Wikileaks: Hezbollah has military presence in Syria

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Hezbollah has military facilities in Syria that may come under Israeli attack if another war erupts between Israel and the Lebanese Shi’ite movement, the U.S. embassy in Damascus said in a cable published by Wikileaks.

The cable said increased Syrian support for Hezbollah, including longer-range rockets and guided missiles, “could change the military balance and produce a scenario significantly more destructive” than the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

While the United States has publicly criticised Syria for supplying Hezbollah with what it describes as more sophisticated weapons, the cable showed that Washington believes Hezbollah, which is also backed by Iran, has a military presence in Syria.

“If rockets were to rain down on Israeli civilians in Tel Aviv, Israel would still have powerful incentives, as it did in 2006, to keep Syria out of the conflict,” said the cable, written by Charge d’Affaires Charles Hunter in November 2009.

“But it might also face compelling reasons for targeting Hezbollah facilities in Syria, some of which are in and around populated areas,” the cable said.

Israel refrained from widening the 2006 war by hitting Syria, which has kept the occupied Golan Heights front between the two countries quiet since 1974, although Israeli officials said then that Syria was supplying Hezbollah with missiles that were fired in their thousands on Israel during the 34-day war.

“Syrian leaders also appear convinced that arming Hezbollah will increase Syria’s leverage in bringing Israel to the negotiating table,” the cable said.

It said Syria’s military had attempted after 2006 to incorporate guerrilla warfare techniques used by Hezbollah, and this meant “that Hezbollah operatives and facilities enjoy a growing footprint in Syria”.

It recommended raising the Hezbollah weapons supply issue in one-on-one meetings with President Bashar al-Assad, which was done by U.S. Under Secretary William Burns in February this year and during subsequent meetings between Assad and U.S. officials.

U.S. WARNING

Prompted by an apparent Syrian refusal to stop the suspected arms flow and by a war of words between Syria and Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton instructed the embassy to convey a message addressed to Assad.

Hunter delivered the message, known as a demarche in diplomatic language, to Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal al-Mekdad on Feb. 25, 2010, the same day Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met Assad in Damascus.

The two leaders dismissed calls by Clinton to loosen the decades-long alliance between Syria and Iran.

Wikileaks published the text of the demarche and a cable by the embassy describing the meeting with Mekdad, during which Mekdad repeated Syrian denials of having supplied Hezbollah.

“Your interest in avoiding war should require you to exert maximum restraint, including restraining Hezbollah and preventing the group’s acquisition of such lethal long-range weapons,” the demarche said.

“…From our perspective, your operational support for Hezbollah is a strategic miscalculation that is damaging your long-term national interests.”

Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets on Israel during the 2006 war, which helped the group survive an Israeli onslaught into south Lebanon.

A U.S. Defense Department official told the New York Times that Hezbollah now has 50,000 rockets and missiles, including 40-50 missiles that can reach Tel Aviv, and 10 Scud missiles.

Syria has supported Hezbollah since the Shi’ite movement was founded in the 1980s during Israel’s 22-year occupation of south Lebanon. Syria lost all four wars it has fought with Israel.

The diplomatic cable said Syria’s ruling hierarchy appears to assume that Damascus could stay out of another war between Hezbollah and Israel “based largely on its 2006 experience”.

Asiaone

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33 responses to “Wikileaks: Hezbollah has military presence in Syria”

  1. Leborigine Avatar
    Leborigine

    Syria has supported Hezbollah since the Shi’ite movement was founded in the 1980s during Israel’s 22-year occupation of south Lebanon. Syria lost all four wars it has fought with Israel.

    That brings back a lot of memories. When I was a child in 1982-83, we used to sit on the balcony or the satih in our village in the Shoof region and watch the plane wars between syria and israel. It was easy to tell which plane belonged to who, the black MIGS were syrias and the silver F14 were israels, and all you could see was the black planes drop out of the sky like there was no tomorrow. syria lost at that time approximately 100 planes opposed to israels 2 or 3. Don’t know if its a good idea for syria to get involved in another war with israel.

