NYT: De-fact Hezbollah-US alliance against ISIS

BEIRUT: Hezbollah and the U.S. have become de-facto allies in Syria, with the common objective of combating ISIS and preventing its spread into Lebanon, the New York Times said Tuesday.

In a rare interview between a senior party official and American media, Hezbollah’s newly appointed public relations chief, Mohammed Afif, implicitly acknowledged the rise of an indirect coordination in the fight against terror between the party and Washington, though their broader goals and views sharply diverge.

“All have an interest to keep the peace” in Lebanon, Afifi told the NYT, but added that each had its own ways to combat their common enemy.

The U.S. paper suggested that American intelligence had indirectly shared information with Hezbollah that helped the party stop suicide attacks in its stronghold in the southern suburb of Beirut.

The American military aid that has been arriving in Lebanon to help the Army to secure the border was another form of indirect cooperation according to the paper, as the Lebanese Army coordinates with Hezbollah and shares intelligence.

The New York Times added that there are signs that Hezbollah, which the U.S. lists as a terrorist organization, may see the fight against ISIS as an opportunity to gain legitimacy by making the case that it is standing against terrorism.

“We need to open up a new page with the world media, with Arabs and internationally,” Afifi said, justifying the lengthy interview with NYT.

While there may be indirect coordination behind the scenes, Hezbollah and the U.S. deny any hint of an alliance. Hezbollah is also opposed to having Lebanon join a US-led coalition to combat ISIS.

But analysts contended that having American drones in the air and Hezbollah fighters on the ground, targeting the same foe, constitutes a de-facto collaboration, though each can argue there was no official coordination - just two parties doing different things for the same goal.

According to the analysts, Hezbollah would deeply welcome U.S. strikes as long as they are confined to ISIS targets, even if it might not say so in public.

Another anaylst went as far as to suggest to the NYT that the U.S. should rethink its stance against Hezbollah.

“Hezbollah is not representing an imminent threat against the world,” Kamel Wazne said. “It represents a threat against Israel, as Israel represents a threat against Lebanon. But Hezbollah is not going to threaten the U.S. and Europe. Nobody said Hezbollah is cutting off heads.”