The winners in Lebanon are the people of Lebanon. Although Hizbollah is strongly backed by Iran, the organization is indigenously Lebanese and not a proxy of Iran by any means.
The warring parties in Lebanon agreed to a deal brokered by Arab diplomats, and incoming flights to Beirut's International airport have resumed ending a week of bloody, political crisis.
More than 60 people were killed since violence in Lebanon broke out on May 7, after the government discovered an electronic surveillance system used by Hezbollah to monitor Beirut's international airport and fired the head of security there. The government has also tried to declare illegal the group's private telephone network. But after a week of posturing, the US-backed government has caved in. The beleaguered government of Fouad Seniora rescinded its decisions against Hezbollah. The obvious winner is Hassan Nasrallah and his followers in Lebanon.
But there are other winners and losers in the aftermath of these latest Lebanese confrontations. Hours before this latest brokered deal, the Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal had accused Iran of supporting a "coup" in Lebanon.
"Iran is supporting the coup that happened in Lebanon, and this will affect Tehran's relations with Arab states, if not Muslim states as well,'' al- Faisal said in a televised news conference.
He also accused Hezbollah of planning the attack on Beirut and using political issues as an excuse to start the violence. "If this wasn't pre-planned, I don't know what is.''
When asked about al-Faisal's remarks, the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, "It is possible that these comments were made out of anger... I don't know how well coordinated his views are with those of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah."
The fact of the matter is, nothing comes out from the mouths of Saudi officials or Saudi media without the full knowledge and approval of the king himself. Since it brokered a peace deal that ended Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, Saudi Arabia has invested billions of dollars in the country's reconstruction. This has been done by corporations set up by the late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, one of the reasons why the Kingdom criticized Hezbollah's Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah during the Israeli war on Lebanon a couple of years ago. Saudi Arabia, which views itself as the leader of Sunni Islam, has been trying in vain for the past several years to counter Iran's influence in Lebanon. These recent events have highlighted its failure. Iran has won big in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia was outmaneuvered.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah's victory coincided with President Bush's outgoing "victory-lap"; a five-day tour of the Middle East, taking him to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The U.S. president praised Israel, talked about peace and democracy, and as usual, Bush made a special mention of Iran and its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. He failed to mention that Iran is now stronger than it was when he took office.
Jamal Dajani produces the Mosaic Intelligence Report on Link TV
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
The winners in Lebanon are the people of Lebanon. Although Hizbollah is strongly backed by Iran, the organization is indigenously Lebanese and not a proxy of Iran by any means.
The US is also the loser in this formula. Bush has been helping Seniora but that did not work. Did you notice that all Bush's puppets in the Middle East are a bunch of losers: Karzai, Maliki, Seniora and Abbas?
Also unsaid is that Saudi Arabia is less democratic than Iran, more radical, and also a larger sponsor of terror.
Saudis make up by far the largest group of "foreign fighters" captured in Iraq.
Why is Bush blinded by reality?
Bueler?
Thanks to George W. Bush, Iran has fullfiled its dream of creating the Shiite Crescent. What the Iranians couldn't achieve through their bloody war with Iran over the span of ten years, Bush accomplished it in few days.
In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect...
Two months before he leaves office, Sen. Chuck Hagel is increasingly
TV Newser has learned that Fox News anchor E.D. Hill is leaving the channel after her contract was...
Today, Al Qaeda's number 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri,...
Dear Senator Lieberman, Congratulations! You got away with it! So despite...
It is said that Barack Obama has read Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, Team of Rivals,...
Despite trailing his opponent by slightly more than two...
Katie Couric discussed her infamous interview with Sarah Palin Wednesday night on...
President-elect Obama is still adjusting to life with the Secret Service and the loss...
John McCain is returning Jackson Browne's August lawsuit complaining about McCain using his...
Part of the change Americans just...
It appears that the Chinese car makers SAIC and Dongfeng have plans to acquire...
With the Obamas' impending move to Washintong DC in January, many have begun to speculate...
Posted May 16, 2008 | 04:52 PM (EST)