NEWSPAPER EXAMINES HIZBALLAH STRUCTURE, COMMAND

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP05-01507R000100060017-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 27, 2012
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: April 20, 1988
• Content Type: MISC

rrrbLDeclassified1 1 1si e I and Hd ,,Approveed d Fo o
r Release 2012/01/27 :CIA-RDP05-015078000100060017-1
FBIS-NES-88-082
28 April 1988
According to sources close to the conferees, Hizballah
insists the Amal Movement return all the weapons it
confiscated in the South, as well as the positions it
captured during the clashes.
Hizballah also demands that it be allowed to restore its
political and military activities in the South. The same
sources noted that Minister Birri did not fully respond to
such demands and said that this and other issues should
be handled by the Higher Islamic Shi'ite Council.
Soviet Envoy on Improved Syrian-PLO Relations
NC271313 (Clandestine) Voice of the Mountain
in Arabic to Lebanon 1230 GMT 27 Apr 88
[Text] Vasiliy Kolotusha, the Soviet ambassador in Leba-
non, today expressed the Soviet Union's satisfaction at the
improvement of relations between Syria and the PLO.
Speaking at the airport to a delegation from the Soviet-
Lebanese Friendship Association that had just returned
from a visit to Moscow, Ambassador Kolotusha stated
that the Soviet Union had for some years made efforts to
improve these relations.
This, he said, is in the interests of both Syria and the
PLO, who share the view that a permanent and compre-
hensive solution of the Middle East problem must be
found.
Islamic Grouping Praises Al-Arad-'Arafat Meeting
NC271546 Beirut Domestic Service in Arabic
1500 GMT 27 Apr 88
[Text] The Islamic Grouping has expressed satisfaction
with the meeting between Syrian President Hafiz al-Asad
and PLO Chairman Yasir 'Arafat, which it viewed as a
great step toward unifying the Arabs and closing their
ranks.
The Grouping has also voiced hope that the Arabs will
soon hold an emergency summit conference, believing
that a new situation has developed which should break
the deadlock in the reform process.
The Grouping noted that it fears the explosion in Tripoli
is a prelude to a series of criminal acts aimed at drown-
ing the country in blood, anarchy, and catastrophes.
The Islamic Grouping held its weekly meeting at the
mufti's office shortly before noon today under the chair-
manship of [Former] Prime Minister Taqiy al-Din al-
Sulh. [Former] Prime Minister Rashid al-Sulh, and Dep-
..., uties Zaki Mazbudi, Jamil Kibbih, Talal al-Mir'ibi, and
Nazim al-Qadiri also attended.
Envoy Denies Knowledge of `Spiritual Summit'
NC271434 Beirut Domestic Service in Arabic
1400 GMT 27 Apr 88
[Text] Today, the Algerian ambassador to Lebanon,
Mas'ud al-Hadi, gave Ambassador Fu'ad al-Turk, For-
eign Ministry secretary general, a copy of a statement
issued by the Algerian Foreign Ministry at the conclu-
sion of the Kuwaiti airliner hijacking.
Meanwhile, the Algerian ambassador denied any knowl-
edge of rumors that a Lebanese spiritual summit confer-
ence will be held in Algiers. However, he noted that his
country is willing to help convene any meeting among
the Lebanese brothers, be they political or spiritual
figures.
Mas'ud al-Hadi expressed the hope that any rapproche-
ment among Arabs would yield positive results in the
Arab arena.
Zahlah Deputy A1-Ma'luf Dies of Disease
NC271138 (Clandestine) Voice of the Mountain
in Arabic to Lebanon 1000 GMT 27 Apr 88
[Text] The office of the speaker of the Chamber of
Deputies was informed today that Zahlah Deputy Salim
al-Ma'luf has died as a result of an incurable disease.
This reduces the number of deputies to 76.
Newspaper Examines Hizballah Structure, Command
PM271115 London AL-MAJALLAH in Arabic
20 Apr 88 p 15-17
[Untitled report by Jalah Muhammad]
[Excerpts] The hijacking of the Kuwaiti Airways plane
(Flight 422) has again turned the spotlight on the identity
of the hijackers, their party, political affiliation, and the
group that supports them.
i
The intricacies of the Kuwaiti Airways case have clearly
shown deep Iranian involvement in the operation.
