Hezbollah buys grassroots support in Lebanon where and when it can, but the group turns to intimidation and even murder when a vocal opponent can’t be bought. Hezbollah’s elite, highly-secretive Unit 121 is the group’s death squad, which carries out assassinations of Lebanese politicians, military and law enforcement officers, and intellectuals who oppose the group’s illicit activities. This is no rogue unit–officials say Unit 121 operates under the direct orders of senior Hezbollah leadership.

Guests:

Monika Borgmann, German-Lebanese journalist and documentarian
David Schenker, former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, U.S. State Department; current Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics
Joby Warrick, national security reporter at The Washington Post

Breaking Hezbollah’s Golden Rule is hosted by Dr. Matthew Levitt from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

It is produced by Anouk Millet from Earshot Strategies, and written by Dr. Levitt, Lauren von Thaden, Camille Jablonski, and Delaney Soliday, research assistants at The Washington Institute.

Explore my map and timeline of Hezbollah’s Worldwide activities.

For a full transcript of the episode, a list of sources, recommended reading, and information on our guests, visit our website.

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Hezbollah Assassinations Unit 121