Once ISIS Is Gone, Hezbollah Will Work to Take Its Place

The Fellowship  |  August 9, 2017

This week, we’ve told you of American efforts to slow the spread of Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist group and one of Israel’s nearest and most threatening foes. Now, writing at Ynet News, Dr. Yaron Friedman provides a detailed analysis, explaining that once ISIS has been cleared of the Middle East, Hezbollah will only grow stronger, becoming the region’s leading terror group and an even greater problem for Israel:

Several weeks ago, it seemed as if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Al-Aqsa Mosque were back in the headlines. But as soon as the metal detectors and cameras were removed, the Palestinian issue was pushed back to the margins of the news in the Arab world’s leading channels.

The Arab states have no time to deal with the Palestinian issue, as they are up to their necks in the wars taking place on their territories or near their borders. Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Yemen have all been in a state of war for several years now. What’s happening in these countries right now? Who will be the leading terror organization in the region after the Islamic State (ISIS) is eliminated? And are these wars related to Israel…

As far as Israel is concerned, the developments in the wars on terror are positive, apart from the development that has to do with Hezbollah. The organization is receiving regional legitimization from Syria, Iran and Russia, as well as local intra-Lebanese legitimization from different ethnic groups, due to the fact that Hezbollah is successfully fighting Sunni terror organizations that are threatening to invade Lebanon.

The price of Hezbollah’s assistance against the jihadists is high. The organization has permanent bases in Lebanon and Syria. The Houthis in Yemen, whose slogan is “Death to America, death to Israel, a curse on the Jews,” are highly inspired by Hezbollah and have even promised to help the organization in the future in its war on Israel.

After the war on jihadist terror is over and the Islamic State is destroyed, Hezbollah—which has tens of thousands of fighters, modern weapons, thousands of missiles and an improved brainwashing and propaganda system—will become a region-wide problem as big as ISIS. Unlike the Islamic State, this will mainly be a close and imminent problem for Israel.