“Onward Christian soldiers marching as to war with the cross of Jesus going on before…”
That was my favorite song as a kid. I can still remember it as page 167 in the hymnal, and I would request it be sung every Sunday. We were Christian soldiers, the army of the Lord armed with the Gospel of peace and love.
Fast forward to decades later when Hezbollah would call themselves the “Army of God” as they terrorized and murdered innocent people. Their Gospel is not the one that says:
“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
They seem to be the ones that Jesus spoke of later:
“The time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.” (John 16:2)
But who are these terrorists and murderers that call themselves “The Army of God”?
Hezbollah is an umbrella organization of various radical Islamic Shi’ite groups and organizations which receives substantial financial and philosophical support from Iran. It was founded in 1982 in response to the invasion of Lebanon by Israel that same year, and subsumed members of the 1980s coalition of groups known as Islamic Jihad. The group is led by religious clerics who promote the establishment of an Islamic state in Lebanon. After the attacks of September 11th, Hezbollah is responsible for the next largest anti-American terrorist attack. In October 1983, a truck bomb killed 241 American Marines at the multinational force barracks in Beirut. The following year, a suicide bombing at the U.S. embassy in Beirut killed 17 Americans, including many of the embassy’s CIA staff. The group is also thought to be responsible for attacks against US and Jewish targets in Africa, Sweden, Denmark, Thailand, Argentina and the UK. The 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural centre in Buenos Aires are the most well known.Hezbollah’s stated objectives include the establishment of a Shiite theocracy in Lebanon, the destruction of Israel and the elimination of Western influences from the region. Over the last 20 years, however, Hezbollah has become increasingly integrated into the government of Lebanon. The group holds seats in the Lebanese parliament and its political wing runs a variety of social programs, including schools and hospitals, augmenting those of the state. Its military wing serves as a de facto security force in southern Lebanon. The group’s spiritual leadership officially denies links to al Qaeda. In December 2004, the United States added Hezbollah’s al-Manar television station to its list of terrorist organizations.
Due to its presence in mainstream Lebanese politics and the vast array of social services it provides in southern Lebanon, some European governments have resisted considering Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, to the consternation of the Bush administration. Putting Hezbollah on official terrorist group lists would prevent them from raising money through charities in those countries. The Netherlands, Italy and Poland, however, have agreed to consider Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=3101
The Hizballah is an umbrella organization of various radical Shi’ite groups and organizations which adhere to a Khomeinistic ideology. The organization was established following the 1982 Peace for Galilee War in Lebanon (and an increased Iranian presence and influence in Lebanon). The Hizballah organization was established as an organizational body for Shi’ite fundamentalists, led by religious clerics, who see in the adoption of Iranian doctrine a solution to the Lebanese political malaise. This included the use of terror as a means of attaining political objectives.The organization maintains a training apparatus in Lebanon throughout the villages and their surroundings, as well as outside of Lebanon. Training is aimed at building a reliable manpower source for its military forces as well as for its terror arm.
Using cover names such as ‘Islamic Jihad’, ‘The Revolutionary Justice Organization’ and ‘The Islamic Resistance’, with the blessings of its religious leaders, Hizballah has carried out a series of high profile attacks against Israeli targets in southern Lebanon and American and Multinational Forces targets in Lebanon. Only later did their attacks become more intensive as well as demonstrating better planning, especially immediately prior to the opening of the peace process.
In 1991, the Hizballah was responsible for 52 attacks, as compared to 19 attacks the organization carried out in 1990. In 1992, the Hizballah launched 63 attacks and in 1993, 158 attacks, when during the course of ‘Operation Accountability’ they fired hundreds of Katyusha rockets into the Security Zone and Israeli territory. In 1994 a total of 187 attacks against Israeli troops and positions by Hizballah were recorded. There were 119 instances of artillery fire, 31 detonations of explosive charges and 2 frontal assaults on IDF positions. In 1995 a total of 344 attacks against Israeli troops and positions by were recorded. There were 270 instances of artillery fire, 64 detonations of explosive charges and 2 frontal assaults on IDF positions.
