Summary: From the Wall Street Journal: Iran and the Lebanese political and militant group Hezbollah are debating whether to retaliate on behalf of Syria in the event of a strike on their close ally. The two, which along with Syria help form what they call an "axis of resistance" against the West, are discussing whether to attack Western interests, and if so, whether to do so openly or covertly and through proxies. This kind of collaboration between Iran and Hezbollah is typical, but little understood. Probably the most deadly attack on Americans, prior to 9/11, happened in Beirut in 1983, with Iran and its Lebanese proxy working hand-in-glove. A simple if rough way to describe the relationship is that Tehran frequently outsources terrorist missions to Hezbollah. But that barely begins to capture the reality, and especially, the scope of their violent attacks. Yes, both are closely allied with Assad's regime in Syria and both are avowed enemies of Israel, but contrary to received wisdom, the reach of the Hezbollah-Iran axis extends far beyond the Middle East. Europe, South America, Southeast Asia, Africa and North America---Hezbollah has been active in all of them. Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God, published this month, documents the extensive worldwide activities of this Islamist group and its relationship with Tehran. I recently interviewed the author, Dr. Matthew Levitt, for the podcast. The conversation opens with a kind of "Hezbollah 101" overview, before we look at the history of its attacks on Americans (both the notorious and little reported ones). During the Iraq war, around 2007, there was heated debate over whether the Iran-Hezbollah axis was supplying anti-American insurgents. That question is settled, according to Levitt: They were actively arming, training and sometimes fighting alongside the insurgents killing American soldiers. An ongoing issue is whether Hezbollah's two parts -- the political and social-services wing in Lebanon, and a terrorist infrastructure -- are separate and distinct, as some (including a few apologists) argue. Levitt blasts that myth. What of Hezbollah's role in the Syrian civil war? We cover that and much else besides. The podcast is below and also on iTunes. Find out more about Dr. Levitt's new book on Amazon.com or at the website of the Washington Institute for Near East Studies, where he is a senior fellow and director of that organization's Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.
