http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HG29Ak02.html

In the last few weeks, Hassan Nasrallah (which name literally means in Arabic God’s victory), the Secretary General of the Lebanese Shia terror group Hezbollah (The party of God), has almost become a household name. Even though Nasrallah has become “famous” for starting this new Hezbollah-Israel war and declared Israel as its mortal enemy, one should not forget that the Big Satan still remains the USA. And that’s why out of all places Iraq is where Nasrallah’s influence can also be felt.

Nasrallah’s biography can explain how he got close to prominent Lebanese/Iranian/Iraqi Shia clerics and in particular the Sadr family. In fact in 1975 while he was only 15, Nasrallah joined the ranks of the Lebanese Shia movement Amal- that Hezbollah broke from after its creation in 1982- led by Musa Al Sadr.

Then from 1976 to 1978, he was sent to study in Najaf, Iraq at the famed Shia seminary, the Hawze. There he met most his mentors starting with Iranian Ayatollah Khomeiny and also his tutor Ayatollah Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr (Muqtada Al Sadr’s father). He also was in close contact with Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani and finally he was groomed by future Hezbollah leader Abbas Al Musawi whom he succeeded after Musawi was killed by the Israelis in 1992. These two years in Najaf definetely left a huge imprint on Nasrallah’s psyche.

And that’s why when it was time to help his Shia brothers in Iraq after the US intervention in 2003 and especially Muqtada Al Sadr, Nasrallah responded present. So Nasrallah using the 1982 model of what had worked in Lebanon to kick out the multinational force adapted some of his tactics in Iraq. If one thinks about it, Iraq 2006 looks a lot like Lebanon 1983. For example, the Iranian man in charge of this whole operation is Hassan Qommi, who had the exact same job… in Beirut in 1982. Qommi helped Hezbollah instructors get to Iraq to train Sadr’s militia.

Starting in 2003, Hezbollah began building up organizational and military apparatuses in Iraq. For instance, in April 2003, Hizbullah opened two offices in the Iraqi cities of Basra and Safwan. The terrorist campaign targeting moderate Iraqi Shia clerics, willing to work with the US, was most likely orchestrated by Sadr and Hizbullah. Keep in mind that even though Nasrallah greatly respects Ayatollah Sistani, he is totally at odds with him when it comes to fighting the American presence.

Also in 2003-2004, Imad Mughniah, the top Hezbollah operative wanted by most Western secret services for his role in most of the attacks perpetrated by Hezbollah including the bombings of the US embassy, the US and French barracks in 1983 in Beirut, was signaled in Iraq. Syria had most probably facilitated its entry on Iraqi soil.

Hezbollah also had a specialty in Lebanon in the 1980’s, which was kidnapping foreign citizens. Is it a coincidence that it was happening on a daily basis in 2004 Iraq?

Knowing that Nasrallah, called for suicide bombings against the US forces in Iraq, it was just a matter of time until the terrorists were ready to strike.

The connection with Muqtada al Sadr is total: in fact,

For proof of Hezbollah’s active participation in the insurgency are the arrests made in February 2005 by Iraqi authorities of eighteen Lebanese Hezbollah fighters taking part in the insurgency.

In a recent July 11 speech that was really focused on the situation with Israel, Nasrallah made a point of again talking about Iraq. He specifically called for Iraqis to step up their resistance against the American invader. In response Sadr offered to send members of his militia to South Lebanon to fight Israel. This is not surprising since Sadr declared in 2004 that he was “the striking arm for Hezbollah”.

Obviously, Hezbollah as the multinational of terror cannot be just reduced to Lebanon and Israel. Its expansion into Iraq fits strategically very well in the plans of its two sponsors: Syria and Iran. Richard Armitage, ex Deputy Secretary of State, has said that we had a blood debt with Nasrallah’s organization. In light of the fact that Hezbollah was prior to September 11 the organization that had killed the most Americans, and the likelihood of additional killings of US soldiers in Iraq, now would be a good time to repay the debt…