South Korea: North Korea has 6,000-member cyber army

Article Source: Yahoo News

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Tuesday that rival North Korea has a 6,000-member cyber army dedicated to disrupting the South's military and government, a dramatic increase from an earlier estimate of 3,000 such specialists.

Without elaborating, Seoul's Defense Ministry also said in a report that North Korea may also have gained the ability to strike the U.S. mainland because of its progress in missile technology demonstrated in recent long-range missile tests. It also said North Korea is advancing in efforts to miniaturize nuclear warheads to mount on such missiles.

There is considerable mystery, and outside debate, about the state of North Korea's opaque nuclear and missile programs, which it has persisted in pursuing for decades despite widespread domestic poverty and heavy international sanctions and criticism.

North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests since 2006, the most recent in early 2013, and experts believe it has a handful of crude nuclear bombs. Many outside observers speculate that it has not mastered the technology to make the bombs small enough to put on long-range missiles, although some say it may be able to arm shorter-range missiles with warheads.

North Korea has conducted several long-range rocket tests, which are seen as covers for banned tests meant to develop missiles that could hit mainland American shores. North Korea says its launches are meant to put peaceful satellites into orbit, and that its nuclear program is crucial to protecting itself from U.S. hostility.

The South Korean Defense Ministry report said North Korea's 6,000 cyber warriors are dedicated to "paralyzing the South psychologically and materially" and have been conducting cyber attacks to disrupt the South's military operations and main government systems. It didn't describe how it made its assessments.

The United States accuses North Korea of a cyber attack on Sony Pictures over a movie depicting the fictional assassination of the North's leader, Kim Jong Un. Washington has slapped sanctions on government officials and North Korea's defense industry. There are doubts in the cyber community, however, and North Korea has denied any involvement in the breach of tens of thousands of confidential Sony emails and business files.

Former South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said in 2013 that North Korea was operating a cyberwarfare staff of 3,000. South Korea accuses North Korea of conducting at least six high-profile cyberattacks since 2007 and many more unsuccessful attempts to infiltrate computer systems of businesses and government agencies.

The Korean Peninsula is still in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. There are 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the South as a deterrent against a North Korean attack.

Russian Bombers Come Close to California Coast

Article Source: theweek.com

A spokesperson for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed that two long-range Russian bomberscame within 50 miles of the Northern California coastline Monday, but didn't creep into United States airspace.

The American military deployed a pair of F-22 Raptor jets after noticing the Russian aircraft had entered the outer Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) near Alaska, a 200-miles large plot that is international airspace.

The nuclear-capable planes, as Russia Today calls them, then split into two groups: two headed west toward Russia and the other two sped south toward California. Those two planes "were picked up visually" by the American pilots.

The Americans didn't communicate with the Russian planes. A U.S. Navy official told theWashington Free Beacon that the incident appeared to be part of a training exercise and said the Russians "acted professionally."

This is the first time in two years that Russian bombers came this close to clipping the California coast.

Russia Nuke Attack Drill As China Selects U.S.

Article Source Investors.com

Global Power: Moscow launches four ICBMs in a large-scale nuclear drill as Chinese state media, brandishing detailed maps, show how Beijing's nuclear submarines can attack U.S. cities. We press "reset," they press "launch."

In March 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with a red "reset button" to symbolize improved ties. The era of confrontation when American presidents demanded the tearing down of walls was over. From now on, we would make nice.

Fast-forward to 2012, when President Obama met with Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's then-president and now prime minister, at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea.

That was when Obama assured Medvedev he'd have more leeway after his re-election to weaken missile defense. This would help him achieve his dream of U.S. disarmament and bring about, as he expressed in Prague in 2009, "a world without nuclear weapons."

Apparently the Russians and the Chinese do not share that dream. On Wednesday, Russian strategic forces carried out a large-scale surprise military drill that included the test launch of two land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and two submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

So while Russia expands and tests its offensive and defensive missile capabilities, President Obama lets our missile capabilities wither and caves to Russian demands to halt previously planned expansion.

