Hezbollah squeezed out of Golan by Jabhat al-Nusra, Israel
The infiltration of Syrian militants into Lebanon threatens Hezbollah’s presence in the strategic Golan Heights.
The Syrian opposition militants entering Lebanon’s southeastern corner are not Hezbollah’s only concern. There are three other consequences, equally serious and disturbing for the party.
First, Jabhat al-Nusra has taken control of the Syrian side of the border facing the Lebanese area of Shebaa, which is occupied by Israel, isolating Hezbollah from the Syrian extension in the Golan Heights. Hezbollah considers the area a strategic position in its conflict with Israel. After Syria maintained only weak official control over those quiet areas since the disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel in 1973, a series of military operations has lately targeted Israeli soldiers in the region.
For example, a bomb targeted Israeli soldiers in Shebaa on March 14, and another struck Israeli soldiers deeper into the Golan Heights four days later.
Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah announced in an April 7 interview that the party claimed responsibility for the first explosion, which was within the occupied Lebanese territories.
