Al-Sharq al-Awsat, London, September 21
A few weeks ago the Lebanese Army signed a peculiar ceasefire deal with the Islamic State, allowing the latter to retrieve its forces from the Lebanese border and relocate them to the Iraqi one. Several eyebrows were raised over the decision to simply allow the move of ISIS militias from one border to another, without eliminating the threat at its core. It was soon discovered that the deal was negotiated by non-other than Hizbullah, which once again placed its own interests above those of the Lebanese people. Now, several reports indicate that Hizbullah has taken its effort even a step further, by actively importing Shiite fighters from Iraq into Lebanon. Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah worked closely with Iranian forces present in Syria to facilitate this exchange of fighters, in an effort to strengthen Hizbullah’s force in Lebanon. According to several sources, over 1,000 Iraqi fighters have already landed in Lebanon, and have been quickly resettled in Hizbullah installations throughout the southern parts of the country. There, they began training together with Hizbullah forces. What is most shocking about this effort is the fact that it is taking place right beneath the nose of the Lebanese people. As Europe grows more and more concerned with its own terror threat at home, Gulf countries with the crisis in Qatar, and world powers with the North Korean nuclear threat, Lebanon will find itself left increasingly alone in its battle against ISIS. Lebanon has already been taken over by millions of Syrian and Palestinian refugees. Now it is quietly being flooded with Iraqi fighters. This is going to spell out chaos for the country down the road. As always, Hizbullah’s excuse is Israel. But the Zionist enemy is only the means; not the goal. The Lebanese people are busy complaining about the disintegration of their society, yet they refuse to take action against the source of this threat. Lebanon will never truly be sovereign so long as it is controlled by Hizbullah. – Hada al-Husseini