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How the West was fooled (by Hezbollah)
Middle East Times ^ | 6/3/08 | WALID PHARES

Posted on 06/04/2008 1:41:42 PM PDT by Dawnsblood

Hezbollah's strategic communication machine has undertaken a massive campaign to convince the international community, the Arab and Muslim world that an overwhelming majority of Lebanese are now firmly behind Sayed Hassan Nasrallah in his vision for the future of the Eastern Mediterranean and probably the Greater Middle East.

The Hezbollah chief revealed the bulk of his agenda for Lebanon and the region, and even displayed his alignment with Tehran's ambitions.

1. Hezbollah "offers its strategy" to all Arabs

Nasrallah called on the "Arab people and governments to adopt the strategies of the organization," i.e., the victory achieved in Lebanon against the government and the deterrence against the United Nations and the West.

2. Hezbollah's friends

Nasrallah particularly thanked Qatar for its mediation. The latter has blocked every attempt to bring the crisis to the Security Council under Chapter Seven, stating it was an internal crisis. Additionally, Hezbollah also thanked the Iranian and Syrian regimes who "helped in producing Doha's agreement."

3. America's "dream" has been shattered

Nasrallah said he will provide Lebanon with a "peaceful and calm summer" but "America's dream was for a summer war." He called for cooperation "against the dreams of the enemy," hence equating the United States to an "enemy."

4. Lebanon's President Suleiman as seen by Hezbollah

Nasrallah said President Michel Suleiman's inauguration speech "expresses the spirit of consensus." Hezbollah's admiration for the new president is because of his commitment to protect the military power of Hezbollah. Indeed, Suleiman didn't mention UNSCR 1559 which calls for the disarming of Hezbollah. Since September 2004 the militia lived in the uncertainty of a U.N.-backed resolution demanding that Hezbollah hands in their arms. Now and for the next six years – Lebanon's presidential term – the 30,000 rockets and the 300 millions petrodollars (plus) will be under protection of the state.

5. "Reconstruction and violence" at the same time

Moving swiftly in an attempt to reconcile with the Hariri legacy, Nasrallah offered the supporters of the slain prime minister (mostly Sunnis who were attacked by Hezbollah a few weeks ago), an opportunity to go back to the era of the 1990s. "Rafiq Hariri," remarked the head of Hezbollah," was able to support the "resistance" and "reconstruction" simultaneously. Nasrallah projects that his forces would conduct wars – with all the subsequent destructions – and Beirut entrepreneurs would rebuild afterwards.

6. The real fear of Hezbollah: Lebanon's army

In this speech Nasrallah revealed the deepest secret his organization has kept for years from public debate: The fear that a confrontation between the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah could take place. Hezbollah intimidates Lebanon's politicians, Arab leaders, and has been successful in relatively defeating Israel psychologically. The suicide bombers of this organization have created a myth of invincibility since the massacre of the U.S. Marines and French paratroopers in 1983. But ironically, every time the heavily armed and hugely funded militia faces off with other Lebanese, they don't exactly come across as a superpower. Surely Hezbollah can influence about 25 percent of Lebanon's army. But there remains another 75 percent. It is not about the weapons; it is about the emotions. Hence, Hezbollah's nightmare scenario isn't an Israel offensive or a U.S. landing, but simply a clash between the Lebanese army and his forces. In fact Nasrallah's real mega-victory was to neutralize the Lebanese army by co-opting the election of its commander as the new president. Under this new equation, the Iranian militia in Lebanon won't fear a move by the army.

7. Hezbollah, member in Iran's regime

The most noticed statement by Nasrallah was his unequivocal admittance that he – and thus his party – are proud members of Iran's regime. "I am proud of being a member in the Wilayet e Faqih Party" he declared. Why would he state in public that he is part of the Iranian regime? Because he believes he won the war irreversibly and that the Cedars Revolution was crushed and the United States humiliated. This is his victory speech where he can tell the world where his real affiliation lies.

8. Hezbollah's road to power

In his speech Nasrallah also explained his road map to power in Lebanon. He said: "All victorious resistance movements in history either seized power or claimed it." But in a magnanimous gesture, the head of Hezbollah added, "we are not interested in power and we don't want it": Just the opposite. Hezbollah definitely wants it. These types of totalitarian jihadist forces won't declare their ultimate goals before they have reached them. If they do prematurely they will lose allies and unite their enemies.

9. Hezbollah doesn't need consensus on its weapons

Not only he asserted that he is part of Iran's regime (Wilayet e Faqih) but Nasrallah dismissed any Lebanese consensus on his organizations weapons. "The Resistance – i.e. Hezbollah – doesn't wait for national and political consensus, but it carries weapons and marches to implement the goals of liberation with arms and blood." This powerful statement is very clear: Hezbollah will not accept surrendering its weapons to any Lebanese government until, of course, it becomes the government.

10. No to U.S. intervention, yes to Iran's

Nasrallah denied that Iran and Syria are "imposing any decisions" on the organization, but lashed out at American and Western interference in the country.

11. After Hezbollah, Gaza

Nasrallah underlined that his "strategy" in Lebanon has also been working in Gaza. And as in Gaza will be in Lebanon, meaning a coup. Iran's ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean seem to be centered on Hezbollah and Hamas.

12. Hezbollah's Iraq strategy

After Palestine, Nasrallah revealed that Hezbollah is part of the insurgency against the Iraqi government and the coalition forces. In an unprecedented manner, he declared his unmitigated support to jihadist terror in Mesopotamia. "In the name of the Arab and Muslim world I am calling on the Iraqi people to support the resistance and adopt the "strategy of liberation." He added: "We in Hezbollah naturally side with the resistance in Iraq."

In other words Nasrallah is backing the terror insurgency in Iraq, both against the Iraqi government and the U.S.-led coalition.

If you couple this statement with intelligence reports accusing Hezbollah of training insurgents in Iraq, Nasrallah's Iraq strategy cannot be clearer: strike in Iraq in the same way you strike in Lebanon and Gaza; bring down the Iraqi government in the same manner the (first) Siniora government and the Mahmoud Abbas Authority were brought down in Beirut and Gaza.

13. Terror is our choice

"We as Arabs and Muslims," said Nasrallah, we have one choice, that is resistance [terrorism] and its culture."

With this conclusion, now the international community, the Arab and Muslim world and most Lebanese realize who they are up against and what they are facing in Lebanon: a powerful, determined and highly armed force, which has seized the control of the country's destiny (for now) and which has the full support of the neighboring Syrian regime and an oil power, Iran, seeking to rapidly becoming a nuclear one.

Far from the erroneous reporting by prominent international media calling this speech "a step towards coexistence," what we have heard, saw and read was nothing less than a full fledge declaration of terror, mollified to Western ears by a powerful and sophisticated propaganda machine.


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: hezbollah; iran; lebanon; media; mediots; nasrallah; us; wilayetefaqihparty

1 posted on 06/04/2008 1:41:42 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
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To: Dawnsblood

BTTT.


2 posted on 06/04/2008 7:39:06 PM PDT by StarCMC (http://cannoneerno4.wordpress.com/2008/02/24/peoples-information-support-team/ -JOIN US!-We're PIST!)
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To: Dawnsblood

New fighting breaking out in Lebanon, check it out:
http://patdollard.com/2008/06/lebanon-heavy-gunbattles-in-bekaa-two-wounded-breaking/#respond


3 posted on 06/08/2008 10:01:53 PM PDT by Uriah_lost (Do you have your "bug out" plan ready?)
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