Troubling Times for Once Mighty Hizballah

813_largeby Paul Alster
Special to IPT News
March 27, 2013

Obama Gives Hezbollah 200 Armored Personnel Carriers

Lebanon_M113_30112006_news_001-450x259By  in Front Page

It’s only fair that with the Muslim Brotherhood getting 200 Abrams tanks, Hezbollah should get 200 armored personnel carriers.  While tragically there was no money available to provide security for the US mission in Benghazi, there’s always room for giving billion dollar weapons packages to the terrorists who attack US embassies.

In 1983, Hezbollah carried out the suicide car bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut killing 63 people, including US soldiers, and wounding 120. The suicide vehicle of choice was a delivery van. But now Hezbollah will be able to attack the next US embassy in style with the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier.

When Hezbollah overturned the Lebanese government and replaced it with a coalition dominated by the Shiite terrorist group, backed by Iran, there were worries that this might prevent Lebanon from receiving US aid.

But those worriers had clearly never met Obama who will never unfairly deprive Islamic terrorists of the weapons that they are entitled to under the code of social justice.

The United States has provided more than $140 million in equipment and assistance to the Lebanese armed forces in the past six months, including six Huey 2 helicopters, a 42-metre coastal security craft, more than 1,000 guns – including grenade launchers – and 38 million rounds of ammunition.

The United States has given 200 armored vehicles to Lebanon, the Lebanese army said… The M113 armored personnel carriers (APCs) arrived by ship to Beirut on Sunday, the army said in a statement. A Lebanese security source said the army now had 1,200 APCs.

What possible use could the Lebanese military make of that firepower? It isn’t to fight Hezbollah as Hezbollah is in the government. It isn’t to fight Syria, because even in its present state, the Syrian military would kick Lebanon’s ass, and Lebanon’s military would end up fighting Hezbollah at home if they tried that.

That just leaves one possibility.

“This government is committed to maintaining strong, brotherly ties which bind Lebanon to all Arab countries, without exception,” Prime Minister Mikati said at the Baabda Presidential Palace. “Let us go to work immediately according to the principles… [of] defending Lebanon’s sovereignty and its independence and liberating land that remains under the occupation of the Israeli enemy.”

Israel had already withdrawn entirely from Lebanon, so that just leaves Shebaa Farms and the rest of Israel to “liberate”.

On Monday, House Foreign Affairs Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., criticized the administration for keeping “the aid pipeline flowing” when Hariri’s government fell.

“Now, Hezbollah and its cohorts will control the Lebanese government and likely benefit from the years of U.S. assistance, including to the Lebanese military. We cannot undo past mistakes, but we can learn from them and safeguard taxpayer dollars going forward,” Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement. “The U.S. should immediately cut off assistance to the Lebanese government as long as any violent extremist group designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations participates in it.”

That was last year. Instead Obama has given them even more assistance. If they just found a way to bring Al Qaeda into the government, they would probably get their own stealth bombers.

Hezbollah assassinates Colonel Wissam El Hassan

Col. Wissam al-Hasan, head of the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch is seen during a meeting in Beirut, Lebanon.
Credits: Mohammad Azakir/The Daily Star

By Kerry Patton for the Examiner:

Lebanon’s Internal Security Force (ISF) took a devastating blow earlier today as one of its key leaders was assassinated. Wissam El Hassan, a top official in charge of the ISF intelligence collection unit was killed along with at least 7 others.

In close proximity of Lebanon’s Phalange Party headquarters, a large vehicle born improvised explosive device (VBIED) detonated in the predominantly Christian district of Beirut known as Achrafieh.

Colonel Wissam El Hassan was transported to the Hotel Dieu de France Hospital recently. Upon his arrival, medical staff was quick to declare El Hassan as deceased. His passing was declared on Lebanese national television.

El Hassan, a pro-Harriri/Saudi backed official, arrested many pro-Syrian activists which included the arrest of Lebanon Government Minister Michel Samaha– a personal friend of Syrian President Bachar el Assad.

It is strongly believed after close analysis based on the type of tactic, location, and target, this incident was not orchestrated by Al Qaeda rather its Shiite rival Hezbollah–with possible cooperation that includes Syrian assets.

