Iran: We supplied Zelzal-2 to Hizbullah

[Herman Munster]

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525807791&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Iran admitted for the first time on Friday that it did indeed supply long-range Zelzal-2 missiles to Hizbullah.

Secretary-general of the "Intifada conference" Mohtashami Pur told an Iranian newspaper that Iran transferred the missiles so that they could be used to defend Lebanon, Channel 1 reported.

The extent of Iran's intimate involvement in Hizbullah attacks is starting to emerge.

According to the defense establishment, the reason Hizbullah has not fired long-range Iranian-made Fajr missiles at Israel is due to Teheran's opposition. Israel now understands that without direct orders from the ayatollahs, Hizbullah is not allowed to use Iranian missiles in attacks against Israel.

[aquart]

1. Oh, okay.

Here would be my question: Hezbollah is not a government. It is not a nation state. It is CERTAINLY not the state of Lebanon. If Iran wants Lebanon to be able to "defend" itself, why not give or sell the missiles to the GOVERNMENT OF LEBANON?

Get back to me on that, 'kay?

[earthside]

5. Hizbollah is the Resistence

I believe that it was not the Lebanese govenment that fought against the Israeli invasion and occupation in 1982.

That was when Hizbollah formed to resist the occupation. So, as people defending their homeland (southern Lebanon) from the occupiers, since the "official" government could not or would not, it seems appropriate that Hizbollah took weapons from whomever they could.

Consequently, after they finally drove Israel out just a few years ago, with the Lebanese government still weak, why wouldn't they arm themselves from Iran or Syria just in case of another Israeli invasion ... which is exactly what has happened.

[burythehatchet]

2. I would be fairly certain that Iran does supply armaments

but the Jerusalem Post has slightly less credibility than the Drudge Report.

[teryang]

3. Teeing up the necessary provocation

Okay the escalation of the conflict to the next level can be directed at any time now.

[NoPasaran]

4. No, surely not Iran!

I thought Hezbollah was saving boxtops to get its missiles.
:sarcasm:

[Karmakaze]

6. And the bomb that killed all those children in Qana was American made...

Im sure Iran will agree to stop supporting Hizbullah the day the US agrees to stop supporting Israel.

Editted to correct spelling in subject.

[malaise]

7. Uncomplicated indeed n/t

[leftchick]

8. The US: "We Supplied Cluster Bombs, Bunker Busters and F-16s

to Israel so they could WIPE LEBANON OFF THE MAP!"

Except The US won't admit to the obvious......




Beirut before and after courtesy This site.

The difference between Ahmadinejad and Olmert is that the Iranian president is a blowhard. The one who had practical plans to wipe a country off the map was Olmert.

http://www.juancole.com/

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. Israel supplied arms to the South Lebanon Army.

The SLA was closely allied with Israel. It supported the Israelis by combatting the PLO in the strip of Southern Lebanon until the Israeli invasion to Lebanon in 1982. After that, SLA support for the Israelis was mainly by fighting against other Lebanese guerilla forces led by Hezbollah until 2000 in the Security Zone, the area of the South kept under occupation after the partial Israeli withdrawal in 1985. In return, Israel supplied the organisation with arms, uniforms, and other logistical equipment.

In 1985 the SLA opened a detention center in Khiam. It was widely reported that torture occurred on a large scale in Khiam. Israel rejects any involvement, and claims that Khiam was the sole responsibility of the SLA: this has been contested by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International <1>. The SLA also applied a mandatory military service program where males over 18 living in the Security Zone were forced to serve a whole year as a military recruit. The SLA has constantly received fundings, weapons and logistics from Israel.

During the 1990s, Hezbollah carried out increasingly effective attacks on it, aided in later years by Lebanese army intelligence which had thoroughly penetrated the SLA. These changed circumstances led to a progressive loss of morale and members. By 2000, the SLA was reduced to 1,500 fighters as compared to 3,000 ten years earlier. In its peak during the early 1980s, the SLA was comprised of over 5,000 fighters.