Although several organizations, including Islamic Jihad and
the Islamic Revolutionary Brigades, said that they would
kill a number of American, British, and French hostages if
any harm came to the hijackers or if the 17 people detained
in Kuwait were not released, most analysts confirm that
only one group was behind all these declarations, and that
"the Islamic Jihad" and other such names are all names of
one and the same party: Hizballah, the voice of Iran in
Lebanon. [passage omitted]
How does Hizballah operate? According to a well-in-
formed source, there is no local command for Hizballah
in Lebanon because the Iranian Defense Council has not
appointed a representative to head the party, which has
remained directly linked to the Defense Council with
members taking turns in assuming' leadership of the
party.
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28 April 1988
However, the council, with Khomeyni's approval,
appointed (Al-Fahri) as a representative in charge of
financial affairs. He moves between Damascus, Beirut,
and Tehran and is in charge of all financial matters. He
is in direct contact with Tehran.
As regards the command structure, it is as follows:
Khomeyni is the supreme commander. Next come the
ulema appointed by Khomeyni himself. They, in actual
fact, are the active members who command the various
bodies of the party.
The source says that there is a 12-member Hizballah
consultative [shura] council in Lebanon. Eight of the 12
members are Iranians and the rest are Lebanese. The
decisions are made by majority vote with Khomeyni
having the final say.
There is a branch consultative council for the Al-Biqa`
region, another for Beirut and its southern suburb, and a
third for the South. A joint committee from the three
councils is in charge of the affairs of the rest of Lebanon.
These consultative councils report to the higher consul-
tative council. The higher consultative council has its
own ideological, financial, political, informational, mil-
itary, and other committees.
The branch councils also have their own committees,
which are concerned with direct activity in the Lebanese
arena.
The higher council publishes the monthly magazine
AL-SABIL. A weekly magazine, AL-`AHD, covers news
and political affairs. This is in addition to pamphlets
which are issued periodically.
Hizballah collects donations, but Iran remains its main
source of funds for all activities. The total monthly
allocation for Lebanon is 10 million Lebanese pounds.
The party concentrates its activities in Al-Biqa`, espe-
cially Ba`labakk and western Al-Biqa` where it is more
influential than the Amal Movement. Recruitment to the
party takes place in two stages. The first, which takes a
whole year, is for so-called "indoctrination" of individ-
uals.
The second is the regular phase when a person becomes
a member of the party and carries out the military or
organizational tasks assigned to him.
This party structure of Hizballah makes it quite different
from the Amal Movement. The issues with which Hiz-
ballah is concerned are different from the issues which
preoccupy the Amal Movement and other Lebanese
parties.
The party carries out the missions assigned to it by the
leadership in Iran. Primarily, they are the kidnapping
and assassination of foreigners on the pretext that they
LEBANON
engaged in suspect activities such as intelligence or
espionage. Furthermore, the party has now joined the
game of nations in the service of Iran before anything
else.
Meanwhile, Hizballah tackles some dangerous issues. It
is in a state of hostility with the. Syrian forces in
Lebanon, rejects alliances with the Lebanese political
forces, and resorts to bloody methods to achieve its
objectives.
It carried out such bloody operations as the attack on the
Marine headquarters near the airport in which scores of
people were killed, and the attack on the French forces
headquarters in Beirut, in addition to numerous kidnap-
ping and assassination operations. [passage omitted]
Iran Ties Said To Split Lebanese Shiites
PM271059 London AL-SHARQ AL-A WSAT in Arabic
24 Apr 88 pp 1-2
[Unattributed report: "Special Message to AL-SHARQ
AL-AWSAT From Inside Iran on Riddle of Hizballah
and Its Ties With Tehran"]
[Excerpts] London-Tehran-AL-SHARQ AL-AWSAT
exclusive report: With the power struggle in Tehran and
its likely effect on the entire Middle East strategy,
Lebanon's extremist Hizballah Party in Lebanon is head-
ing for a major crisis. That is the view of many experts
watching developments in relations between Tehran and
the Khomeyniite groups in several Middle Eastern coun-
tries.
