Government Dirt

Last summer Hezbollah unilaterally ignited a war with Israel resulting in the deaths of over 1200 Lebanese citizens and the destruction of critical infrastructure throughout the country.

That war came at a time when Lebanese parties were addressing critical national security issues. Among these national security issues, while Hezbollah was busy kidnapping Israeli soldiers, was the dismantling of Syrian-controlled Palestinian groups in Lebanon including Hezbollah and Ahmad Jibril's Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC).

Hezbollah ignited the war to avoid Lebanon's Parliament from addressing the dismantling of Hezbollah’s possession of massive weapons stockpiles and highly developed paramilitary infrastructure and the disarming and dismembering of the PFLP-GC that to this day continues to receive illicit weapons shipments from Syria.

The politics of dismantling Hezbollah and the PFLP-GC ended when Hezbollah ignited the July War.

On Thursday Syria's allies in Lebanon, including the PFLP-GC and Hezbollah, announced that if Syria were attacked by Israel they would be willing to ignite a conflict with Israel on Lebanese territory - thereby unilaterally placing the lives of Lebanese citizens at risk. Again. "If Israel dares to make an adventurous move against Syria, it will pay a heavy price," a member of Hezbollah's political council warned. Unfortunately, Lebanon will also pay a heavy price because of Syria’s continued and growing presence here.

When Americans attack Iran, Syria will support Iran through Hezbollah and the PFLP-GC in Lebanon by attacking Israel and the Palestinian Fatah and Hams will want a piece of the action too. Israel will fight back against Lebanon, Syria and Occupied Palestine. According to Jibril of the PFLP-GC, if such an attack takes place, Iran and Hezbollah will stand by Damascus and respond in full force.

"I believe that the Israelis and the Americans will carry out attacks against Syria as soon as possible, in other words in the near future. I do not reject the possibility that the Israeli aircraft will attack us - the Palestinians in Syria. I also do not reject the possibility that they will attack the Palestinian headquarters in Damascus. We, the Palestinians in Syria, will not stand idly by. We will be at the front posts. I also believe that Hezbollah will take part in this war," he said.

Jibril added that Israel's plan was to isolate Syria from Iran and the rest of its allies, after identifying it as the weakest link. "I stress that the plan to isolate Syria will not go by easily," he declared. "I am certain that this war will last for months and will open doors which have not been opened in the past."

Hezbollah was founded, and is armed, funded, and trained by Iran. The weapons shipments it receives generally make their way from Iran to Syria (by air), then to Lebanon (by truck).

PFLP-GC is a Syrian backed splinter from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). It was - and still is - headed by Secretary-General Ahmed Jibril, a former military officer in the Syrian Army who had been one of the PFLP's early leaders. Syria also controls a number similar groups, many of which are Sunni fundamentalist in nature - such as Hamas.

Special thanks to Blacksmith Jade