Target Israel? Iran Recruits 80,000 Shi'ite fighters In Syria

Iran has at least 80,000 Shi'ite Muslim fighters in Syria at a training base near Damascus, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon warned the world body on Thursday.  Many are believed to be from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Holding up a map of the Iranian training base, Danon told members of the Security Council: "What you can see here is Iran's central induction and recruitment center in Syria. There are over 80,000 Shi'a militants in Syria under Iranian control. 

It is at this base, just over five miles from Damascus, where they are trained to commit acts of terror in Syria and across the region."

The major concern about these militias is not just that they are connected to Iran but that they are putting down roots. "Iranian militias in the south are keeping the territory they conquer instead of handing it over to the regime".

Meanwhile, Danon, who was elected vice president of the 72nd Session of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, also warned earlier this week that Hezbollah now possesses over 120,000 missiles--more than 17 times the number it had a decade ago during the Second Lebanon War. Hezbollah remains at the center of Iran's Shi'a foreign fighter network.

The Lebanese terror group now has "more missiles below ground in Lebanon than the European NATO allies have above ground," Danon said as he presented evidence to the Security Council on Tuesday.

"When the war ended, this Council pledged that Hezbollah would no longer be allowed to threaten Israel and hold the people of Lebanon hostage," he said. "I have the unfortunate task of informing this Council that 10 years later, the situation has gone from bad to worse. The government of Lebanon never stopped Hezbollah, and Hezbollah never stopped its military buildup."