(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Yoni Ben Menachem - The new deputy chairman of Hamas' Political Bureau, Salah al-Aruri, along with a few dozen Hamas operatives, has taken up residence in the heart of the Dahiya neighborhood of Beirut, which is considered Hizbullah's stronghold. According to senior Israeli security sources, al-Aruri is setting up a branch of Hamas in Lebanon that will be attached to Hizbullah's headquarters. Hizbullah takes direct orders from Iran. Hamas made a strategic decision to transfer civilian control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority without relinquishing its military power. It will then be free to invest resources in building up a large military force, like Hizbullah's in Lebanon, for a future war with Israel. Iran plans to put Israel between the hammer of Hizbullah in the north and the anvil of Hamas in the south, with tens of thousands of missiles aimed at Israel. The writer is a veteran Arab affairs and diplomatic commentator for Israel Radio and Television.
2017-11-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive