U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Chief Warns Nusra Could Intensify Operations in Lebanon

The director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency has warned that al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front could expand the territories it is holding in Syria to reach Lebanon.

“As part of the larger al-Qaida network, we are concerned about the support al-Nusra Front provides to transnational terrorist attack plotting against U.S. and Western interests,” Lt. Gen. Vincent R. Stewart told the Congress on Tuesday.

“We expect the group will try to expand its territory in 2015 beyond its Syrian operating areas and enhance its operational capabilities in Lebanon, where it already conducts operations,” he said.

Stewart also said that U.S.-led coalition strikes have degraded the Islamic State group's ability to operate in Iraq and Syria. But the jihadists retain “the ability to conduct limited offensive operations and is seeking to expand its presence and influence beyond these two countries.”

"Governments in countries such as Egypt, Algeria, Jordan and Lebanon are under stress from a variety of sources, thereby reducing their capability as a region to confront the threat posed by violent extremists," he said.

He made his statement during a testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on the subject of worldwide threats.

IS and al-Nusra Front jihadists do not hold territory in Lebanon. But they have established footholds in remote mountains along Lebanon's remote eastern border, from where they launch almost daily incursions further afield.

Their threat first came to Lebanon in August, two months after the IS's summer blitz in which it seized large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. In a surprise attack, IS and al-Nusra Front militants crossed over from Syria and overran the northeastern border town of Arsal, engaging in heavy clashes with the Lebanese army and taking with them soldiers and policemen captive.

In his statement, Stewart described the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps–Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and Hizbullah as “instruments of Iran’s foreign policy and its ability to project power in Iraq, Syria, and beyond.”

“Hizbullah continues to support the regime of Syrian President (Bashar) Assad, pro-regime militants and Iraqi Shiite militants in Syria,” he said.

He also said in his statement that “Hizbullah has sent trainers and advisers to Iraq to assist Iranian and Iraqi Shiite militias fighting Sunni extremists there.”

G.K.

H.K.