Hizbullah / Hezbollah (just the group)

[davidbfpo]

A short WINEP commentary on Hezbollah's role in the Syrian civil war:http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/p...losing-the-war

Amidst the conclusion:

To be sure, fighting in Syria has hardened a new generation of Hezbollah militiamen, but it has also depleted the group's ranks and eroded its carefully cultivated image as an organization devoted to "resisting" Israel

A wider commentary in Strife, a Kings War Studies blog, reviews the stalemate between Hezbollah and Israel. The author concludes:

Finally, the events in January 2015 can be considered the latest reminder of a strategic stalemate along the border. The law of talion, ‘an eye for a tooth’[9], which represented the Israeli strategy during the hostilities in 2006, set the pattern for the conflict. Israel and Hezbollah now tacitly adhere to an even-tempered rationale. In the foreseeable future it will be ###-for-tat, rather than all-out war, that will characterise the ever volatile tri-border area.

Link:http://strifeblog.org/2015/05/22/an-...he-tri-border/

[davidbfpo]

I missed this news whilst offline over Xmas and yes it could fit in the Syria thread, but Hezbollah has this thread too:

In the chaos of the Syrian conflict, Hizbollah military commander Samir Kantar was assassinated on December 20 in an Israeli air strike south of Damascus. Hizbollah has vowed to respond.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-in-Syria.html

[davidbfpo]

A longish report, although lacking details; it starts with:

Police have smashed a cell of Hizbollah agents accused of trafficking cocaine for one of the world's most ruthless drug cartels to fund the militant group's war in Syria. The agents, arrested in France, allegedly masterminded a massive global drug ring which raised millions of dollars to arm Hizbollah gunmen fighting for Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, in Syria.

According to America's Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), they worked directly with Colombian cocaine cartels....

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-in-Syria.html

One wonders if anyone has been charged, let alone where they could face trial. I note no indication if money or drugs were found.

[davidbfpo]

Worth a read from FP - hat tip to Outlaw 09 - above the title and the sub-title:

In a small enclave between Syria and Israel, Hezbollah is preparing for what it says will be its biggest war ever.

Link:http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/03/...death-valley/?