Hezbollah

1. Hezbollah Counterterrorism

2. POLICY • Effective Death Penalty Act (1996) • Reagan Administration • “active defense” (1984) • Ex. 1985 bombing of Hezbollah leader Sheik Fadlallah’s home • CIA-led operations against Hezbollah leadership during the 1980's. • National Strategy for Counter-terrorism of 2011 • understanding its intentions and capabilities, while also disrupting its terrorist operations

3. Israel, Counter Terrorism, and Hezbollah • United States and Israel cooperation span from military, diplomatic, and political spectrum's • CIA) began targeting Hezbollah leadership, using Israeli intelligence • Israel counterterrorism activity consisted of monitoring its international growth while also targeting its senior leadership. • OSINT-no documentation that shows true bilateral U.S.-Israeli counter-terrorism strategies or policies designed to defeat Hezbollah

4. Strategy • First twenty years counter-terrorist activity primarily focused on the destruction of the high leadership • Key Hezbollah leadership were killed, but the org. continued to grow in numbers and in popularity • The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) reported efforts to disrupt Hezbollah finance networks • Prior to legislation, federal law enforcement officials focused on obtaining convictions or deportations of Hezbollah operatives and supporters for smaller offenses

5. Iran and Syria • Civil war in Syria and the sanctions put over Iran have weakened Hezbollah • Negotiation with Iran • Stabilizing Syria • Antiterrorism Act • made it illegal to support officially designated foreign terrorist organizations

6. Concerns • Hezbollah is a network within itself and should be countered with a network, agency, and or agencies that work with one another sharing resources and intelligence. • National Strategy for Counter-terrorism of 2011 mentioned Hezbollah only twice throughout the whole document, and it failed to clarify the desired end-state for confronting the organization.