According to a prominent Iranian diplomat who, until
recently, was in contact with the Shiite movement in
Lebanon, "The Hizballah leaders in Lebanon are now
divided into two groups."
He adds that "one of the two groups is led by (tuham-
mad Husayn Fadlallah nd it insists that the Shiites in
Lebanon wou ave o future without Iran. The other
group, led b uhammad 5hams al-Di tends to grad-
ually distance the Shiite movement in Lebanon from
what it sees as Iran's national designs."
Abolhasan Bani-Sadr, former Iranian president under
the Khomeyni regime, says that the clique currently in
control within the Iranian regime has decided to drive
Lebanon's Hizballah into the sea. Bani-Sadr adds that
"Tehran no longer objects to the destruction of Leba-
non's Hizballah by the Syrians."
According to Iranian sources in Tehran, the recent
hijacking of the. Kuwaiti plane returning from Bangkok
reflected the confusion within the revolutionary com-
mands both in Tehran and Lebanon.
The majority of the Iranian groups, the sources say, did
not want such an incident to occur during Iranian
elections, but other groups encouraged and may have
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28 April 1988
actually planned the hijacking as a way of demonstrating
the ever-ready capabilities of the hard-liners organized
and financially and ideologically supported by Iran.
There can be no doubt that the exiled Kuwaiti opposi-
tion members who had chosen Mashhad as their head-
quarters played an effective part in the hijacking, along
with the Iraqi and Lebanese terrorist groups associated
with Iran.
In the early stages of the hijacking the government
authorities in Tehran considered storming the Kuwaiti
airliner to dispel any suspicions regarding Iran and its
position on the hijacking.
However, that step was vehemently opposed by Kho-
meyni himself, who ordered that the hijackers be given
time to leave Iran. Khomeyni was the only person who
could have put a peaceful end to the hijacking, but he
refused to ask the hijackers to do so. [passage omitted]
The Iranian connection is no longer as acceptable to the
Lebanese Shi'ites as it was a year or so ago. Some
Lebanese Shi'ites critical of Khomeyni maintain that the
latter pursues his major objectives without any signifi-
cant regard for his supporters outside Iran.
A Lebanese businessman who is highly regarded in
Tehran says that "the exaggerated contacts with Iran
have now caused a rift within the Shi'ite?community in
Lebanon and divided it into two blocs: Amal and Hiz-
ballah. In Hizballah itself there are signs that other
divisions are likely to occur in the near future." [passage
omitted]
It is now certain that, apart from Khomeyni himself,
none of the ruling mullahs in Tehran can claim to have
any religious support in Lebanon. A prominent Lebanese
Shiite says that "as soon as Khomeyni goes Iran will
have nothing but money and power left, as in the days of
the shah, and many of us dread that day."
The weakening Iranian standing with the Shi'ites' of
Lebanon is evident in the fact that today there is no
longer any talk of setting up "an Islamic republic" in
Beirut and the South.-
Two years ago, 60 leading Hizballah figures signed a
document which they declared was the constitution of
the Islamic Republic of Lebanon, presented as a draft to
be completed,by 1990. Today, the implementation of
such a plan appears to be more remote than ever.
That, however, does not mean that Tehran has actually
accepted Syria's plan to destroy Hizballah with the help
of Amal. Iran is likely to keep a network of supporters
and agents in Lebanon without claiming that they would
be the future rulers of Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the possibility of a deterioration in Syrian-
Iranian relations over the future of Hizballah is not as
strong as it was some 2 or 3 years ago. [passage omitted]
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Further on Results of Syrian-Palestinian Talks
PLO Office To Reopen
NC271315 (Clandestine) Voice of the People'
in Arabic to Lebanon 1130 GMT 27 Apr 88
[Excerpts] The new course charted for Syrian-Palestinian
relations following the meeting between President Hafiz
al-Asad and Yasir 'Arafat in Damascus continues to
generate interest.
