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Islamic Extremists: Hizballah
Terrorism Against Israel
"Islamic
Jihad Organization"
equals TERRORISTS equals MURDERERS of the innocent
Hizballah Attacks Since May 2000*
24 Jul 2006 - Hizballah fired more than 70 Katyusha
rockets into Israel, several of which landed in Nahariya,
Safed, and Kiryat Shmona. Medics treated at least 49
people who were lightly to moderately wounded. More than
2200 rockets have been fired at Israeli cities since July
12, killing 17 Israelis, all of them civilians. 20 Israeli
soldiers were killed in other incidents.
23 Jul 2006 - Shimon Glickblich, 60, of Haifa was killed
Sunday morning (11:00) while driving his car in Haifa.
Habib Isa Awad, 48, of Iblin, was killed while working in
the carpentry shop in Kiryat Ata. Another 12 were wounded
in the morning barrage in Haifa, and more later in the day
as over 90 rockets were fired at Haifa, Akko, Kiryat
Shmona, and elsewhere in northern Israel.
20 Jul 2006 - Five IDF soldiers were killed and five
wounded in continuing exchanges of fire in the Lebanese
village of Maroun al-Ras, near Avivim, where two soldiers
were killed on Wednesday. The body of the fifth soldier,
St.-Sgt. Yonatan (Sergei) Vlasyuk, 21, of Kibbutz Lahav
was retrieved on July 22. At 16, Yonatan immigrated alone
to Israel through the Jewish Agency's "Na'aleh"
program. He was adopted by Dalia Gal, a member of Kibbutz
Lahav in the Negev. An IDF officer was killed and three
soldiers were wounded as two Apache (Cobra) combat
helicopters on their way to Lebanon to assist IDF forces
operating against Hizballah terrorists near Avivim
collided and then crashed south of Kiryat Shmona.
19 Jul 2006 - St.-Sgt. Yonatan Hadasi, 21, of Kibbutz
Merhavia and St.-Sgt. Yotam Gilboa, 21, of Kibbutz Maoz
Haim were killed and nine soldiers were wounded in
exchanges of fire between IDF and Hizballah in south
Lebanon, near Moshav Avivim. The Israeli force had crossed
the border to destroy the Hizballah rocket-launching
position at the former IDF outpost of Shaked. Rabia Abed
Taluzi (3) and his brother Mahmoud (7) who were playing
soccer outside their house were killed and dozens were
wounded in two Katyusha rocket attacks on the Israeli Arab
city of Nazareth.
18 Jul 2006 - Andrei Zelinksy, 36, was killed Tuesday
evening in Nahariya outside a bomb shelter. Though he
managed to save his family by rushing them into the
shelter, he returned home to get a blanket for his
daughter and was killed. Some 130 rockets were fired at
the north on Tuesday, 100 of them within one hour and a
half - also landing in the Haifa area, Karmiel, Tiberias,
Safed, Maalot and Rosh Pina. About 60 people injured were
evacuated to hospitals in Safed and Nahariya.
17 Jul 2006 - Over 50 rockets were fired towards the
eastern and upper Galilee on Monday night. A Katyusha
rocket hit the external wall of the Rebecca Sieff Hospital
in Safed, causing damage to infrastructure; five patients,
two doctors and two other hospital employees were injured.
Earlier, 11 people were wounded in Haifa when a 3-story
apartment building was hit by missile. The Israel Air
Force destroyed at least ten long-range Iranian-made
missiles capable of hitting Tel Aviv, by targeting a Hizballah
truck carrying the missiles before they could be launched.
To date, missiles have been fired up to 40 kilometers into
Israel.
16 Jul 2006 - Eight killed, 50 wounded in Hizballah rocket
attack on Haifa - Rockets began falling on the Haifa area
shortly after 9:00 a.m. Eight employees of Israel Railways
at the Haifa train depot were killed in a direct hit by a
Fajar missile made in Syria. A total of over 50 people
were wounded in Haifa and the Haifa Bay area.
