The united nations established the special tribunal for lebanon in the hague for pursuing the investigation, and prosecutors filed indictments in 2011 against four members of hezbollah. He is the author of the forthcoming book hezbollah. By matthew levitt matthew levitt is director of the stein program on counterterrorism and intelligence at the washington institute for near east policy and an adjunct professor at johns hopkins school of advanced international affairs. The global footprint of lebanons party of god is the first thorough examination of hezbollahs covert activities beyond lebanons borders, including its financial and logistical support networks and its criminal and terrorist operations worldwide. Iran and hezbollah leveraged support from these networks to carry out the 1994 bombing of the asociacion mutual israelita argentina amia jewish community center in buenos aires. Reviews levitt creatively deploys his deep knowledge coupled with the scrupulous collection, analysis, and exploitation of information and intelligence in support of his arguments against hezbollah. Sep 17, 2017 hezbollahs position in lebanon may not seem very relevant to the turbulent political events absorbing public attention in the united states today, but as u. The global footprint of lebanons party of god, by matthew levitt washington, dc. Discover book depositorys huge selection of matthew levitt books online. In his extraordinary new book, matthew levitt explains why hezbollah is seen as such a global threat.
It emerged with financial backing from iran in the early 1980s and began a struggle to drive israeli troops from lebanon. Iranian and hezbollah operations in south america then and now by matthew levitt s ince at least the early 1980s, iran has operated an intelligence network in latin america hezbollah soon followed suit. This article originally appeared in the autumn 20 issue of fathom. Levitts book is at present the definitive book on hezbollah and should be required reading for anyone working iran or hezbollah issues in either government or private industry.
In november 2009, hezbollah pressured a private englishlanguage school to drop reading excerpts from the. Hezbollah is a major political force, having won seats in the may 2018 elections and securing three cabinet posts. Hezbollahs new strength leaves israeli border tense. From 2005 to early 2007, he served as deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and analysis at the u. Matthew levitt is director of the stein program on counterterrorism and intelligence at the washington institute for near east policy and an adjunct professor at johns hopkins school of advanced international affairs. Jul 27, 2011 matthew levitt is director of the stein program on counterterrorism and intelligence at the washington institute for near east policy and an adjunct professor at johns hopkins school of advanced international affairs. Levitt paints a compelling picture of hezbollahs terror activities not just in the middle east but throughout europe, asia, africa, and north and south america. The main arsenal of hezbollahs rocket force consists of over 120,000 rockets. Hezbollah s overall fighting force consists of 25,000 30,000 troops. Hezbollah was founded in the early 1980s as part of an iranian effort to aggregate a variety of militant lebanese shia groups into a unified organization. Hezbollah terrorists based in lebanon unleashed a barrage of missiles into israel on sunday, destroying an ambulance and prompting return fire, according to reports. Since at least the early 1980s, iran has operated an intelligence network in latin america hezbollah soon followed suit.
Hezbollah was openly handed the task it had previously been accorded in secret, after it had spent several years silently working, recruiting, building and expanding across lebanon. The global footprint of lebanons party of god matthew levitt on. Analysts and diplomats have converged on the view that hezbollah has developed a global footprint. Matthew levitt is the fromerwexler fellow and directs the counterterrorism program at the washington institute for near east policy. The smiling face of sayyed hassan nasrallah, the prominent shiite cleric who is hezbollah s political leader. Journal of international security affairs a rich literature about hezbollah covering its variety of operational modes.
Hezbollah s terrorism finance operations are thriving across latin america months after the drug enforcement administration linked the iranbacked lebanese militant group to. The book concludes with a look at hezbollahs integral, ongoing role in irans. This event, hosted by the washington institute for near east policy, was held at the cosmos club in washington, dc. Hezbollah party of god in arabic has multiple identities, mr. The partys fighting strength has grown substantially since the 2006 lebanon war. Hezbollah was conceived by muslim clerics and funded by iran primarily to harass israel. Hezbollah has the armed strength of a mediumsized army. The lebanese hezbollah is perhaps the worlds most capable group. Hezbollah does not reveal its manpower and estimates vary widely. Robin wright on her meeting with naim qassem, hezbollah s secondincommand, and the toll of the groups effort to support bashar alassads hold on syria. Hezbollah is generally considered the most powerful nonstate actor in the world, and to be stronger than the lebanese army.
Frederic hof, senior fellow at the atlantic council, provides commentary. Hezbollah acts as a proxy for iran in the ongoing iranisrael proxy conflict. This book by matthew levitt exposes the worldwide threat posed by hezbollah by tracing the movements origins from the 1979 mullahled revolt in iran to the. Choosing to turn a blind eye to the fact that, while hezbollah was not committing acts of terror, it was hardly a benign force in europe, the eu compounded its sins and concentrated on more positive aspects of the organization. The iran nuclear deal was the holy grail of barack obamas second term, and its no secret he subjugated other priorities and relationships to get it. Beirut according to the mufti of mount lebanon, hezbollah has transformed itself from a resistance group to a mafia organization, trying to force its will on the lebanese people by using mafia tactics. The houthis are not hezbollah donald trump wants to ramp up yemens proxy fight against iran. The book examines the hezbollah movement from a multidisciplinary, comprehensive, historical, and systematic perspective to explain how it has evolved since its inception in the early 1980s to the present. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including recently declassified government documents, court records, and personal interviews with intelligence officials, matthew levitt examines hezbollahs. Levitt also describes hezbollahs unit dedicated to supporting palestinian militant groups. Iran and hezbollah leveraged support from these networks to carry out the 1994 bombing of the asociacion mutual israelita argentina amia. An outsiders inside view is the answer to the question that ha. The book concludes with a look at hezbollah s integral and ongoing role in irans shadow war with israel and the west, including plots targeting civilians around the world. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
A new book by matthew levitt, senior fellow and director of the stein program on counterterrorism and intelligence at the washington institute, outlines just how broad that footprint has become. Sophisticated lessons in spycraft, explosives and arms detailed in a cyprus court case that is forcing the european union to consider. Frederic hof, senior fellow at the atlantic council. Hezbollah is perhaps the worlds most capable group. Hezbollah also transliterated hizbullah, hizballah, etc. Oct 02, 20 matthew levitt talks about the power of hezbollah in lebanon and the organizations activities beyond lebanons borders. Hezbollah s position in lebanon may not seem very relevant to the turbulent political events absorbing public attention in the united states today. Hezbollah lebanons party of god is a multifaceted organisation.
The global footprint of lebanons party of god, matthew levitt, senior fellow at the washington institute for near east policy winep and a former senior u. Discover librarianselected research resources on hezbollah from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. Hezbollah as a criminal organisation the washington. The leader of hezbollah in lebanon said his group is responsible for launching an iranianmade drone over israel last week. Hezbollahlebanons party of godis a multifaceted organization.
Levitt is more doubtful of hezbollahs claim that it could actually hold israeli territory in any future confrontation. The global footprint of lebanons party of god, matthew levitt, through adept storytelling and impressive attention to historical detail, manages to teach even longtime students of the middle east a great deal about hezbollah. Heres what you should know about hezbollah, the terrorist group that acts as a state within a state in lebanon. Southwest report a rise in gang members with persian tattoos, including some with hezbollah imagery. The global footprint of lebanons party of god uk ed. He has shone a bright light into some of the darkest corners of the groups. Hezbollah claims it sent drone over israel, but expert. Todays story gets at the meaning of existence, climate change, community, and connection all within a beautifully intricate story that runs for just a few handfuls of pages. It is a social and religious movement representing the countrys shiite community and one of the dominant. The story from within by naim qassem2 norton writes with great clarity on the roots of hezbollah and t. The book leaves little doubt as to the increasing importance, danger, and international reach of hezbollah. Matthew levitt talks about the power of hezbollah in lebanon and the organizations activities beyond lebanons borders. Levitt s book is a timely reminder of how dangerous and widespread the genie of hezbollah truly is, and why there needs to be a concerted global effort to get it back into the bottle. Apr 26, 20 how hezbollah trained an operative to spy on israeli tourists.
The global footprint of lebanons party of god jewish. Levitt shows convincingly that hezbollah s willingness to deploy violence at home and abroad, its global reach, and its proxypatron relationship with the iranian regime. Beirut used to be known as the paris of the middle east, and in the welltodo christian and sunni quarters of the city, the capital of lebanon still manages to cast a spell. In the fall of 2002, as the bush administration was focused. The islamist militant group hezbollah exploded into a major cocaine trafficker for the united states over the past decadeand it happened under former president barack obamas watch to help. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including recently declassified government documents, court records, and personal interviews with intelligence officials, matthew levitt examines hezbollahs beginnings, its first violent forays in lebanon, and then its terrorist activities and criminal enterprises abroad in europe, the middle east, south america, southeast asia, africa, and finally in. The informal techcrunch book club is now venturing into the short story exhalation, the second piece in ted chiangs eponymous collection. List of books and articles about hezbollah online research. The global footprint of lebanons party of god contains a. They are financed in part by iran and trained by irans islamic revolutionary guard corps. The chief, on the other hand, although pious, had not reached the same level of religious intensity as that attained by maher.
The chiefs upbringing was generally secular, and he had been a talented athlete before joining hezbollah. Matthew levitt is the fromerwexler fellow at the washington institute and director of its jeanette and eli reinhard program on counterterrorism and intelligence. Until 911, no terrorist organization had killed more americans than hezbollah, the lebanese shiite group. Matthew levitt is director of the washington institute for near east policys stein program on counterterrorism and intelligence. Jan 11, 2018 by jeff mordock the washington times thursday, january 11, 2018 attorney general jeff sessions has created a team to focus on drug trafficking and other crimes by hezbollah, the iranian.
Sep 12, 20 hezbollah party of god in arabic has multiple identities, mr. Dont forget, or deny, hezbollahs brutal crimes as we mark the anniversary of two of hezbollahs most spectacular attacks on opposite sides of the globe from bulgaria to. Levitt also describes hezbollahs unit dedicated to supporting palestinian militant groups and hezbollahs involvement in training and supporting. A visitor trying to discover who controls lebanons south, the heartland of lebanese shiism, soon finds that hezbollah flags fly from the wreckage of demolished tanks abandoned by the israeli army when it withdrew from lebanon in 2000. Matthew levitt directs the washington institutes stein program on counterterrorism and intelligence and is author of hezbollah. He demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that hezbollah has a global reach and is a national security threat to the u. Hezbollah commander badreddine killed in syria bbc news.
It is a powerful political party in lebanon, a shia. The central business districta battleground on the dividing line between christian east beirut and muslim west beirut during the lebanese civil. A hybrid force, the group maintains robust conventional and unconventional military capabilities. Jul 04, 2010 hezbollah or the party of god is a powerful political and military organisation in lebanon made up mainly of shia muslims. How hezbollah trained an operative to spy on israeli tourists. This book on lebanese hezbollah is a unique incisive insight into its global terror tentacles around the globe. But as irans economy buckles under sanctions related to its nuclear program, and syria wages war on a domestic opposition, that aid has diminished, even as hezbollah s financial needs have grown alongside its increasing legitimacy. A compelling account of the global terror groups operations. The theological, political, and operational development of a new tactic by helmer, daniel.
Terrorism expert matthew levitt offers a comprehensive and fascinating. Hezbollahs military budget runs about one billion dollars per year. In 2017, janes assessed that hezbollah had more than 25,000 fulltime fighters and perhaps 20,00030,000 reservists. Hezbollah lebanons party of godis a multifaceted organization. He admitted to me that his principal motivation was a desire to protect lebanon from israel. The main arsenal of hezbollah s rocket force consists of over 120,000 rockets. Inside hezbollah s thirtyyear struggle against israel blanford, nicholas on. The 2006 hezbollah crossborder raid was a crossborder attack carried out by lebanonbased hezbollah militants on an israeli military patrol on 12 july 2006 on israeli territory using rockets fired on several israeli towns as a diversion, hezbollah militants crossed from lebanon into israel and ambushed two israeli army vehicles, killing three soldiers and capturing two other soldiers. Hezbollahs overall fighting force consists of 25,000 30,000 troops. Levitt also describes hezbollahs unit dedicated to supporting palestinian militant. Biography matthew levitt is the fromerwexler fellow at the washington institute and director of its jeanette and eli reinhard program on counterterrorism and intelligence. In his extraordinary new book, matthew levitt explains why hezbollah is seen as. Inside hezbollah s thirtyyear struggle against israel.