Israeli Expert to VOA: Hezbollah Has Different Factions Negotiating Within the Organization

Last week, the U.S. sanctioned the Lebanese organization "Green Without Borders." Is this group, as its name suggests, an environmental organization, or was it established by Hezbollah to cover its activities along the Lebanese border? Experts say Hezbollah, similar to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with which it has the closest organizational ties, has set up various cover organizations for its activities to operate secretly or to circumvent sanctions. "Green Without Borders" was established in 2013 under the guise of protecting Lebanon's environment and reforestation activities. However, according to the U.S. and Israel, this group actually serves as a cover for Hezbollah's activities in the border areas of southern Lebanon. Yiftah Burman, an expert on Hezbollah in Israel and founder of the "Middle East Educational Academy," said in an interview with VOA's Persian section about "Green Without Borders": "Research shows that this organization was formed in 2013 as an environmental organization and carried out many nature conservation projects in its early years, but it had already been operating in Shiite areas of southern Lebanon and had close ties with the 'Jihad al-Bina' section, Hezbollah's construction foundation." This Israeli expert stated: "Today, we see armed Hezbollah agents present in the open in the same positions that were originally established as part of the so-called environmental observatories of 'Green Without Borders.'" Israel had previously attempted to show the United Nations that "Green Without Borders" is a Hezbollah arm at the border with Israel. Yiftah Burman mentioned that Israel has been unable to convince the UN to take action against this group. The activities of "Green Without Borders" at the Lebanon-Israel borders occur while UN Security Council Resolution 1701 explicitly states that armed Hezbollah militants should not be present in those areas and only the Lebanese army should be there. According to Burman, UNIFIL or the United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon "do not want" to implement Resolution 1701 because doing so would mean acting against Hezbollah, which has been considered the "strongest force" in Lebanon, especially in the south, for several years. Implementing that resolution means the UN must prevent armed Hezbollah members from being present in the southern Litani area. Burman said changing this policy would force the UN to alter its "existing accepted mission" in Lebanon, especially as the presence of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon is soon due for renewal. Yiftah Burman believes the recent U.S. sanctions on this group mean that Washington is trying to play a role that the UN "has refused to implement." He said this role is to help Lebanon free itself from the "most paralyzing factor in its reconstruction and in preventing Israel and Lebanon from reaching a mutually beneficial understanding." In July of this year, following Israeli protests, the UN pressured the Lebanese government to dismantle two Hezbollah tents that were in Israeli territory. In August, Israeli publications reported that Hezbollah members were no longer present there. Israel preferred to take a diplomatic approach rather than military action. Given Hezbollah's influence in Lebanon and the volume of its weaponry, many in Israel are not very optimistic about the effectiveness of this organization's activities in Lebanon overall. The Brookings Institution in the U.S. previously wrote in a report published in 2020: "With over 10,000 personnel and a budget of over $500 million, UNIFIL's impact of their presence in Lebanon is not accompanied by a sense of satisfaction." The UNIFIL mission in the UN must be renewed annually. Yiftah Burman states that Hezbollah is an organization with different hidden factions, each pushing for different policies: "While Hezbollah's southern faction seeks more confrontation with Israel and increased friction at the borders, people in the Dahiyeh area of Beirut feel the deep divide between Lebanese Shiites and the rest of the population suffering from catastrophic economic pressures." According to Burman, this situation has caused Hezbollah to be more cautious in its aggressive policies to avoid dragging Lebanon into another war. He also referred to Hezbollah's activities in the drug trade, saying: "A war with Israel would harm Hezbollah's drug operations in the Bekaa Valley." Burman said this is why we are witnessing local provocations at the border, such as a tent built overnight at the border without Hezbollah leadership's knowledge, while at the same time, Nasrallah promises Lebanese people economic benefits from offshore gas fields. According to Yiftah Burman, Israel reacts to "every action by Hezbollah, show of force, or even speech. I would not be surprised if the U.S. recognition of Green Without Borders as part of Hezbollah is a request from the Israeli government." He stated that Israel would consider any other action too aggressive. He said both Hezbollah and Israeli leadership are currently not seeking war; however, a miscalculation by one of the ground forces could easily escalate the situation. The risk of this miscalculation is high with Hezbollah's activities at the border and contrary to the UN resolution.