With Hezbollah evolving past simply being Lebanon’s state militia, it has grown in power and stature enough to garner comparisons to Iraq’s own al-Qaeda, the most well-known international terrorist organization in both the U.S. and the Middle East. Hezbollah is not as unruly however, and its attacks have become much more military in style than al-Qaeda’s, but former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage still called Hezbollah “the A team of terrorism” (Levitt), a testament to the U.S.’s awareness of the dangerous risk Hezbollah provided.
Hezbollah’s impact on the Middle East can be seen in many ways as that of a terrorist organization, from suicide bombing predetermined targets to targeting Israeli and Western forces in the Middle East. Hezbollah has grown largely in part by the abundance of supplies and funds that Iran and Syria have provided it, along with political alliances that have been formed to support Hezbollah in Lebanon and internationally. While some argue that Hezbollah’s role in the Middle East is essentially that of a “resistance” organization that is simply, “…responding to Israeli occupation of disputed land,” (Levitt), a majority of Western experts find this stance as completely unsubstantial when defending the terrorist plots and actions they have committed. These attacks, similar in style to the mostly unorganized, guerilla-style of Iraq’s al-Qaeda, have led to comparisons to be made between the two. Experts feared that al-Qaeda might be working in unison with Hezbollah after the 9/11 commission report following the September 11 terrorist attacks indicated that Hezbollah and Iran had aided al-Qaeda in several instances, although the report also concluded that neither party had knowledge of the attack before it happened (Levitt).
So how exactly did Iran and Syria help Hezbollah become such a powerful and internationally dangerous group?
It all begins with cash flow. “Iran is believed to fund Hezbollah to the tune of at least $100 million per year,” writes Matthew Levitt in Terrorism Financing and State Responses: a Comparative Perspective, to which he later states might be closer to $200 million a year, according to U.S. analysts and diplomats in Lebanon. Iran’s tendency to determine funding for terrorist organizations based on the immediate results they produce has led to the continual increase of Hezbollah’s yearly funding, which while sometimes coming in actual currency, usually is carried out through the granting of weapons. Diverse and sophisticated in nature, these weapons sent straight from Tehran to Damascus supply Hezbollah with its extensive armory for operations and attacks. Iran also manages to fund Hezbollah’s efforts further by channeling funds to the organization through Iranian-elite affiliated charities that send the money directly to Hezbollah’s leadership.
Along with financial support, Iran also trains many of the Hezbollah soldiers in combat, and would provide logistical assistance in military endeavors. These soldiers would often times answer indirectly or directly to both Hezbollah and Iranian officials. A documented example of this relationship was in the planned bombing of the Jewish community center Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina. Matthew Levitt wrote, “According to Abdolghassem Mesbahi, a high-level Iranian defector, the decision to bomb the AMIA building was made at a meeting of senior Iranian decision makers on August 14, 1993,” (Levitt). In this meeting featuring Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini Khamenei, and various other former presidents and heads of security and intelligence, Khamenei allegedly issued a fatwa, essentially a religious order, ordering the attack. This he passed down to “Special Operations” chief of Hezbollah Imad Mughniyeh (Levitt). Mughniyeh worked in accordance with Iranian secret service agent Mohsen Rabbani, and together they orchestrated the attack.
So what is Syria’s role in the rise of Hezbollah?
Syria began by simply supplying Hezbollah with arms and weaponry, giving it political and military support as well. According to Levitt however, over time Syria has essentially, “integrated elements of Hezbollah’s military units into the Syrian army in Lebanon,” (Levitt), and maintained a strong voice in Hezbollah affairs. Syria’s supplying of weaponry along with its “blessing” of Hezbollah has furthered conflict in the Israel-Palestine area, and increased the arms race in the area.
Hezbollah is becoming a particularly strong vessel in which Syria and Iran can carry out their agenda, and this has led to the group becoming more and more of a terrorist organization.
Written by: Gabriel Hernandez
Bibliography:
Levitt, Matthew. “Hezbollah Finances: Funding the Party of God.” The Washington Institute. The Washington Institute, Feb. 2005. Web. 01 June 2015.
Hezbollah UCSC 2015 