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Arab/Muslim States

Hizb’allah preparing to drive out UNIFIL?


By Stan Goodenough
February 04, 2007

Is the Iranian-backed, Syrian-assisted Hizb’allah planning to drive the new UN Interim Force in Lebanon UNIFIL from that country as it successfully drove out US and French peace-keeping troops two decades ago?

The possibility has been raised following a report in Jane’s Defence Weekly last week that suspected Hizb’allah terrorists had been spotted planting a series of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against Spanish UNIFIL troops.

While Hizb’allah accepted UNIFIL’s deployment in order to secure the August 14 UN-imposed ceasefire it sought after bleeding Israel last year, the Islamist organization is expected to now try and force that “peace keeping” force to leave their land.

UNIFIL has not succeeded – some say it has not even tried – to prevent Hizb’allah from rearming itself to pre-war levels in flagrant and uncaring breach of the ceasefire. Weapons convoys have been reported almost ceaselessly entering Lebanon from Syria since fighting came to an end.

Despite this suspected complicity on the part of the UN men, the terror group appears determined to bite the hand that feeds it.

Initial signs may be relatively small, but Hizb'allah believes it can increase popular support if it rids its land of infidel "occupiers."

Observers recall that terrorists believed to belong to, or sympathize with, Hizb'allah carried out near-simultaneous “suicide” truck bombings against US Marines and French paratroopers in Beirut.

In all 242 Americans and 63 French were killed in the attacks, which lead directly to the withdrawal of US forces from Lebanon.

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