Hezbollah trying to throw Lebanon under the bus

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hezbollah-lebanon-flagLebanon’s economy is dangerously close to collapse and political bickering over shares in a new Cabinet is threatening to scuttle pledges worth $11 billion by international donors.

Of immediate concern is the future of $11 billion in loans and grants pledged by international donors at a meeting in Paris in April, which Lebanon risks losing if no Cabinet is in place soon to unlock the funds and approve reforms that were set as conditions by the donors and which have been delayed for years.

The new government was on the verge of formation on October 29 after the Lebanese Forces accepted the portfolios that were assigned to it but a last-minute hurdle over the representation of pro-Hezbullah Sunni MPs surfaced.

Hezbollah  demanded that six Sunni lawmakers allied with the Shiite group and opposed to PM designate Saad Hariri be included in his Cabinet — something that Hariri, the country’s top Sunni Muslim leader, categorically rejects and so did Lebanese president Michel Aoun even though he  is  allied with Hezbollah.

The six MPs are not a bloc of their own, since each ran on a different list in the last May election.

Hezbollah continues to insist on including its Sunni allies in the cabinet and for this reason the impasse continues and no cabinet may be formed anytime soon and the Lebanese economy could collapse as a result of that ,

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai announced Sunday that “no one has the right” to obstruct the formation of the new government.

“No matter what the reasons might be, no one has the right to obstruct the formation of the government over personal or partisan demands,” al-Rai said at Beirut airport upon his return from a visit to the Vatican.

“Those concerned about Lebanon would offer sacrifices,” al-Rai added.

His remarks came after  the Vatican urged the  Lebanese officials to resolve the hurdle

In the midst of this “bleak” Lebanese atmosphere, the Holy See’s issued warning to the Lebanese people  urging them to preserve their country in the face of the challenges it may face, with emphasis on the Vatican and Pope Francis’s support for Lebanon and diversity,  al Jamhouria daily reported

“I don’t want to draw pink pictures or tell you children stories, but where are you taking Lebanon, you are not envied for the situation you are in, be careful. You have to organize yourselves and your country to be able to face the great challenges ahead. The Holy See will remain supportive of Lebanon, but certainly does not have a magic wand,” the Vatican Foreign Minister   Paul Richard Gallagher was quoted as saying.

Similarly Progressive Socialist Party Leader Walid Jumblatt on Saturday said a settlement is necessary in order to avoid collapse in light of frail efforts to form the government.

Referring to the latest concerns raised by Vatican Foreign Minister about the situation in Lebanon, Jumblatt said: “After the speech made by Vatican Foreign Minister  in the presence of the Supreme Pontiff, away from narrow local considerations, the settlement is necessary whatever its bitterness in order to avoid collapse.”

Jumblatt earlier called Hezbollah’s demand ” the “Sunni invention. “

Hariri has rejected Hezbollah’s  demand, announcing that he’d rather step down than give the aforementioned lawmakers a seat from his own share in the government.

Following  Israeli  withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah was  very popular , but since its 2006 war with Israel and the subsequent events , Hezbollah ‘s popularity in Lebanon has suffered greatly. Other than the Shiites and Syria’s supporters in Lebanon few now  trust Hezbollah.

At the end of the 1975-90 civil war all the Lebanese militia were disarmed but Hezbollah remained  the only armed militia.

The  UN backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon   indicted Hezbollah  militants in the  killing of former PM Rafik Hariri on Valentine’s Day 2005.

The massive, 1,000 kilogram, car bomb that killed Mr. Hariri as he traveled along Beirut’s fashionable seaside Corniche, left a crater 10 meters deep, knocked down several buildings and killed 21 other people, in addition to killing the billionaire tycoon who had rebuilt war-shattered Beirut.

in 2006 following its war with Israel ,  it tried  and  bring down the government  of former PM Fouad Siniora.  In 2008 Hezbollah  pointed its guns against the Lebanese people when it occupied more than half of Beirut and tried but failed to occupy  Mt Lebanon . In 2011 it brought down the government of   PM  Saad Hariri  and reportedly used its arms to force progressive socialist party leader MP Walid Jumblatt and his parliamentary bloc to vote for their candidate Nagib Mikati as the new premier . .

In 2016 Hezbollah was accused of bombing the Blom Bank,   one of the Lebanese banks that  closed bank accounts held by people suspected of ties to the powerful Shi’ite group. Blom Bank ‘s action was in  line with  U.S. financial regulations targeting its finances. The law has triggered a standoff between Hezbollah and the central bank.  The Lebanese central bank  said it must comply with the U.S. Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act (HIFPA) , otherwise the Lebanese banking sector will be shut out of the international financial system.  The bombing of the bank was preceded  two hours earlier by a threat from Tehran in which Pars news Agency quoted Hezbollah officials threatening another May 7,2008  type attack.

Hezbollah’s current support for the Syrian regime , the Houthi rebels  and Iran  is a  main concern  for the Lebanese people. The other main concern  is  Hezbollah’s  attacks against the Arab Gulf countries. Most of the investments in Lebanon and most of the tourism income   came from these countries.

