How many hezbollah members are there

Years of irregularities and revolutions have contributed to Lebanon's weak government. The considerable amount of money transferred and its effect on the Lebanese economy, the historical trauma of various crises, occupation and invasions, the fragmentation of Lebanese society, the significant presence of armed militias, the silence of European countries on the issue of accepting refugees, and the long duration of the war in Syria have all contributed to the phenomenon of corruption:.

Lebanon produces and trades in illicit drugs, including plantations of opium and hashish in the Bekaa Valley. Already in the s, Lebanon was the center of a multi-billion-dollar drug economy that was anchored in local politics and power centers, namely the manufacturing and selling of the synthetic drug Captagon.

In April , a former Hezbollah fighter reportedly accused Nasrallah of failing to eradicate corruption within the organization. The open letter received support on social media and prompted Nasrallah to launch an anti-corruption campaign that emphasized economic development as the core platform of the group.

Nasrallah announced that the party leadership was appointing Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah member of parliament, to head a committee against corruption under his direct supervision. However, even though Hezbollah may be able to eradicate political corruption, it will have a hard time dealing with the corruption carried out by influential individuals in the organization.

Operations Cassandra and Cedar, led by the U. Hezbollah elements involved in drug trafficking have been arrested in the U. Along with these activities, several dominant figures in Hezbollah are involved in criminal activities, including the sex industry and human trafficking. One example is Ali Hussein Zeaiter, a Hezbollah operative responsible for criminal procurement and financing.

In , the U. Treasury declared him a terrorist operative because of his handling of companies to acquire drones used by Hezbollah in Syrian territory. Treasury announced sanctions on additional companies managed by Zeaiter in China and Lebanon for similar violations. Several months later, in , the Lebanese authorities uncovered a large prostitution network of mostly Syrian women. Hezbollah claimed to have played a role in exposing the sex trafficking network, but authorities reportedly linked the network to Zeaiter.

Similarly, in May , the U. Treasury declared Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi a terrorist. A Hezbollah financier with close ties to the former president and dictator of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, Bazzi was also connected to a Hezbollah-affiliated drug dealer, Ayman Joumma. The Treasury revealed that Bazzi provided Hezbollah with significant economic assistance for many years from his commercial profits. Bazzi also supported Hezbollah through a drug trafficking network.

About one month after declaring Bazzi a terrorist operative, the U. In summary, high-level political corruption undermines democratic institutions and public trust, hampers economic growth, and creates an environment in which economic crime and other forms of lawlessness can flourish. There is no doubt that Hezbollah is up to its neck in criminal activity. The organization's involvement in international crime contributes to corruption, and there is no room for organized crime in Lebanese politics.

Reducing Hezbollah's power and weakening it to a level where the Lebanese government can contain it, reclaim control of Lebanon, and implement Lebanese sovereignty is an attainable goal.

Decreasing Hezbollah's capabilities will strengthen the liberal political forces in Lebanon, with an emphasis on the Sunni-Christian alliance that was weakened in the last elections in Lebanon. The current situation, in which few countries have designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, allows it to operate undisturbed in most countries and to establish its power in the Lebanese and regional political arena.

Short Response: Countries that have designated Hezbollah in its entirety a terrorist organization have relations with Lebanon to different degrees. The Facts : Countries that have designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization continue to maintain diplomatic relations with Lebanon.

There are various levels of cooperation between these countries, international entities, and Lebanon. The United States, the Netherlands, and Canada all designated Hezbollah in its entirety a terrorist organization while simultaneously supporting the strengthening of government institutions, maintaining trade relations, and providing humanitarian aid to help the refugees in Lebanon.

Diplomats and politicians draw parallels to ETA and the IRA, arguing that it was important in both of those cases to keep political channels open.

Hezbollah seeks domination or, at the very least, the elimination of Israel. For starters, the IRA in Ireland and Northern Ireland and ETA in Spain operated outside of the political systems and against the countries where they existed, in order to achieve independence. To be sure, both organizations established a political wing alongside a military wing making them hybrid terrorist organizations.

