The French daily Le Figaro published a revealing report late Monday describing exactly how the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah has replenished its arms cache and fighters since the 2006 Second Lebanon War with Israel. According to the paper, Hezbollah – with Syria’s help and Lebanon’s allowance – has trained potential members in Syria as well as transferred thousands of weapons from Iran to Southern Lebanon so that it now boasts over 10,000 capable fighters and 40,000 missiles.
According to the French paper, Hezbollah’s Unit 108, responsible for transferring weapons from Syria to Lebanon, has bases near Syria’s border with Lebanon in the Shi’ite town of Doma as well as near Damascus Airport to handle the weapons shipments from Iran. Once received, Unit 108 hands the weapons to Unit 112, which transports the missiles to Unit 100, usually by night, using trucks with false number plates. Finally, Hezbollah’s Unit 100 deals with deployment and training, ensuring that the missiles reach their final destinations at various camps in Southern Lebanon near the border with Israel.
Hezbollah troops in Lebanon |
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Moreover, Le Figaro reported that since the end of the Second Lebanon War Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have become closer than ever, and that Hezbollah has recently gained naval capabilities and is now training divers.
That Syria supports the transfer of arms from Iran to Hezbollah while Lebanon turns a blind eye is nothing new. That Hezbollah continues to amass weapons on its border with Israel while the United Nations stands idly by is, unfortunately, also nothing new. What the Le Figaro report simply offers is more detailed proof of how Hezbollah continues to rearm as it prepares for the next round of fighting with Israel. Indeed, it is hard to see how UN Security Council resolution 1701 – which was supposed to prevent Hezbollah from rearming – could be any more feckless.
