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Syria, Hezbollah Staying Out of Palestinian Fight
March 28, 2002
Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general for the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah, says he believes that opening a northern front of attacks against Israel "might not help" the intifada, Beirut's Daily Star reported. Hezbollah had been suspected of assisting two militants who killed six people March 12 after infiltrating Israel via Lebanon.
Image Credit: Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
Though Israeli defense planners have nightmares about having to guard against a "northern front," it appears that the border between Lebanon and Israel will stay quiet. Three of the four powers in southern Lebanon -- Hezbollah, Syria and the Lebanese government -- aren't spoiling for a fight with Israel right now and have an interest in keeping the area calm.
Hezbollah is supported by both Iran and Syria and controls southern Lebanon. This situation is a constant source of concern to Israeli military officials who worry about the northern border erupting into violence. That fear came true when the two militants, dressed in Israeli army uniforms, set up an ambush on a well-traveled road in northern Israel.
It appeared that the shooters were Palestinians trying to inflame tensions along the border by goading Israel into retaliating against Hezbollah or Syria, in the hope that this would trigger a response from either of these players. So far the Israelis have resisted taking the bait.
Hezbollah seems to be backing down as well. In response to the suspicions that his group was involved in the March 12 attack, Nasrallah suggested in the Star interview that Hezbollah didn't have the reach or the infrastructure to conduct operations in Israel, and he said that what operatives and capabilities the group does have are focused on smuggling weapons to the Palestinians through Jordan.
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Syria, Hezbollah Staying Out of Palestinian Fight . . .