During this qualitative meeting the discussions focused on
several issues: most importantly, supporting the Palestinian
uprising; confronting the Shultz plan; convening an interna-
tional conference with full power to impose a solution;
recognizing the importance of a relationship with the Leb-
anese nationalist forces; emphasizing the fact that there is
no alternative to the PLO; and making the forthcoming
Arab summit the conference of the uprising.
A source that took part in the meeting between Al-Asad
and 'Arafat told us that an agreement was reached under
which committees will be formed to continue the dia-
logue on points of disagreement.
Sources in Damascus have told the Voice of the People that
Yasir 'Arafat will return to Damascus for a ceremony to be
held 40 days after the death of Abu Jihad [Khalil al-Wazir],
and perhaps earlier, to complete discussions.
Before 'Arafat left for Baghdad, these sources said, he
met with Syrian Vice President Khaddam. Their meet-
ing produced an agreement to form a joint committee to
formulate a unified working paper for presentation at the
forthcoming Arab summit.
Meanwhile, Faruq Qaddumi, director of the PLO's
Political Department, has stated that the PLO offices
will be reopened in Damascus. [passage omitted]
Palestinian sources have said that a joint Syrian-Pales-
tinian delegation has been formed to brief Soviet offi-
cials on the results of the Syrian-Palestinian talks.
Talks Continue in Damascus
JN271330 Paris Radio Monte Carlo in Arabic
1210 GMT 27 Apr 88
[Text] Palestinian leader Yasir 'Arafat, who arrived in
Baghdad yesterday, will hold a meeting of the Palestin-
ian leadership in Baghdad to discuss methods to escalate
the uprising in the occupied Arab territory.
This was reported by 'Arafat's aides. Meanwhile, the
Palestinian delegation led by Faruq Qaddumi, head of
the PLO Political Department, continued talks with
Syrian leaders.
Last night, Syrian Vice President 'Abd al-Halim Khad-
dam held lengthy talks with Qaddumi and the other
Palestinian officials in Damascus on rebuilding the alli-
ance between Syria and the PLO in. the wake of the
Al-Asad-'Arafat meeting.
This morning, Faruq Qaddumi, head of the PLO Polit-
ical Department and Fatah Central Committee member,
left Damascus for Tunisia. Hani al-Hasan, Abu Mahir,
and Muhammad Ratib Ghunaym, members of the Fatah
Central Committee, remained in Damascus to resume
Palestinian-Syrian talks.
Answering a question from AFP on the differences
between Syria and the PLO and whether these differ-
ences have been overcome, a responsible Syrian source
said: They are being discussed now. It will take time.
On the results reached, the Syrian, source said that
practical stands are required. He added that Syria has
not closed its doors in the face of the Palestinians. Syria's
stand is firm and principled. It is based on the principle
of the Paletinian people's national rights, adhering to the
liberation of the land, rejecting all forms of capitulation
and direct talks with Israel, and adhering to the interna-
tional conference and PLO representation in this confer-
ence, as the Syrian source put it.
The source added that whoever' approaches this stand
will come closer to Syria and whoever departs from it
will be further away from Syria.
On the Syrian president's meeting with the Palestinian
leader, the responsible Syrian source said: There were no
personal differences, only political differences.
Answering a question on the reasons that made Abu 'Am-
mar's [Yasir 'Arafat] visit to Syria possible, the responsible
Syrian source said: After the assassination of Abu Jihad
[Khalil al-Wazir] Syria decided to open its doors to the
Palestinians. There were contacts in the past. And what is
taking place now is a continuation of these contacts.
The responsible Syrian source concluded by saying: The'
Al-Asad-'Arafat meeting focused on the Arab and Pales=
tinian situation, the uprising in particular, and the
existence of schemes hostile to the Arab' rejection of
capitulation. But, what are the results of the meeting?
The Syrian official said: The dialogue continues.
Habash, Khalaf Comment
JN271956 Paris Radio Monte Carlo in Arabic
1900 GMT 27 Apr 88
[Text] At a press conference held in Damascus this
evening, PFLP Secretary General Dr George Habash
confirmed five outstanding points of difference between
Syria and the PLO.
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