The victim, Wissam El Hassan, was a long-time target. He uncovered Syrian car bombs approximately one month ago put into Christian areas to foment an already tense crisis throughout the Levant.

The assassination could be construed as a message to the US and our allies in Lebanon.

The FBI created a crime lab within Lebanon’s police force as a means to promote and assist relations between the US and Lebanon. In many ways, the initiative could be observed as an “international intelligence friendship building” experiment. The Lebanese police unit created by Colonel Wisam El Hassan was considered very close to the US Intelligence Community.

Most efforts today by Lebanese Army Intelligence focuses on eying one Shiite Lebanese General in helping Hezbollah for this blast–General Jamil Al Sayed–previous director of Lebanon’s Surete Generale Agency.

General Jamil Al Sayed (Shiite) was Colonel Wismam el Hasan’s (Sunni) personal rival. The Surete Generale is controlled by the Shiites today in Lebanon while the Police are controlled by the Sunnis.

According to one source close to Lebanese Army Intelligence, Al Sayed has a hand in the assassination of Colonel Hassan.

The question is, would anyone dare arrest  Al Sayed or at least question him under these circumstances? Answering such a question can only be answered with an obvious no. As long as Hezbollah dominates and rules the ground in Lebanon, General Jamil Al Sayed is untouchable.

Hezbollah will likely never come forward claiming responsibility for Colonel Hassan’s death as they rarely come forward claiming the responsibility of anyone’s death. With a little deductive reasoning based on key facts, its pretty obvious who killed the Colonel–Hezbollah.

Kerry Patton, a combat disabled veteran, is the author of Contracted: America’s Secret Warriors (scheduled release Dec, 2012.). You can follow him on Facebook or at kerry-patton.com.

Major terror attack unfolds in Lebanon

Blast site in Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon Credits:
Yorgo El Bittar

By Kerry Patton for the Examiner:

Editors Note: This is breaking news and updates will be revealed as more details come forward.

A major terrorist attack unfolded in the heavily populated Christian district in Beirut, Lebanon known as Achrafieh. According to numerous social media feeds predominantly coming out of Twitter and Facebook, no terrorist organization has claimed responsibility at this time.

So far, the numbers of persons killed remains unknown. Many persons have been severely injured. For individuals near Hotel Dieu, a field trauma site has been established and medical teams are searching for persons to donate blood.

Chatter is filling the internet with mixed reports. Hezbollah, a terrorist proxy for Iran, is accusing Al Qaeda for the incident. This is one of the first times the world has heard of Hezbollah pointing a finger at its Sunni counterpart Al Qaeda. Yes, Hezbollah has accused its Sunni rivals in the past of certain incidents but never this fast after an incident and never in a communique that has spread like a wildfire across the globe.

Al Qaeda on the other hand is accusing members founded in the March 14 alliance who hold close ties with Bashir Assad in Syria. Hezbollah is one of those members aligned with the March 14 alliance.Al Qaeda has found its way into Lebanon making serious headway in shifting geo-politics with more Sunni influence.

This explosion and the constant finer pointing could lead to a devastating crisis inside the Middle East. If Al Qaeda and Hezbollah continue to point fingers, the largest terror versus terror war could ensue.

The crisis in Syria makes sense as a center of gravity having influence over this incident. Hezbollah fighters once assisted Assad’s forces. Many of them returned back to Lebanon when Syrian rebels seized certain strongholds. Their withdrawal from Syria could be viewed as a sign of weakness.

Sunni backed militants in Syria oppose the Alawite regime. Assad’s Alawite regime is predominantly backed by Shiites in Iran. The Sunni’s fighting Assad comprises of large pools of Al Qaeda fighters, many of which are foreign fighters from across the Middle East.

Syria is the ultimate Sunni versus Shiite civil war. That war may have just moved into Lebanon.

Updates will continue as more details unfold.

Kerry Patton, a combat disabled veteran, is the author of Contracted: America’s Secret Warriors (scheduled release Dec, 2012.). You can follow him on Facebook or at kerry-patton.com.