On November 30, 2009, Hizbullah’s new political manifesto was read by Hassan Nasrallah.
The third chapter of the manifesto deals with Palestine in the peace agreement process, the status of Jerusalem, and the Palestinian resistance. After determining that Zionism is a racist movement, Hizbullah makes it clear that the liberation of Palestinian lands including Jerusalem is a mission that is imposed upon the Arab and Islamic world. At the same time, Hizbullah rejects any agreement with Israel that will be predicated on recognition of the legitimacy of its existence or any concessions on Palestinian lands. It was emphasized that this position is consistent, fixed and final, and there can be no retreat from it even if the entire world were to recognize Israel.
Background
During the
Second Lebanon War, from July 12 - August 14, 2006, the Hizbullah deliberately targeted the Israeli civilian population, launching over 4000 rockets at densely populated areas, killing 44 and wounding over 600. In addition, 121 Israeli soldiers were killed and 450 were wounded. The Hizbullah relied upon a sizeable arsenal, which included over 1000 long-range rockets, over 13,000 short-range rockets, aerial units, naval units and guerilla ground forces with anti-tank capabilities.
On August 12,
UN Security Council resolution 1701 was accepted, leading to a ceasefire and the ultimate end of the war. The resolution called for the full cessation of hostilities, delineated the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River as a buffer zone, free of “armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL”. In addition, the maximum size of the force was expanded to 15,000.
The Hizbullah does not function as an independent political and military entity within Lebanon; it is a front-line proxy, working on behalf of the radical axis and Iran. Like the Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Hizbullah operates within Lebanon to fulfill interests that do not necessarily coincide with national interests. Instead, it promotes a radical Iranian agenda, which focuses on decreasing regional stability. Similar to the aid which the Hamas receives from Iran, the Hizbullah's assistance is manifested in expertise, financial aid, training and weapons.
Syria represents an additional key actor within this chain, with the bulk of the weapon transfers taking place through Syrian territory. The following figure explains the process of smuggling-weapons from Syria, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps or Hizbullah storage centers within Syria are transferred to swap zones near the border and then sent onwards to various locations throughout Lebanon, including areas south of the Litani River.
Following the Second Lebanon War, the Hizbullah intensified its force build-up program. It has amassed extremely large amounts of weapons in both northern and southern Lebanon. This considerable arsenal places a large part of Israel within the ranges of the Hizbullah; a particularly worrying fact given the Hizbullah's doctrine, of targeting civilians.
IDF Spokesperson update - March 2011
The Hizbullah terrorist organization is spread out between as many as 1,000 facilities in southern Lebanon, located in 270 civilian villages. The organization continues to acquire munitions and strengthen, funded by Syria which is also smuggling weapons to it. This includes weapons which can reach populations in the center of Israel in cities like Tel Aviv.
According to IDF intelligence, since the end of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Hizbullah has built as many as 550 bunkers in the southern Lebanon region, holding various weapons. In addition, the organization has built 300 underground facilities and 100 storage units for munitions including rockets, missiles and other weapons.
Many of these terror centers are located near hospitals, private homes and schools, Hizbullah's way of taking advantage of the civilian population of Lebanon. According to the IDF Northern Command, Hizbullah operatives have doubled in number since the end of the last war.
Today, Hizbullah is estimated to have an arsenal of more than 40,000 rockets. This being the case, if war breaks out, Hizbullah will be able to launch between 500 and 600 rockets at Israel every day. One of the organization's main civilian centers for storing munitions is the village of Al Khiyam in southern Lebanon, where hundreds of rockets and mortar shells with varying ranges are stored. More than 100 Hizbullah militants operate in the village, including special forces ready for combat with IDF soldiers.
Hizbullah is thus trying to distort the balance of power in Lebanon and return to full, routine terrorist activity in southeast Lebanon, similar to its activity levels just prior to the war in 2006. Hizbullah terrorist activities are based in southern Lebanon, funded and maintained by Syria and Iran. All of these are in direct violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701 of August 12, 2006, at the end of the Second Lebanon War.