By Eric Stakelbeck for Harbinger's Daily
Interesting details are emerging about a Hezbollah operative arrested right here on American soil.
He came into the country one year ago, in March 2024—you guessed it—through the porous Southern border. Or should I say, formerly porous Southern border. Under Donald Trump, that border is now officially secure. We are catching up now on at least four years of quite literally an invasion at the southern border where, according to members of the Trump administration, as many as 20 million people entered the United States illegally from over 100 countries around the world—including Lebanon.
This self-admitted Hezbollah operative entered the United States in the spring of 2024 and has spent a year in custody. The story is only now making headlines because, lo and behold, under the new administration, he is reportedly about to be deported from the United States.
“New York-bound migrant Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, admitted his ties to the terrorist group [when] he was captured by border agents in El Paso, Texas, on March 9, 2024 — and was immediately held in federal custody,” the New York Post reported. “During a medical screening in a processing center, Ebbadi was asked what he was doing in the US, to which he replied, ‘I’m going to try to make a bomb,’ according to a Border Patrol document previously obtained by The Post.”
The New York Post deserves a “hat-tip” for breaking this story and releasing the details about Basel Bassel Ebbadi. He was much more than an “illegal alien.” He was a Hezbollah terrorist who came to the United States from Lebanon, planning to make his way to New York, where he would build a bomb.
New York City is densely populated with numerous landmarks and tourist attractions. This would have been a nightmare scenario. Thank God this was averted, and this man was arrested. However, this chain of events speaks more broadly to significant problems.
Firstly, Hezbollah itself. The terror group is a member of the Iranian axis. Iran, Hezbollah’s masters, are a global threat. What happens in the Middle East does not stay in the Middle East. In their ideology, Israel is viewed as the “little Satan,” and America is the “great Satan”—the ultimate prize. Their rhetoric and threats against the United States are issued on a continual basis.
Hezbollah’s past attacks against American interests included, most notoriously, the 1983 US Marine Barracks bombing in Beirut, where a Hezbollah suicide bomber slaughtered 241 brave US service members on orders from the Iranian regime.
We have also seen Hezbollah activity here in the United States over the years in a fundraising, logistical, and ideological capacity. For instance, there was a Hezbollah cigarette smuggling ring broken up in Charlotte, North Carolina, several years ago. We have also had reports of Hezbollah members and sympathizers crossing that southern border, even before Biden, making their way to places like Dearborn, Michigan which has been a place notorious for Hezbollah support.
Just a reminder, Israel has been successfully going toe-to-toe with Hezbollah in the past few months. The reports we are currently seeing today underscore why the world, the United States in particular, should be thanking Israel for largely smashing this terrorist group.
The second significant problem, it goes without saying, is the US southern border. It is my prayer that the damage that has already been done through out of control illegal immigration doesn’t catch up with the nation.
Donald Trump has kept his promise; the border is now secure. Illegal border entries and attempts have dropped approximately 97% since President Trump took office just seven and a half weeks ago. It has been a dramatic and glorious turnaround at the southern border. However, it is the years of buildup that we have to be concerned about. The “saving grace” is that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under Kristi Noem, the new Border Czar Tom Homan, and their teams are working around the clock to purge out the criminals and terrorists who took root in the United States under Joe Biden.
The Biden Administration essentially welcomed these criminals and terrorists. It was as if they had a flashing neon sign on the US-Mexico border, which read, “Come on in!” And they did precisely that to the tune of perhaps as many as 20 million people in the span of just four years. It was absolute insanity. More than that, it was evil. Some 13,000 individuals convicted of murder entered the US under Biden’s watch illegally through the border.
The Latest in the Middle East
Over in the Middle East, while there has been a ceasefire in place since November 27th, Hezbollah has danced along a fine line, with Israel having to strike several times targeting their weapon stockpiles.
Israel carried out airstrikes earlier today in several villages in the mountain ranges of Southeastern Lebanon. Israeli warplanes reportedly fired six air-to-ground missiles near Baalbe. The IDF stated that they would continue to carry out such actions to thwart the movement of weapons in violation of the ceasefire and protect the nation of Israel.
Hezbollah, on the other hand, is very quiet, with some saying that Israel has eliminated 70-80% of their military capabilities over the past few months. It is truly amazing what Israel accomplished. Hezbollah, which is the crown jewel of Iran’s terrorist “ring of fire,” is now lying low and licking its wounds.
Israel in Southern Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria has forged buffer zones to prevent another October 7 style attack from ever again taking place. Israel is determined to maintain their positions at five strategic locations in Lebanese territory near the border for an “indefinite period.” Obviously, Hezbollah is down, but they’re not out. The situation remains very tenuous.
At the same time, we are hearing rumblings that Israel and the nation of Lebanon—not Hezbollah, which resided within the country as essentially a “state within a state” for several years—are talking about possible normalization. With the Abraham Accords back on the table and the Saudis inching closer, it is possible that we could see this with Lebanon as well.
We live in Bible times. Amazing things are happening.
Eric Stakelbeck is an author, analyst, host of “The Watchman” program, and the Director of Christians United for Israel’s CUFI Watchman Project
Interesting details are emerging about a Hezbollah operative arrested right here on American soil.