    1. Yeah, I’m from the Shoof region as well and saw the same thing. I remember when a Syrian pilot ejected and was captured by the local farmers. They started beating him up thinking he was an Israeli, he kept saying that he was a Syrian. They beat him up some more until the Syrians came and picked him up.

      Assad will never have a war with Israel, he uses the Lebanese and gets the rewards.

      1. kareemthehippy Avatar
        kareemthehippy

        You’re from the Shouf too?! Yay

        1. Hannibal Avatar

          My grandmother is from the ma3aaser 😉

        2. Leborigine Avatar
          Leborigine

          The Shoof rocks.
          It is the Jewel of Lebanon:-P lol
          Hannibal, the m3asser is a beautiful village, have you ever been there??
          I know a couple of people from there.

        3. Leborigine Avatar
          Leborigine

          The Shoof rocks.
          It is the Jewel of Lebanon:-P lol
          Hannibal, the m3asser is a beautiful village, have you ever been there??
          I know a couple of people from there.

      2. Leborigine Avatar
        Leborigine

        Haha, sounds funny libnan1, i remember hearing something like that back then.
        I also remember that one of the israeli planes was shot down over the Barook area and fell close to 3ayn Zhalta, all the kids ran towards it in the fig farm and we as soon as we started climbing over it, the PSP guys came down, cleared and sealed off the area. Apparantly, the israeli pilot was also ejected but was caught by the syrians.

        Of course he will never have another war with israel, what HA did to them with bare hands, syria could not do with planes and tanks

        1. Hannibal Avatar

          Yes I have been there and as a kid spent a couple of summers.

  2. Leborigine Avatar
    Leborigine

    Syria has supported Hezbollah since the Shi’ite movement was founded in the 1980s during Israel’s 22-year occupation of south Lebanon. Syria lost all four wars it has fought with Israel.

    That brings back a lot of memories. When I was a child in 1982-83, we used to sit on the balcony or the satih in our village in the Shoof region and watch the plane wars between syria and israel. It was easy to tell which plane belonged to who, the black MIGS were syrias and the silver F14 were israels, and all you could see was the black planes drop out of the sky like there was no tomorrow. syria lost at that time approximately 100 planes opposed to israels 2 or 3. Don’t know if its a good idea for syria to get involved in another war with israel.

    1. Yeah, I’m from the Shoof region as well and saw the same thing. I remember when a Syrian pilot ejected and was captured by the local farmers. They started beating him up thinking he was an Israeli, he kept saying that he was a Syrian. They beat him up some more until the Syrians came and picked him up.

      Assad will never have a war with Israel, he uses the Lebanese and gets the rewards.

      1. Leborigine Avatar
        Leborigine

        Haha, sounds funny libnan1, i remember hearing something like that back then.
        I also remember that one of the israeli planes was shot down over the Barook area and fell close to 3ayn Zhalta, all the kids ran towards it in the fig farm and we as soon as we started climbing over it, the PSP guys came down, cleared and sealed off the area. Apparantly, the israeli pilot was also ejected but was caught by the syrians.

        Of course he will never have another war with israel, what HA did to them with bare hands, syria could not do with planes and tanks

        1. Hannibal Avatar

          Yes I have been there and as a kid spent a couple of summers.

  3.  Avatar

    Syria has supported Hezbollah since the Shi’ite movement was founded in the 1980s during Israel’s 22-year occupation of south Lebanon. Syria lost all four wars it has fought with Israel.

    That brings back a lot of memories. When I was a child in 1982-83, we used to sit on the balcony or the satih in our village in the Shoof region and watch the plane wars between syria and israel. It was easy to tell which plane belonged to who, the black MIGS were syrias and the silver F14 were israels, and all you could see was the black planes drop out of the sky like there was no tomorrow. syria lost at that time approximately 100 planes opposed to israels 2 or 3. Don’t know if its a good idea for syria to get involved in another war with israel.

