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Source: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/hizbullah-under-fire-in-syria
Hizbullah under Fire in Syria
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Matthew Levitt and Nadav Pollak - The death of senior Hizbullah commander Mustafa Badreddine in Syria in May left the group reeling because fellow Arabs and Muslims were responsible. Hizbullah has lost more fighters in battles against Sunni rebels in Syria since 2012 than it has in all its battles and wars with Israel. While in recent years a few Hizbullah personnel were reportedly killed by Israel, most senior Hizbullah leaders have been killed by Sunni rebels. For a group founded on the basis of "resistance" against Israel, Hizbullah has to cope with the difficult reality that it has lost well over 1,000 fighters in battles against fellow Arabs and Muslims, not Israelis. Matthew Levitt is director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute, where Nadav Pollak is a fellow.