"Hezbollah takes firm hold of Lebanon; Rise gives Syria, Iran greater sway over Middle East" June 14, 2011|By Zeina Karam, Associated Press
BEIRUT — Hezbollah and its allies rose to a position of unprecedented dominance in Lebanon’s government yesterday, giving Syria and Iran, the militant group’s patrons, greater sway in the Middle East.
Yeah, right. Syria seems kind of busy right now, and when was the last time Iran attacked anyone?
Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced a new Cabinet dominated by Hezbollah and its allies after the country went five months without a functioning government. The move caps Hezbollah’s steady rise over decades from a resistance group against Israel to Lebanon’s most powerful military and political force.
Opponents of Hezbollah — which the United States considers a terrorist organization — say having it in control of Lebanon’s government could lead to international isolation. The group’s most ardent supporters are Iran and Syria, which dominated Lebanon for 29 years.
The new government opens the door for renewed Syrian influence in Lebanon at a time when the Syrian leadership is struggling at home. It’s a remarkable turnaround from 2005, when fallout from the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri led to massive anti-Syrian protests in Lebanon.
And cui bono?
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UN Wants Look at Lebanese Video
Hasn't the U.N. watched it yet?
The protests, dubbed the “Cedar Revolution,’’ drove tens of thousands of Syrian troops out of Lebanon and ended decades of Syrian domination over its smaller neighbor.
Isn't that what the U.S. and Israel wanted, cui bono?
The ascendancy of Hezbollah is a setback for the United States, which has provided Lebanon with $720 million in military aid since 2006 and has tried in vain to move the country firmly into a Western sphere and end Iranian and Syrian influence. It also underscores Iran’s growing influence in the region at a time when Washington’s is falling.
How come every move by AmeriKa turns to shit these days?
Fadia Kiwan, a political science professor at Beirut’s St. Joseph University, said Hezbollah’s dominance in the new government could backfire on the group, which was formed in 1982 with Iranian support to fight Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.
“Such a government puts a great political responsibility on Hezbollah’s shoulders,’’ Kiwan told the Associated Press. “A moderate, national unity government would have offered more protection for the group.’’
The Islamic militant group’s power has been steadily growing over the years and its newfound clout could add volatility to a region already rocked by antigovernment uprisings in a half-dozen countries.
Yeah, come to think of it Lebanon has been relatively untouched.
Related: Declassified: Massive Israeli manipulation of US media exposed
You reading through the code?
A Hezbollah-led government will raise tensions with Israel, which fought a devastating 34-day war against the Shi’ite militants in 2006 that left 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis dead.
Yes, the Israeli aggression and resulting war crimes are skated over.
FLASHBACKS:
A Beirut suburb last July, after Israeli airstrikes ordered by Ehud Olmert
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Israel and White Phosphorous
FLASHBACK - Israel Drops White Phosphorus Bombs, Littlest Victims Suffer
FLASHBACK - Israeli crimes against humanity: Gruesome images of charred and mutilated bodies following Israeli air strikes
Yup, they didn't just dump the stuff on Palestinians.
Lebanon, torn apart by decades of civil war and deep sectarian divides, has had several major military conflicts with neighboring Israel....
So when is the next Israeli invasion, because events sure seem to be moving rather fast in that direction?
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Related:
Look Who's Leading Lebanon
West Lost Lebanon
Losing all over the place if you ask me.