To placate Moscow, Obama has already betrayed our allies in Poland and the Czech Republic by abandoning plans to deploy ground-based interceptors and missile defense in those countries.

Our Chinese friends have also noticed that the famous "reset" button has been replaced with one marked "easy." China's military carried out on July 24 a third test of a long-range DF-31A road-mobile ballistic missile capable of hitting the U.S. with nuclear warheads.

According to a recently published report by the Air Force National Air and Space Intelligence Center, "China has the most active and diverse ballistic missile development program in the world."

Last Monday, Chinese state-run media — including China Central TV, the People's Daily, the Global Times, the PLA Daily, the China Youth Daily and the Guangmin Daily — ran identical, top-headlined reports boasting of the "awesomeness" of the People's Liberation Army navy's strategic submarine force.

It is indeed formidable. China's sub fleet is reportedly the world's second-largest, with about 70 vessels. About 10 are nuclear-powered, and four or more of those are nuclear ballistic submarines.

In 2010, the Type 094 Jin class entered the service. It is capable of launching 12 to 16 JL-2 missiles with a range of about 8,700 miles, covering much of the continental U.S. with single or multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle warheads.

Rumors of War:Hezbollah and Hamas rocket threat outpacing Israel's defensive capabilities, expert says

Article Source: Haaretz.com

The Iron Dome anti-missile system in Haifa deployed in January. – Photo: Rami Shlush

Brig. Gen. (res.) Meir Elran of Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies says that as many as 1,500 short- to mid-range rockets could be launched each day in a war that would last for a month.

The Israeli response to the rocket threat still lags behind progress being made byHezbollah, Hamas and other groups, according to a report published this week by Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies.

Brig. Gen. (res.) Meir Elran, head of the institute’s Homeland Security Program, told Haaretz that Israel hasn’t closed the gaps.

According to Elran, in a war that could last a month, as many as 1,500 short- to mid-range rockets might be launched at the north alone each day. And Israel would have to prepare for a war on two fronts – Lebanon and Gaza.

Elran says Israel has greatly improved preparedness in recent years both at Home Front Command and with its five Iron Dome anti-rocket batteries. But he says budgetary problems have slowed the acquisition process.

“Israel has still not made a system-wide decision to increase its investment in defensive measures, even at the expense of offensive capabilities. It still seeks to depend on American money. Israel will purchase a maximum of 10 batteries, when it needs double that number,” Elran said.

“If the IDF had invested even 5 percent of the resources in defense that it invested in offense, we would be in a different place today,” he added.

“It’s no secret that if war breaks out, the IDF will want to deploy the batteries near air force bases so planes can take off and land under rocket fire, and near national infrastructure. In the current state of affairs, we don’t have enough missile batteries to protect population centers.”

According to Elran, another weak point is the rate of Israel’s acquisition of protective kits against chemical attacks. “If the state thinks the threat is tangible, it should complete the protection of the whole population,” Elran said, referring to reports that only 60 percent of Israelis have kits. “If it doesn’t, that’s a sign it doesn’t believe that the threat is real.”

Elran added that the fact the government has not yet decided on a division of responsibilities on the home front shows “mistaken thinking by the Israeli leadership about the threat to the civilian population.”

On Wednesday, the Institute is holding its annual conference on the home front’s preparedness.

Home Front Minister Gilad Erdan, who will address the conference, has been fighting to expand his office’s responsibilities but has met opposition from Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to decide on the issue, a decision that may be postponed.

Rumors of War: Saudis Aiming Missiles at Israel and Iran

Article Source Israelnationalnews.com

Chinese Ballistic Missiles  

Saudi Arabia is targeting both Israel and Iran with powerful ballistic missiles, new satellite photography shown by military experts to the BritishTelegraph suggests.

Images analyzed by experts at IHS Jane's Intelligence Review has revealed a previously undisclosed surface-to-surface missile base deep in the Saudi desert, with capabilities for hitting both countries, theTelegraph reported on Wednesday.