Hezbollah operates within the Lebanese political system with the ultimate aim of taking over the government. It is an organization that exploits the democratic process for its own benefit, while the military wing exerts the most influence on the rest of the political players. Western countries have a common interest in strengthening Lebanon as a strategic player to maintain regional stability, both those that designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in its entirety and those that designated only its military wing.

These countries work with Lebanon to strengthen its government institutions while avoiding contact with Hezbollah representatives or their supporters. They maintain trade relations and provide humanitarian assistance to refugees, directly and through international bodies. Even the Netherlands, which is considered strict in its relations with Lebanon because of Hezbollah, could increase the scope of its support if reforms are implemented in Lebanon.

Short Response : The claim that Hezbollah will weaken due to the sanctions on Iran is correct, but not enough, as it will find other channels of funding, including through criminal dealings. The Facts : As time goes on, indications of the deep impact of the sanctions on Hezbollah are becoming clearer. However, only integrated activity in the international arena over time will have the desired impact.

The full designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and its isolation from sources of funding and spheres of influence is the most effective move. A weak Hezbollah increases the chances that the Lebanese government will succeed in applying its sovereignty over all the country. The current situation has a strong Hezbollah operating its units independently and imposing its will on the government by controlling the political system in the parliament and the administration.

The claim that Iranian support has been reduced to the point that it is adversely affecting Hezbollah is not in line with reality, at least not in the short or medium term. Hezbollah has several sources of funding that will sustain its efforts until the situation improves. It was recently reported that the organization itself is financially prepared to operate for up to five years under the current sanctions imposed on Iran.

This amount is used to finance the organization's military-terrorist activities purchasing weapons, salaries, training fighters, etc. The above data indicates that the Iranian budget for Hezbollah has not been consistent over the years, yet the organization has continued to function and has even expanded its activity at the local, regional and international level. Criminal activity in Lebanon and around the world: Hezbollah operatives carry out criminal activities in two main areas — drug trafficking and counterfeiting.

In addition, the organization's operatives are also involved in trading conflict diamonds, counterfeit medication, gold and cigarettes, as well as car theft, the counterfeiting of credit cards, and more.

According to previously published estimates, revenues from this activity vary, but they range from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Hezbollah's criminal activity in the international arena serves as a platform for operational activity and as a means of financing the organization's activities.

The following are some examples:. Hezbollah established three separate channels through which it receives state allocations for the Shi'ite community: The first one is the organization's representatives in the municipal system; the second one is the members of parliament who belong to the organization; and the third channel is the Hezbollah cabinet ministers who manage substantial budgets in the Lebanese economy.

Presumably, for example, Hezbollah's insistence on overseeing the Ministry of Health stems from its desire to use its budget, which is the third largest in the Lebanese government.

It thus consolidates its status and maintains a hold on the Lebanese economy. Hezbollah has many sources of income in Europe. Fundraising activity takes place in Germany, Britain, Belgium diamond trade , and other countries. In addition, the organization works to raise funds through criminal activity in Europe, including drug trafficking and counterfeit European currency. For example, between and , an international task force was involved in the Cassandra project aimed at exposing and arresting Hezbollah members involved in drug trafficking.

Among the countries that operated on the team and even carried out arrests of Hezbollah operatives were the U. A year later, two more members of the same network were arrested, this time in a raid of their home in Speyer, Germany, for involvement in transporting drugs from Beirut to Europe.

Hezbollah takes advantage of the fact that not all European countries have designated the organization in its entirety a terrorist organization. Most European countries must defer to European Union legal restrictions, unlike Britain and the Netherlands, which can enforce the designation in accordance with the laws of their respective countries.

The funds are reportedly intended to finance Hezbollah's social activities, but it can be inferred that the donations are also being diverted for other purposes. According to German intelligence sources, the Al-Mustafa Community Center raised funds for, among other things, the Lebanon Orphan Children Project, which was outlawed in Germany in The director of its branch in the Netherlands which defines Hezbollah as a terrorist organization , previously said that the branch, in coordination with the center in Germany, was raising funds for Hezbollah.

It should be noted that the fund in Germany was outlawed in because of its ties to Hamas. Sixty Hezbollah supporters work at the center at various fundraising events there, hosting up to people. The Facts : There is a reciprocal relationship between Iran and Hezbollah.

