How Did Syrian "Comrades in Arms" Contribute to Hezbollah 2006 Victory?

July 12th of 2006 marked the beginning of the international war against Hezbollah and all his allies. Syria, thus, considered itself as directly targeted by the Israeli war and decided to encounter the global aggression.

Mohamed Salami

July 12th of 2006 marked the beginning of the international war against Hezbollah and all the axis of resistance which also includes Iran, Syria, and the Palestinian resistance factions who altogether faced the singling out plot by a collective confront. Syria, accordingly, considered itself as directly targeted by the Israeli war and decided to be Hezbollah full partner in encountering the global aggression.

Syria has been fiercely clashing with the Zionist project in the Middle East and baldly backing the Arab resistance since decades, so its support to Hezbollah was not recent. During July’s War, Syria embraced Hezbollah military repulsion to the Israeli barbarity and baffled all the Western pressures.

Since the beginning of the war, the U.S. and the EU states with all their allies asked Syria to abandon Hezbollah, block the Lebanese-Syrian borders, and halt supplying arms to the resistance.

Academic Instructor and Strategic Expert General Amin Hotait stated that the U.S., the EU states, and the pro-American international organizations exploited the actions of the International Tribunal for Lebanon at that time to provoke the Syrian government and imposed economic sanctions as well as a political siege to overpressure the Syrian side. “In this context, the Syrian banks and Airlines were boycott. Hundreds of media outlets also shared the international propaganda against Syria and Hezbollah. In addition, the American congress started waving Syria accountability law and human rights as well as minorities rights files were moved on the international political arena against the Syrian government. Syria responded to these pressures by sticking to its principles of supporting Hezbollah and all the factions of the Arab resistance against the Israeli enemy. In other words, the Syrian side kept on providing Hezbollah with game-changing weapons and on forming the political shield that protects the resistance from all the arrows of antagonism and betrayal.”

Syria also played an influential political role by lashing out the quitter stance of most of the Arab countries which supported the Israeli aggression against an Arab country and accused Hezbollah of being a “gambler.” Syrian President Bashar Assad harshly belittled the Arab leaders and described them as “cowards.”

General Hotait clarified that the supporting political stances help the fighters morally in the battlefield so that they do not feel besieged. “Here lies the importance of the Syrian political stance during July's war with respect to Hezbollah and his fighters.”

This moral support to Hezbollah fighters was also complemented by a direct military support. Syria has provided Hezbollah with game-changing weapons as its territories were either the source or the transit stage of all such weapons. So, it provided or passed to Hezbollah land-land, land-sea, anti-tank missiles and other military equipments.

"Syria is a big problem for the Americans and Israelis because Syria is the real supporter for the resistance and especially at the military level. Syria was not only a passageway for the resistance, but also a real military supporter of the resistance. For example, the most important missiles that fell on Haifa and central Israel were Syrian-made missiles," Sayyed Nasrallah said in a speech marking the sixth anniversary of July 2006 victory.

"The most important weapons we fought with during July war were from Syria," his eminence announced.

"This is Syria; Syria of Bashar Assad and martyr Leaders Assef Shawkat, Dawoud Rajiha and Hassan Turkmani," Sayyed Nasrallah added, calling the martyr officers as "Comrades in Arms."

Commenting on the strategic role of the Syrian martyr officers, Strategic Expert General Elias Hanna considered that the military coordination between Hezbollah and the Syrian army needs such great figures to form a military structure that ensures exchanging data, maneuvers, funding, training, security coordination, and mutual support.

Syria also indirectly helped Hezbollah in the battlefield through the readiness of the Syrian army during the war to face any Israeli serious escalation. Syrian President Bashar Assad offered Hezbollah a direct military intervention to repel the Israeli warfare. Syria, also, threatened of directly intervening to confront any Israeli invasion on the eastern-northern borders. This threat led to constricting the Israeli arrogance and indirectly enabled Hezbollah to achieve its victory as it prevented isolating the resistance and protected its depth on the Syria territories.

General Elias Hanna asserted that Syria views any Israeli invasion on the eastern-northern borders (Bekaa) as a direct threat for its national security; this illustrates its clear threat of a direct intervention in the war.

"Ain Zhalta battle after 1982 Israeli invasion reflected the serious Syrian stance against any military initiative against its borders with Lebanon due to the strategic position with respect to the Syrian capital," he explained.

Syria further challenged a direct military threat when the American President George Bush called on the Israeli government to strike Syria during the war. General Amin Hotait asserted that Bush intended to destroy the Syrian army because it is the only remaining Arab military that poses danger to the Zionist entity.

"The Egyptian army was deactivated after Camp David agreement, the Iraqi Army was destroyed in 2003 when the Americans invaded Iraq, and the Lebanese army suffers from weakness and ammunition shortage, so the Syrian army was targeted by the Americans, yet the Syrian military readiness to thwart any Israeli insane step as well as Hezbollah steadfastness on the Lebanese-Palestinian borders prevented this move," General Hotait added.

General Amin Hotait explained that the Zionist military creed is based on the concept of progressive gains; if not interrupted, it moves on to reach as more gains as possible.

"In 1982, the Zionist plan was reaching Awali River to expel the Palestinian resistance from south Lebanon within 10 days, yet when the Israeli army ended its mission within 3 days, it moved to Beirut and expelled the Palestinian resistance and committed horrible massacres in the Lebanese capital."

Syria's support to Hezbollah was exemplified also on the social and humanitarian levels as it received around 250,000 Lebanese who were displaced due to the war and provided them with all their basic needs. This Syrian solidarity move diminished the displaced load that overburdened Lebanon during the war.

It was a complete partnership that contributed to the Divine Victory in 2006 War.