The Hariri murder has pushed tensions in Lebanon over the Syrian occupation higher than they have been for years — but the occupation is just fine with the jihadists of Hizballah, the “party of Allah.” Hizballah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah knows that his power in Lebanon depends largely on Syria’s presence there.
“Hizbollah Tells Lebanese to Cool Anti-Syria Line,” from Reuters, , who comments: “They should ask some of the PC(USA) missionaries to come back over and tell the Lebanese people how ‘great’ Hezbollah and Syria are.”
Opposition leaders are urging Lebanese to join a peaceful “independence uprising” to free their country from Syria’s military and political dominance, intensifying a war of words after Hariri’s assassination in a huge bomb blast Monday.
“God forbid, if the roof collapses, it collapses on all of us,” Nasrallah told tens of thousands of Shi’ite Muslims gathered for Ashura, the most solemn event in their calendar.
“Today we are responsible for a nation that came out of the civil war … but we face acute problems, especially this year and in the past few months,” the black-turbaned cleric declared. “As Lebanese, we have no choice for remedying our crises and problems except to discuss and meet, even if we are angry and tense,” he said. “We must not repeat the mistakes of the past.”
Hizbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, is now a formidable Lebanese political party as well as an anti-Israel guerrilla force that still controls much of south Lebanon since helping end a 22-year Israeli occupation in May 2000….
The anti-Syrian sentiments now uniting many of Lebanon’s Christians, Druze and Sunnis have not been voiced by Shi’ite leaders counted among the most loyal allies of Damascus. Shi’ites form the country’s biggest religious community.
Hizbollah, the only militia to retain its guns openly since the civil war ended, could come under intense pressure to disarm, in line with United Nations demands, if Syria left.