While Iranians support Hezbollah's activities in the regional and international arenas, Hezbollah promotes Iranian interests. Although Hezbollah has tried to mask its real relationship with Iran over the years, many statements by its leaders alongside other publications have attested to the depth of these ties.

The relationship between Iran and Hezbollah can be described as a reciprocal system. Though Hezbollah was at first under Iranian control and mentoring in the s, it began to operate more independently in the s to position itself as a legitimate player in Lebanon's restored political system. In addition, Iran supplies Hezbollah with various weapons, mostly through the Damascus airport.

Since , Hezbollah's operational infrastructure has been built almost entirely with Iranian support, with some Syrian political and military assistance.

From Iran's point of view, Hezbollah serves as an arm to carry out terrorist activities and achieve Iranian interests and fight against Israel. It should be emphasized that Iran helped and continues to help build Hezbollah's global terrorist infrastructure through operatives of the Iranian security services and the Revolutionary Guards from inside its embassies around the world. Hezbollah is a strategic asset for Iran. Hezbollah operatives, under Iranian guidance, are active in every place where Iran has interests, such as Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and the Palestinian territories.

In order to expand its hold on the ground, the Revolutionary Guards are aided by Hezbollah's Unit , which is entrusted with advising and training organizations outside Lebanon.

The leader of the militia, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, even thanked Iran in for its support them with weapons and money and Hezbollah for training its fighters. Hezbollah went from being a Lebanese player to a regional and international actor that operates on behalf of Iran. On the outside, Hezbollah continues to attach itself to the Lebanese system while concealing its real relationship with Iran.

However, there have been many statements made by senior Hezbollah figures and other publications attesting to the depth of the organization's ties with Iran. Hezbollah claimed the recording was forged.

There the vanguard succeeded in laying down the basis of a Muslim state which plays a central role in the world. We obey the orders of one leader, wise and just, that of our tutor and faqih jurist who fulfills all the necessary conditions: Ruhollah Musawi Khomeini. God save him! In addition, Iran or subsidiaries of Iranian organizations own Hezbollah institutions. For example, the Martyrs Foundation is an Iranian institution established by Imam Khomeini that supports the families of martyrs.

Its Lebanese branch helps the families of Hezbollah martyrs. They are all identified by the U. Treasury as terrorism supporters. Recently, several Iranian and Hezbollah operatives were arrested on European soil, attesting to the close ties between the two. The center apparently provided logistical support for Iranian operations in France and was closed by authorities. Short Response : Hezbollah has established a terrorist infrastructure in Europe and executes terrorist attacks against non-European targets on European soil.

The Facts : Events that take place in the Middle East have a global impact. In addition to a potential terrorist attack, extremists also put the cultural cohesion of European society at risk. In the age of globalization, events do not occur in a vacuum. Instability in several Middle Eastern countries has led to civil war, and to an unprecedented stream of refugees from failed states to European countries. In an age of open borders and freedom of movement, Europeans must cope with a range of threats, including foreign fighters returning to their countries of origin in Europe.

In recent years, and especially since the rise of the Islamic State, the Middle East has served as a recruitment and radicalization center for European Muslims. Those who survived the fall of the so-called Caliphate are making their way back to Europe and have become a security threat to the continent. Political crises and a weak central government, coupled with civil wars, are causing populations to flee Middle Eastern countries, longing for a better life in the West.

Moreover, when an ethnic and sectarian crisis occurs, there is a clear interest in diluting the enemy population in order to create demographic changes in the country. For Hezbollah operatives in Europe, these refugees constitute a target for recruitment. Over the years, several terrorist attacks and attempted strikes were carried out against non-European targets on European soil.

When wars take place in the Middle East, efforts are made to attack the regime opponents in Europe. In , twice Iranian intelligence tried and failed to carry out mass attacks against regime opponents— a plot to detonate an explosive device at a conference in France and an attempted assassination in Denmark.

In addition, in and , two opponents of the Iranian regime were assassinated in Holland. Hezbollah also imports terrorism from the Middle East, as demonstrated in the s when it hijacked three planes and carried out several deadly attacks against shops and hotels in Paris.

