HomeDistinguishable English ReportsHezbollah’s Growing Terror Network in Europe:Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/كون كوغلين/معهد كايتستون: شبكة الإرهاب...
New IRA links confirm Hezbollah’s growing terror threat in Europe Con Coughlin/The National/September25/2020 روابط حزب الله الجديدة مع الجيش الجمهوري الإيرلندي تؤكد خطره المتزايد في أوروبا/كون كوغلين/ ذا ناشيونال
Hezbollah’s Growing Terror Network in Europe/Con Coughlin/ Gatestone Institute/September 25/2020 كون كوغلين/معهد كايتستون: شبكة الإرهاب المتنامية لحزب الله في أوروبا
According to Nathan Sales, the U.S. State Department’s counterterrorism coordinator, Hezbollah has been steadily building up its weapons stockpiles in Europe with the aim of preparing for any future acts of terrorism that may be ordered by Tehran.
Describing Hezbollah’s arms build-up in Europe as posing a “clear and present danger to the US” and its allies, Mr Sales said that US intelligence reports showed that Hezbollah had weapons based in Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, while “significant” ammonium nitrate caches had either been discovered or destroyed in France, Greece and Italy.
Further evidence of Hezbollah’s expanding terrorist presence in Europe has emerged in Ireland, where ten members of an Irish dissident group known as the New IRA (NIRA) were arrested on terrorism charges last month, following claims they met with Hezbollah officials at Iran’s embassy in Dublin.
At a time when tensions are increasing between Iran and the West over Tehran’s controversial nuclear programme, the expansion of Hezbollah’s terror operation in Europe should certainly be a major cause for concern. Iran, after all, has a long history of resorting to terrorism to put pressure on its adversaries, and Europe is an obvious target for future Iranian terror attacks.
The conviction in absentia of two terrorists with links to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia for murdering five Israeli tourists in Bulgaria in 2012 has shed new light on the organisation’s expanding terror network in Europe. Pictured: A truck carries the bus damaged in the attack on Israeli tourists at Burgas Airport in Bulgaria, on July 19, 2012, the day after the bombing.
The conviction in absentia of two terrorists with links to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia for murdering five Israeli tourists in Bulgaria in 2012 has shed new light on the organisation’s expanding terror network in Europe.
The convictions, which were announced earlier this week by the Specialised Criminal Court in Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, relate to a suicide bomb attack against a bus carrying Israeli tourists on July 18, 2012.
The attack took place at the airport in the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Burgas, killing five Israelis, as well as the bus driver.
Bulgarian investigators subsequently identified two prime suspects in the case, Meliad Farah, a Lebanese-Australian, and Hassan El Hajj Hassan, a Lebanese-Canadian, whom they claimed carried out the attack on behalf of Hezbollah.
While Hezbollah has consistently denied any involvement in the murders, the court nevertheless found the two men guilty of the attack, and sentenced them to life imprisonment without parole.
As the whereabouts of the convicted men is unknown, they are unlikely ever to serve their sentences. The evidence uncovered by Bulgarian prosecutors, however, pointing to Hezbollah’s involvement in the attack has been sufficient to persuade European Union officials to place the organisation’s so-called military wing on its terrorism blacklist.
The convictions, moreover, shed fresh light on Hezbollah’s burgeoning terror network in Europe, which US officials believe is part of Iran’s attempts to expand its global terror capabilities.
In the early years of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, the regime mainly confined its terrorist activities to the Middle East. But since the 1990s, Tehran has gradually been expanding its global terror network, the most infamous example being the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) in Buenos Aires, killing 85 people and injuring hundreds.
This means that today Iran has a global network ranging from Latin America, where Hezbollah has been accused of involvement in lucrative drug-smuggling activities, to Africa and Asia.
Now new evidence has emerged that suggests Hezbollah, with the help of its Iranian backers, is busy expanding its terror network in the heart of Europe.
According to Nathan Sales, the U.S. State Department’s counterterrorism coordinator, Hezbollah has been steadily building up its weapons stockpiles in Europe with the aim of preparing for any future acts of terrorism that may be ordered by Tehran.
Speaking during a video appearance at the American Jewish Committee earlier this month, Mr Sales warned that recent American intelligence reports showed that Hezbollah was storing caches of weapons in countries throughout Europe.
This included stockpiles of ammonium nitrate, the same material responsible for the devastating explosion at Beirut’s port last month.
Describing Hezbollah’s arms build-up in Europe as posing a “clear and present danger to the US” and its allies, Mr Sales said that US intelligence reports showed that Hezbollah had weapons based in Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, while “significant” ammonium nitrate caches had either been discovered or destroyed in France, Greece and Italy.
“We have reason to believe that this activity is still underway,” Mr Sales said. “Why would Hezbollah stockpile ammonium nitrate on European soil? The answer is clear. It can conduct major terror attacks whenever its masters in Tehran deem it necessary.”
Further evidence of Hezbollah’s expanding terrorist presence in Europe has emerged in Ireland, where ten members of an Irish dissident group known as the New IRA (NIRA) were arrested on terrorism charges last month, following claims they met with Hezbollah officials at Iran’s embassy in Dublin.
A joint undercover operation mounted by British and Irish security officials found that the group was attempting to acquire Iranian-made weapons for use against the British security forces.
The ten people charged with a variety of terrorism offences include a Palestinian activist, Dr Issam Hijjawi Bassalat, who travelled to Ireland to give lectures on the Palestinian territories.
