The Latest Hezbollah Leader Didn't Last Long

AP Photo/Bassam Masri

It's no secret that Hamas has been on something of a losing streak lately, as have the terrorists of Hezbollah in Lebanon, particularly after the tragic outbreak of pagercide there. David already pointed out the less discussed fact that Hamas leader Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin was supposedly an envoy of peace who worked for the United Nations. Apparently, blowing up innocent civilians was just something he did in his spare time. But Fateh Sherif was only the latest in a growing line of supposed Hamas and Hezbollah top brass to be lost in the line of duty. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) recently released a statement saying that three of its other supposed leaders were taken out during the strike targeting Beruit's Kola district. Combined with the dozens of other rank-and-file fighters who have been blown up, shot, or otherwise eliminated, the Palestinian terror groups have lost hundreds of fighters in just the past couple of weeks. Their ranks appear to be thinning noticeably at this point. How many of them do they have left to put in the field these days? (NY Post)

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Terrorist group Hamas said an Israeli strike killed its leader in Lebanon on Monday, while another Palestinian terrorist group said three of its leaders were killed in a strike on Beirut, the first attack within the city limits.

Hamas said its leader in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin was killed, along with his wife, son, and daughter, in a strike that targeted their house in a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern city of Tyre in the early hours of Monday.

As Israel escalates hostilities against Iran’s allies in the region, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said three of its leaders were killed in a strike that targeted Beirut’s Kola district.

Hezbollah keeps firing missiles at Israel and Israel just keeps hitting them back harder and with greater effect. On Sunday, they launched strikes against Houthi terrorists in Yemen and dozens of Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon. Dozens were killed in the attacks, dwarfing any damage done by Hezbollah in response. Another 105 people were killed by Israeli air strikes on Sunday, driving up the figures even further.

All of these strikes came on top of the previous loss of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The United Nations has been issuing warnings that the increasing attacks by Israel could lead to the local war escalating out of control and drawing in both Iran and the United States. Of course, as we've already pointed out, the United Nations is a very pro-Iran, pro-Hamas organization with close ties to the terrorists even as they seek sanctions against Israel. Is it any wonder that they would come down on that side of the argument? 

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CNN reported today that Hezbollah will be naming yet another new leader yet again in the "near future." But that leads to a couple of obvious questions. First of all, who are they going to find to volunteer to take the job when Israel keeps killing their leaders faster than they can bury them? And even if they do find a sucker to sign up for this "honor," how much of a force will he have left to lead? Hezbollah claimed two years ago to have 100,000 fighters ready to take the field. That figure was almost certainly a gross exaggeration and they've lost a huge number of fighters since then. How many of Jordan's supposed allies are going to risk their own troops in significant numbers to save a group that appears to be swirling near the bottom of the drain?

Bibi Netanyahu has been playing a long game in that region for some time now. That's one advantage that Israel still maintains. Israel doesn't need to throw everything they have at Hezbollah or Hamas in a high-stakes, high-risk attack. They've been quietly racking up victories using strategic maneuvers and minimizing their own losses. Eventually, Lebanon will run out of steam. That was probably Bibi's plan all along. 

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