Analysts who examined the photos spotted two launch pads with markings pointing northwest towards Tel Aviv and northeast towards Tehran, according to the report.

The pads are designed for Saudi Arabia's arsenal of lorry-launched DF 3 missiles, which have a range of 1,500-2,500 miles and can carry a two-ton payload.

The base, believed to have been built within the last five years, gives an insight into Saudi strategic thinking at a time of heightened tensions in the Gulf.

While Saudi Arabia does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, it has long maintained discreet back channel communications as part of attempts to promote stability in the region.

The two countries also have a mutual enemy in Iran, though, which has long seen Saudi Arabia as a rival power in the Gulf. Experts fear that if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia would seek to follow suit.

Analysts at IHS Jane's told the Telegraph that the kingdom is currently in the process of upgrading its missiles, although even the DF3, which dates back to the 1980s, is itself potentially big enough to carry a nuclear device.

The missile base, which is at al-Watah, around 125 miles southwest of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, was discovered during a project by IHS Jane's to update their assessment of Saudi Arabia's military capabilities.

It serves as both a training and launch facility, with the missiles stored in an underground silo built into a rocky hillside, according to the Telegraph. To the north of the facility are two circle-shaped launch pads, both with compass-style markings showing the precise direction that the launchers should fire in.

The Chinese-made missiles, which date back to the 1980s, are not remotely-guided and therefore have to be positioned in the direction of their target before firing.

"One appears to be aligned on a bearing of approximately 301 degrees and suggesting a potential Israeli target, and the other is oriented along an azimuth (bearing) of approximately 10 degrees, ostensibly situated to target Iranian locations," said the IHS Jane's article quoted by the Telegraph.

While the lorry-launched missiles can theoretically be fired from any location, the idea of having pre-planned directional markers is to ensure that they can be deployed in accurate fashion as quickly as possible, said Allison Puccioni, an image expert at IHS Jane's.

"There is a marked out spot for the launch truck to park in, which will facilitate an expedited launch," she told the Telegraph.

Robert Munks, deputy editor of IHS Jane's Intelligence Review, told the newspaper, “Our assessment suggests that this base is either partly or fully operational, with the launch pads pointing in the directions of Israel and Iran respectively. We cannot be certain that the missiles are pointed specifically at Tel Aviv and Tehran themselves, but if they were to be launched, you would expect them to be targeting major cities.

"We do not want to make too many inferences about the Saudi strategy, but clearly Saudi Arabia does not enjoy good relations with either Iran or Israel," he added.

Officials at the Saudi Embassy in London did not get back with a response when contacted by The Telegraph. The Israeli Embassy in London said. "We have no comment on this matter."

Rumors of War: Iran Still Racing Toward Bomb

Article Source ynetnews.com

Iran President Elect Hassan Rohani- No Change in Iranian Policy

Israeli PM tells cabinet, CBS Rohani's election has not slowed Islamic Republic's nuclear program; calls for harsher sanctions, 'credible military option', promises not to wait until its too late

“A month has passed since elections were held in Iran, and Iran continues to race toward the development of military nuclear capability,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.

The PM said that under President-Elect Hassan Rohani‘s leadership Iran is “expanding and perfecting its (uranium) enrichment while simultaneously developing a plutonium reactor to produce material for a nuclear bomb.

“At the same time, Iran is also developing its ballistic missile force. These (developments) threaten not only us, but the entire West. We are determined to stand behind our demands, which must also be the demands of the international community,” Netanyahu told his ministers.

The Israeli premier went on to list the demands from Iran: “Stop all uranium production, remove all enriched material (from the country) and close the illegal nuclear facility in Qom.

“We believe that now more than ever, in light of Iran’s progress, it is important (that the international community) tighten the economic sanctions and make Iran face a credible military option,” the PM said.

A Pentagon report stated that China, Iran and North Korea are aggressively developing nuclear missiles capable of striking the United States and proliferation among these nations of technology is rife, the British newspaper Daily Mail reported over the weekend.