In the s, the organization was accused of detonating two car bombs at the Israeli Embassy and a Jewish charity in London, and in , the organization carried out an attack on a bus of Israeli tourists in Burgas, Bulgaria. Short Response : Through the External Security Organization ESO , which operates a unit called Business Affairs Component, Hezbollah is involved in criminal activities, gathering intelligence and building an infrastructure to carry out terror attacks in Europe.

The Facts : Since the designation of its military wing as a terrorist organization by the EU in , Hezbollah has carried out illicit activities. In , for example, a joint investigation by the DEA, Europol, and some European countries project uncovered extensive Hezbollah activity related to drug trafficking, money laundering, and arms dealings. This activity was led by the ESO. However, the organization carries out extensive criminal dealings drug trafficking and money laundering in Germany and other European countries to finance its terror activities.

Therefore, it is extremely important to disrupt these financing methods, which sustain the entire organization, by designating all of Hezbollah a terror organization. S Department of State published in September country reports reviewing how various countries met the terror challenge in The report mentions that in Germany increased the scope of interrogations, arrests, and criminal charges filed against terror operatives. However, the increase of resources to law enforcement and prosecution authorities did not rise to the same level.

Additionally, the toolbox for handling hate crimes and terror propaganda was expanded. In that sense, banning Hezbollah will not prevent any dialogue with Lebanon because designating Hezbollah as a terror organization imposes economic sanctions but is silent regarding political sanctions.

For expansion of the ramification of such designation kindly refer to claims 4 and 6. In June the Bundestag rejected a bill to designate Hezbollah as a terror organization despite American pressure to do so.

Annen added that Germany is interested in stability in Lebanon. At the center of the debate whether to designate Hezbollah a terror organization was the Annual Report for The Defense of The Constitution published by the German federal intelligence agency on May 22, Per the report, the number of Hezbollah supporters in Germany grew from in to 1, in They operate, organizationally and ideologically, under local mosques which are funded mainly through membership fees and donations.

The report further asserted that the political wing of Hezbollah operates in Germany mainly to raise money, recruit operatives and disseminate antisemitic ideology. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to disrupt all financing channels to a terror organization. It should also be noted that Germany is a member of the Financial Action Task Force FATF , whose goal is to set the standards and promote regulatory and operational steps to disrupt and stop money laundering, terror finance, and other threats to the international financial ecosystem.

Since terror is a form of criminal activity, the same rationale ought to be applied to Hezbollah. Short Response : It is possible that designating Hezbollah as a terror organization may endanger the French troops serving as part of UNIFIL or French citizens staying in Lebanon, but the international community has checks and balances. The key to success is harnessing the international community to jointly counter Hezbollah and its accomplices and applying on them various levers, either directly or indirectly.

Designating Hezbollah a terror organization will enable taking legal and operational steps against Hezbollah as a whole as well as against any of its various components political, civil, military. A terror organization such as Hezbollah constantly conducts cost-benefit calculations and adapts, but it has vulnerabilities as well.

Hezbollah is aware of its limits and it carefully navigates the playing field. Since the s except for a few isolated cases there were no foreign nationals kidnapped nor were any injured in terror attacks in Lebanon.

Even today Hezbollah threatens Europe, France included. In a joint U. It should be noted that the business unit is a part of ESO. In July , the Belgian law enforcement agencies arrested two Belgian citizens of Iranian descent who were planning to execute a terror attack during a political rally in France organized by an Iranian anti-regime group. A search in their apartment uncovered an explosive device containing TATP. Designating Hezbollah in its entirety a terror organization does not preclude the continuation of any political dialogue with Lebanon.

Various states that made such designation continue to maintain collaboration at various levels. Please refer to claims one and six for more information. The above resolutions were adopted in , long before Hezbollah was formed. To date, its arsenal is estimated at a minimum of , rockets and missiles, including an estimated 40, guided mussles, whereas in this number stood at 15, This arsenal was supplied by external sources, mainly Iran.

Short Response : The argument that a distinction between the military and political wings of Hezbollah is necessary to maintain the joint ventures and political impact France has in Lebanon is inaccurate: In order to weaken Hezbollah, it has to be isolated as a whole while ties between France and other power bases in Lebanon need to become stronger.

