Lebanon-Based Terror Group Says It Has 100,000 Trained Fighters
The leader of the Lebanon-based Shiite Muslim terror group Hezbollah announced the organization has 100,000 trained fighters, The Associated Press reported Monday.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah made the announcement during his first address since seven people were killed in a gunfight in Beirut on Thursday, according to the AP.
The exact number of fighters is difficult to verify because of the group’s secrecy, but if Nasrallah’s figure is accurate, then Hezbollah fighters outnumber Lebanon’s own armed forces.
“The real program for the Lebanese Forces is civil war,” Nasrallah said.
“The biggest threat to the social peace in Lebanon is the Lebanese Forces,” he added, referencing a Christian political party in the country.
Violent civil confrontations have occurred in response to an investigation into an August 2020 port explosion that killed more than 215 people.
Hezbollah officials and supporters of the group have asked for the judge overseeing the investigation to be replaced since he is reportedly considering Hezbollah responsible for the blast.
The deadly Beirut gunfight followed speculation about the judge’s findings and lasted for several hours on Thursday, with fighters wielding rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles.
Nasrallah blamed the leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, for “manufacturing” the gunfight to spark a civil war in the country.
“Don’t miscalculate. Be wise and behave. Learn a lesson from all your wars and all our wars,” Nasrallah said in his speech, addressing Geagea.
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