Hezbollah Anti-government Protests

Hezbollah massive protest demonstrations in Beirut are a show of the deep political divide. Lebanese politicians showed faked unity during Hezbollah's summer war with Israel. But as the war ended, the fundamental divisions resurfaced. Key political figures like Saad Al Hariri, the son of late Lebanese PM Rafik Al Hariri has enmity with Hezbollah which can be matched only with the large wealth he has inherited from his father. So there is no love lost between pro-Western Saad, the son of Rafik Al Hariri, and Nasserallah, the son of the Iranian and Syrian regimes.

Looking back at the past four months, there were the crocodile tears of PM Seniora when he was making a speech in front of Arab foreign minister who came to Beirut to show “solidarity” with the Lebanese people. That was, as probably everybody remembers, last summer when Hezbollah and Israel were waging their wars against the civilians more than at each other’s armed forces. At this time there were the fiery speeches of political leaders that Lebanon was united, making of Hezbollah a hero for all the Arab causes.

Now Lebanese politicians are struggling for survival because it is based on foreign alliances and allegiance. Lebanon seems still steps away from becoming really independent because of this and lack of national consensus.

Hezbollah, if it succeeds in holding key positions in power, will be a real warning for more tension escalation in the region. Lebanon will likely become a military base for Iran and the consequence of direct Israeli military involvement under the pretext of defending itself from Iran backed Hezbollah.

The diffusion of the political divisions in Lebanon depends on the understanding of the countries directly involved in Lebanon to keep it from regional tension and not a battleground for proxy wars.