Counterterrorism is a practice, military action, techniques and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses or the military employees to subvert terror activities from their country or establishment. Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, and Hamas are notorious terror groups with well-structured organization. The first basic and universal counterterrorism strategy is counterintelligence (Jonathan-Zamir & Aviv, 2014). It is important to gain information about all the aspects of the terror groups to understand their organization structure, their activities and their source of financing among other aspects. It is the intelligence that will guide the kind of strategies required for counter-terror activities. Iran is a country that greatly sponsors both Hezbollah and Hamas throughout the years (Byman, 2011). It finances the terror groups using its economy got from the oil it sells to its neighbors. A good counterterrorism strategy would be to impose economic sanctions on Iran preventing it from selling it oil. Countries importing from Iran should also be advised to stop. The move would kill Iran’s economy but deter it from financing and supporting Hezbollah and Hamas.
The strategy may slightly change for AL-Qaeda as it is not so much supported by a country. However, its organizational structure is deeply entrenched and can be targeted through its leadership (Cragin, 2015). Killing Osama bin Laden was a great step in cutting off the leadership. However, the organization still exists. Taking away what the financers of Al-Qaeda love most may cut off weapon supplies, communication channels as well as tactical support. However, employing a single counterterrorism strategy is not sustainable. Deterring terror must take a multifaceted approach (Roberts, 2014). Actors against the vice must work as allies to deter terrorism. Hezbollah, Hamas and Al-Qaeda are not merely terror groups but complex systems that require different approaches. Military attacks should be coupled with political warfare placing at risk what the terrorist hold so dear. In addition, a credible threat of force against any group or state that supports the terror groups is necessary. Some strategies like sanctions work well for all groups because it is deterring their operations from the source by taking away the finances that fund their operations.
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References
Byman, D. (2011). The Lebanese Hizballah and Israeli Counterterrorism. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism , 34 (12), 920–921. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610x.2011.621114
Cragin, R. K. (2015). Semi-Proxy Wars and U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism , 38 (5), 317. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610x.2015.1018024
Jonathan-Zamir, T., & Aviv, G. (2014). How has the Israel National Police perceived its role in counterterrorism and the potential outcomes? A qualitative analysis of annual police reports. Police Practice and Research , 15 (2), 144–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2013.874172
Roberts, A. (2014). Terrorism Research: Past, Present, and Future. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism , 38 (1), 62–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610x.2014.976011
