Apparently, Hezbollah (or Hizballah, depending on your phonetic preference) isn't a band of unsophisticated rebels with crude gear and skills. Many American analysts and officials, the Associated Press reports, believe that the Hezbollah militia men are more skilled and effective than the Lebanese military, according to one anonymous military official. They explan:
Hezbollah has fired rockets as far as the West Bank, knocked out Israeli tanks and damaged a warship — and had plenty of time to booby-trap all of southern Lebanon. It is hardly a typical guerrilla group, equipped only with bravado and AK-47 assault rifles.
The militant group has proved elusive to Israeli commanders. Communication is by walkie-talkies, always in code, and sometimes messages are delivered by motorcycle. Weapons are in place across a terrain fighters say they know intimately.
 (AP Photo/Enric Marti) Hezbollah militants gathered for a procession in Southern Lebanon, 1998. |
The militia men aren't just eluding Israeli commanders, either. It appears that among Hezbollah’s ranks are some highly adept hackers, executing what Time Magazine refers to as "cyber terrorism." The militia is also hacking into vulnerable networks to broadcast their messages and communicate with one another. Most surprising, perhaps, is their use of American companies to communicate. Time reports that Internet providers in Texas, Virginia, Brooklyn and New Jersey have been hijacked by Hezbollah computer pros.
Nate Anderson, writing for Ars Technica, discusses what it takes to shut Hezbollah's parasitic sites down:
...it's not the people you might think. Those in the war and security business are no doubt involved, but some of the work is done by amateurs, as well. Volunteers from the Society for Internet Research track jihadi websites and tactics across the Internet, then alert domain registrars and web hosting companies to the presence of potentially illegal material on their servers.
Fred Burton, a former counterterrorism official for the U.S. government, told Time that shutting Hezbollah’s media outlets down isn't always the smartest option. It does immediately cut down their avenues for spreading propaganda, recruiting and raising funds, however. Leaving the Web sites open, for example, enables the government to hear their message and gather various pieces of forensic evidence.
A sentiment akin to "We're not in Kansas anymore" could apply if it weren't so trite, but its meaning remains intact here. While the outcome of present conflict is presently unclear, one thing seems to be certain: Hezbolla is giving its enemies a run for their money. (link)
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