memri
October 12, 2010 Special Dispatch No. 3288

Saudi Dailies: Lebanon Is on Brink of Explosion

October 12, 2010
Saudi Arabia, Lebanon | Special Dispatch No. 3288

Amid the backdrop of tensions in Lebanon and the political crisis in Iraq, the Saudi press has published several articles, some of them editorials, warning about an explosion in Lebanon and comparing the situation there to the one in Iraq. The articles accused Hizbullah of striving to take control of Lebanon as part of an Iranian plot. A commentator in the daily Al-Jazirah stated that Hizbullah is planning to repeat in Lebanon what Iran has been doing in Iraq.

Following are excerpts from some of the articles:

Al-Riyadh: Verbal Wars Lead to Real Ones

The editor of the Saudi daily Al-Riyadh, Yousef Al-Kuwailit, warned that if the crisis in Lebanon is not resolved, civil war may break out there: "...The current situation in Lebanon is close to explosion... The [Lebanese] Civil War [of 1975] broke out under the shadow of the ethnic hegemony of a party that imposed its policy and its control. But the equation was reversed when all the ethnic groups – including the Palestinians – entered into the war. This changed all the equations; one change was the exit of foreign forces [from the country] due to severe and unexpected blows – including Israel, which realized that the resistance of the sons of the south had become a war of attrition that it could not withstand, [and] it chose the option of escaping this trap.

"Can any single element take control of Lebanon, even if it has weapons and human resources? The Christians cannot unite their ranks; the Sunnis cannot consolidate a uniform position even if they do represent the government, in the form of the prime minister; [but] the same goes for Hizbullah... Which of these ethnic groups relies on foreign [elements] for material, economic, and military support...? Which of these groups has ties, some of which are fateful, and some of which are guided by political equations and on foreign political interests – whether Arab or regional and international? Israel, for example, delves deeply into the Lebanese issue, claiming that it is preserving security in its north, and does not hide its intentions to interfere at any given time in war with Hizbullah based on this view, in light of the dangers of Iranian nuclear weapons and [Iran's] alliance with Hizbullah...

"The Western states, and particularly France, believe that they are the patrons of the Christians, on the basis of culture and confluence of interests. The U.S. believes that its alliance with Israel justifies its entry into Lebanese affairs, and it rejects any change in Lebanon's [political system]. The Arabs, for their part, remained each with his own Islamic allied front, be it Sunni, Shi'ite, Christian, or Druze. We have known in the past Lebanese leaders who have exchanged allies and allegiances by the shifting winds. So no legal government enjoys stability and national unity.

"The elements of the internal Lebanese explosion have placed [Lebanon] together with Iraq, Sudan, and Somalia; thus, a new country is added to the countries in tension. In this situation, it cannot be known whether [Lebanon] created its current crisis, or whether the crisis was created for it. Reality determines that both sides of this conflict have chosen to be in that conflict, and have deepened it in to the point of clashes. Verbal wars end in [real] war.

"The current situation is difficult and complex – and if the sides do not support nationalism and the homeland, then there are likely to be unpleasant surprises."[1]

Al-Watan: Hizbullah Intends to Take Over Lebanon

An editorial titled "An Organization Rising Up against Lebanon, Not against Israel," in the Saudi daily Al-Watan, stated that Hizbullah is striving to take over Lebanon and its people:

"Hizbullah's [September 18, 2010] incident at Rafiq Al-Hariri International Airport in Beirut – in which its militias entered the airport, broke into the VIP lounge, and damaged airport property – undoubtedly reflect the militant nature of this sectarian organization, which seeks to overturn the Lebanese regime, to take over its civilized people, and to impose an autocratic regime imported from Qom, [Iran].

"These unwise actions by the organization [i.e., Hizbullah] come as no surprise. In 2006, [Hizbullah] used the Lebanese state as a pawn to serve its goals [and to realize] the aspirations of the regional elements that fund it. [These elements] have proven that they take no political or moral responsibility for preserving Lebanon's security and stability; they are working to realize their selfish goals – just as Hizbullah uses militant measures instead of using political logic.

"Those near and far now know that [Hizbullah] cares nothing about the existence of the Lebanese state, of the modern and civilized Lebanese regime, or of the rule of law; that it does not operate according to the results of democracy [i.e. elections]; and that it represents a militant clique that wants to take over Lebanon's resources and the will of the Lebanese people. It is proven beyond any doubt that this extremist party does not believe in democracy, in the national unity government, or in the Lebanese consensus...

"Hizbullah's militias have shown that they are distant indeed from the concept of resisting the enemies, and have clearly expressed their goals: to control the foreign and domestic policy of the Lebanese state; to weaken this state and harm its regime and judicial system; to impose their control over the Lebanese people by force; and to prove the superiority and arrogance of a single sect [i.e. the Shi'ites] over the other religious sects.

