Al-Okaz, Saudi Arabia, May 20
In yet another blow to the Hizbullah, the organization’s prominent field commander Mustafa Badr al-Din was assassinated in a bombing close to the Damascus international airport. Badr al-Din joins a long list of Hizbullah operatives who have been killed in recent years: the organization’s Chief of Staff Imad Mughniyeh, his son, Jihad Mughniyeh, Samir Kuntar, a prominent commander in the organization, and now Badr al-Din. Along with them over 1,000 Hizbullah soldiers have lost their lives in the fighting in Syria, leaving the organization at great loss. Many experts believe that the Shi’a militant group is now at an all time low in terms of manpower and resources. Yet what is most curious is that not a single rebellion has been apparent within the organization’s ranks. Despite the heavy price paid for their involvement in the Syrian Civil War, Hizbullah members seem to be standing in complete support of their leader Hassan Nasrallah. This could either reflect their genuine support of their leader, or the strong indoctrination they undergo while joining the group’s ranks. Either way, it is likely that any other organization incurring such great losses would have witnessed protests and demands for investigation. Only time will tell what will happen with Hizbullah. Perhaps, without notice,tensions are already building up beneath the surface.– Turki al-Dakhil