Iran and Syria Helping Hizballah Rearm

[ECH1969]

Iran is smuggling weapons through Syria to re-arm Lebanese allies Hizballah, despite renewed efforts by United Nations peacekeepers and the Lebanese army to seal off the mountain borders with Syria in the wake of last summer's war between the Shi'ite militia and Israel, according to reports by Saudi and Israeli intelligence sources that have been confirmed by western diplomats in Beirut. snip.

Over the past three months, according to a knowledgeable Saudi source, Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers have been operating out of a military base on the outskirts of Damascus.

The Iranian government has dispatched shipments of small arms and what appear to be missile components to this military base, according to the source. From the secret base, weapons have been shipped by truck across the border into Lebanon.

The Saudis, in particular, are alarmed at Iran's spreading influence in Lebanon. "There has been a serious increase in (Iranian and Syrian) activity in the rearming of HIzballah," says Nawaf Obaid, a Saudi security advisor who is managing director of the Riyadh-based Saudi National Security Assessment Project, a consulting group that advises the Saudi government. Obaid contends that "a huge stream of trucks" has been crossing the border from Syria into Lebanon, ferrying thinly disguised shipments of arms.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1562890,00.htm?cnn=yes

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. "according to reports by Saudi and Israeli intelligence "

highly credible, I'm sure... right?

[IntiRaymi]

4. Well, they ARE trying to drum up excuses for another war.....

[Igel]

6. It's unlikely they're cooperating.

Their agendas overlap very seldom--this is one place--but it's not likely they're using the same agents.

Perhaps Iran's actually not involved, contrary to numerous reports, but is just bribing some Syrians and Lebanese to feed false information to the Israelis and the Sa'udis.

Uh-huh.

[stepnw1f]

8. I Knew It... More Pro-War Propaganda

[Briar]

11. The closer we get to the new year

and the nearer to the official release of the Baker group's recommendations, the more of this sort of story we can expect to see. The neo-cons and their allies will do anything to preserve their view of the region and prevent alternative strategies to dealing with it. And if innocents continue to die as a consequence - well it's all in a greater cause, isn't it?

[azurnoir]

2. Lebanese allies?

Interesting way to put it. The Saudi's are alarmed, who's visiting there this week? George1 I believe.

[IndianaGreen]

3. This is one of the many consequences of our invasion of Iraq

As General Odom said, Iraq is the biggest strategic catastrophe in United States history. While our armies are pinned down in Iraq, the "bad guys" have a free hand to do mischief elsewhere.

[MrPrax]

5. There are 'bad guys'?

Funny, I figured there was simply a region of competing interests and we have simply masked our racist looting in the noble language of 'self-defense'. Would have figured that was pretty obvious after 5 years of complete failure.

So there really are bad guys and Bush's mistake was he figured the 'evil' was in a different country? Maybe the whole thesis is fucked, or didn't that ever cross your mind.

[High Plains]

7. US helping Israel rearm n/t

[IntiRaymi]

9. Shhhh!

Careful when you say such obvious things!!

[Warren Stupidity]

10. Generally after your army blows a lot of munitions in a conflict

it replaces them, and in a bit of lessons learned re-examination, changes the purchase orders to fit new tactical requirements. We do that, the Israelis do that, oh my word even lowly Hezbollah does it too!

Oh I forgot, after fighting the IDF to a standoff Hezbollah was supposed to give up and disband.