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Containing Hizballah's Terrorist Wing

[Washington Institute for Near East Policy] Barak Ben-Zur and Christopher Hamilton - Throughout the recent military conflict with Israel, Hizballah used terror operations to augment its military effort. Between July 17 and August 9, Israeli security forces prevented nine terrorist attacks sponsored by Hizballah. All of these attacks, which would have been carried out by local Palestinian terrorist groups with Hizballah funding and operational support, were directed at targets within Israel's 1967 ceasefire lines. All three major Palestinian terrorist groups - Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades - were beneficiaries of Hizballah support and guidance in the failed attacks. Given the important role of Hizballah's terrorist wing in its overall strategy, Hizballah will retain a potent offensive capability so long as its terror apparatus remains intact. Resolution 1701 focused on Hizballah's military, not its terrorist, capability, and says nothing about Hizballah's terrorist training camps in Lebanon. These camps have been among the most important sources of terrorist violence in the region. If not dismantled, they will be a continuing source of trained terrorists in the future.
2006-09-12 01:00:00
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