Growing Hezbollah Presence in Southwest U.S.

Growing Hezbollah Presence in Southwest U.S. Ht: Israelmatzav - ClarionProject.

 If they're running drugs from Mexico, I suppose it's inevitable that they're also in the American Southwest.

Terrorism expert Matthew Levitt writes that an increasing number of U.S. prison inmates have tattoos that are pro-Hezbollah or are in Farsi, the language spoken in Iran. The claim is made in Levitt’s new book, Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God.

“Law enforcement officials across the Southwest are reporting a rise in imprisoned gang members with Farsi tattoos” and some express loyalty to Hezbollah.

His book includes an eye-opening quote from another official: “You could almost pick your city and you would probably have a [Hezbollah] presence.”

Hezbollah’s business relationship with Mexican drug cartels is seen as a driving force behind the phenomenon.

An actual member of Hezbollah was captured in Tijuana in July 2010. His arrest was the smoking gun proof that Hezbollah is investing in building a network in Mexico.

Hezbollah’s presence goes further south than Mexico. The Venezuelan government has been accused of colluding with Hezbollah and Iran for years. It’s long been understood that Hezbollah operates in the tri-border area of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. Roger Noriega, former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, could not be clearer in his urgent warnings:

“If our government and responsible partners in Latin America fail to act, I believe there will be an attack on U.S. personnel, installations or interests in the Americas as soon as Hezbollah operatives believe that they are capable of such an operation without implicating their Iranian sponsors in the crime.”Hmmm......Think about what will happen if the Obama administration succeeds in making them all legal. Read the full story here.