15 Jul 2006 - Katyusha rockets landed for the first time
in Tiberias, located 35 kilometers from the Lebanese
border on the Sea of Galilee, as well as in nearby
communities.
14 Jul 2006 - Shortly after 8:30 p.m. Friday night an
Israeli navy ship was severely damaged by an
Iran-manufactured missile fired by Hizballah. Four IDF
soldiers were killed: Staff Sgt. Tal Amgar, 21, of Ashdod;
Yaniv Hershkovitz, 21, of Haifa; Shai Atias, 19, of Rishon
Lezion; and Dov Steinshuss, 37, of Karmiel. Omer Pesachov,
7, of Nahariya, and his grandmother Yehudit Itzkovitch,
58, of Moshav Meron were killed by a Katyusha rocket in
Meron early Friday evening. Roni, Omer's older sister, was
badly wounded, and the grandfather, Naftali, was lightly
hurt. The family had fled the Katyushas in Nahariya to
spend a quiet weekend with their grandparents.
13 Jul 2006 - Monica Seidman (Lehrer), 40, of Nahariya was
killed in her home by a Katyusha rocket Thursday morning.
In the evening, Nitzan Roseban, 33, was killed in Safed by
a direct rocket hit. On Thursday evening Katyushas landed
in Haifa.
12 Jul 2006 - Hizballah terrorists infiltrated into
Israeli territory and attacked two IDF armored jeeps
patrolling the border with Lebanon, killing three soldiers
and kidnapping two. Ground forces entered Lebanon in the
area of the attack. A large explosive device was detonated
underneath an Israeli tank, killing all four of the tank
crew. An eighth soldier was killed when IDF troops entered
Lebanon to try to retrieve the bodies of the tank crew.
Throughout the day, Hizballah terror organization fired
Katyusha rockets and mortar shells at Israel's northern
borders' communities and IDF posts.
27 May 2006 - An IDF soldier was wounded when Katyushas
were fired at an army base at Mt. Meron in the upper
Galilee.
27 Dec 2005 - A branch of a Palestinian organization
connected to Al-Qaida fired 6 Katyushas, damaging a house
in Kiryat Shmona and a house in Metulla. In response, the
IAF attacked a training base of the Popular Front, south
of Beirut.
21 Nov 2005 - An attempt to kidnap an IDF soldier was
foiled when paratroopers patrolling near Rajar village
discerned a Hizballah unit approaching. Private David
Markovitz opened fire, killing all four. In a heavy attack
of mortars and Katyusha rockets that ensued, nine soldiers
and and two civilians were injured.
29 Jun 2005 - More than 20 mortars were fired from across
the border. Cpl. Uzi Peretz of the Golani Brigade was
killed and four soldiers wounded, including the unit's
doctor. Fire was exchanged and helicopters and planes
attacked five Hizballah outposts in the Reches Ramim area.
24 Apr 2005 - Several explosive devices exploded near the
Lebanese-Israeli border, in the Mount Dov area. Officials
believe the devices were planted by Hizballah, but this
was not confirmed. No injuries were reported in the
explosions.
7 Apr 2005 - Two Israeli-Arabs from the village of Rajar
near the Israel-Lebanon border were kidnapped by Hizballah
operatives and held in captivity for four days. The men,
identified as Muki Ben-Jamal and Nuef Maharj Ben-Ali, said
they were interrogated by their captors who wanted
information on Israel. They were later released. Israeli
officials did not believe that any security information
had been compromised.
9 Jan 2005 - An explosive device was detonated against an
IDF patrol at Nahal Sion. One Israeli soldier was killed,
and a UN officer was killed.
20 Jul 2004 -Hizballah sniper fired at an IDF post in the
western sector of the Israeli-Lebanese border. Two IDF
soldiers were killed.
7 May 2004 - Fire in the Mt. Dov sector. IDF soldier
Dennis Leminov was killed, and two other soldiers were
severely wounded. The IDF returned fire.
19 Jan 2004 - An anti-tank missile was fired at IDF D9
while neutralizing explosive charges near Zari't. An IDF
soldier, Yan Rotzenski, was killed and another soldier was
severely wounded.
