"But what is the practically powerless new president supposed to do?"
Tell his Army to not provide targeting data to the Hezbollah?
Provide accurate targeting data to the IDF to minimize civilian casualties?
Tell Iran the get the hell out of his country?
Yes, that all sounds nice. But get real.
1/2 of his army is shiite (that's what I've read) and I doubt they would take up arms against hezbollah.
And telling Iran to do anything it doesn't like would either make Iran laugh in his face, or get him killed. I take that back, they'd laugh in his face and then kill him.
Do you realize that pictures of Khomeini are all over southern Lebabon? It's like living in Iran there.