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Hizbullah: ‘Whatever happens, we are ready’
The Hizbullah fighter, one of three manning an observation post on Sheikh Abbad Hill, ignored the taunts of “Terrorist! Terrorist!” from an unseen Israeli soldier in the giant concrete compound on the other side of the border fence, and simply said: “Whatever happens, we are ready.”
"Yup. Yup. Ain't no infidels gonna roll over us. Nope."
They had better be, as analysts believe that in the post-Iraq phase of the “war on terrorism,” Hizbullah and Syria are seen as the obvious next targets for the hawks in the administration of US President George W. Bush eager to capitalize on their triumph over Saddam Hussein. “I think Hizbullah will be a principle concern on the grounds that first it is a threat to Israel, that it provides support for operations inside Israel and certainly Washington believes that,” said Professor Gary Sick, the director of Columbia University’s Middle East Institute. “But also that Hizbullah has a reach that goes beyond Lebanon and its neighbors — I am not sure how accurate that is by itself but that’s how it’s taken in Washington. That obviously is an important factor.”
Doesn't have to go any further than the Marine barracks in Beirut, Clem...
Hizbullah’s military build-up in south Lebanon and its prominence on Washington’s numerous lists of “terrorist” organizations since Sept. 11, 2001 have kept alive anticipation of a US-endorsed Israeli assault against the party. That prospect has dimmed, partly out of a recognition that the military option is unlikely to work against Hizbullah. Instead, it has become clear in recent days that Washington intends to use an indirect channel to neutralize Hizbullah’s military capabilities by applying political pressure on Damascus, backed up by the presence of some 200,000 US troops in neighboring Iraq.

Golly. Y'think?

I think the WMD issue is ultimately going to be small potatoes in dealing with Syria. Their sins lie elsewhere — with Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Ein el-Hilweh, the PKK, and likely Turkish Hezbollah. Syria's the pivot-point for Middle Eastern terrorism, and it'll be for this that they're called to book. The opposition will come from Arabs accusing us of taking the Israeli side against the Paleos, since much — but not all — of the terror operations Syria facilitates are directed against Israel. Ultimate control of Hezbollah and Jihad lies in Teheran — the overboss appears to be Hojatoleslam Ali Akbar Mohtashami — of course, but the money flows through Damascus and the command and control lines flow through Damascus and Beirut.

Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-04-15
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=13122