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Thursday, 3 March 2011

Nasrallah''s Good Old Life in a Bunker

Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah has been living underground for almost five years now, in hideouts that are little known. A fugitive who fears for his life and is committed to his Iranian patrons, he stays deep inside the soil that he claims to have liberated from the Israelis. Nobody knows his whereabouts with the exception of a small group of bodyguards.

Senior officials who wish to meet him and even representatives of Iran's Revolutionary Guards do it at a central bunker; Nasrallah arrives for such sessions under heavy security and a veil of secrecy. The views regarding his hideout the rest of the time are inconclusive.

An Israeli intelligence official estimates that Nasrallah leads a life similar to that of a wanted terror suspect in the territories. He sleeps at various sites, meets his family infrequently, and runs his guerilla empire via decoded technology provided by the Iranians.

However, Colonel Shlomo Mofaz, the former deputy head of the army's research division, says that Nasrallah is unlikely to conduct himself like a Gaza fugitive. "We are talking about a man with great self-respect; a man who is above the masses…a man like him does not dart from one place to another. Nasrallah has an underground system of bunkers where he spends most of his day."

...In his day-to-day life, Nasrallah maintains contact only with one close circle of associates. Most of them are members of his bodyguard unit. "Nasrallah undertakes major screening," says Colonel Mofaz. "Hence, as is the case with other terror leaders, the close circle around him comprises relatives and people he trusts."

The members of the Shiite bodyguard unit are distinguished Hezbollah men who had proven their loyalties and fighting skill. The unit expanded in the wake of the Second Lebanon War and today comprises 19 men, all tasked with safeguarding the secretary general. Bodyguards are recruited after several years of field service.

A Shiite youngster who wishes to become Nasrallah's bodyguard must undertake basic and advanced training, which usually takes place in northern Lebanon. After proving his skill in handling guns, explosives, communication equipment and anti-tank weapons, and especially after showing that he is ideologically fit for the job, a candidate is examined in the field. There is no shortage of tests under fire in Lebanon, and those who wish to stand out have an opportunity to do so.

In the next phase, the young men are sent to a Revolutionary Guards training camp near Tehran. Just like Hezbollah men earmarked for other posts, the bodyguards undergo additional basic training. Only after successfully completing this phase, Nasrallah's guards advance to learning bodyguard techniques.

....Israel could have targeted Nasrallah when he delivered his public speeches. Despite the potential collateral damage, at the end of the day this is mostly a matter of decision. And here we face the question of the benefit of assassinating the Hezbollah chief.

Colonel Mofaz believes that killing Nasrallah would be good for Israel. "At this time I do not see a charismatic successor like him; a man who has the political clout, ties with the Iranians, and religious authority."
http://challahhuakbar.blogspot.com/2011/03/nasrallahs-good-old-life-in-bunker.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed


2 comments:

  1. fuuuuuuuuck you.. fucking your mother..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great photos. I am growing weary of all the Israel bashing. Nice, to see someone defend Israel besides the IDF.
    Maybe, you should consider creating a line of greeting cards using these themes.

    ReplyDelete