Lebanon’s public debt was  estimated  in 2017 to being  over 150 percent of GDP, one of the highest such ratios in the world. Since 2017 the Lebanese economy has gotten much worse as a result of the budget deficits.

Ali Hussein a Lebanese analyst  told Ya Libnan: “Hezbollah is trying hard to throw Lebanon under the bus. It doesn’t care about the Lebanese economy because it is funded by Iran”. Hezbollah gets its orders from Iran  which obviously doesn’t want a government in Lebanon for now ” .

Ali Ayoub

 

 

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14 responses to “Hezbollah trying to throw Lebanon under the bus”

  1. Obviously Hezbollah doesn’t give a damn about Lebanon or its economy as long as Iran continues to fund it

    1. It should have become obvious immediately after Hezbollah’s inception. And yet all this time there have been (and still are) these endless rows of non-Shi’a politicians trying to appease them.

      1. Shia and Sunnis have been enemies since the Battle of Karbala! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e8e310cbdad199a09af2b5121ed62b8198b8254a1d7255e8341747f5cc211289.jpg However Hindler prefers to mix the US in entire conflict of the Muslim Ummah.

        For some reason (unknown to me) she would prefer to see a war between Russia and the USA.
        https://twitter.com/AbyadHind/status/1066166440246554624

        1. Man, the total crap propaganda some people post. Between Iran and Russia they have a major fake news offensive going on. They are under the teaching of, if you tell the lie enough times it becomes the truth.
          This world is going to hell in a hand-basket.

          1. This @Partisangirl narrated this lie so many times so it become the truth for her.
            “#Trump: ‘Our soldiers aren’t dying in the Middle East for oil, they’re dying for Israel’ ” https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/664ff82065dc46ab5347a95368aae5d811fc50a70f849238e706c88ebfeb928f.jpg https://twitter.com/Partisangirl/status/1067617907075510275

        2. Shuja Pasha Avatar
          Shuja Pasha

          95-98% of Sunnis and Shias get along quite well – especially in their love of killing and defeating the Jewish scum like you – who cause problems all over the world, including in the Islamic world.

          1. “95-98% of Sunnis and Shias get along quite well” – “Shia militia attack on Sunni mosque in Iraq leaves scores dead” (Fri 22 Aug 2014 15.16)
            Shia Muslims in Cape Town are on edge following a deadly attack and the discovery of a bomb at the Imam Hussain Mosque in Verulam, Durban.
            Muslim scholars and clerics have called for calm and tolerance following what is described as a terrorist attack against Shia Muslims by Sunni extremists. (15 MAY 2018)

            I have seen the special love of Arabs to kill Shia-Sunni-shia Muslims as well as Jews and vice versa.
            The scum of Orthodox Jews wants to defeat your scum and your scum dreams of defeating the Jewish scum.

            It is not strange equation, Jews and Arabs are cut from the same tree!

          2. scum here is stupid infosharmuta you

      2. If the Lebanese government caves in to Hezb/Iran demands, it will be pretty clear to all who really wears the pants in Lebanon. The rest of the population will just have to roll over and take it, in the new Islamic Republic of Lebanon care of Iran. These are uncertain times and this whole thing could blow up fast. Israel will have no choice but to go to war with Lebanon with Iran officially running the show.
        Geagea says form a government without Hezbollah if they don’t want to participate.

  2. This is what good Iranian minions do, they take hostages, look at Iran and it’s pet Hezbollah’s history. Filled with hostage taking right from Khomeini’s inception. Now Iran thinks it has Lebanon held hostage, and maybe it does? Time will tell, but one thing for sure, it is going to get a lot worse before it gets a lot better.

    Related news: You got to love Geagea, he usually hits the nail on the head.
    See link http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/253536-geagea-tells-aoun-hariri-to-form-govt-without-hizbullah
    ““But no party can say, ‘You either do what we want or there won’t be a government,’ and this is what Hizbullah is doing today,” the LF leader added.”

  3. British radio profile murdered in Lebanon. Hezbollah’s punishment commando….

    Gavin Ford, a British radio profile who had Lebanon’s most popular morning show in radio, has been found dead, writes Reuters.

    Ford led the Gavin Ford program in the morning since 1996.
    The program was broadcast in English and Ford had the program leader Olga Habre.
    Gavin Ford was found in his home in the town of Beit Meri, east of Beirut, where Radio One also has its headquarters.

    “We are crushed to announce the message that our dear Gavin Ford, member of our team has been deceased for many happy years,” writes a speech spokesman for Radio One.

    Police say to local media that everything indicates that Ford has been murdered, but the subject is unknown and no suspect has been arrested.
    Gavin Ford was a British citizen, but worked at several English-speaking radio stations around Europe before settling in Lebanon.

    Is Lebanon unsafe for outlander?

    1. Hell yah.

  4. Former Lebanese minister Wiam Wahhab said during an interview with Russia Today TV that there was no such thing as independence in Lebanon, and that the French Mandate had achieved more than Lebanon has achieved as an independent state.

    Wahhab, who is the head of the Arab Tawhid Party, said that Lebanon is a silly adolescent country that needs foreign guardianship, and that even guardianship by Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, or the Comoro Islands would be better than the local administration.

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