Hezbollah spying on Israel, commanding Syrian army from new strategic locations in Syria

Hezbollah, a terrorist organization and Israel’s nemesis in southern Lebanon, is now one of the main parties calling the shots on the Syrian border with Israel and spying on the Jewish state.

Traditionally confined to outposts in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah has expanded its military capabilities precariously close to Israel and around the Middle East in general in recent years.  Since the onset of the Syrian Civil War about eight years ago, the Iranian-backed organization has gained a foothold in Syrian territory, right across from Israel on the Golan Heights.

Hezbollah now commands Syrian troops, spies on Israel from a new angle and is preparing for military confrontation with the Jewish state. It is believed to operate strategic 20 lookouts on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. The outposts are manned by Syrian soldiers who gather intelligence for Hezbollah. They can supposedly see IDF training exercises, activity in nearby towns and pick up on general security routines.

Israeli intelligence has been monitoring the organization’s activity in the region. While Israel refrains from commenting on its involvement, the United Nations observers in the area have reported an increase in aerial attacks on targets there. The latest target, Tel al-Hara, is the highest point in the region allowing for visual and electronic observation far into Israeli territory. Syria’s military operated the post for years, but it was believed to have been taken over by Hezbollah recently.

With their new geographic presence, Hezbollah is also believed to be stocking up on weapons in the area including anti-tank missiles and powerful short-range rockets. These activities are being spearheaded by Ali Musa Daqduq, a known terrorist from Lebanon wanted in the United States for planning attacks against American forces in Iraq that resulted in the deaths of five U.S. soldiers.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, Daqduq has served “as commander of a Hezbollah special forces unit and chief of a protective detail for Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.” Daqduq was arrested in 2007 and imprisoned in Iraq, but was released five years later and sent to Lebanon.