Hizbullah sharpens its weapons in propaganda war

Al Manar's $10 million annual budget, has increased 10-fold since 1991, the year the station was launched. The funds come from institutions and individuals either as payment for commercials or donations. But Krayyem admits that Al Manar's annual losses are huge. "Our investors are not thinking of profits. Their motivation is political and religious," he says, declining to identify them. Despite the losses, the station is building a new million-dollar headquarters in Hizbullah's stronghold in south Beirut.

When the intifada broke out in September 2000, Al Manar increased its hours of broadcast from four a day to 18, and then again to 24 last January.

The station is often the first to break news, relying, according to Krayyem, on a network of Palestinian correspondents, rather than Hizbullah reporters. Breaking news - especially attacks and casualties - are immediately flashed across the bottom of the TV screen.

Since Sept. 11, the US has pressured Lebanon to crack down on Hizbullah, which it views as a terrorist organization. The Lebanese government has refused, arguing that Hizbullah is a political party with a legitimate military wing, which fought Israel's illegal occupation of south Lebanon. Krayyem says that the station broadcasts speeches by Hizbullah leaders defending the party against accusations of terrorism and has closely followed the war in Afghanistan.

Long ago Hizbullah learned the value of propaganda. The organization fought a classic guerrilla war against the Israeli forces, combining prowess on the battlefield with a deft propaganda campaign.

Fighters often videotaped their attacks against Israeli troops. Footage of deadly operations sometimes would appear on Al Manar before the Israeli army had notified the families of the dead.

"These videos had a huge psychological effect, not just on Israeli soldiers, but also on Israeli civilians," says Hassan Ezzieddine, the head of Hizbullah's media relations department. "They helped create a climate in Israel for demanding a withdrawal from south Lebanon."

In 1996, Al Manar also began broadcasting clips in Hebrew, addressing Israeli soldiers and civilians and warning them of the dangers of staying in south Lebanon.

The Hebrew Observation Department monitors Israeli broadcasts and studies the Hebrew press online. The information is distributed to Al Manar editors for inclusion in broadcasts. Al Manar has plans to launch a daily Hebrew news program.

Hizbullah believes that to destroy one's enemy, it is essential to understand that enemy first. "We are in a very real conflict with the Israeli enemy," Mr. Ezzieddine says. "Consequently, we must realize and understand the nature of this enemy.... The more we know them, the more we know their weak points. This makes it easier for us to confront them."

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