(Weekly Standard) Lee Smith - "The spiritual father of Hamas' tunnel system is Imad Mughniyeh," says Shimon Shapira, a Hizbullah expert and senior research associate at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Mughniyeh, assassinated in 2008 in an operation believed to have been conducted by the Israelis, is credited with directing Hizbullah's 2006 war. He was the head of the organization's external operations unit and responsible for countless terrorist attacks. He also served as liaison to the top Iranian leadership as well as other Iranian allies and assets, including Hamas. "Mughniyeh sent instructors to Gaza and took Hamas members to Iran," Shapira explains. "Hassan Nasrallah says Hizbullah has a two-part operational plan," says Shapira. "One is rocket fire on Tel Aviv and two is conquest of the Galilee. I wondered what he meant by that?" "How is Hizbullah going to invade the Galilee, take hostages, capture villages, and overrun military installations? But we're learning from what is happening now [in Gaza]. Nasrallah means Hizbullah is going to penetrate Israel through tunnels."
2014-07-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive