Fresh          
 
 
             '                      ●●● ●●● ●●● ! ●●●   

   > , >

« | »
 



  #270  
07-03-2016, 22:27
  strong1 strong1   
 
: 13.11.04
: 16,823
Hezbollah’s Death Valley
1 " : "

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/03...s-death-valley/

EBAA, Lebanon — This small Lebanese town straddles a steep valley, with Syria on one side and Israel on the other. It sits under the watchful eye of an Israeli military base perched on the top of a nearby mountain, while an observation post manned by U.N. peacekeepers watches from another. The Lebanese army holds an assortment of positions within the town and its outskirts, and the snow-capped mountaintops of the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights can be seen clearly from the town center.

This is where the region’s many conflicts intersect. It is also where they most amplify one another. A few miles to the east, on the Syrian side of the border, an array of opposition forces — including the al Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, groups within the Free Syrian Army, and militias aligned with the Islamic State — hold ground. Within the valley, Israel and Hezbollah eye each other warily.

Hezbollah is counting on this becoming a flashpoint for any future conflict with Israel. In fighting alongside the Syrian government, Hezbollah has not only lost the lives of more than 1,000 of its fighters, it has also gained a level of tactical experience and weaponry that has made it a far more threatening force for its enemies elsewhere in the region. Those close to the group say that for the first time Hezbollah has the ability to bring a war with Israel into Israeli territory.
« | »

:

:


HTML




GMT +2. 01:33

1.37 11
- Fresh -

vBulletin, 3.0.6
© 2024 - 2000 Jelsoft Enterprises.
Fresh.co.il ©

|