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Source: http://www.france24.com/en/20171113-hezbollah-crown-jewel-irans-spreading-influence
Hizbullah, Crown Jewel of Iran's Spreading Influence
(AFP-France 24) Tony Gamal-Gabriel - Lebanon's Hizbullah has grown over the three decades since its founding into a mighty army used by Iran to project regional influence. "The most important Iranian tool in the region is Hizbullah," said Hilal Khashan, political science professor at the American University of Beirut. Hizbullah has trained Iraq's powerful Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary forces, Khashan said, and has "operatives" in Yemen's war to back Shiite Houthi rebels. Hizbullah has fought ferociously in Syria to defend the government of President Bashar al-Assad, also an ally of Iran. Its intervention in Syria's six-year conflict was a major turning point that helped Assad's troops retake swathes of territory. It also helped hone Hizbullah's own combat experience, transforming it from a guerrilla movement to a powerful fighting force with offensive capabilities. Hizbullah has been branded a "terrorist" organization by the U.S. and Gulf countries and targeted with economic sanctions.