battle-hardened Hezbollah fighter reportedly operates this part of Hezbollah Special Security Apparatus named Ahmad Ammar..

Ahmad Ammar was captured in 1986 by Israeli Defense Forces inside southern Lebanon for trying to plant a large size explosive on a main battle tank inside the Israeli security zone. In the 1990’s after being relieved from fieldwork and promoted inside of Hezbollah’s Special Security Apparatus, Ahmad Ammar was allowed to begin to build TV broadcast stations in Haret Hreik. Called the Hebrew Observation Department, it is a special department inside the Special Security Apparatus of Hezbollah. It has been built not only to broadcast Hezbollah propaganda but also to gather information from Israeli information sources as well. This unit scans the Internet, radio waves, microwaves, military nets, satellite transmissions, and UHF and VHF frequencies to see if there is anything of interest for Hezbollah to be listening to. It has been known to interrupt national broadcasts and place its own propaganda commercials on the airwaves for Israelis to see.

Other projects that Ahmad Ammar is currently in charge of are Hezbollah English, Arabic and Hebrew versions of the 6’Oclock and 11’Oclock news. He is also in charge of Hezbollah Internet Website and the new radio station and is also the one of the editors that publishes Hezbollah's weekly newspaper called Al Ahed (The Pledge).

Weapons Transfers to Hezbollah: Currently Hezbollah receives large weapons transfers from Iran and Syria. Reliable intelligence sources reports that since April 1996 an estimated thirty Iranian transport aircraft loaded with ammunition and weapons have landed at Damascus International Airport and two other military airports outside of Damascus, Syria.

Inside these transport aircrafts their cargo included AT-3 “Sagger” anti-tank missiles, long-range Katyusha rockets and high explosive anti-tank mines. All of which was subsequently transferred to Hezbollah forces in Southern Lebanon. Moreover, according to reports that we have received this past weekend, Hezbollah’s military wing has requested that the Consultative Council ask the Iranian government to make its first arms shipment in March, the second in May, the third sometime in August and a fourth arms shipment for sometime in December of 2002.

How is Hezbollah Funded: This is the BIG question! This is the estimated $230 million dollar question! That's right. As of this moment since 1997, Hezbollah has received from Iran and Syria, its two main benefactors, massive direct deposits of cash. These direct deposits are brought into Lebanon by military air transport and in diplomatic pouches. Saudis have also reportedly donated per year an estimated $15 to 36 million US dollars. Some of these donors include even members of the Royal House of Saud. More details to come in an upcoming more in-depth report on Hezbollah.

With multiple bank accounts throughout the world Hezbollah’s cells can be effectively financed from within the secure borders of Lebanese territory. Another means of money transfer that is known is by the Hawala services. This is a well orchestrated system of money dealers and brokers that have been known to hold large sums of money for the many persons from the Middle East. For holding your money you are charged a fee, given a IOU and your money is sent to where it is needed to go by wire transfer, with no questions asked.

The Hawala operators deal a time honored, honor systems of trust that uses no record keeping what so ever to take down any amounts of monies. It is all done in the Hawala Operator’s head. However, Hawala services also offer, the purchase of airplane tickets and flight information. For an overseas terrorist cell, a good local Hawala service that has all of the needed local information can get it quickly when it is needed is any terrorist cell's logistical dream come true.

Conclusion: Hezbollah is a well financed, organized and led terrorist group. It seems it has written the book on how to be a terrorist network for other terror networks throughout the world to follow. This is partly due to the fact that it has risen to such a prominent stature by being backed by two major national governments Iran and Syria and is now a part of a government that is making regional and national policy, Lebanon.

For a terrorist organization to succeed in this manner it is to be compared to Yasir Arafat in 1988 going to Vienna and recognizing Israel as a nation.