The Facts : Designating Hezbollah in its entirety a terror organization does not require a shift in French investment in Lebanon, either politically or economically. Short Response : Hezbollah has adopted the anti-Zionist rhetoric of modern-day antisemitism. The Facts : Hezbollah was established on the ideology of antisemitism. Its founding principles are rooted in the hatred of Jews, the elimination of the Jewish state, and the determination to deny Jews their right of self-determination or nationhood.

Hezbollah knows that more Jewish blood has been spilled in Europe than anywhere else, which makes the continent a fertile breeding ground to fulfill its mission.

However, Hezbollah has learned to manipulate the guilt complex that permeates the certain European countries whose Jewish communities were decimated during the Holocaust. Thus, its rhetoric is framed as anti-Zionist rather than antisemitic. They overstate the oppression of the Palestinians that they say is perpetuated by Israeli politics, then use that friction to justify delegitimizing a Jewish state.

As long as Europe allows any manifestation of antisemitism, regardless of the rhetoric i. The report said that antisemitism may be manifested in various forms, including verbal and physical abuse, threats, harassment, discrimination and unfair treatment, property damage and bodily injury, graffiti, other forms of expression as well as on the web.

Antisemitic incidents, which are in fact hate crimes, violate basic human rights, including liberty, human dignity, and the right for freedom of thought, conscience, and religion provided to all people in Europe under ECHR. Wherever Hezbollah sets up shop, its goal is to carry out hate crimes against Jewish and Israeli targets around the world in the form of terrorist attacks.

Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel conceived as a Jewish collectivity. Doing so allows Hezbollah to become respectable contributors to the mainstream discourse rather than antisemites, but simultaneously informs a rising tide of anti-Jewish hatred. Hezbollah aims to eliminate the State of Israel and cultivate hatred against the Jewish people through antisemitic incitement.

Anti-Zionist Rhetoric Antisemitism 2. This phenomenon is partly due to the rise of fanatical fundamentalist Islam and its blatant refusal to accept the Jewish right to self-determination, coupled with the exercise of Jewish sovereignty in an area it perceived as purely Muslim.

In his research, the late holocaust scholar Robert S. Wistrich demonstrated that the radical antisemitic narrative has camouflaged itself as anti-Zionism much more since the turn of the 21st century.

Nasrallah allegedly made a distinction between Jews and Zionists and said he opposed only Zionism. But even if Hezbollah has tried to rebrand its antisemitic rhetoric as anti-Zionist, its substance has stayed the same. Moreover, Hezbollah notoriously feeds two streams of discourse — one in Arabic, the other in the vernacular of the country where its operatives live. In Arabic, they speak of killing Jews and destroying Israel.

Additionally, Hezbollah increased the scope of its target audience and formed a Christian battalion and attempted to recruit Palestinians and foreign fighters from Kuwait, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq.

With Russian and Iranian support Hezbollah managed to increase its arsenal to include ground to air missiles, ground missiles, anti-aircraft guns, and anti-tank weapons. It also acquired various armored vehicles, including U. It should be noted that it also gained experience in deploying UAVs as well, with firect exposure to advanced weapons systems, some at the level of those owned by Western countries, Israel included.

Weapons by Numbers 23 Personnel — approx. Its elite unit, the Radwan Force, is approximately 2, strong Missiles, rockets and mortars — estimated to range between , and , 25 , including tens of thousands are short-range up to 40 kilometers , thousands are mid-range up to 75 kilometers , and hundreds that are long-range kilometers. Recently Hezbollah launched a project to upgrade its arsenal in terms of accuracy and according to the latest estimates about missiles with a meters range accuracy Remotely controlled aircraft — in recent years Hezbollah expanded its use of remotely controlled aircraft alongside an upgrade of their capabilities.

Shore to ship missiles — Hezbollah owns various kinds of such missiles, among them C and a handful of Yakhont systems. Vehicles - during the civil war in Syria it has been revealed that Hezbollah combatants have been trained on and operated various Russian-made tanks, such as T, T and T Qatar has no plan to normalise ties with Syria: Foreign minister.

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