Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Trouble for Nasrallah | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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One day, the Arab people will realize the true extent of the damage inflicted upon them by Hezbollah in general, and Hassan Nasrallah specifically; because of his various stances, and particularly his support for the criminal regime in Damascus that commits atrocities against its own people that thugs and assassins would not dream of.

I watched and listened to Hassan Nasrallah’s recent speech, lamenting the deaths of a group of criminals affiliated to the al-Assad regime, and insulting the Syrian people by describing them as “martyrs”, “comrades in arms” and holy warriors, along with other ridiculous rhetoric.

Today, with his stance in support of murder and bloodshed, Hassan Nasrallah has become part of the problem. He is supporting the tyranny that prevails over the Levant, but he is also a wily and calculating politician. He is fully aware (regardless of the fact that he desires otherwise) that the Syrian regime is sinking like the Titanic, after it struck an iceberg mostly obscured underwater. Water then began rushing in to the heart of the ship and it began to descend into the depths, as is the case with the Syrian regime.

It was quite remarkable that Nasrallah’s speech focused heavily on thanking, praising and glorifying the Syrian missile, “produced in Syria and supplied [to Hezbollah] from Syria”. He claimed that Syrian missiles have even been “praised by Israel”; allegedly the most powerful piece of weaponry being used against them. I was truly surprised by such an intense and repeated focus on the identity of these missiles! Then I realized that the purpose of this was to dress up this falling and sinking regime and coat over all its calamities, and in turn remove all accusations about Iran and its involvement. In a few days we may see “witnesses” emerging in Lebanon, as was the case with the assassination of Rafik Hariri, to bear responsibility directly and clearly for what happened to Assef Shawkat, brother in law of Bashar al-Assad, who died recently in the massive Damascus bombing that targeted an important security cell responsible for “managing” the Syrian crisis, according to the Syrian regime. All these moves are intended to remove all strings of accusation about Iran and its primary revolution exporter in the region, Hezbollah.

Hezbollah is well aware that its ruling alliance has now become as frail as a spider’s web. Najib Mikati, Walid Jumblatt and Michel Aoun’s power has been worn out, their arguments have weakened, and the reality has had an impact on each of them personally. Mikati is unable to restore dignity to the state in more than one location, and protests have fatigued and weakened his position, even though he knows that many of them are fabricated by his “allies” just to embarrass him. Walid Jumblatt is now seeking redemption after distancing himself from the “humiliating” power alliance in Lebanon. He is heading to Damascus broken with his head bowed requesting grace and forgiveness from the Syrian people, hoping he will one day be able to call out at the top of his voice to the heavens and claim revenge for the death of his father. He believes al-Assad’s Damascus regime is trembling under the capacity of the popular revolution. Michel Aoun is lamenting in his old age, and he knows for sure that securing the presidency, which he has long dreamed of, has become impossible with the erosion of the al-Assad regime. Instead he will continue his position as a clown in a cheap circus.

But Hassan Nasrallah still stands to suffer most in the event of al-Assad’s imminent fall, for he today is tasked with finding an alternative lifeline, because the coming regime in Damascus will look upon him with doubt, suspicion, anxiety and fear due to his desperate defense of the murderous al-Assad regime. Nasrallah’s reliance upon al-Assad has not only impacted upon Hezbollah internally, but it has also damaged the party’s reputation with the entire Shiite sect ever since the Khomeini revolution came to power, and the emergence of the Wali al-Fiqh. Now a gap has widened between Hezbollah, its neighbors and its opponents, in a manner that cannot be bridged.

The new Syria will be different from the one ruled by a tyrant and bequeathed to his son, which sold the world myths and illusions. The time has come to expose this regime and salvage the country.