The Department of Defense report, the findings of which were first published by the Washington Times, confirms the assessment of US intelligence agencies that Iran is set to test an intercontinental ballistic missile as early as 2015.

Rumors of War: Syria, Israel exchange fire on Golan Heights

Source Reuter by Dominic Evans

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria said its troops destroyed an Israeli vehicle that crossed into its territory from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday and warned that any attempt to violate its sovereignty would meet "immediate and firm retaliation".

Israel said the incident took place on its side of the Golan ceasefire line, that the vehicle was damaged but not destroyed, none of its soldiers were hurt and they returned fire.

The clash highlighted the potential for renewed conflict along a frontline that has become increasingly fraught after nearly four decades of calm overseen by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his father.

It also followed Israeli airstrikes near Damascus against suspected missile stockpiles two weeks ago, after which Syria threatened to retaliate.

Assad is battling a two-year-old uprising in which rebel forces, including radical Islamists, have taken swathes of rural territory and attacked army posts near the Golan frontier.

There are frequent reports of cross-border gunfire from Syria during clashes between army and rebel forces but Tuesday's incident was the first time since the start of the crisis that Syria's armed forces said they targeted Israel's military.

"Our noble armed forces destroyed an Israeli vehicle ... which entered from the occupied territories and crossed the ceasefire line," Syria's military leadership said in a statement broadcast on state media. The incident occurred at 1:10 am (2210 GMT, Monday), it said.

Shortly afterwards, Israeli forces fired two rockets towards a Syrian position, without causing any casualties, Syria said.

The Israeli military's chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz, said the Israeli army vehicle had been patrolling on the Israeli side of a border fence when it came under repeated fire.

"They fire on it once. They fire on it twice. They fire on it a third time, from a clear Syrian position," he said in a speech. "One time, okay. Two times, okay. Three times, too many. The position was destroyed."

Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said: "Our policy on Syria is clear: We are not intervening there, of course, in the civil war ... But as for the situation in the Golan Heights, we are not allowing and we will not permit a spillover of fire into our territory."

AGGRESSION

Tension in the Golan Heights region has been fuelled by the fighting on the Syrian side and several recent abductions by rebel fighters of U.N. peacekeepers, who have monitored a narrow zone of separation between Syrian and Israeli troops since 1974.

The abductions led the Philippines government to say it was considering withdrawing its troops from the UNDOF observer mission. Austria, the other main troop contributor, is concerned that French and British calls to drop an EU arms embargo on Syrian rebels would render its continued presence untenable.

Adding to the sense of alert, the militant Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said two weeks ago it was forming combat units to try to recapture the Golan, after Assad and Lebanon's Hezbollah said they would support such operations.

The announcement followed Israel's air strikes near Damascus against suspected missiles stocks destined for Hezbollah, which fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006.

Syria's Foreign Ministry sent a written complaint to the United Nations on Tuesday, saying Israel's actions violated the United Nations charter and a 1974 military disengagement agreement between the two foes.

Syria's military command said the incident showed that Israel was supporting the anti-Assad rebels and aimed "to raise their morale which collapsed after the tough blows struck by our noble armed forces ... especially in Qusair."

Syria's army, backed by Hezbollah, has launched an offensive to capture the central town of Qusair, which has been in rebel hands for most of the two-year uprising which has now killed more than 80,000 people, according to the United Nations.

"The blatant Zionist aggression confirms that any violation, or attempted violation of the country's sovereignty will be met with immediate and firm retaliation," the Syrian army said.

Rumors of War: Philippines protests Chinese warship's presence

Source AP by Jim Gomez

Philippines protests presence of Chinese warship, fishing boats in disputed Spratly Islands

CAVITE, Philippines (AP) -- The Philippines has protested the presence of a Chinese warship, two surveillance vessels and fishing boats off a shoal occupied by its military in the disputed Spratly Islands, in the latest territorial squabble between the Asian countries, officials said Tuesday.