Two NIRA supporters who were arrested during the operation are reported to have attended a commemoration event at the Iranian Embassy in Dublin held following the death of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian terrorist mastermind killed by a US drone strike in January.
At a time when tensions are increasing between Iran and the West over Tehran’s controversial nuclear programme, the expansion of Hezbollah’s terror operations in Europe should certainly be a major cause for concern. Iran, after all, has a long history of resorting to terrorism to put pressure on its adversaries, and Europe is an obvious target for future Iranian terror attacks.
New IRA links confirm Hezbollah’s growing terror threat in Europe Con Coughlin/The National/September25/2020 روابط حزب الله الجديدة مع الجيش الجمهوري الإيرلندي تؤكد خطره المتزايد في أوروبا/كون كوغلين/ ذا ناشيونال The Lebanese militia is investing in its network across the continent in a variety of ways on behalf of Iran The map details Hezbollah activity in the Middle East. Courtesy of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy The latest allegations that senior representatives of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia met with members of a breakaway Irish terrorist group have highlighted the growing extent of the Iranian-backed organisation’s operations in Europe. For decades, Hezbollah’s primary focus has been the Middle East, where the terrorist organisation – working in conjunction with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – has been responsible for conducting attacks designed to create political instability and discord. In recent years, however, it has gradually expanded its operations farther afield, with its terror cells operating from locations in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Now there is fresh evidence that it is investing in its terrorist network in Europe by establishing arms caches in several countries and building links with terrorist and criminal organisations on the continent. The most recent proof of this has emerged after members of an Irish dissident group were arrested on terrorism charges last month following claims they met with Hezbollah officials at Iran’s embassy in Dublin. Will Lebanon finally gather the strength to oust Hezbollah? As The National reported this month, Irish and British security officials believe that former members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) sought to revive long-standing contacts with Hezbollah in an attempt to obtain finance and weapons for the New IRA (NIRA), a fanatical offshoot of the Irish republican movement that is bitterly opposed to the Good Friday Agreement between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Dissident Irish republicans have been waging a militant campaign against the police and security forces in Northern Ireland since 2009, and were held responsible for the killing of Irish journalist Lyra McKee in April last year. According to officials investigating the Hezbollah plot, Irish dissidents were seeking advanced bomb-making technology previously used by Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iraq. They were in advanced talks with Hezbollah to strike a deal that would have greatly enhanced NIRA’s ability to attack British security forces, including the use of sophisticated improvised explosive devices. Nine NIRA members have now been arrested following a long-running operation by MI5, the British security service. Among those detained was Dr Issam Hijjawi Bassalat, a Palestinian, who has been charged with terrorism offences. At least two of those detained are said to have attended a commemoration ceremony at the Iranian embassy in Dublin following the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Suleimani by a US drone strike in January. From the IRA’s perspective, the claims that NIRA members are attempting to link up with terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah should not come as a big surprise. Irish republicans have a long history of associating with global terror groups and rogue regimes. In the past, the IRA received weapons and other forms of support from the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the Libyan regime of Muammar Qaddafi, Colombian insurgents Farc and Basque terrorist group ETA. The suggestion, however, that senior Irish republicans have been attempting to form a terror pact with Hezbollah is an illustration of the organisation’s growing influence among Europe’s criminal and terrorist networks. This month, the US State Department accused Hezbollah of storing caches of weapons and ammonium nitrate, the same material responsible for the devastating explosion at Beirut’s port last month, at bases throughout Europe. According to Nathan Sales, the State Department’s counterterrorism co-ordinator, Hezbollah has been steadily building up its weapons stockpiles on the continent with the aim of preparing for terrorist acts that may be ordered by Tehran. Describing it as a “clear and present danger to the US” and its allies, Mr Sales said that intelligence reports showed Hezbollah had weapons in Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, while “significant” ammonium nitrate cashes had either been discovered or destroyed in France, Greece and Italy. “We have reason to believe that this activity is still under way,” Mr Sales said in a recent video briefing in Washington. “Why would Hezbollah stockpile ammonium nitrate on European soil? The answer is clear. It can conduct major terror attacks whenever its masters in Tehran deem it necessary.” The threat to European security posed by the growth of Hezbollah’s terrorist network was highlighted this week following the conviction of two suspected terrorists for the murder of five Israeli tourists in Bulgaria in 2010. Meliad Farah, a Lebanese-Australian, and Hassan El Hajj Hassan, a Lebanese-Canadian, were found guilty of helping plan the bombing of an Israeli tourist bus in an operation prosecutors claim was carried out on the orders of Hezbollah. The organisation has denied any involvement in the attack, and the whereabouts of the two convicted men are not known. But European Union officials accepted that there was sufficient evidence to point to its involvement in the attack, and responded by placing its military wing on its terrorism blacklist. The latest revelations come against a deepening background of tensions between the US and Iran over its controversial nuclear programme. This week, the Trump administration announced it was re-imposing sanctions against Tehran, a move that prompted fierce opposition from other members of the UN Security Council committed to maintaining the nuclear deal struck with Iran in 2015. But while the European signatories to the deal – Britain, France and Germany – have opposed Washington’s decision, the introduction of fresh sanctions against Iran by the US could provoke Tehran to launch a fresh wave of terror attacks, including against targets in Europe. *Con Coughlin is a defence and foreign affairs columnist for The National