He came into the country one year ago, in March 2024—you guessed it—through the porous Southern border. Or should I say, formerly porous Southern border. Under Donald Trump, that border is now officially secure. We are catching up now on at least four years of quite literally an invasion at the southern border where, according to members of the Trump administration, as many as 20 million people entered the United States illegally from over 100 countries around the world—including Lebanon.
This self-admitted Hezbollah operative entered the United States in the spring of 2024 and has spent a year in custody. The story is only now making headlines because, lo and behold, under the new administration, he is reportedly about to be deported from the United States.
“New York-bound migrant Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, admitted his ties to the terrorist group [when] he was captured by border agents in El Paso, Texas, on March 9, 2024 — and was immediately held in federal custody,” the New York Post reported. “During a medical screening in a processing center, Ebbadi was asked what he was doing in the US, to which he replied, ‘I’m going to try to make a bomb,’ according to a Border Patrol document previously obtained by The Post.”
The New York Post deserves a “hat-tip” for breaking this story and releasing the details about Basel Bassel Ebbadi. He was much more than an “illegal alien.” He was a Hezbollah terrorist who came to the United States from Lebanon, planning to make his way to New York, where he would build a bomb.
New York City is densely populated with numerous landmarks and tourist attractions. This would have been a nightmare scenario. Thank God this was averted, and this man was arrested. However, this chain of events speaks more broadly to significant problems.
Firstly, Hezbollah itself. The terror group is a member of the Iranian axis. Iran, Hezbollah’s masters, are a global threat. What happens in the Middle East does not stay in the Middle East. In their ideology, Israel is viewed as the “little Satan,” and America is the “great Satan”—the ultimate prize. Their rhetoric and threats against the United States are issued on a continual basis.
Hezbollah’s past attacks against American interests included, most notoriously, the 1983 US Marine Barracks bombing in Beirut, where a Hezbollah suicide bomber slaughtered 241 brave US service members on orders from the Iranian regime.
We have also seen Hezbollah activity here in the United States over the years in a fundraising, logistical, and ideological capacity. For instance, there was a Hezbollah cigarette smuggling ring broken up in Charlotte, North Carolina, several years ago. We have also had reports of Hezbollah members and sympathizers crossing that southern border, even before Biden, making their way to places like Dearborn, Michigan which has been a place notorious for Hezbollah support.
Just a reminder, Israel has been successfully going toe-to-toe with Hezbollah in the past few months. The reports we are currently seeing today underscore why the world, the United States in particular, should be thanking Israel for largely smashing this terrorist group.
The second significant problem, it goes without saying, is the US southern border. It is my prayer that the damage that has already been done through out of control illegal immigration doesn’t catch up with the nation.
Donald Trump has kept his promise; the border is now secure. Illegal border entries and attempts have dropped approximately 97% since President Trump took office just seven and a half weeks ago. It has been a dramatic and glorious turnaround at the southern border. However, it is the years of buildup that we have to be concerned about. The “saving grace” is that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under Kristi Noem, the new Border Czar Tom Homan, and their teams are working around the clock to purge out the criminals and terrorists who took root in the United States under Joe Biden.
The Biden Administration essentially welcomed these criminals and terrorists. It was as if they had a flashing neon sign on the US-Mexico border, which read, “Come on in!” And they did precisely that to the tune of perhaps as many as 20 million people in the span of just four years. It was absolute insanity. More than that, it was evil. Some 13,000 individuals convicted of murder entered the US under Biden’s watch illegally through the border.
The Latest in the Middle East
Over in the Middle East, while there has been a ceasefire in place since November 27th, Hezbollah has danced along a fine line, with Israel having to strike several times targeting their weapon stockpiles.
Israel carried out airstrikes earlier today in several villages in the mountain ranges of Southeastern Lebanon. Israeli warplanes reportedly fired six air-to-ground missiles near Baalbe. The IDF stated that they would continue to carry out such actions to thwart the movement of weapons in violation of the ceasefire and protect the nation of Israel.
Hezbollah, on the other hand, is very quiet, with some saying that Israel has eliminated 70-80% of their military capabilities over the past few months. It is truly amazing what Israel accomplished. Hezbollah, which is the crown jewel of Iran’s terrorist “ring of fire,” is now lying low and licking its wounds.
Israel in Southern Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria has forged buffer zones to prevent another October 7 style attack from ever again taking place. Israel is determined to maintain their positions at five strategic locations in Lebanese territory near the border for an “indefinite period.” Obviously, Hezbollah is down, but they’re not out. The situation remains very tenuous.
At the same time, we are hearing rumblings that Israel and the nation of Lebanon—not Hezbollah, which resided within the country as essentially a “state within a state” for several years—are talking about possible normalization. With the Abraham Accords back on the table and the Saudis inching closer, it is possible that we could see this with Lebanon as well.
We live in Bible times. Amazing things are happening.
Eric Stakelbeck is an author, analyst, host of “The Watchman” program, and the Director of Christians United for Israel’s CUFI Watchman Project
