THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 ANALYSIS THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961 Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : 24835619 COMMERCIAL : 24835618 P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait. E MAIL :[email protected] Website: www.kuwaittimes.net Focus Syria war, Israel spies mean hard times for Hezb By Tom Rogan rained and delegitimized by the Syrian civil war, penetrated by Israeli intelligence and Dseparated from traditional allies, the Lebanese group Hezbollah’s self-proclaimed glory days of 2006, when it went to war with Israel, have never seemed so distant. Supporting President Bashar Al-Assad’s war against his people has put Hezbollah under unprecedented strain. Since its involvement began, the group has lost hundreds of fighters. For a relatively small outfit - Hezbollah’s core military force is a few thousand strong - these losses have a significant impact. Nevertheless, amid all the killing, Hezbollah’s most serious loss in Syria has been its reputation. With hundreds of thousands murdered in Syria - starved, poison-gassed and barrel-bombed - Hezbollah’s direct complicity with Assad has been noticed. After all, while Hezbollah has long claimed to defend “all the oppressed”, including Sunnis, Syria’s French newspaper high on jihadist hit-list wreckage testifies to the group’s duplicity. Put sim- ply, after witnessing Hezbollah kill Syrian Sunnis, oth- By Eric Randolph and Michel Moutot ingly a top target for jihadists seeking to strike the West. It ban on the Muslim veil and its increasingly proactive role er Sunnis view its claims of beneficence skeptically. has been involved in the US-led air campaign against the in international affairs, particularly in Mali and to a lesser Even the Sunni militant group Hamas has moved ong before being targeted in yesterday’s massacre in Islamic State group in Iraq since September, and France extent the Central African Republic,” said Henman. away from Hezbollah; a poor relationship empha- Paris, satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo had been was singled out in the militant organisation’s call on sup- French forces took the lead in combating Islamist sized by Hezbollah’s unwillingness to open a north- Lconsidered high on the potential hit-list for jihadists porters to mount “lone wolf” attacks late last year. extremists that had seized large swathes of Mali in 2013 ern front during last summer’s Israel-Hamas war. calling for strikes in the heart of Europe. When Charlie Experts say that the attacks could, alternatively, be an and still has 3,000 troops deployed in the Sahel region. For “the Party of God”, this reputational damage Hebdo defiantly republished already controversial car- effort by Al-Qaeda to win back the spotlight from IS. “It’s They are also a key part of peacekeeping efforts in CAR is a big problem. Both a militant group and a politi- toons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) considered sacrile- perfectly possible that this could be Al-Qaeda trying to where Christians and Muslims have violently clashed over cal actor in the traditional sense, Hezbollah needs gious by Muslims in 2006, it knew it was taking a risk. After regain attention - they have been calling for this sort of the past two years. political consensus to advance its agenda. For a it ran new cartoons of the Prophet (PBUH) in Nov 2011, the thing for a long time,” said Pantucci. “Ever since the gun- France also has Europe’s largest Muslim population. long time, Hezbollah’s hostility against Israel won it payback started. The weekly was firebombed and its web- men attacks in Mumbai in 2008, many groups have been Around 1,000 people from that community have travelled friends across the political spectrum, but now that site was hacked. But staff refused to be cowed and upped asking how they could copy them. There are relatively low to Iraq and Syria to join the jihad, raising fears they could it’s targeting Muslims, the well of diplomacy is the ante still further the following year with a new set of requirements - you just need men with guns, set them return home to sow terror. “The question now is whether evaporating. As Hezbollah’s intolerance for satire cartoons - guaranteed to offend millions of Muslims. loose in the urban environment and cause chaos.” this is an isolated operation,” said Caprioli. “Are we enter- suggests, the group is deeply uncomfortable with In 2013, its editor-in-chief Stephane Charbonnier - one France’s secular policies at home and military opera- ing a new stage with a cell that is going into action? Is a challenges to its identity narrative as Lebanon’s of those killed yesterday - appeared on a “Wanted Dead or tions in Africa have also angered the jihadist community. cycle of attacks