    1.  Avatar

      Yeah, I’m from the Shoof region as well and saw the same thing. I remember when a Syrian pilot ejected and was captured by the local farmers. They started beating him up thinking he was an Israeli, he kept saying that he was a Syrian. They beat him up some more until the Syrians came and picked him up.

      Assad will never have a war with Israel, he uses the Lebanese and gets the rewards.

      1.  Avatar

        You’re from the Shouf too?! Yay

        1. My grandmother is from the ma3aaser 😉

        2.  Avatar

          The Shoof rocks.
          It is the Jewel of Lebanon:-P lol
          Hannibal, the m3asser is a beautiful village, have you ever been there??
          I know a couple of people from there.

      2.  Avatar

        Haha, sounds funny libnan1, i remember hearing something like that back then.
        I also remember that one of the israeli planes was shot down over the Barook area and fell close to 3ayn Zhalta, all the kids ran towards it in the fig farm and we as soon as we started climbing over it, the PSP guys came down, cleared and sealed off the area. Apparantly, the israeli pilot was also ejected but was caught by the syrians.

        Of course he will never have another war with israel, what HA did to them with bare hands, syria could not do with planes and tanks

        1. Yes I have been there and as a kid spent a couple of summers.

  4. master09 Avatar

    The issue here is when this next war happens there will be no winner, but thousands of families loosing life not just in Lebanon but Isreal and Syria what a cruel way to live.
    This is why we need to go to the streets and stop this group from going to war, let them do something if all Lebanon stands together. This group does not give a sh-t about Lebanese people.

  5.  Avatar

    The issue here is when this next war happens there will be no winner, but thousands of families loosing life not just in Lebanon but Isreal and Syria what a cruel way to live.

    This is why we need to go to the streets and stop this group from going to war, let them do something if all Lebanon stands together. This group does not give a sh-t about Lebanese people.

  6. PROPHET.T Avatar

    Too many Soof people here,lol.
    Though I’m from the south,
    The soof was always my second home. Good memories there .

  7. PROPHET.T Avatar

    Too many Soof people here,lol.
    Though I’m from the south,
    The soof was always my second home. Good memories there .

    1.  Avatar

      Prophet, we welcome you to the shoof mountains. The home of the only real Lebanese president “Camil Chanoun” who according to my dad worked closely with Kamal Junblat (another true Lebanese unlike his son) to save Lebanon in the sixties.

      1. PROPHET.T Avatar

        Thank you libnan1,
        Although I have my issues with all traditional Lebanese political families, I have a lots of respect for both leaders you mentioned. Both Chamoun and Jumblat, the elders, left us kids that are not worth carrying their fathers’ last names.
        Kamal Jumblat is a big hero of mine.

        1. Dany Chamoun would have made an excellent leader as well as Gibran Tueini. I believe strongly that the hand that killed Dany is the same that did Gibran and Hariri in. The truth will surface! Aoun knows the truth and he actually said it on France national TV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFmoINybxaU
          sub7aan yalle beghayyir wu ma byetghayyar…

    2. PROPHET.T Avatar

      Hannibal,
      I was thinking of Dory and Walid when I said their kids. As for Danny, I didn’t know enough about him, But I thought He had respect for himself, unlike Walid and dory.
      As for Tueini, I give it him that He openly expressed his opposition, without any fear, to Syria even when Syria was had full control of the country. He was courageous for sure.
      I never understood how his criticism and opposition to Hariri turned into friendship and alliance. It’s been said that the deal with Al Nahar building was the reason. I don’t know for sure.
      I’m a big fan of his father, Ghassan. I met him, and was lucky to have been in his company couple of times. He even saved my butt at an Arab airport one time. (One day I will write about it).I still remember his words when He told me: “Remember you are not in America where you expect your rights to be respected, you are in xxxxxx”
      Every time I see him on TV, I feel his pain.

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