Crossfire War – TEHRAN WATCH – Middle East Theatre: Tehran – Beirut – Damascus/Jerusalem; Hezbollah Leadership in N. Lebanon – Israeli Troops Invade S. Lebanon – Iranian Flights to Damascus Airport Carry Supplies for Hezbollah – Iran FM in Damascus
Night Watch: DAMASCUS – According to Debka’s military and Iranian sources the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nassrallah and the group’s high level leadership left Beirut on July 15 and are now in the northern Lebanon town of Hermel housed in emergency bunkers,which were probably constructed by Tehran. The mountainous Hermel area is bordered on the north and west by Syria. With Nassrallah are his “chief of staff” Ibrahim Akil, head of terror and intelligence Imad Mughniyeh and commander of special operations Halil Harab. It was Mughniyeh, a confidante of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who engineered the capture of two Israeli soldiers which started the war on this front. [DEBKA]
Imad Mughniyeh is an agent of Hezbollah-Al Qaeda-Iran and has used the Hermel region, noted for farming and drug smuggling, as a route to transport weapons from Iran through Syria in order to evade Israel’s blockade. Iran – Syria are using this area to ship rockets, anti-tank, anti- air missiles and other advanced weaponry to Hezbollah in preparation for the next escalation, which already seems to be underway since the news has just reported Israeli troops have entered southern Lebanon. In the meantime Israeli aircraft are attacking the Hermel area constantly.
I’m not sure what kind of mental state Nassrallah is in. On his latest television broadcast he expressed his disgust for the Arab Foreign Ministers meeting in Cairo and said he never depended on them, then he asked of Arab governments, “Where are you?” Nassrallah even said, “Soon they say we have North Korean soldiers.” I have no idea who told him that. Perhaps Tehran never told him he and Hezbollah should have prepared themselves for martyrdom. Tehran wants (f)allout war against Israel to cause not only another unifying crisis for the Islamic world but to generate more hatred against the West. That is why Tehran constantly and very publicly blames the West for anything done by Israel, which means of course that Israel is by no means the main target, just the latest front to become this active. [DEBKA]
In the meantime the Israel Defence Force believes it has destroyed 25% of Hezbollah’s missile stockpiles a supply, as stated eariler, Iran and Syria are desperately trying to keep full. In an effort to plan their next move Tehran held an emergency meeting Sunday night of their National Security Council and as a result Iran Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki flew to Damascus on Monday ostensibly to help find a negotiated settlement. But in reality he and Syria’s leadership will be planning their entry into the war as an example to the Islamic world that they are successfully confronting what they are calling “Israeli aggression.” It is time for them to put into operation their Islamic military axis that was made official last month in Tehran with the signing of their mutual defense pact. [DEBKA]
Both governments know that in order for Israel to prevent further supplies from reaching Hezbollah they will have to attack Damascus airport, widening the conflict, which will they assume will create more unity-hatred toward Israel and the West.
www.crossfirewar.com
