NEUTRALIZING  HEZBOLLAH

   

Is Hezbollah the number one terrorist organization in the world? In my opinion, yes. Why is that statement most likely true? Simple, it has the most obvious nation-state support of any terrorist group. Hezbollah is the primary proxy weapon of Tehran; just ask the Mullahs. Is it in everyone's interest if this proxy unit goes away? Well, it's not in the interest of the Mullahs or the drug cartels. Wait, you say. Say what? Drug cartels, like the ones in Mexico? You bet, and if that's new news to you, then you need to pay real attention to the rest of this post. Have I talked about the nexus between Hezbollah and their fellow terrorists, the drug cartels? I can't count how many times. Why would these two unlikely groups have something in common? Great question, but one with a simple answer. Money! 

Lately, I have once again had an ongoing debate with people over the topic of designating the drug cartels as FTOs, Foreign Terrorist Organizations. If you follow me, you know this story, and it has the same old rhythm. " Drug cartels cannot be identified as FTOs because they have no ideological goal." Sometimes, I don't even respond, and other times I come back with, " you must work or make money from the Beltway Bandits"......, you know........DC! To make my point about how to dismantle the number one terrorist organization in the world, I have to go back to the issue of why the cartels and groups like Hezbollah are inseparable. By the way, if you really wanted to get down and dirty over the question of what makes an organization a terrorist group, you might find an argument Hezbollah is not a terrorist group, but merely a military branch of Tehran. Now, there is an argument that sets some people's hair on fire. Anyway, back to my point. Do the cartels inspire to change the political landscape of the area they operate in? You see, this is the trap those that argue against the FTO designation fall for. If a group demands that everyone in an area the group wishes to have complete control over, act as the group wishes, and that message is sent by killing people in that same area, then they are terrorizing the area.

Is that an "Ideology"? Does that cartel require a leader who has read the history of social struggle? Does that cartel need a belief in some spiritual vision? Is Class Envy the issue that drives the cartels? No. Money and power that drives the cartels and those two goals have been the focus of every "movement" since the time of the Pharaohs. Ideological issues have been nothing more than a tool, a smokescreen for movements. Do you think I'm wrong? Name me one movement, one system of government that has not had the goals of power and wealth? Cartels are driven by a lust for wealth and the ability to take and keep that wealth. Hezbollah is driven by what? "I demand that everyone become radical Shia"? If you believe that, honestly believe that, then try telling the members of Hezbollah they are no longer going to be paid. Try telling Nasrallah he has to live off of 500 calories a day like the rest of the people in Lebanon. Have you looked at him? A lot of people that he controls are undernourished. He's not one of them. How do the Mullahs in Tehran keep Hezbollah doing their bidding? Do they give them free copies of this week's Mullah inspired writings? They keep the wolves happy of Hezbollah happy by allowing them two things; power and wealth. Hezbollah is allowed to be the top dog in Lebanon, why?

One; it keeps Lebanon under Tehran's control. Two, it keeps the proxy goons content. How? Wealth and power. Go figure. Look. The idea the drug cartels are not conducting terrorist acts all over Mexico is simply an issue of denial in DC. Denial based on the economic pressures of the US's number one trade partner being controlled by drug cartels. It's a fight the so-called leadership in DC simply doesn't want to recognize, at least not until it's too late. But, what how does that reality lead to the downfall of the number one terrorist group in the world, Hezbollah? Here we go. Here is the answer. 

Hezbollah's funding crisis: 

Let's take a quick snapshot of how things are going for Hezbollah's Boss. 

Lebanon. Just yesterday,  I was talking to a good friend who was born and raised in Lebanon. He had been back home last week to check on his family. If you've not been paying attention, the stability of Lebanon has actually gotten worse. I know that's hard to do, but it's true. Now, with all that is going on there, here is a fact that is making the old men in Tehran rub the prayer beads to they shine. It seems even the Shia youth in Lebanon are sick of Hezbollah's control over their nation. Just watch the protest taking place almost daily, and you will see the demographics in the streets. It's not just college/school kids. It's the middle class. It's the people who actually leave work, miss pay, to protest the status of the nation they love. Short answer. Tehran is in real danger of losing control of Lebanon. 

