(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dr. Shimon Shapira - Iran is laying the groundwork to absorb tens of thousands of fighters of the Shiite Legion as they wind up the war against the Islamic State in Syria, in order to build a military infrastructure to pursue its jihad against Israel on the Lebanese and Golan Heights borders. During Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day celebrations in June 2017, Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah proclaimed that in the next war with Israel he would open Lebanon's borders to tens of thousands of fighters from Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq, so that they can fight Israel. On Dec. 9, 2017, it was reported that Qais al-Khazali, commander of the Iraqi Shiite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq (League of the Righteous), toured the Lebanese-Israeli border accompanied by Hizbullah commanders. Al-Khazali was arrested in Basra in 2007 by the British SAS but was released in 2010 in a hostage exchange. Before U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011, Asaib Ahl al-Haq was involved in attacks that inflicted heavy casualties on allied forces. The writer, a senior research associate at the Jerusalem Center, served as military secretary to the Prime Minister and as Israel Foreign Ministry chief of staff.
2017-12-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive