A news summary from the American Foreign Policy Council alerts us to a truly alarming story from beleaguered Israel: the Iranian takeover of Palestinian terrorism.
Israel is facing a fresh challenge from Lebanon’s terrorist powerhouse, Hezbollah. With Iranian support, the Shi’ite militia is said to have commenced a hostile takeover of Palestinian terrorist organizations. Using Iranian and Lebanese funds, Hezbollah has already succeeded in completely co-opting the “Al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade,” a radical offshoot of Yasser Arafat’s Fatah party within the PLO, and has gained direct control over parts of the Islamist Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization. Simultaneously, the group has strengthened its hold on the West Bank and Gaza Strip through the establishment of independent, autonomous terrorist cells and the creation of an elaborate smuggling network designed to arm its growing cadres. This strategy, carried out under the direction of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Revolutionary Guard, is dramatically expanding Hezbollah’s presence within the crumbling Palestinian Authority.
The full story from Israel newspaper Ma'ariv is available online -- the details are even scarier.
Two Iranian organizations are at the top of the command hierarchy that controls Palestinian terrorism: the Intelligence Ministry and the Revolutionary Guard. Beneath them are Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and Imad Mughnieh, his deputy for the military affairs. Mughnieh heads a special group, “The Organization for Internal Operations” that is responsible for all activities in Israel and the territories.The entire complex operation is managed from a small office that employs only a few people. Hezbollah assigned the task to a small group of veterans who were responsible for the military operations against the IDF in southern Lebanon. They have killed Israelis themselves and understand the needs of terrorists in the field and know how to get it to them. Now they are taking advantage of their knowledge and combat experience to operate the Palestinians by remote control.
Israel is still trying to map out how the organization works. It is involved in the finest details of terror attacks including training, finances and sending the bombers to their targets. The developing portrait reveals that Hezbollah has allocated several operators to guide the terrorist activities in the territories.
One of these is Kais Obeid, the Israeli Arab from Taibeh who was involved in kidnapping Elhanan Tennenbaum. Israeli intelligence officials claim that Obeid is very valuable to Hezbollah because he can connect them directly to the field, using e-mail, ordinary and cellular telephones and every other possible means of communication.
The curfews and closures on Palestinian cities and the focus on building the anti-terrorism barrier make it hard for terror cells from different cities to cooperate. This has created an absurd situation; only someone in Lebanon can see the whole picture and connect the suicide bomber in Jenin with the explosive vest in Nablus.
Remember, Iran just wants advanced nuclear technology for peaceful purposes...
Posted by Alan at March 11, 2004 05:48 AM