6 Oct 2003 - Staff Sgt. David Solomonov was killed when Hizballah
fired at an IDF force south of the =46atma Gate in the
eastern sector. In addition, the Hizballah fired missiles
and rockets at an IDF post in the Reches Ramim area.
10 Aug 2003 - Haviv Dadon, 16, of Shlomi, was struck in
the chest and killed by shrapnel from an anti-aircraft
shell fired by Hizballah terrorists in Lebanon. Four
others were wounded.
20 Jul 2003 -Hizballah snipers fired on an Israeli outpost
near Chetula, killing two Israeli soldiers. The IDF
retaliated with tank fire directed at a Hizballah
position, killing one operative manning the post. That
night, there were multiple Israeli flights over Lebanon,
two of which generated powerful sonic booms over Beirut.
7 May 2003 -Hizballah attacked IDF positions in the Sheba'
farms with heavy rocket, mortar, and small arms fire. One
Israeli soldier was killed and five others were wounded in
the attack. Lebanese authorities asserted that the Hizballah
firing had been preceded by an Israeli army foot patrol
crossing the Blue Line.
5 May 2003 - A cycle of armed exchanges across the Blue
Line began. Israel carried out more than 20 air sorties
over the country. Subsequently, Hizballah fired several
anti-aircraft rounds with shrapnel landing inside Israel.
22 Mar 2003 -Hizballah fired rockets and mortars at
Israeli army positions in the Sheba' farms and adjacent
areas. This attack followed eight incursions into Lebanese
airspace by Israeli aircraft.
6 Jan 2003 -Hizballah fired anti aircraft shells in the
vicinity of Birait in the western sector of the Lebanese
border. No one was hurt and no damage was caused.
29 Aug 2002 - Fire at an IDF post in the Mt. Dov sector.
IDF soldier Ofer Misali was killed, and two other soldiers
were lightly wounded.
12 Mar 2002 - Infiltration: In a shooting attack on the
Shlomi - Metzuba route. Six Israelis civilians were
killed, among them IDF officer Lt. German Rojkov.
7 Aug 2001 - Two houses belonging to senior members of the
former Israeli-allied South Lebanon Army militia were
blown up using explosive devices. One of the houses
belonged to Robin Abboud; the other to Samir Raslan.Hizballah
is suspected.
28 Apr 2001 - A 60 year-old Israeli man was found stabbed
to death in Kfar Ba'aneh, near Carmiel in Galilee. The
terrorists responsible for the attack were apprehended in
July. Six members of a Hizballah-linked Palestinian
terrorist cell responsible for the murder were arrested in
July. The murder was the initiation rite of the
organization.
14 Apr 2001 - Fire at an IDF post in the Mt. Dov sector.
IDF soldier Elad Litvak was killed.
1 Apr 2001 - A 42 year-old Israeli woman was stabbed to
death in Haifa. Her murder was the initiation rite of a
terrorist cell, whose members were apprehended in July.
Six members of a Hizballah-linked Palestinian terrorist
cell responsible for the murder, originally thought to be
criminally motivated, were arrested in July. The murder
was the initiation rite of one of the terrorists into the
organization.
16 Feb 2001 - Fire at an IDF convoy on Mt. Dov. IDF
soldier Elad Shneor was killed, and three other soldiers
were wounded.
26 Nov 2000 - A charge was detonated near an IDF convoy.
IDF soldier Khalil Taher was killed and two other soldiers
were wounded.
7 Oct 2000 - Kidnapping: Three IDF soldiers: Adi Avitan,
Omer Soued and Binyamin Avraham were kidnapped by the Hizballah
from the Mt. Dov sector.
Sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Summary of Events; RAND Terrorism Database; The
Institute for Counter-Terrorism; U.S. State Department
Report on Human Rights Practices for 2004 ©
America Israel Cooperative Enterprise
Background:
Arabic: حزب
الله ḥizbu-illāh(i),
literally "Party of God" is a Shi'a Islamist
political and paramilitary organization based in Lebanon.
