Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps march during a military parade.
The Iranian Supreme Leader’s representative to the IRGC named
Lebanon as part of the front line in his country’s war against its enemies. (AFP)
New Opinion
NOW Lebanon
06 August '10
It’s official. Lebanon, along with Palestine and Iraq, is part of Iran’s front line in the war against all arrogant movements and enemies of religion and religiosity that have united to confront Iran’s Islamic establishment. So said Ali Saidi, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative to the Revolutionary Guards, to the FARS news agency on Thursday.
His words come at a time when the region’s power struggle centers on Lebanon. Last week’s mini-summit involving the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Syria and Lebanon – and later Qatar – sought to defuse tensions created by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. It was a clear signal to the Hezbollah leadership that any moves to destabilize the country would not be tolerated. Nasrallah responded in the only way he knows how: with violence, threats and bluster.
Only three days after the unprecedented shuttle diplomacy, there was a deadly border incident between the Lebanese army and Israeli Defense Forces. The Hezbollah leader quickly followed this with another tub-thumping speech to the party faithful. And then we had Saidi’s statement. Coincidence? There are none in the Middle East.
What has to happen for us to finally accept that Hezbollah is an extension of Iran’s regional military might? The genius of the alliance has been, at a popular level, to sell Hezbollah as a national Shia movement, a dignity-restoring entity that provides for the previously unprovided-for and defends lands that were previously undefended.
Yet on a regional level, its agenda is much more sinister, operating as it does as an extra front in Iran’s ongoing conflict with Israel. This has consistently undermined Lebanon’s sovereignty, the role of its armed forces and Lebanon’s standing in the international community. We are still, despite favorable mentions in the world’s travel press, a state that is out of step with international norms, and Hezbollah, through its destabilizing activities, must shoulder some of the blame for this.
(Read full article)
If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.
.
New Opinion
NOW Lebanon
06 August '10
It’s official. Lebanon, along with Palestine and Iraq, is part of Iran’s front line in the war against all arrogant movements and enemies of religion and religiosity that have united to confront Iran’s Islamic establishment. So said Ali Saidi, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative to the Revolutionary Guards, to the FARS news agency on Thursday.
His words come at a time when the region’s power struggle centers on Lebanon. Last week’s mini-summit involving the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Syria and Lebanon – and later Qatar – sought to defuse tensions created by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. It was a clear signal to the Hezbollah leadership that any moves to destabilize the country would not be tolerated. Nasrallah responded in the only way he knows how: with violence, threats and bluster.
Only three days after the unprecedented shuttle diplomacy, there was a deadly border incident between the Lebanese army and Israeli Defense Forces. The Hezbollah leader quickly followed this with another tub-thumping speech to the party faithful. And then we had Saidi’s statement. Coincidence? There are none in the Middle East.
What has to happen for us to finally accept that Hezbollah is an extension of Iran’s regional military might? The genius of the alliance has been, at a popular level, to sell Hezbollah as a national Shia movement, a dignity-restoring entity that provides for the previously unprovided-for and defends lands that were previously undefended.
Yet on a regional level, its agenda is much more sinister, operating as it does as an extra front in Iran’s ongoing conflict with Israel. This has consistently undermined Lebanon’s sovereignty, the role of its armed forces and Lebanon’s standing in the international community. We are still, despite favorable mentions in the world’s travel press, a state that is out of step with international norms, and Hezbollah, through its destabilizing activities, must shoulder some of the blame for this.
(Read full article)
If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.
.
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