President Benigno Aquino III warned, meanwhile, that the Philippines is ready to fight back against any threat and announced plans to buy more warships and aircraft for its ill-equipped military, including anti-submarine attack helicopters.

"Our message to the whole world is clear: what belongs to the Philippines belongs to the Philippines," Aquino said in a speech at a naval base in Cavite province south of Manila. "We can fight back and defend ourselves every time somebody will threaten us right in our own home ground."

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said the Philippines denounced the "provocative and illegal presence" of Beijing's ships off Ayungin Shoal in the South China Sea, adding the area is "an integral part of our national territory."

"The Philippines calls on China to respect sovereign rights and jurisdiction," he said.

Chinese diplomats did not immediately react to the protest, which Hernandez said was filed two weeks ago at the Chinese Embassy in Manila.

The shoal, 196 kilometers (122 miles) from the southwestern Philippine province of Palawan, is guarded by a Filipino marine unit based in a rusty warship that ran aground on a coral outcrop several years ago. The shoal lies near Mischief Reef, which the Philippines has claimed but was occupied by China in 1995, sparking intense protests from Manila.

By allowing fishermen in several boats to fish off the shoal, China has violated the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, which grants coastal states exclusive right to exploit marine resources in waters within 370 kilometers (200 nautical miles) of their coast, Hernandez said.

It's the latest territorial rift between the Asian countries, which also are locked in other long-simmering disputes in the South China Sea. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim parts of the Spratlys, a chain of islands, islets and reefs.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said another protest might be lodged if authorities confirm that two ships which chased a Philippine official's ferry boat last week near Ayungin Shoal were Chinese government vessels.

Eugenio Bito-onon, mayor of a chain of Philippine-occupied islands in the Spratlys, said he was traveling with 178 crewmen and companions on a boat to Palawan at night last week when two unidentified ships chased them away from Ayungin. The ships focused spotlights on Bito-onon's boat, preventing him and his companions from identifying the vessels, he said.

He said a suspected Chinese warship also cut through his four-boat convoy twice last October while he and his staff were traveling to a Philippine-occupied island in the Spratlys. He said he took pictures and video of the gray ship, its hull marked with the number 995, and reported the incident to the military.

Israel Bombs Syrian Convoy(Chemical Weapons Headed to Hezbollah or Not?)

Source Jewish Voice International Ministries

The bitter and brutal civil war that has been raging in Syria for months has left tens of thousands dead and hundreds of thousands homeless. The government of Israel has publicly expressed their concern over Syria’s ability to control the large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons they are known to possess. Certainly having these in the hands of Hezbollah or some other terrorist group would pose a grave danger to the Jewish People.

In the last forty-eight hours news reports have begun to surface that Israel has been taking military action inside Syria. Although almost no details are being publicly confirmed, it appears that the Israeli air force has been carrying out airstrikes deep inside Syrian territory. The most informed speculation indicates that Israel struck a military arms convoy that was either near the Syrian border with Lebanon, or that had perhaps just crossed over into Lebanon. No credible reports have detailed what was being transported in the convoy.

It is known that Israel has been working closely with Western intelligence services to try to track the location of all of Syria’s weapons of mass destruction. There have been a number of reports from Syria that the Assad government has used chemical weapons against rebel targets, but due to the ongoing civil war, no outside observers have been able to evaluate these claims.

Israel ex-spy warns against "messianic" war on Iran

Story Source Reuters







Former Israeli Spymaster Yuval Diskin Warns Against Attacking Iran

A former Israeli spymaster has branded the country's leaders unfit to tackle the Iranian nuclear program and "messianic" in the strongest criticism from a security veteran of threats to launch a pre-emptive war.

Other veterans have come out against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak.

But the censure from Yuval Diskin, who retired as head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service last year, was especially strong and unusual in using the language of religious fervor that Israelis associate with Islamist foes.

