Hezbollah admits intelligence infiltrations in top ranksJanuary 8, 2015 - 13:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - An admission by a high-ranking Hezbollah official of intelligence infiltrations in its ranks demonstrates the porous nature of the terrorist organization, UPI reports. The weekend confirmation by the radical Shia group, based in Lebanon, of an Israeli spy, identified in Lebanese media as Mohammed Shawraba, employed as commander in charge of attacking Israel follows years of attempts by Hezbollah to achieve revenge for Israel's 2010 assassination of its top military strategist. Each attempt failed, and Shawraba's current location is unknown. Founded in 1982 to attack Israel, and funded largely by Iran, Hezbollah has grown from a small and tightly knit political party with an ascetic sense of honor (the name means "Party of God") to a bloated bureaucracy with its own army and courts, considerable power in Lebanese politics and a middle-class constituency that depends on it for sewers, police and other day-to-day services. A government without a country, it has sent troops to Syria to defend President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Its authority now includes people eager to profit from Hezbollah. The party's second-in-command, Naim Qassem, said on a Hezbollah radio station last weekend that "Hezbollah has worked intensely on battling espionage among its ranks and in its entourage. Some cases surfaced, and they are very limited cases. There is no party in the world as big and sophisticated as Hezbollah that was able to stand with the same steadfastness." Randa Slim of Washington's Middle East Institute told The Telegraph, "Hezbollah has become more vulnerable to infiltration for a number of reasons: its growth, the many agendas that require the attention of the leadership, and especially the Syria war, which has caused them to divert their resources." Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Your home is in Armenia – Ameriabank offers mortgage loans for the Diaspora To buy real estate, Diasporans can apply to Ameriabank online to buy, renovate or build a home anywhere in Armenia. Armenia-Qatar ties discussed in Doha The Secretary of Armenia’s Security Council met with the Deputy Secretary General of the National Security Council of Qatar. ARARAT special evening dedicated to Aznavour's 100th Anniv. On May 20 ARARAT legendary Armenian brandy, celebrated the centennial of Maestro Charles Aznavour with a special event. Surveying works underway in Armenia’s Kirants Surveying works are underway in the Armenian village of Kirants in the northern Tavush province. |