When Hezbollah was formed in 1982 and throughout the Lebanese War (1982-1985), Syria viewed it as an important tool in its struggle against Israel . The Syrian régime helped Hezbollah establish itself in the Beka’a Valley in Lebanon and supported it against the IDF and its opponents in Lebanon . Syria also used Hezbollah against the multinational force (which included American, French and Italian units) set up to supervise the evacuation of the Syrian army and the Palestinian terrorists after the Israeli siege of Beirut . Hezbollah proved to be a valuable tool in Syrian strategy, enabling Syria, although it was militarily inferior to Israel, to bring about the withdrawal of the IDF from Lebanon without a diplomatic agreement , to get the multinational force out of Lebanon by carrying out lethal terrorist attacks against American and French targets and to further impose the “Syrian order” on Lebanon’s internal arena .Damascus rewarded Hezbollah for its services by making it the linchpin when it reinforced Syrian influence in Lebanon after the war . According to the Taef Accord of 1989 (which symbolized the end of the Lebanese civil war), Lebanese government sovereignty was to be enforced throughout the country and all the armed Lebanese and non-Lebanese (i.e., Palestinian) militias were to be disbanded. However, the Syrians made sure the accord was enforced selectively. They took care to disarm the Christian and Druze militias while giving their full support to Hezbollah as the only organization with a broad military-operational infrastructure. That was the turning point in internal Lebanese politics, upsetting the balance between the various ethnic groups. It allowed Hezbollah to become a major player in the internal Lebanese arena and to expand its terrorist activities against Israel .
Syria serves as a conduit for the massive amounts of weapons the Iranians give Hezbollah. Iranian arms-bearing planes land in Damascus and from there the weapons are transferred to Hezbollah in Lebanon . The arsenal of Iranian missiles stockpiled by Hezbollah in Lebanon could not exist without Syrian support. Therefore, Iran and Syria can be expected to replenish the arsenal when the current confrontation ends.
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/syria_strategy_e.htm
Hezbollah’s atrocities and murders go far beyond Israel and Lebanon. What about their crimes against American citizens?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGDYh50IwgQ
Throughout its twenty-five-year history, Hizballah has demonstrated that it is an ideologically driven movement with strong leaders, a clear vision of its strategic goals, and extensive experience in terrorism and guerrilla warfare. Its leadership, under the guidance of the charismatic Hassan Nasrallah, is convinced of the righteousness of the organization’s aspirations and terrorist methods. The perceived victories of the Islamist cause during these two-and-a-half decades—victories in which Hizballah was an active participant—only reinforced this conviction. In particular, the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000 instilled the organization with an almost messianic assurance that it would achieve final victory over its enemies.Hizballah was strengthened in its decision to stage the attacks on Israel by the feeling that Western pressure has been reduced in recent months. In spite of resolution 1559, Hizballah not only did not disarm but emerged stronger than ever after the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. The May 2005 Lebanese elections gave the organization a seat in the Lebanese government for the first time.
In this situation, Syria plays a pivotal role. Syria—rather than Iran—has been the most important source of support for Hizballah’s terrorist and guerrilla activity against Israel from the north. Without Syria’s help—in the form of an overall strategic umbrella; specific military and political coordination; and pressure on Beirut to give the organization free rein in southern Lebanon—Hizballah could not have achieved its current status. Indeed, Syrian aid in heavy weaponry, in addition to that provided by Iran, has effectively transformed Hizballah into a strategic partner and operational arm of the Syrian army.
In retrospective, Israel’s unilateral withdrawals from South Lebanon and Gaza proved to be major strategic errors, because they were not implemented by agreements with moderate and strong partners which could ensure the stability of the peace process, and were seen by the members of the destabilization axis as Israeli military, political and psychological defeats. Moreover, Israel was deterred for years by Hizballah and did not challenge its continuous attacks on Israeli territory and sovereignty and more so did not challenge the significant intervention by this organization and Syria in the Palestinian terrorist activity. The present Israeli leaders, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defence Minister Amir Peretz are probably perceived as “lame ducks” compared with the previous Israeli premiers with rich military backgrounds.
Three strategic goals should guide the international community in resolving the present crisis:
1. Stop the Iranian nuclear project at all costs;
2. Neutralize the very negative role of Syria in the region and put maximum pressure on its regime; this should be the focal point at this stage due to Syria’s central position in the destabilization of the Palestinian and Lebanese arenas;
3. Work to prevent a victory of Hizballah and Hamas in their respective arenas, as such a victory would signal the weakness of the moderate forces in the region and would give a boost to the radical Islamist movements globally.
Despite the lack of news coverage there are people in Lebanon who oppose Hezbollah and what they stand for. I have read some of the blogs. They don’t want Israel coming in of course, but they don’t want Hezbollah either. They blame Hezbollah for bringing the conflict down on their heads.
Israel has said it will leave once it pushes Hezbollah back from its northern border and a multinational peacekeeping force comes in to help the real Lebanese army secure the border. Nasrallah is defiant of course, and instead of doing what’s in the best interests of the Lebanese people he threatens Israel with more attacks, and he has no qualms about killing innocent Israeli civilians.
Posted by jpfarris9 
Posted by jpfarris9 