It's been a hysteric day in Lebanon.
The Lebanese army enters into an uneven confrontation with the Israeli army, and Nasrallah goes on TV to bark some, and plunge the country into more paranoia.
The poor Lebanese army was apparently ordered to shoot at Israelis trying to uproot a tree blocking their surveillance cameras, and the result was tragic.
If it weren't for the loss of life, it would have seemed refreshing to see the Lebanese army taking charge, regardless of what one thinks of their decision to fire warning shots. Their move temporarily made Hizbullah seem useless, despite the limited capabilities. (Update: UN says the tree was in Israeli territory contested by Lebanon.)
Nasrallah today said his fighters watched in painful silence as Lebanese soldiers were being bombed. And he made his usual threat: the resistance will cut off the hands of anybody trying to attack the Lebanese army, etc.
I don't know about your memory, but I recall a certain helicopter incident, and I wondered whether the Hizbullah member who shot and killed the Lebanese soldier was party to this painful watching.
Nasrallah, who in the past said the resistance would follow nobody's orders, showed up on TV today on the anniversary of his alleged divine victory, to claim that, while the Lebanese army was getting beat up, he called and put the resistance at the disposal of the Lebanese army.
Gee, thanks. Hizbullah now waits for marching orders from the Lebanese army? That's new. Will they be allowed to fly over or enter their security zones?
Let's not fool ourselves into believing that Hizbullah is suddenly recognizing the authority of the Lebanese government. Had that been true, they would have at least shared the "top secret" evidence they allegedly unearthed about the Hariri assassination with the Lebanese authorities, if they didn't trust the international tribunal.
For instead of rushing his soldiers to help the Lebanese army (by, say, sharing some weapons), he turned them into paper-pushers, sending them to the "Israeli-resistance struggle archives" to produce "irrefutable evidence" that "Israel and its agents used political rivalry between Hizbullah and Rafik Hariri in 2005 to convince [Hariri's] friends at home and abroad that Hizbullah wanted to assassinate him".
In his speech today, Nasrallah vowed to reveal all on August 9th at 8:30 PM and called on the government to "appoint a responsible [authority on the issue] if it finds what I say to be noteworthy…We are ready to collaborate with the government."
This is how investigations work in Nasrallah land. Evidence is based on historical research conducted in Hizbullah's archives, is aired on TV, and is not shared with judges or investigators (or tribunals). Only Hizbullah possesses the truth, and it's predetermined as conspiracy against the resistance. And only the resistance picks the timing for war and peace. And only they decide when it's convenient to help the nation they allegedly defend.
If you ask me, Nasrallah today came across as a coward. Not for not fighting, for this blogger will never wish for that kind of help. But for going on the anniversary of his foolish and deadly adventure, on the day Lebanese soldiers burned defending a damn tree, to shield himself against the rule of law.
The Lebanese army enters into an uneven confrontation with the Israeli army, and Nasrallah goes on TV to bark some, and plunge the country into more paranoia.
The poor Lebanese army was apparently ordered to shoot at Israelis trying to uproot a tree blocking their surveillance cameras, and the result was tragic.
If it weren't for the loss of life, it would have seemed refreshing to see the Lebanese army taking charge, regardless of what one thinks of their decision to fire warning shots. Their move temporarily made Hizbullah seem useless, despite the limited capabilities. (Update: UN says the tree was in Israeli territory contested by Lebanon.)
Nasrallah today said his fighters watched in painful silence as Lebanese soldiers were being bombed. And he made his usual threat: the resistance will cut off the hands of anybody trying to attack the Lebanese army, etc.
I don't know about your memory, but I recall a certain helicopter incident, and I wondered whether the Hizbullah member who shot and killed the Lebanese soldier was party to this painful watching.
Nasrallah, who in the past said the resistance would follow nobody's orders, showed up on TV today on the anniversary of his alleged divine victory, to claim that, while the Lebanese army was getting beat up, he called and put the resistance at the disposal of the Lebanese army.
Gee, thanks. Hizbullah now waits for marching orders from the Lebanese army? That's new. Will they be allowed to fly over or enter their security zones?
Let's not fool ourselves into believing that Hizbullah is suddenly recognizing the authority of the Lebanese government. Had that been true, they would have at least shared the "top secret" evidence they allegedly unearthed about the Hariri assassination with the Lebanese authorities, if they didn't trust the international tribunal.
For instead of rushing his soldiers to help the Lebanese army (by, say, sharing some weapons), he turned them into paper-pushers, sending them to the "Israeli-resistance struggle archives" to produce "irrefutable evidence" that "Israel and its agents used political rivalry between Hizbullah and Rafik Hariri in 2005 to convince [Hariri's] friends at home and abroad that Hizbullah wanted to assassinate him".
In his speech today, Nasrallah vowed to reveal all on August 9th at 8:30 PM and called on the government to "appoint a responsible [authority on the issue] if it finds what I say to be noteworthy…We are ready to collaborate with the government."
This is how investigations work in Nasrallah land. Evidence is based on historical research conducted in Hizbullah's archives, is aired on TV, and is not shared with judges or investigators (or tribunals). Only Hizbullah possesses the truth, and it's predetermined as conspiracy against the resistance. And only the resistance picks the timing for war and peace. And only they decide when it's convenient to help the nation they allegedly defend.
If you ask me, Nasrallah today came across as a coward. Not for not fighting, for this blogger will never wish for that kind of help. But for going on the anniversary of his foolish and deadly adventure, on the day Lebanese soldiers burned defending a damn tree, to shield himself against the rule of law.
