Nasrallah Speaks
- 05.08.2008 - 12:51 PMHezbollah’s thug-in-chief, Hassan Nasrallah, addressed Lebanon today. What he said is not promising. You can read the entire transcript here, but it’s not necessary. The following snippet tells you everything you need to know:
I said . . . that any hand that reaches for the resistance [i.e., Hezbollah] and its arms will be cut off. Israel tried that in the July War, and we cut its hand off. We do not advise you to try us. Whoever is going to target us will be targeted by us. Whoever is going to shoot at us will be shot by us.
Nasrallah has one rhetorical tactic that he deploys every time Hezbollah experiences internal pressure in Lebanon: he accuses his opponents of working for the CIA, the Mossad, the Jews, or the Americans. Thus he said today that “there is an American plan that we are fighting against. This is the nature of the crisis.” And: “This struggle is between an honorable resistance, which is endorsed by Arabs and Muslims, and the United States and its allies.”
Well, it’s tough times for Nasrallah — the Sunni Arabs do not, alas, endorse what he’s doing, and in fact would like to see Hezbollah, and by extension Iran, dealt a serious blow. Nasrallah isn’t fooling anyone. The Sunni mufti of Lebanon harshly condemned Nasrallah last night, calling Hezbollah an “armed gang of outlaws.” The Egyptian and Saudi foreign ministers have done so as well, albeit in more diplomatic terms. The Israel-Hezbollah war two years ago exposed to a limited degree Sunni outrage at Hezbollah and Iran. This time, without the common Israeli enemy involved, such anger is going to be expressed much more forcefully.
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May 8th, 2008 at 1:35 PM
It’s no accident that less than half an hour after he finished his bombastic speech, violence broke out between Hez supporters and Sunnis all over Beirut.
It’s getting worse by the hour…
May 8th, 2008 at 1:36 PM
perhaps.
but are they willing to fight and sacrifice as much as hezballah and do they have a chance against iran and syria?
only the answer to that question will count.
oao
http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/
May 8th, 2008 at 1:41 PM
[…] Noah Pollak at Commentary has some prescient analysis of Nasrallah’s defiant speech. […]
May 8th, 2008 at 2:02 PM
It probably doesn’t help that every MSM story i’ve seen describes Lebanon’s government as ‘The US-backed Lebanese Government’. Its the friggin LEGAL, internationally recognized Lebanese government for goodness sakes. The US backs it just like the rest of the civilized world. I understand the media like to do things like that so the mouthbreathers will read it and know which side to cheer for, but come on.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:05 PM
I gather that the Army has withdrawn to its barracks and apparently plans to let the people fight this battle out. Is this as ominous a development as I think it is?
May 8th, 2008 at 2:17 PM
Its the friggin LEGAL, internationally recognized Lebanese government for goodness sakes. The US backs it just like the rest of the civilized world.
Yep. Every Arab government in the world except Syria’s supports Lebanon against Hezbollah. Maybe the newspapers could point that out once in a while.
At least they don’t say “the Israeli-backed government.”
May 8th, 2008 at 2:54 PM
JM Hanes,
Of course, the fact that the Lebanese Army looks like it’s sitting this one out, just as they sat out the war between Hezbullah and Israel in 2006, tells us in a nutshell what is terminally wrong with Lebanon. The purpose of a national army is to defend the country and defends its borders. If a neighboring country invades yours (even in retaliation to a nongovernmental militia), it seems to me the duty of the army is to fight the invader. The Lebanese army proclaimed solidarity with Hezbollah in 2006, and then didn’t fire a shot.
Now, we have a situation where this same militia is challenging the Lebanese government itself, and once again, the army sits on its hands. Why does the army even exist, please tell me? Why does the Lebanese government even exist, since it doesn’t run the country.
Soon, Lebanon will cease to exist as country, just as Iraq more or less has. What Arab country will be next on the disintegration list?
May 8th, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Ellen:
The army is lousy with Syrian sympathizers. It was reconstituted by the Syrians during the occupation after all.
Siniora uses a select outfit for his security but otherwise doesn’t trust them.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:08 PM
Lot of stuff coming to head out there. Is Syria maybe pushing this on to get the eye off the investigation into their killing of Syrian officials and their nuclear plant?
May 8th, 2008 at 3:12 PM
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/events/2008/0414_middle_east/0414_middle_east_telhami.pdf
go to page 58
Most arab opinion is siding with neither side, and between the two, hezbollah has more support.
Don’t confuse arab opinion with what arab governments think.