"I have no faith in the prime minister, nor in the defence minister," Diskin said in remarks broadcast by Israeli media on Saturday. "I really don't have faith in a leadership that makes decisions out of messianic feelings."

The Prime Minister's Office and Defence Ministry had no immediate response to Diskin's remarks. But Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman rebuked Diskin and questioned his motives.

The catastrophic terms with which Netanyahu and Barak describe the prospect of a nuclear-armedIran have stirred concern in Israel and abroad of a possible strike against its uranium enrichment program. Iran says the project is entirely peaceful and has promised wide-ranging reprisals for any attack.

World powers, sharing Israeli suspicions Iran has a covert bomb-making plan, are trying to curb it through sanctions and negotiations. Those talks resume in Baghdad next month, but Barak on Thursday rated their chance of succeeding as low.

Although Israel has long threatened a pre-emptive strike if diplomacy fails, some experts believe that could be a bluff to keep up pressure on the Iranians, making it harder to interpret the swirl of comments from the security establishment.

In a commentary on Diskin's remarks, Amos Harel of the liberal newspaper Haaretz wrote that the temperature was rising ahead of the nuclear talks.

"Nothing has been determined in the Iranian story, and the spring is about to boil over into another summer of tension," he wrote.

FALSE IMPRESSION

Diskin spoke days after Israel's top military commander, Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz, told Haaretz he viewed Iran as "very rational" and unlikely to build a bomb, comments that apparently undermined the case for a strike.

The former Shin Bet chief was specifically damning of Netanyahu and Barak, who have often crafted strategy alone and whose rapport dates back four decades to when they served together in a top-secret commando unit.

"They're creating a false impression about the Iranian issue," Diskin told a private gathering on Friday, where the comments were recorded. "They're appealing to the stupid public, if you'll pardon me for the phrasing, and telling them that if Israel acts, there won't be an (Iranian) nuclear bomb."

Diskin said he was not necessarily opposed to an attack on Iran, though he cited experts who argue this risked backfiring by accelerating its nuclear program.

Netanyahu's former Mossad foreign intelligence director, Meir Dagan, last year also ridiculed the Israeli war option.

Diskin went a step further by saying that Netanyahu and Barak were not up to the job of opening an unprecedented front with Iran and, potentially, with its allies on Israel's borders.

Netanyahu is a second-term premier with solid public approval ratings and a broad conservative coalition. Barak, a former prime minister, is Israel's most decorated soldier.

"I have seen them up close," Diskin said. "They are not messiahs, the two of them, and they are not people who I personally, at least, trust to be able to lead Israel into an event on such a scale, and to extricate it."

Foreign Minister Lieberman said questions such as how and if to tackle Iran "are not made by the prime minister and defence minister. They are usually made in the security cabinet or cabinet."

Lieberman suggested to Israel's Channel Two television that Diskin might be angry at being passed over for the job as head of the Mossad.

Islamic Terrorist Group Partner with Mexican Drug Cartels

I was in Kingston, Jamacica on a ministry trip in September of 2002 when the Holy Spirit told me that   Islamic Terrorist groups would go to Mexico.  Their goal would be to pose a threat to the United State borders.  I did not hear from the Lord again regarding this matter until August of 2007 during an unlikely time.  Believe it not, I was on my honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  The Spirit of the Lord came to me strongly with the same word: an Islamic Terrorist group was coming to Mexico. 

Since that time, that prophetic word has been confirmed.  As it turns out, the Hezbollah Terrorist Group partnered with Mexican Drug cartels to form an alliance.  Hezbollah has established operations and a large stockpile of weapons in Mexico. Hezbollah's mission is to establish a strong terrorist network in regions of Mexico and South America. 

Needless to say, the relationship formed between Hezbollah and the various Mexican drug cartels is dangerous but predictably, mutually beneficial.   Hezbollah's goal is to bring terrorism and destruction to American soil.  The cartels weaken the boarders through their mayhem and lawlessness, allowing Hezbollah to do just that.   On the other hand, the cartels benefit because Hezbollah offers expertise in weapons and smuggling and cheaper access to heroin from Afghanistan and Iran. The following is a Fox News video report from July of 2011.  It describes a memo from theTuscon police department regarding Hezbollah partnering with Mexican Drug Cartels. 