Think Lebanon has Tehran worried? The events in Iraq have the Lebanese protest playing second fiddle. Things are so bad in Iraq, Tehran jumped straight to the ultimate option; killing the protestors! Not only killing them but murdering them in large numbers. When was the last time you saw that tact lead to peaceful resolution? Losing control of Iraq? That is exactly what Tehran believes, and not only do they truly fear that statement, the old men in Tehran are convinced the US and Saudi are behind the crisis. By the way, they hold the same opinion on the events in Lebanon. Bottom line; Tehran is losing control of Iraq. Young Shia and Sunni rising up. Second Arab Spring? That's a whole new conversation for some other day. 

Syria. What in the world is going on in Syria? How long have I been talking about the reality of Moscow determining the future of Syria and not Tehran or Damascus? How often have I mentioned just how upset the old men in Tehran have become over that reality? Syria. Its' future is in the hands of Moscow as the Tsar trades with the US over other more important issues. 

Now, here comes a topic that really.............really sets Tehran into a tirade. Sanctions. Sanctions the US / Trump / has placed on the old men and sanctions the old men can't seem to get the Teletubbies of the EU to ignore. Sanctions the Chinese don't care about and sanctions Moscow finds quietly amusing. Sanctions that have a critical impact on the very topic this post is attempting to address. Hezbollah needs what to keep going? Money! How has Hezbollah acquired that money in the past? Well, the answer is, through a variety of processes, but the majority of the money came, notice I said, "came," from Tehran. Yes, Hezbollah had other avenues of cash flow. In the past, the budget of Lebanon was a significant funding draw point, but that changed a few months ago when the US put the squeeze on Lebanon's banks. Side Note: It's relatively easy to list the achievements, both good and bad, Trump has accomplished in the past three years. Can anyone provide me such a comparison for the US Congress:)?  

Funding. The cash flow for Hezbollah has been drastically reduced and believe it or not,  that is a deliberate plan by DC. Tehran is out of cash, and as I have addressed in the past, that equates into not making payroll for Tehran's proxy groups. Take a look at Iraq. What the old men have been forced to do is prioritize the flow of the cash they have left. First and foremost, they have to keep the IRGC and al-Qud's forces happy. Without them, the old men sleep with the fishes at the hands of the Iranian people. The next group to get some of what is left is Hezbollah. Here comes the decisive part of this conversation. Is it enough? Can Hezbollah survive on the reduced rations from Tehran? Can they hold on to the last cash cow in the form of the Lebanese government? Lebanon is out of money, and how can you drain a bank account that is already empty? What is Hezbollah going to do? How do you keep your loyal fighters in line if you can't pay them? Ideology? That word is such a joke. 

Let's look at this crisis for Hezbollah from another angle. Who still has the kind of money Hezbollah needs to operate? Folks, in the world of law enforcement, that question is referred to as " a clue."  Is there a history of a relationship between the drug cartels and groups like Hezbollah? I will tell you the answer is an undeniable, yes, but if you don't believe me, look up a few congressional reports and see what conclusions you come to. For those of you who are research impaired, here's a little help. 

Lookup "State Sponsors of  Terrorism. An examination of Iran's Global Terrorism Network.   No. I'm not going to just give you the link. I want you to do a little of the work on your own:). 

Hezbollah controls the drug networks in Lebanon, and for the most part, those drugs come from the cartels. How much money has Hezbollah made off of this partnership? More than you can imagine. By the way, if a cartel is recognized as having a direct support relationship with a recognized terrorist organization, doesn't that put them in the same category? Don't ask DC that because they won't answer you unless they hide behind the "ideology" wall again. Hezbollah and the drug cartels; two groups who seek the same endstate...............power and wealth. Two groups that control that use violence and fear to achieve common goals. 