Hizballah is also a major provider of social services,
which operate schools, hospitals, and agricultural
services for thousands of Lebanese Shi'a, and plays a
significant force in Lebanese politics. Many governments,
including Arab ones, have condemned actions by Hizballah
while others have praised the party. Some western
countries, including the United States, regard it in whole
or in part as a terrorist organization.
Hizballah first emerged as a militia in Lebanon, also
known as Operation Peace for Galilee, in 1982. Its leaders
were inspired by Ayatollah Khomeini. Hizbullah's 1985
manifesto listed its main goal as an establishment of an
Islamic regime in Lebanon. Hizballah leaders have also
continue to make numerous statements calling for the
destruction of Israel.
Hizballah maintains strong support among Lebanon's Shi'a
population, and gained a surge of support from Lebanon's
broader population (Sunni, Christian, Druze) immediately
following the 2006 Lebanon War, and is able to mobilize
demonstrations of hundreds of thousands. Hizballah
alongside with some other groups began the 2006–2008
Lebanese political protests in opposition to the
government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. A later
dispute over Hizballah preservation of its telecom
networks led to clashes and Hizballah-led opposition
fighters seized control of several West Beirut
neighborhoods from Future Movement militiamen loyal to
Fouad Siniora.
Hizballah receives its financial support from the
governments of Lebanon, Iran, and Syria, as well as
donations from Lebanese people and foreign Shi'as. It has
also gained significantly in military strength in the
2000s. Despite a June 2008 certification by the United
Nations that Israel had withdrawn from all Lebanese
territory, Lebanon's Cabinet unanimously approved a draft
policy statement which secures Hizbullah's existence.
"Israel must be
destroyed" Hizballah
Background:
Arabic: حزب الله ḥizbu-illāh(i), literally "Party of God" is a Shi'a Islamist political and paramilitary
organization based in Lebanon. Hizballah is also a major provider of social services, which operate schools, hospitals, and agricultural services for thousands of Lebanese Shi'a, and plays a significant force in Lebanese politics. Many governments, including Arab ones, have condemned actions by
Hizballah while others have praised the party. Some western countries, including the United States, regard it in whole or in part as a terrorist organization.
Hizballah first emerged as a militia in Lebanon, also known as Operation Peace for Galilee, in
1982. Its leaders were inspired by Ayatollah Khomeini. Hizbullah's
1985 manifesto listed its main goal as an establishment of an Islamic regime in Lebanon.
Hizballah leaders have also continue to make numerous statements calling for the destruction of Israel.
Hizballah maintains strong support among Lebanon's Shi'a population, and gained a surge of support from Lebanon's broader population (Sunni, Christian, Druze) immediately following the 2006 Lebanon War, and is able to mobilize demonstrations of hundreds of thousands.
Hizballah alongside with some other groups began the 2006–2008 Lebanese political protests in opposition to the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. A later dispute over
Hizballah preservation of its telecom networks led to clashes and
Hizballah-led opposition fighters seized control of several West Beirut neighborhoods from Future Movement militiamen loyal to Fouad Siniora.
Hizballah receives its financial support from the governments of
Lebanon, Iran, and Syria, as well as donations from Lebanese people and foreign Shi'as. It has also gained significantly in military strength in the 2000s. Despite a June 2008 certification by the United Nations that Israel had withdrawn from all Lebanese territory, Lebanon's Cabinet unanimously approved a draft policy statement which secures
Hizbullah's existence.
"Islamic Jihad Organization"
equals TERRORISTS
equals MURDERERS of the innocent
Hizballah leaders reportedly admitted their involvement in IJO's attacks
as the nature of "Islamic Jihad".
The names Islamic Jihad, and the Revolutionary Justice Organization are considered to be synonymous with
Hizballah by the United States Israel and Canada.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah
Terrorists Actions
On Saturday morning,
October 7, 2000, an armed and frenzied mob, numbering in the hundreds, attacked the border fence from Lebanese territory, immediately followed by heavy shelling of Israeli border positions by Hizballah terrorist elements from Lebanese territory, using explosives, rocket-propelled grenades, Sager missiles and border shells. During the course of this aggression, three Israeli soldiers were kidnapped by a Hizballah unit which had entered Israeli territory for this purpose.
