Hezbollah officially takes over Lebanese government,

[Jroc]

Hezbollah is running Lebanon, soon the muslim brotherhood will be in charge in Egypt, and Al-Quida and it allies will be running Yemen.


Hezbollah rise in Lebanon gives Syria, Iran sway

Lebanese army soldier, removes burning tyre barricades which were set by supporters of Tala Arslan a Druse politician, after they blocked the southern highway by burning tyres and setting earthen barriers, in Khaldeh south of Beirut, Lebanon, on Monday June 13, 2011. Talal Arslan, a politician from the tiny Druse sect, resigned Monday from the new cabinet after it was announced he was named to the post of state minister without portfolio. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) (AP Photo/Hussein Malla



BEIRUT—Hezbollah and its allies rose to a position of unprecedented dominance in Lebanon's government Monday, giving its patrons Syria and Iran greater sway in the Middle East.

Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced a new Cabinet dominated by the militant group and its allies after the country has operated for five months without a functioning government. The move caps Hezbollah's steady rise over decades from resistance group against Israel to Lebanon's most powerful military and political force.

Opponents of Hezbollah -- which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization -- say having it in control of Lebanon's government could lead to international isolation. The group's most ardent supporters are Iran and Syria, which dominated Lebanon for 29 years.

The new government opens the door for renewed Syrian influence in Lebanon at a time the Syrian leadership is struggling at home. It's a remarkable turnaround from 2005, when fallout from the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri led to massive anti-Syrian protests in Lebanon. The protests, dubbed the "Cedar Revolution," drove tens of thousands of Syrian troops out of Lebanon and ended decades of Syrian domination over its smaller neighbor.

The ascendancy of Hezbollah is a setback for the United States, which has provided Lebanon with $720 million in military aid since 2006 and has tried in vain to move the country firmly into a Western sphere and end Iranian and Syrian influence. It also underscores Iran's growing influence in the region at a time when Washington's is falling.


Hezbollah rise in Lebanon gives Syria, Iran sway - Boston.com

 

[High_Gravity]

Lebanon is basically a state of Iran anyways.

 

[waltky]

Hezbollah holdin' Lebanese gov't. hostage...

Hezbollah tightens its grip on Lebanon
June 15, 2011 - HEZBOLLAH has strengthened its grip on Lebanon, taking the majority of cabinet positions in the new government.

At a time when the Middle East is wracked with instability, the Iranian-backed "Party of God" and its allies have taken 16 of the 30 cabinet positions in the new government led by Najib Mikati - an increase of six positions. The new cabinet, announced late on Monday, does not include any member from the pro-Western "March 14" coalition of the immediate past prime minister Saad Hariri.

Mr Hariri's government was brought down in January by Hezbollah, which demanded he disown the UN special tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of his father, former president Rafik Hariri. Hezbollah fears some of its key identities face indictment when the tribunal hands down its investigation. Many Lebanese believed Syria, a close ally of Hezbollah, was involved in the assassination and a public backlash forced the Syrian military from Lebanon.

Yesterday, Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad, engaged in a brutal crackdown against his own people, telephoned Mr Mikati to congratulate him. The fragility of the government was highlighted when one of the new cabinet members, Talal Arslan, resigned, unhappy with his ministry. Mr Arslan, a Druze, said: "I cannot participate in a government in which Najib Mikati says the Druze do not have the right to a key ministry."

The new government further entrenches Hezbollah's power over government decisions. Mr Mikati tried to reassure doubters yesterday by saying the new government would be "a government for all Lebanon". But his soothing words were undercut by incoming Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Safadi, who said: "We are going into precarious times and would like everyone to be represented in the new government."

Source

 

[waltky]

Hezbollah did it...

Four Hezbollah members named in Hariri murder
Sat, Jul 02, 2011 - Lebanon yesterday braced for a possible backlash after a UN-backed tribunal issued an indictment in the 2005 murder of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri in which four Hezbollah members were named.

Lebanese Interior Minister Marwan Charbel confirmed the names of the men charged by the Netherlands-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and said efforts would begin to arrest them. He said Lebanese Prosecutor General Said Mirza had given him the arrest warrants early yesterday for Mustafa Badreddine, Salim Ayyash, Assad Sabra and Hussein Anaissi. Their whereabouts are unknown. Badreddine is the brother-in-law of top Hezbollah operative Imad Mughniyeh, who died in a 2008 bombing in Damascus.

He is suspected of having masterminded the Feb. 14, 2005 seaside bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others. Ayyash, another senior party official who holds US citizenship, allegedly carried out the attack. Sabra and Anaissi allegedly coordinated with Ahmad Abu Adas, a Palestinian who contacted al-Jazeera television following the Hariri assassination to claim responsibility for the bombing.

Charbel said a meeting among all concerned security services was planned for today to coordinate search operations for the suspects. “We have to address this issue calmly and wisely to preserve the civil peace,” he said. “If the situation explodes, everyone loses.” He added that there were between 15,000 and 20,000 outstanding arrest warrants in Lebanon.

Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Shiite militant party, is set to make a televised address today that will mark his first reaction to the indictment that has triggered fears of sectarian unrest in the volatile country. Hezbollah, blacklisted as a terrorist organization by Washington, has repeatedly warned that it would not sit idle should any of its militants be accused of Hariri’s assassination.

More Four Hezbollah members named in Hariri murder - Taipei Times

 

[Sunni Man]

Lebanon is a democracy.

So what's the problem?

 

[Moonglow]

Lebanon is a democracy.

So what's the problem?

these people don't like democracies.

 

[Jroc]

Lebanon is a democracy.

So what's the problem?

Iran