A series of mysterious accidents and explosions have been taking place in Hezbollah’s arms caches in recent years, the last of them on Oct. 3 in the town of Al-Nabi Sheet [in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley] — “a dagger through Hezbollah’s heart,” in the words of a high-level Israeli defense source in a talk with Yedioth Ahronoth. The last explosion took place exactly a year ago in November 2011 when a large Hezbollah munitions depot went up in flames near Sidkin in southern Lebanon. The same ritual is repeated each time: First, Hezbollah denies that the event took place, only to admit afterward regretfully that again, someone got the best of them.
Summary :
Mysterious accidents have been plaguing Hezbollah’s arms caches, most recently on Oct. 3. Quoting Israeli security sources, Ronen Bergman reports this latest explosion caused great damage to the organization's weapons storehouses — and to its prestige.
Publisher:
Yedioth Ahronoth (Israel)
Original Title:
A Dagger Through Hezbollah’s Heart
Author:
Ronen Bergman
First Published:
October 4, 2012
Posted on:
October 5 2012
Translated by:
Sandy Bloom
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One of Hezbollah’s major lessons from the Second Lebanon War is to install as many weapon stockpiles as possible in urban regions and uninhabited areas, out of the assumption that the Israeli Defense Forces will cut off their supply route as soon as a war breaks out. Hezbollah re-establishes the weapons caches secretly, under the nose of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, and with the tacit backing of the Lebanese Army — while it gears up for the Third Lebanon War.
Israel watches and fumes silently. Israeli aircraft fly throughout the country at great heights; day after day, they document Hezbollah’s strengthening, but remain faithful to the cease-fire agreement.
These blasts cause Hezbollah three kinds of damage: Some take place in areas in which the organization is prohibited from maintaining weapons, according to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. Furthermore, the blasts reveal that Hezbollah holds tremendous quantities of ammunition in regions that endanger the local population. Finally, the blasts reveal that someone else has repeatedly overcome the extreme field security of the organization.
Israel
Lebanon