Break Hezbollah. Break the Cartels: 

Okay, here we are, the apex of this post. Who do you neutralize Hezbollah? Answer. You take away another critical pillar of their ability to pay their members. How do you achieve that goal? You destroy their relationship with the cartels. And how do you do that? You make it too painful for the cartels to have anything to do with their partner, Hezbollah. At the same time, you destroy the trust Hezbollah has, what little there is, with the cartels.  What would this operation look like? Okay, here I go! 

A meeting takes place somewhere in the world, and at that meeting, representatives from Hezbollah and the cartel, you pick the name, work out the next transfer of goods. The meeting ends, and that same day, those that attended the meeting wake up dead! Not only do the members who held the discussion end up dead, those charged with making the movement take place find themselves sleeping with the fishes. Now, meetings between the cartels and other clients seem to go off without a hitch. It's business as usual. After this unfortunate event takes place with Hezbollah, the cartels, and Hezbollah conclude, it was most likely just the Israelis doing the work they are known for doing. The event is not tied to any assumption something has changed with the US. Result? A follow on meeting is held. As soon as that meeting is completed, yet another group of negotiators ends up dead, along with those who were going to make the movement happen. Now, things start to get complicated. What's going on? Who is interfering with business? Is it the Israelis? Are they stepping up their game? Have they decided to interfere in a process they've not shown interest over in the past? There is still money to be made on both sides, so another meeting takes place, but this time in a different location with additional precautions. End result?

The same. Remember that scene in "Clear and Present Danger," when the drug Boss really loses his cool over his product being screwed with? Yep, that's the impact this plan would be looking for. What travels faster than STDs in the drug cartel world? Yep, rumors. By the time the third attack takes place, the rumor is throughout Mexico. " If you meet with a Hezbollah member, you end up dead within 24 hrs". Cartel folks are suspicious by nature and even more superstitious. You keep hitting the Hezbollah meetings and shipments, and you have a full-blown crisis between the two groups. 

Phase Two: 

Operation, " You meet them, you die," has a significant impact on Hezbollah's cash flow from the drug world. By the way, if "other" drug groups from other nations attempt to take up the slack, the operation simply expands!  Now, while "you meet, you die" has been cooking for a few weeks, phase two is put into motion. Rumors about who is to blame are slipped into the right hands. How many corrupt Mexican officials need to be given information before it gets back to the cartel bosses? Honestly, how many shady government officials in any nation does this next phase need to be leaked to? Reminder. We are talking about a 60 BILLION + dollar a year industry here. What information needs to be leaked? Well, it seems members of the cartel are snitching on what Hezbollah groups are making the drug deals. It's rumored that factions inside of Hezbollah are trying to take control of the drug business. With depleting funds, subgroups in Hezbollah are looking for funds. They are simply not being given by the higherups in Hezbollah's leadership. Ah, that word, "dissension"; It has such powerful ramifications. Northern Beqaa Valley vs. Southern. Do you know the history there? If you want to understand Hezbollah, you need to. 

Just about the time, rumors of who is betraying who are having an impact on the cartels and Hezbollah, a high ranking Boss of one of the cartels goes up in a cloud of car bomb smoke. Forensics, provided by the US and INTERPOL are supplied to the Mexcian government, and the findings are disturbing. It seems the fingerprint of this car bomb is identical to devices used by Hezbollah. Not only that, but US intelligence lets SEDENA liaison at NORTHCOM know, unofficially, signal intelligence showed operational units of Hezbollah in Venezuela moved into Mexico a week prior to the bomb. Yep, it looks like Hezbollah thinks the cartels are snitching, and Snitches get Stitches or car bombs! At the end of the day, the relationship between these two terrorist groups is severely degraded. Just how much of an impact does this operation have on Hezbollah's ability to make payroll? Hard to tell, but an old saying comes to mind. " A death by a thousand cuts." Hezbollah is bleeding, and its master in Tehran can't stop the flow. Just how desperate is Tehran becoming and just how loyal are the rank and file of Hezbollah going to remain? Meanwhile, back in Mexico, the cartels are still not identified as FTOs. It seems DC is just too occupied with its own destruction.