Hezbollah’s Special Forces in Syria
The media has been reporting with increased frequency about allegations of Hezbollah’s role in helping the Syrian regime suppress its civil insurrection. The New York Times on Aug. 10 published an article titled, “U.S. Accuses Hezbollah of Aiding Syria’s Crackdown” alleging Hezbollah’s involvement in training Syrian troops to deal with the insurrection.
In early October, the Associated Press, Reuters, NPR and others described Hezbollah’s stepped up activity in Syria in the wake of the death of a senior Hezbollah commander. These articles suggested a more direct role in the fighting.
On October 11, CAMERA posted an item about an article in Lebanon’s The Daily Star in which a Free Syrian Army commander provided details. The New York Times reported that early this week, U.S. ambassador Susan Rice stated that Hezbollah had become part of Syrian President Assad’s “killing machine.”
The Christian Science Monitor, on Oct. 15, published an article in which a Free Syrian Army commander described the involvement of highly trained Hezbollah forces in the fighting.
In the Monitor piece, the commander states
that their most formidable foes across the border in Syria are not Syrian Army soldiers, but battle-hardened veteran Hezbollah fighters…He added that he had encountered some Hezbollah fighters on the road beside the border in Jusiyah and had approached them with bottles of water, pretending to be a supportive civilian.
The FSA commander continued:
“None of them were under 35 years old. They were very professional and tough fighters. You can tell they are superior fighters from the way they move in battle and how they fight…”
Such reports in Syria lend credence to the charge that Hezbollah has a substantial role in the Syrian regime’s efforts to suppress the civil uprising.
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