coming? What is clear is that these killers pious, paternalistic guardian. Alive” list published in Al Qaeda’s magazine, Inspire. “France has come under a lot of fire from jihadists for its must be found, and fast.” — AFP The Syrian civil war is the greatest challenge this “Charlie Hebdo became a symbol,” said Louis Caprioli, for- narrative has ever faced, but there are challenges at mer head of counter-terrorism at France’s DST intelligence home as well. Hezbollah’s Lebanese political identi- agency. “They never forgot nor forgave what they consid- ty has been polluted by the way it has taken up ered a supreme insult. The choice of this target is highly arms to carry out Iran’s foreign policy by fighting on symbolic: they targeted secularists who dared to mock the Assad’s behalf. Up until now, Hezbollah’s semi-inde- Prophet (PBUH). In their eyes, it’s divine vengeance.” pendence has given the group flexibility to forge While Charlie Hebdo’s uncompromising stance against coalitions in Beirut. But with other Lebanese politi- censorship won many supporters in Europe, Wednesday’s cal leaders now taking a tougher line against the attack demonstrates that its staff may have underestimat- group, things might be changing. Facing Islamic ed the scale of the danger. “This attack is designed to show State fighters in Syria who are threatening north- the ability to strike at targets that were blase and sarcastic eastern Lebanon and increasing sectarian violence about the potential threat to them,” said Matthew Henman, at home, Lebanese politics are hardening into more of IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre in London. pronounced sectarian identities and greater para- “It’s increasingly clear there are radical Islamists out there noia. While Hezbollah hopes its military power will who are able and willing to take action to remedy per- incentivize domestic alliances, it knows being out- ceived insults to Islam.” maneuvered is a real risk. Although the satirical newspaper and its editor-in- The pain doesn’t end there. Hezbollah is also chief had police protection, it still represented a relatively hurting for another reason: Its operational security soft target to determined attackers armed with automatic collapse over the past few years. rifles. “Historically we have seen many attacks on cultural A senior commander was killed by a car bomb in targets,” said Raffaello Pantucci, a terrorism expert at the 2008, another assassinated in Dec 2013 and new Royal United Services Institute in London, citing the reports suggest another group of threats against author Salman Rushdie and a firebomb Hezbollah offi- attack against a London publisher in 2008. “Any target that cers were is defined as the enemy is legitimate, and these sort of tar- recently identified as assets of the gets are less protected than police stations or military Israeli secret bases.” service, Mossad. This has surely France as Prime Target shaken nerves There are conflicting reports about which group the in Hezbollah’s three gunmen may have represented and there has yet to executive lead- be a clear claim of responsibility. But it was clear from ership. Still, video shot by eyewitnesses that the men, armed with Hezbollah has Kalashnikov rifles, were calm and professional, suggesting A woman holds a Charlie Hebdo front page reading “Love stronger than hate” during a gathering in front of the one sign of they may have had training. France itself is seen as increas- city hall of Rennes in western France yesterday. — AFP hope. With the Obama adminis- tration so intent on making a Conflict pushes Barcelona into crisis deal with Iran, it’s unlikely that By Tim Hanlon the board’s mandate, which runs until 2016. Zubizaretta was blamed last year president shared responsibility for the ban. the United It has been a troubled year for for failing to strengthen the “Bartomeu was at that time vice-president of States will bust up between Lionel Messi and coach Bartomeu, which is now coming to a defence, which was plainly sports and knew perfectly well the situation,” encourage polit- Luis Enrique and the firing of sports head with the departure of lacking last season when the Zubizarreta told Canal Plus. ical maneuvering Adirector Andoni Zubizarreta in the after- Zubizarreta and the team’s failure team failed to win a major That led Barcelona to dismiss Zubizarreta the against it. — Reuters math of the club’s transfer ban has pushed an to convince under Luis Enrique. trophy. When he did buy following day, while an emergency board meet- already tainted Barcelona board into crisis. Talk Fans made their opinions clear ahead of this campaign ing had been planned to discuss who will of controversy is never far away when discussing when a video was played at many supporters were left replace him.