The organization operates against Israel in four main ways:
1. Bringing terrorists and collaborators through the border crossings using foreign documents
2. Setting up a terrorist organization inside Israel and in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip
3. Cross-border operations - smuggling weapons and terrorists
4. Financial support for Palestinian organizations and groups.
Since 2003 it has been possible to see a trend of increasing cooperation between Hizballah in Lebanon and operational entities among the other Palestinian terrorist organizations, with the accent on Tanzim, Islamic Jihad, Hamas and the Popular Front. This cooperation is particularly evident between Hizballah and the Tanzim and in practice, in recent months Hizballah has served as a kind of "external command" for most of the Tanzim organizations in the territories.
Hizbullah's methods of controlling terrorist organizations in the territories are similar to those characteristic of the involvement of the command centers of Palestinian terrorist organizations abroad (Hamas and Islamic Jihad) in the actions of their organizations inside the country.
Regularly included in this framework are the instructions to carry out mass murder attacks within Israeli territory, mediation between terrorists at the different centers of action, the large-scale transfer of
terrorism backing money, and finally, coordination of the effort to upgrade the terrorist capabilities of the organizations.
The most significant remaining armed group in Lebanon is
Hizballah.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 (02 September 2004) called for the "disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias". The Government of Lebanon is responsible for the disbanding and disarming of the militias, including Hizballah, and preventing the flow of armaments and other military equipment to the militias, including Hizballah, from Syria, Iran, and other external sources. Lebanon basically rejected Resolution 1559, and by early 2005 this presented the risk of Israeli retaliation against vital Lebanese infrastructure to force action to disarm Hizballah.
A heavy exchange of fire between Hizballah and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) across the Blue Line took place on 21 November 2005, surpassing any activity level since Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000. The exchange began with heavy
Hizballah mortar and rocket fire from a number of locations against several IDF positions close to the Blue Line in the eastern sector of the UNIFIL area of operation. Simultaneously, a large group of
Hizballah fighters infiltrated Ghajar village and launched an assault on the Mayor’s office and the IDF position inside the village, south of the Blue Line, which was vacant at the time. The ensuing Israeli retaliation was heavy and included aerial bombing. The exchange of fire subsequently spread all along the Blue Line and lasted for over nine hours. Around 800 artillery, tank and mortar rounds and rockets were exchanged. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) dropped at least 30 aerial bombs.
In a written report to the Security Council 18 April 2006, Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on Syria and Iran to stop interfering in Lebanon. The report, which was written by the secretary-general's special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, said that Hizballah, the Lebanese militant group, "maintains close ties, with frequent contacts and regular communication" with Syria and Iran.
On July 12, 2006 members of Hizballah infiltrated the Lebanese-Israeli border near Shtula, an Israeli farming village, and claimed responsibility for an ambush conducted on two Israeli Army Hummvees. The attack resulted in the capture of two Israeli soldiers and the deaths of three others. Five more Israeli soldiers were killed in the ensuing pursuit of Hizballah members into Lebanese territory. The combined capture of two soldiers and the deaths of 8 others; was considered the worst loss for Israeli military forces in more than four years. Hizballah also claimed responsibility for two separate Katyusha rocket attacks on Israeli towns resulting in the death of 1 civilian and the injury of 25
other civilians.
The kidnapping of Israeli troops by Hizballah came in the wake of a similar incident less than a month before, on June 25th, 2006, when Palestinian militants forcibly captured an Israeli soldier to use as leverage for bargaining with the Israeli government. The last time Hizballah carried out a similar operation against Israel was in October of 2000, when 3 Israeli soldiers were abducted by the Lebanese militants. All three victims died either by execution or wounds sustained during their capture. Their bodies were returned to Israel in exchange for the release of several Arab prisoners.