"Today, the Lebanese have two options: Either they set up Hizbullah, with its closed, fanatical, and racist political path, as their patron, and have it choose their governments for them and set whichever policy suits it and suits those who fund it – or the Lebanese must defend their violated sovereignty and desecrated honor, and defend themselves and their state in a way that will bring Hizbullah and all the militias back to the righteous path. By the same token, the regional and international forces must realize that Hizbullah is not interested in acting by diplomatic means, but with the logic of armed force, with all that that entails. This means that there is a need for thinking about means and alternatives to save Lebanon from this evil that is taking it over."[2]

Saudi Columnist: Hizbullah Is the Agent of the Rule of the Jurisprudent in Lebanon

Saudi columnist Jasser Al-Jasser wrote in a similar vein in the daily Al-Jazirah. In an article titled "Gradual Erosion in Lebanon," he said that Hizbullah is angling to take over the Lebanese government, with Iran's backing: "...First, Hizbullah took control of South Lebanon on the pretext of resistance against the Israeli occupation, and [as] the element in charge there, forced the military and the security forces to withdraw [from the region]. Later the southern suburb of the capital Beirut became a sealed area, and nobody dared to compete with Hizbullah for [control over this suburb]. Then [Hizbullah's] military wing spread to the western part of Beirut, and on March 7 destruction was sown in the capital: media facilities and TV stations were torched, and members of a certain sect [i.e., Sunnis] were arrested and murdered.

"[Hizbullah's operatives] repeated [in Lebanon] the deeds perpetrated by their counterparts in Iraq, [who like them are] agents of Iran. Hizbullah – the sectarian military and political wing of the Rule of the Jurisprudent [i.e., the Iranian regime] in Lebanon – is taking total control of all Lebanese territories and of the state institutions in this Arab country, which is about to become the exclusive property of the Rule of the Jurisprudent, if we let things proceed according to the Iranian plan.

"[Recently,] over 15 vehicles carrying armed Hizbullah militiamen stormed the Beirut airport, without prior permission from the state authorities that are in charge of security there – in a military show of strength and in order to escort Jamil Al-Sayyed, who was summoned [by the state] for interrogation. This violation, security breach, and depraved [act of] provocation against the security apparatuses at the international airport caused profound puzzlement and concern, [both] among the Lebanese and among the countries that have [diplomatic] relations with Lebanon, whose representatives and officials [are concerned for] the security of Lebanon's portal to the world [i.e., the airport].

"The Lebanese began to wonder: Has Hizbullah annexed the Rafiq Al-Hariri International Airport in Beirut to [one of] its four security zones? Is the international airport now under the security control of the very same organization that about a year ago prevented the replacement of airport security chief [Wafiq Shukeir, who is close to Hizbullah], and also prevented the dismantling of the network of cameras it had installed [in the airport] to monitor the [passengers] entering and leaving Lebanon? [It seems that] the country is gradually passing to the security and military control of Hizbullah…"[3]

Hizbullah Is Doing in Lebanon What Iran Is Doing in Iraq

In another Al-Jazirah article, titled "The Hijacking of Lebanon," Al-Jasser reiterated that Hizbullah is trying to do in Lebanon what Iran is doing in Iraq: "The regime that instigates strife in the region [i.e., Iran] is striving to spread instability and political anarchy in the Arab countries, by means of gradually intensifying measures, in order to impose the control of its agents over the political [systems] of the countries it wishes to destroy… What is happening right now in Iraq is [also] happening in Lebanon.

"Iraq has been without a government for over six months, and everybody knows that the mullah regime in Iran is behind this delay. The purpose of the delay is to create a political vacuum, which can be filled with those who collaborate with this quarrel-mongering regime, which shamelessly works to shatter the political foundations, the security, and the social equilibrium [of other countries]. This is done by establishing armed militias and groups that act like pirates or mafia dons – as happened in Iraq, which fell into the hands of murderous and criminal gangs and death cults that killed tens of thousands of people.

"Now these sights are recurring in Lebanon, in the same criminal way: a terrorist reality has been imposed over the country, bringing all the Lebanese into the circle of fear. [Hizbullah] has not only threatened ministers and senior politicians, but has reached the point of threatening to stage a coup, and to take over the government and the streets by force, as [it did in May 7, 2008] when it took control of Beirut and murdered innocent people.

"Now Hizbullah and the faction [of Michel Aoun], who have found in Jamil Al-Sayyed a tool for exploding the political situation in Lebanon and undermining its social [equilibrium], are leading a campaign of intimidation and terror, in order to take over the government in Lebanon and hitch it to the caravan of the mullah regime in Iran. This is what [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad meant when he announced that the [camp of] the resistance countries is growing, and that new countries are joining it – namely Iraq and Lebanon.

"Iraq is working to free itself from this sectarian [entanglement], now that the locals have managed to thwart [the plot] to hand it over [to Iran]... In Lebanon, it is Hizbullah and Aoun's [faction] that are carrying out the plan of the Mullah regime – a plan that has reached a very dangerous stage [and can] generate great strife in this civilized country, which they are trying to transform into a benighted one."[4]

Iran Taking Over Lebanon

Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), September 21, 2010

Cartoonist: Jihad 'Awartani

Endnotes:

[1] Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), September 9, 2010.

[2] Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), September 20, 2010.

[3] Al-Jazirah (Saudi Arabia), September 21, 2010.

[4] Al-Jazirah (Saudi Arabia), September 20, 2010.

Share this Report: