Terrorist Togetherness

To the dismay of many in the Western world, Lebanon was Terror Central in the 1970s and 1980s. The lack of a central government during the Lebanese civil war made Lebanon a very attractive place for terrorist organizations to operate. Terrorists from across the globe set up training camps and a place to meet their contacts with funding from countries that provided financial support, including the former Soviet Union, Syria, Libya and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Terrorist organizations across the political spectrum established their headquarters and safe houses there.

Although the era of those terror organizations has come to an end, today Lebanon is plagued with a different generation of terror organizations. Chief among them is Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi’i terror organization spawned by the radical Shi’a regime in Iran. Interestingly, Al-Qa’ida also maintains a presence in Lebanon – and, despite the group’s Sunni radical roots, Iran has provided safe haven to a number of its top leaders since the 9/11 attacks. Two of the most prominent Al-Qa’ida leaders reported to be in Iran are Saif Al-Adel and Saad Bin Ladin, the son of Osama Bin Ladin.

Iran’s support for both Sunni and Shi’a terrorists has been evident since the 1980s.

Within extremist Palestinian circles, Iran helped create and continues to fund the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a radical Sunni Palestinian terrorist organization that adopted the ideology of Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini. A similar relationship has developed between Iran and the radical Sunni Palestinian terror organization Hamas. While Hamas was established by the extremist Sunni Muslim Brotherhood movement in the late 1980s, it has come to rely on Iran for financial support. Following Hamas’ win in the Palestinian elections last year, Iran pledged $50 million to Hamas.

Using Hezbollah as a conduit, Iran also has funded the Palestinian Sunni Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror organization. The Brigades are part of the Palestinian Authority’s Fatah organization that is led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The Palestinian Authority itself was exposed as a client of Iran in 2002, when Israel captured the 4000 ton Karine-A ship that was transporting 50 tons of Iranian manufactured weapons. The weapons were purchased by the Palestinian Authority from Iran for use against Israel.

Iran’s funding of terrorist organizations is not restricted to Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority. Recently, Iranian intelligence forces are reported to have provided support to Sunni terrorist organizations in Iraq that are attacking Iraqi civilians and fighting against U.S. forces in that country. Major General Michael Barbero, deputy director for regional operations of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated, “We are seeing some indicators of Iranian support to the Sunni extremist groups in Iraq, which is a development.” Barbero continued, “Detainees in American custody have indicated that Iranian intelligence operatives have given support to Sunni insurgents and then we’ve discovered some munitions in Baghdad neighborhoods which are largely Sunni that were manufactured in Iran.”

Given the Iranian regime’s history of supporting terrorist organizations that cross the spectrum between Sunnis and Shi’a, Iran has become the nexus between Sunni and Shi’a terror organizations. It has achieved a unique form of radical Sunni-Shi’a cooperation, a terrorist togetherness.

Yehudit Barsky is director of AJC’s Division on Middle East and International Terrorism.