The 12 July 2006 attack resulted in immediate retaliation by the Israeli military, which responded to the hostilities against their troops and citizens by bombing roads, bridges, and power plants inside Lebanon. The specific targeting of al-Manar, the Hizballah controlled television station, and the Lebanese international airport as well as the blockading of Lebanon’s sea ports was an attempt to force the return of the captured Israeli troops and place greater pressure on Hizballah. These retaliatory actions by Israel resulted in the deaths of dozens of Lebanese civilians and threats of further rocket attacks by Hizballah.
Strength
The State Department’s 1993 report on international terrorism lists
Hizbullah's “strength” at several thousand. Hizballah sources assert that the organization has about 5,000-10,000 fighters. Other sources report that
Hizbullah's militia consists of a core of about 300-400 fighters, which can be expanded to up to 3,000 within several hours if a battle with Israel develops. These reserves presumably are called in from
Hizballah strongholds in Lebanon, including the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs. The number of members involved in combat activity in southern Lebanon is under 1,000. But it has many activists and moral supporters. After the Israeli withdrawal Hizballah reduced the number of full time fighters to about 500, though estimates range from 300 to 1,200. There are also several thousand reserves, but these lack training or experience.
Hizbullah's militia is a light force, equipped with small arms, such as automatic rifles, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, and Katyusha rockets, which it occasionally has fired on towns in northern Israel.
Hizballah forces are shown on television conducting military parades in Beirut, which often include tanks and armored personnel carriers that may have been captured from the Lebanese army or purchased from Palestinian guerrillas or other sources.
Location/Area of Operation
Operates in the Al Biqa' (Bekaa Valley), the southern suburbs of Beirut, and southern Lebanon. Has established cells in Europe, Africa, South America, North America, and elsewhere. Its training bases are mostly in the previously Syrian-controlled Biqa Valley, and its headquarters and offices are in southern Beirut and in Ba'albek.
External Aid
Hizballah was established by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards who came to Lebanon during the 1982 "Peace for Galilee" war, as part of the policy of exporting the Islamic revolution. It receives substantial amounts of financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid from Iran and Syria. Published reports that Iran provides hundreds million dollars of aid annually are probably exaggerated. Iran probably provides financial assistance and military assistance worth about $25-50 million.
Hizballah is closely allied with, and often directed by, Iran but has the capability and willingness to act independently. Closely allied with, and often directed by Iran, it may have conducted operations that were not approved by Tehran. Though Hizballah does not share the Syrian regime’s secular orientation, the group has been a strong ally in helping Syria advance its political objectives in the region.
The “Martyr’s Charity” (Bonyad-e Shahid) supplied charitable funds for the families of suicide bombers. In 2001, Paraguayan police searched the home of Hizballah operative Sobhi Mahmoud Fayad in the the Tri-Border Area where Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay meet. Police found receipts from the Martyr’s Organization totaling more than $3.5 million for donations Fayad sent, though authorities believed Fayad had sent over $50 million to Hizballah since 1995.
Besides operating a worldwide network of fundraisers, funds are also raised through so-called ‘charity funds.’ Some of these are extremist Islamic institutions that, while not directly connected to Hizballah, support it, albeit marginally, in view of their radical Islamic orientation. While some of these funds undoubtedly pay for
Hizbullah's military and terrorist operations, other funds enable the group to provide its members with day jobs, to drape itself in a veil of legitimacy, and to build grassroots support among not only Shi’a, but also Sunni and Christian Lebanese.
I
In March 2005, Hizballah organized a large demonstration to protest American and other international pressure on Syria to completely withdraw from Lebanon. Syria did subsequently withdraw its military and intelligence forces. The Syrian withdrawal may have left a vacuum for Iran to expand its influence in Lebanon and on Hizballah.
In Israel's view, Hizbullah's activities are part of Iran's overall policy with regard to Israel, which is to fan the flames of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and initiate terrorist activities against Israel, despite the fact that Hizballah is a Lebanese organization consisting entirely of terrorists from Lebanon, with no national connection to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In view of Iran's interest in smudging its fingerprints with regard to direct control over internal terrorist activities,
Hizbullah's status is significant as Iran's front-line operative arm against Israel.
Source: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/hizbullah.htm
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