Does anyone in the Arab world know how Hezbollah thinks, what it wants and what is the extent of its relations with Arab and Latin governments? I do not think that anyone knows the party, its way of thinking and its behavior better than the Lebanese themselves, as each and every one of them has a story or a "juicy" tale about the party and its plans. You could thus listen to them and believe them, or listen and then go check their veracity! The majority of my Lebanese friends relay "legendary" tales about the party's weapons, strength and capabilities, and even about its ability to infiltrate their homes and bedrooms, along with the coffee shops in which they chat and gather around with their guests! During the last few years, the party's reputation among the Arab populations lost the glow it enjoyed after it ousted Israel from South Lebanon. This happened for several reasons, among which was the exposure of its sectarian policies, behavior and positions during the Arab spring, and its blatant support to the bloody murderous regime in Damascus. Those with knowledge about the party believe that it is currently confused and living in a state of anxiousness, as it is detecting the retreat of its popularity and the rising number of its haters in the Arab states, even among the Shiites. The latter also believe that the party will face bleak days ahead, similar to the ones witnessed by the leaders of the tyrannical regimes in the Arab uprisings. They think that its capabilities and strength will gradually regress due to the restraints imposed over its sources of funding, the imminent fall of Al-Assad's regime, and the expected eruption of a popular revolution in Iran against the regime of the Mullahs due the wavering economy, the collapse of the riyal and the increase of unemployment and immigration rates. However, those knowledgeable about the party are forgetting that it still enjoys secret relations with certain governments, and that it has infiltrated several influential Arab institutions, including successful Gulf media outlets. Moreover, the party has numerous supporters in Gulf and Arab states, along with a wide network in Azerbaijan, Latin American states and African states, some of which established through commerce and traders. In addition, it has an active intelligence network run by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces. Hezbollah is not Arab. It is purely Iranian, and its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is moving in accordance with Iranian directives and is perceived by Tehran as a "divine" party operating based on the policy of Wileyat-e Faqih. The party's reputation is declining due to its political positions. It has become similar to a tale whose chapters are ending and whose pages are falling, after it lost its reputation and the trust it enjoyed. This is due to the popular awakening during the Arab spring, and the exposure of its policies through its contradictions, sectarianism, and support to the regime in Damascus, at a time when during the Arab revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Bahrain, its leaders kept titillating the feelings of the Arab populations with slogans and calls for rebellions against the oppressors. The party does not deny that its policies are based on the principles of Wileyat-e Faqih and that Tehran is not hesitating to support Bashar's regime with funds, equipment and men, because it knows that the victory of this regime against the revolution is a victory for Tehran and that it would break the siege imposed on its "divine" party. This means that the Revolutionary Guard is trying to save Al-Assad's regime as a sacred priority for both the party and Iran. At this level, the Syrian revolution exposed the party's hideous acts through the participation of its elements in the killing of the Syrians, the last of which was seen last week following the announcement of the death of prominent leader in its military wing Hussein Nassif (Abu Abbas), as he was fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad's forces. The party thus published the following: "Hezbollah and the inhabitants of the town of Bouday and its surroundings have buried martyr Commander Al-Hussein Nassif who passed away while carrying out his Jihadist obligation." The party did not mention any details about Nassif's death and where he was conducting Jihad, at a time when Syrian and Lebanese sources assured that Nassif and two other men affiliated with the party were killed in Syria. Also, what does it mean for a weapons' warehouse belonging to the party to explode in the town of Nabi Chit, leaving nine people killed and unknown number of injured? The party is adopting provocative and unjust positions towards the Syrian people, the last of which was its refusal to see the deployment of international troops along the Lebanese-Syrian border, describing it as being "Zionist." Moreover, it is still imposing the abstinence policy on the Lebanese government, at a time when its elements are participating in the killing of Syrian women and children and when its leaders are supporting Al-Assad's practices. I believe that the party is involved in a bloody role in Syria, and the Arab populations will not forgive its positions, contradictions and policies. In coordination with the Baath regime in Syria, it seems to aim at settling sectarian scores, and at participating in the fueling of a civil war linked to regional axes through the Syrian revolution and in accordance with Iranian directives that do not tolerate any revisions. This aims at salvaging the Al-Assad regime until the last drop of blood, which will mark the beginning of the end for the party. [email protected] twitter | @JameelTheyabi
