A delegation on behalf of Hezbollah, led by Hajj Halil Hussein (Hezbollah’s First District spokesperson) and Abu Walla Zalzali (in charge of Hezbollah’s camp file) visited the Rachidiyeh refugee camp, south of Tyre, on June 27th.
The Hezbollah representatives met with, among others, representatives of the Palestinian People’s Party, a.k.a the “Palestinian Communist Party”. This is a small and marginal movement compared to Hamas or the Islamic Jihad Movement. In our assessment, the purpose of the meeting between the Hezbollah representatives and the Palestinian People’s Party representatives was to clarify Hezbollah’s support of all Palestinian movements, especially those opposing Israel, and not just Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement .
The Palestinian issue was part of the meeting’s list of topics, especially with regards to the post-battle era of the latest escalation in the Gaza Strip last May. It was emphasized in the meeting that the Lebanese-Palestinian relationship is a powerful weapon against the enemy, and that there should be continued cooperation and preparation for the next great victory.
Hamas has a well-based civilian and military infrastructure in this refugee camp and operates in the camp in cooperation with Hezbollah. Hamas established in the camp, among other things, an independent rocket manufacturing and development array.
Three incidents occurred in the latest escalation in May in which rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israel. In two of these incidents, in which a total of 7 rockets were fired at Israel, the rockets were fired from the Rachidiyeh refugee camp area. In our assessment, Hamas in Lebanon was behind these attacks. Lebanese Palestinian Hamas operatives possibly being sent by Hamas to fire the rockets. It is highly likely that this was coordinated with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with Hezbollah’s knowledge and Iran’s support.
Coordination in general, particularly military coordination between Hezbollah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon, is done continuously. Iran and Hezbollah see the Sunni Hamas as an additional branch assisting the radical Shiite Axis against its war with Israel, and they strive to turn Hamas into a full-fledged Iranian proxy.
