Lebanese Sources: Hezbollah Aware of Its Limited Political Influence
Lebanese parliamentary sources report that Hezbollah's rhetoric reveals its diminishing political influence and inability to repeat past military takeovers.
Lebanese parliamentary sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper on Wednesday that Hezbollah's current rhetoric reflects the terrorist organization's awareness of its limited political power and influence.
According to the sources, Hezbollah has apparently realized that repeating the scenario of May 7, 2008, when the group seized parts of Beirut, is impossible. Local and regional balances have shifted completely, and Hezbollah's supporters are no longer rallying around it. Sources noted that a recent call for a demonstration in Baalbek to demand the return of a truck carrying explosives drew barely ten participants.
Simultaneously, American diplomatic sources told the newspaper that Hezbollah's continued retention of weapons exposes a gap between the Lebanese government's commitments and its willingness to enforce them. Sources viewed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's demand to confiscate the explosives truck and prosecute those responsible as an immediate and urgent test.
US sources emphasized that Israeli strikes and its presence in southern Lebanon do not exempt Beirut from its obligations under the framework agreement. Progress in Lebanon is measured not only by statements, but by the dismantling of illegal military infrastructure by the Lebanese army and the end of Hezbollah's exceptional status.
