When Shadows Collide (An Arik Bar Nathan Novel Book 1) by Nathan Ronen

Author:Nathan Ronen [Ronen , Nathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-02-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 33

Hezbollah Forces Parade in the Town of Al-Qusayr, Syria

The Syrian civil war, or uprising, between the forces loyal to the Ba’ath government, headed by President Bashar al-Assad, and those wishing to depose him, began as a political skirmish. Later, it became an ethnic conflict between the minority Alawi sect that ruled the country and the Sunni majority.

Syrian President Assad, whose army was in shaky condition, gratefully accepted Iran’s proposition to send a military force to assist him. In the area north of Lebanon, Lebanese Hezbollah forces, supported by the Iranians, were fighting the rebels and their allies. Iranian aid initially took the form of sending military advisors, but later entire battalions of soldiers were sent, fortifying the Assad regime’s failing army on the border between Lebanon and Syria.

Iran sent its foreign legion, comprised of various militias imported from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Chechens and others, to Syria’s southeastern border to fight the rebels and ISIS.

Following Hezbollah and the Shiite militias’ major success in pushing back the rebel forces and the Al-Nusra Front45 fighters from the town of Al-Qusayr in the Homs Governorate, the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, General Qasem Soleimani, was invited to witness Hezbollah’s victory parade commemorating Martyrs’ Day.46

Hezbollah forces celebrated the victory in their traditional manner: by shooting rebel Syrian prisoners of war in restraints and documented by the Al Arabiya47 network’s cameras.

Soleimani, wearing his battle uniform and escorted by bodyguards, was sitting at the dignitaries’ stage along with Hezbollah’s chief of staff, Mustafa Badr al-Din. They watched the military parade as it marched past. In contrast, Hezbollah’s secretary-general did not dare leave the basement where he was staying, fearing an Israeli assassination attempt.

Hezbollah’s chief of staff was beaming in satisfaction. He felt he had successfully managed to convey Hezbollah’s leaders’ message, “We came to Syria to win and we’re here to stay,” to the world. It was clear that Hezbollah had undergone a transformation. From a small Shiite terrorist organization called “al Amal,” it had evolved into another militia army within the splintered state of Lebanon, in which every sect had its own militia. Hezbollah was currently the largest military organization, with about 70,000 armed warriors. It was armed with various kinds of weapons, its military equipment exceeding that of a terrorist organization; it was, in fact, outfitted like the military arm of a sovereign state. It was stronger than the Lebanese state army.

“Mabruk alekh, ya sidi—congratulations, sir,” Badr al-Din whispered to Soleimani. “This military parade conveys a triple message. It conveys to the Syrian president that fighting alongside the regime is no longer up for debate. It conveys to Israel that Hezbollah is gradually enhancing its military capabilities, and they should take care to treat us with respect. And it also conveys to the international community that the organization and its allies are prepared for any future development in Syria.”

“I’m very impressed,” Qasem Soleimani said with a smile. “I believe this parade conveys another message: letting the fighters know that the most important role in protecting the Syrian regime is reserved for them.

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