U.S. Cable: King Hamad Said Bahrainis Trained by Hizbullah

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Bahrain’s King Hamad said that Bahrainis were receiving training from Hizbullah in Lebanon, although he admitted he had no definitive proof, a secret diplomatic cable released by whistleblower WikiLeaks noted.

The cable was published by the British newspaper The Guardian.

According to WikiLeaks, King Hamad speculated that the Syrian government was complicit with the training of Bahrainis by Hizbullah, and was helping them travel without passport verification as tourists.

Hamad made the comment in July 2008 to head of the Multi-National Force – Iraq at the time, General David Petraeus.

The King reportedly told Petraeus that Bahrain had received a message from then Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, urging regional governments to support the efforts of Iran, Iraqi insurgents, Hamas, Hizbullah, Taliban and Syria to drive American forces from the Gulf.