    

Who is Hezbollah?

Hezbollah is a Lebanese miltitant Shiite Islamic group headquartered in Lebanon.  In the 1980's, it was partly founded and continues to be supported by Iran.  The very name Hezbollah means "Party of God ."  The Shiite group in Lebanon ia also a part of a bigger group referred to as "Twelvers."  Twelvers represent 85% of Shiites in Islam and believe that 12th Imam  ( or Islamic Messiah) will arise in the middle turmoil and chaos to revive Islam to it's former glory.  They also believe that the Mahdi/Imam will establish Islam as the global religion, and will reign for seven years before bringing about the end of the world.    

Before September 11, 2001, Hezbollah was responsible for more American deaths by acts of terrorism than any other terrorist organization...even al-Qaeda.  Hezbollah's main objective is to bring destruction to the nation of Isreal and anyone who gives them assistance.  The United States is one of Israel's allies and therefore one of Hezbollah's  four major enemies   .

Potential Future

Twelvers believe that Israel and America are "Little Satan" and "Great Satan" respectively and that both must be attacked in order for the Mahdi, otherwise known as the guided one or Islamic Messiah, to arrive on the world scene in order to fulfill Islamic prophecy.    

Hezbollah sitting right at the borders of American and allied with the Mexican drug cartels is a dangerous mix of potential horrific attacks of terrorism on American soil.  Not only does Hezbollah have a growing presence in Mexico, but throughout Latin America.  They are aided by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (here, here).  Although terrorism is sitting at America's back door, most Americans truly believe that terrorism could never happen in United States again because al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in May of this year.
Some believe that killing one of the most influential leaders of terrorism would make some believe that the war on terrorism is won.  But nothing has been won. You can't kill the spirit behind Islam and you can't kill the ideology of Islam.  Terrorism is not about Muslim extremists carrying out terrorist acts against their enemies, its all about Orthodox Muslims carrying out jihad against non-believers and enemies of Islam.  The ideology of Islam is solely based on executing violence to all the infidels/non-believers of Islam through jihad (here, here, here).

If the American government actually believes that they can negotiate with Islamic Shiite Twelvers, they have another thing coming.  Muslims exalt the Koran and its prophecies over everything. They believe that in  Quran 2:190  the Koran requires them to defend Islam to its fullest and this in turn justifies an attack on Israel and America.

In 2007 President Felipe Calderon met with former Iranian President Mohamed Khatami in Mexico City to discuss developing cultural bonds between the Islamic and the west (here). Since that meeting,  Iran has aggressively attempted to develop closer political and economic ties to Mexico.   In turn, Iran has already developed a presence within Latin America and close ties to Bolivia, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a close relationship with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who has a tremendous hatred of the United States of America.  If Mexico were to continue to grow economic, political and military ties with Iran, Iran would pose a great threat to the United States borders and national security.

Americas Future

As it stands now America needs to repent from all of its violence, witchcraft, sexual immorality, and gross sins and abomination.  It is just like previous great nations that entered into pride, tremendous amount of iniquity running wild. They were judged and therefore, lost their place in the earth.  Our nation is in the need of prayer and revival.   Many American church prophets prophesy prosperity and blessings.  They help you live a wonderful life now while feeding their followers lies and divinations.  They need to tell people to repent because judgement is coming to those that have align themselves against the Lord Jesus Christ. We are seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled right before our eyes.  We are living in the last days.  If you have been intoxicated by the world system, it is time to wake-up from spiritual sleep, and become sober and vigilant.  For this is not the hour not to be playing games with your soul's salvation.

Proverbs 14:34 says, "Righteousness exalts a nation: sin is a reproach to any people."

Psalm 9:17 says, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

Matthew 24:6-8 says, " And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."