Though Yasir Arafat may have not wanted to do this and Israel really did not want Yasir Arafat or his organization's recognition, because then the United Nations would grant the PLO recognition and Yasir Arafat recognition as a people and a person without a nation or national status. In a manner this is what Syria and Iran have accomplished for Hezbollah. It has allowed them to officially establish themselves inside the Lebanese political and military way of life while not having to give up their platform of having to recognize anything it really does not want to such as the existence of Israel.

To further strengthen its infrastructure, Hezbollah is rebuilding itself and the territories it occupies and marketing the main crop that will make the organization and the people in the region it controls a quick profit: Heroin and opium, illegal drugs. The monies from these drugs are used to rebuild towns destroyed by years of savage fighting and it is another way for Hezbollah be assisted in destroying the “Great Satan”, the United States of America,

Being backed by two region powerhouses such as Iran and Syria, Hezbollah has thus little to fear. It has been further strengthened recently by alliances with other terrorist groups that have patterned themselves after Hezbollah and are funded by Iran or Syria. Hezbollah’s reach is global and it has shown in the past that it can strike out and attack at anytime and any where with devastating effects to those that are near the targeted area or are about to be abducted.

An Appendix: Major Hizbullah Terrorist Activity Since December 1983 to April 1996 (not all incidents listed):

1: Hezbollah is responsible for the attacks on the US Embassy and US Marine barracks in Beirut in October 1983 and the US Embassy annex in Beirut in September 1984.

2: Hezbollah is responsible for the attack on the French military bases in Beirut that killed 58 French troops.

American citizen Frank Regier, engineering professor at the American University of Beirut

United States Central Intelligence Agency Beirut chief of station, William Buckley, whom it had abducted on March 16, 1984.

Several other hostages were held in captivity by different groups possibly allied to Hezbollah, including seven French citizens, two of whom were diplomats, a Spanish diplomat, two British women, a West German Siemens employee, two Cypriot students, an Indian professor, an Irish professor, an Italian businessman, and a Republic of Korea (South Korea) diplomat.

4: The 1988 kidnapping and murder of U.S. Lieutenant Colonel William Higgins by Hezbollah leader Sheikh Abbas Musawi.

5: March of 1992- Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a car bomb that destroyed the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An identical device exploded there on July 18 outside a Jewish community center killing nearly 100 civilians.

6:July 19 1993 – Hezbollah claims responsibility for the bombing of a Panamanian commuter flight that crashed near Colon.

7: December 6, 1995 - Clash between IDF and Hizbullah terrorists in the central region of the security zone. 1 IDF soldier killed and 3 wounded.

8: December 29, 1995 - 2 Katyusha rockets were fired at Northern Israel. 1 civilian was wounded and 4 other civilians were treated for shock.

9: February 28, 1996 - Attempt by terrorist to infiltrate northern Israel utilizing an ultra-lite aircraft.

10: March 4, 1996 - Detonation of explosive charge near Kibbutz Manara. 4 IDF soldiers were killed and 9 were wounded

11: March 10, 1996 - Detonation of explosive charge in Southern Lebanon. 1 IDF soldier killed.

12: March 14, 1996 - Ambush of IDF convoy on the Reihan - Aiyeshia road. 8 IDF soldiers were wounded.

13: March 20, 1996 - Suicide bomber detonates explosive charge in front of an IDF convoy. 1 soldier killed and 1 civilian was wounded.

14: March 30, 1996 - 2 Katyusha salvos were fired at the Galilee. 1 civilian was wounded.

15: April 9, 1996 - 2 Katyusha salvos were fired at the Galilee. 36 civilians were wounded.

16: April 10, 1996 - 1 IDF soldier is killed and 2 are wounded by Hizbullah mortar fire.

17: In fall 2000 Hezbollah was responsible for the captured three Israeli soldiers in the Shebaa Farms and kidnapped an Israeli noncombatant whom it may have lured to Lebanon under false pretenses.

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Article:	Hezbollah - The Party of God: A Middle East Threat Analysis
Author:	Intellecom Inc.
Date:	February 2002