rakettjeblauw
09-12-2017, 15:26
Commander of Iranian-backed Iraqi militia seen on Lebanese-Israeli border
Qais al-Khazaali, the commander of Iraq’s Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, has been filmed in South Lebanon overlooking the northern Israeli towns of Metulla and Kiryat Shemona.
“We here with Hezbollah declare our total readiness to stand together with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause against Israeli occupation,” al-Khazaali is heard saying in a video.
The video, which appeared on social media late Friday, showed al-Khazali in Lebanon’s Fatima Gate in military garb ready to support “resistance fighters” and to come to the rescue of Palestinians and Jerusalem.
Israel and Hezbollah fought a deadly 33-day war in 2006, which came to an end under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which called for disarmament of Hezbollah, for withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon, for the deployment of the Lebanese army and an enlarged UN force in the south.
Michael Horowitz, a geopolitical and security analyst, told The Jerusalem Post that the timing of al-Khazali’s visit suggests that Hezbollah is trying to highlight that it is now a regional power with international partners ready to fight alongside it.
“The fact that a US-branded terrorist was able to visit an area Southern Lebanon over-watching Israel, is an affront to both to Israel and to the newly not-resigned Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saad Hariri, who has been adamant about the policy of “dissociation” from regional crises,” Horowitz said.
"This also may be an attempt to embarrass Hariri: by denouncing the presence of Iran proxies in southern Lebanon, the PM would also indirectly be seen as siding against efforts to "recapture Jerusalem" But, he added, “you also have to wonder, where is UNIFIL? The visit of the leader of a foreign militia funded and trained by the IRGC is another example of the UN mission’s overall failure to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon, where the Lebanese state is "the main (and only actor).”
Due to their fighting in Syria the group has grown significantly in terms of technological advances along with battlefield experience and is considered Israel’s most dangerous enemy.
According to IDF assessments, in addition to a massive arsenal of rockets and missiles, Hezbollah is able to mobilize close to 30,000 fighters and has flouted its tunnel system, complete with ventilation, electricity, and rocket launchers.Some 200 villages in south Lebanon have also been turned in military strongholds from where Hezbollah militants are able to watch Israeli soldiers at any moment.
In June the IDF accused the Shi’ite terror organization of violating the resolution by establishing observation posts under the guise of a NGO “Green Without Borders” near the Blue Line bordering Lebanon and Israel since April presumably in order to gather intelligence.
But Israel’s accusations were denied by UN spokeswoman Eri Kaneko, who said that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is in contact with Lebanese armed forces to ensure that there are no violations of the resolution “to avoid any misunderstandings or tensions that could endanger the cessation of hostilities.”
While “Green Without Borders” members have planted trees in the area, it “has not observed any unauthorized armed persons at the locations or found any basis to report a violation of resolution 1701,” she said, adding that “UNIFIL remains vigilant and continues to monitor the Blue Line.”
According to IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot while UNIFIL is helping maintain calm in southern Lebanon, its leadership does not do enough when Hezbollah violates the resolution.
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Commander-of-Iranian-backed-Iraqi-militia-seen-in-south-Lebanon-517513
Qais al-Khazaali, the commander of Iraq’s Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, has been filmed in South Lebanon overlooking the northern Israeli towns of Metulla and Kiryat Shemona.
“We here with Hezbollah declare our total readiness to stand together with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause against Israeli occupation,” al-Khazaali is heard saying in a video.
The video, which appeared on social media late Friday, showed al-Khazali in Lebanon’s Fatima Gate in military garb ready to support “resistance fighters” and to come to the rescue of Palestinians and Jerusalem.
Israel and Hezbollah fought a deadly 33-day war in 2006, which came to an end under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which called for disarmament of Hezbollah, for withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon, for the deployment of the Lebanese army and an enlarged UN force in the south.
Michael Horowitz, a geopolitical and security analyst, told The Jerusalem Post that the timing of al-Khazali’s visit suggests that Hezbollah is trying to highlight that it is now a regional power with international partners ready to fight alongside it.
“The fact that a US-branded terrorist was able to visit an area Southern Lebanon over-watching Israel, is an affront to both to Israel and to the newly not-resigned Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saad Hariri, who has been adamant about the policy of “dissociation” from regional crises,” Horowitz said.
"This also may be an attempt to embarrass Hariri: by denouncing the presence of Iran proxies in southern Lebanon, the PM would also indirectly be seen as siding against efforts to "recapture Jerusalem" But, he added, “you also have to wonder, where is UNIFIL? The visit of the leader of a foreign militia funded and trained by the IRGC is another example of the UN mission’s overall failure to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon, where the Lebanese state is "the main (and only actor).”
Due to their fighting in Syria the group has grown significantly in terms of technological advances along with battlefield experience and is considered Israel’s most dangerous enemy.
According to IDF assessments, in addition to a massive arsenal of rockets and missiles, Hezbollah is able to mobilize close to 30,000 fighters and has flouted its tunnel system, complete with ventilation, electricity, and rocket launchers.Some 200 villages in south Lebanon have also been turned in military strongholds from where Hezbollah militants are able to watch Israeli soldiers at any moment.
In June the IDF accused the Shi’ite terror organization of violating the resolution by establishing observation posts under the guise of a NGO “Green Without Borders” near the Blue Line bordering Lebanon and Israel since April presumably in order to gather intelligence.
But Israel’s accusations were denied by UN spokeswoman Eri Kaneko, who said that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is in contact with Lebanese armed forces to ensure that there are no violations of the resolution “to avoid any misunderstandings or tensions that could endanger the cessation of hostilities.”
While “Green Without Borders” members have planted trees in the area, it “has not observed any unauthorized armed persons at the locations or found any basis to report a violation of resolution 1701,” she said, adding that “UNIFIL remains vigilant and continues to monitor the Blue Line.”
According to IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot while UNIFIL is helping maintain calm in southern Lebanon, its leadership does not do enough when Hezbollah violates the resolution.
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Commander-of-Iranian-backed-Iraqi-militia-seen-in-south-Lebanon-517513