Military Terrorism Complex

By Hal Lindsey

 

Not long ago in this space, I talked about one of the most underreported facts of the Middle East — that the Lebanese terror group known as Hezbollah has a larger stockpile of missiles than all NATO countries (except the U.S.) combined.  The terror group is reported to have approximately 150,000 missiles in the field, ready to go.

 

Hezbollah is the most powerful non-state military actor in the world.  They have 20,000 active duty troops and another 25,000 reservists.  They are known to have a vast number of deep and sophisticated tunnel and bunker complexes across southern Lebanon, and entering Israel under its northern border.

 

Where does a terrorist group get the weapons and money to build such an immense military machine?  It primarily comes from their fellow Shiite Muslims in Iran.

 

In June, we learned that Hezbollah’s military capabilities have taken a dramatic turn.  ISIS differentiated itself from other terror groups by taking territory from existing nations, and attempting to build a caliphate on it.  But Hezbollah has done them one better.  They are building their own industrial infrastructure capable of producing precision weapons, primarily missiles.

 

Israeli Defense Forces Intelligence Chief, Maj.-Gen.  Herzl Halevi, said, “We are seeing Hezbollah building a domestic military industry on Lebanese soil based on Iranian know-how.  Hezbollah is producing weapons systems and transporting them to southern Lebanon….  Over the past year, Iran is working to establish infrastructure for the independent production of precision weapons in Lebanon and Yemen.”

 

In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a 34-day war.  It ended with the Lebanese cabinet, Hezbollah’s strongman leader, and the Israeli Knesset agreeing to the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.  Among other things, that resolution provided for “the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon….  There will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese State.”

 

That should have been the end of an armed Hezbollah.  But instead, they have had an explosion of military capability in the intervening years.  In other words, Hezbollah’s promise isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, and the UN remains a toothless tiger.

 

The resolution also required Hezbollah to stay north of the Litani River.  It runs about 18 miles north of and roughly parallel to Lebanon’s border with Israel.  Most of their force remains north of the river, but they are building observation towers next to the border.

 

You might wonder how UN peacekeepers could overlook something so obvious.  Before I tell you how Hezbollah gets away with it, go ahead and swallow any liquid you may be drinking — because this could definitely provoke choking.  Hezbollah is able to work along the border because they made up their own environmental organization — “Green Without Borders.” They say they plan to plant a million trees.  Oh, and they just happen to want to plant those trees in South Lebanon — near the border with Israel.

 

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) released photographs and video showing “Green Without Borders” building large observation towers along the border.  The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) issued a statement supposedly contradicting the IDF.  It says its members have “not observed any unauthorized armed persons at the locations or found any basis to report a violation of resolution 1701.”

 

But Israel did not accuse Hezbollah of sending “armed persons” south of the Litani.  They accused them of building observation towers.  UNIFIL did not deny the basic accusation, nor did they explain why a group whose primary purpose is to plant trees, needs observation towers directly on the border.

 

UNIFIL was formed in 2006, not only to keep Hezbollah north of the Litani River, but to oversee Hezbollah’s disarmament.  During the intervening years, Hezbollah’s military power has grown into something far greater than that of most nations.  After a failure of such proportions, how does UNIFIL have any credibility left?

 

With ISIS, the world saw the danger, and nations have been cooperating to rein it in.  But with Hezbollah, the nations of the world are turning a blind eye, despite the obvious and massive violations of UN resolutions.

 

Only Israel seems concerned about Hezbollah.  And it should be.  Look at a map of the region.  With Damascus and other key Syrian assets in the hands of Iran and Russia, Iran has a direct pipeline to Hezbollah in Lebanon.  And with Iran’s growing oil wealth, they can give Hezbollah all the assets it needs.  In the early 1980s, Iran created Hezbollah.  Now, the terror group has become an extension of Iran’s power in the region.

 

Hezbollah caused massive difficulties for Israel in 2006.  At that time, they had 15,000 rockets.  Now they have ten times that number.  Plus, the 150,000 missiles they presently have are both more sophisticated and more destructive than the 15,000 from eleven years ago.  The old ones didn’t have nearly the payload of the new ones, nor did they have the precision guidance systems of the new ones.

 

These weapons are not defensive, but offensive in nature.  Hezbollah and Iran have made their intentions clear.  They mean to destroy Israel from the face of the earth.

 

God promises to preserve Israel during and after the current regathering, but the nation will experience terrible days.  With Hezbollah and so many other armies poised to strike their small nation, you can see why Israel will one day agree to a peace treaty with Antichrist.  He will promise what they will crave most — peace and safety.  And then he will deliver a reign of destruction.

 

In the end, however, all God’s promises to Israel will be kept.  At the end of the book, they turn to the true Messiah.  They win… as do all those who put their trust in Jesus.