Hariri: 'Another war with Israel would finish pro-Western forces in Lebanon'
Hezbullah may say that they are itching for a fight with Israel, but Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri isn't even pretending. He's not interested in having another war. Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri told a top US diplomat he feared another war with Israel would mean the "death" of his pro-Western alliance, leaked cables showed Monday.Note two things here: First, Hezbullah didn't want a war either (at least in 2008) and they may well not want a war today. The problem is that a war with Hezbullah is likely at some point, and allowing them to build up more arms will just make that war more deadly when it occurs.
A document reportedly obtained by whistleblowing website WikiLeaks and published on the website of local daily Al-Akhbar quoted Hariri as saying he believed Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which fought a deadly war with the Jewish state in 2006, would rise again should there be another round of violence.
According to the October 15, 2008 cable, Hariri told then-US ambassador Michele Sison he did not believe his US- and Saudi-backed alliance, mainly composed of Sunni Muslims and Christians, could survive.
"Hariri confessed that he shared (Hezbollah secretary general Hassan) Nasrallah's fear of a war with Israel," read the cable, classified by Sison as secret.
"Asserting that some in Israel and the US believe Israel should clear Lebanon of Hezbollah 'once and for all,' Hariri warned that such a move would only temporarily put Hezbollah out of commission because Iran and Syria would rebuild Hezbollah's presence in Lebanon," it added.
"Moreover, he argued, the Sunnis and Christians would lose because Israel would be fighting a nation, not just Hezbollah. 'It would be the death of March 14,' he portended."
Second, the result that Hariri is implicitly anticipating is the same result that happened in 1982, when Israel found itself 'occupying' southern Lebanon, and was eventually 'driven out' by Hezbullah. What Hariri is saying is that Israel has the military power to win a war with Lebanon (and yes, it is the whole country at this point, unfortunately, especially given that Hezbullah is in the government), but that it has neither the will nor the desire to impose order on that country. And unfortunately, that is probably true too. Most of the country backed Ehud Barak's decision to flee ten years ago.
Labels: Ehud fled, Hezbullah, Saad Hariri, Second Lebanon War, Southern Lebanon, Wikileaks
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:15 AM
2 Comments:
He may not be interested but is it up to him any more? It seems Hezbollah has built a parasitic structure in Lebanon, running parallel to the official one(Iran-sponsored fibre-optic network included).
We shouldn't imo underestimate Hezbollah by considering them alien lackey transplants under Iranian thumbs--they are a dangerous and hard-working foe indigenous to Lebanon for whom sectarian and pan-Islamic ideology trumps Lebanese nationality. In Lebanon's confessional patchwork, Hezbollah may be healthier than the putative host. Israeli soldiers have great respect for these guys--enemies for sure, but sock puppets? hmmmmm
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