OpinionIran in the World PressLebanon: a pawn in Iran's power play

Lebanon: a pawn in Iran’s power play

-

Christian Science Monitor: Lebanon is a struggle within a struggle. Most immediately, Hizbullah’s abduction of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12 has triggered a huge Israeli response, so far short of a full-scale ground invasion.
The Christian Science Monitor

Commentary

Iran may have appreciated Hizbullah stirring up turmoil with Israel.

By Daniel Schorr

WASHINGTON – Lebanon is a struggle within a struggle. Most immediately, Hizbullah’s abduction of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12 has triggered a huge Israeli response, so far short of a full-scale ground invasion.

It is intended to depopulate southern Lebanon and its well-concealed launching pads for thousands of Iranian-supplied rockets. Arab diplomats and others, and now Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, are trying to construct some kind of international force that could be interposed on Lebanon’s border. That may be slow in coming.

Not involved in these discussions, and perhaps the most relevant outside party, is Iran, the godfather of the Shiite movement. To Iran, Lebanon is apparently just one incident in its larger plan to dominate the whole Shiite sectarian community, including Iraq and Lebanon, and a struggle with the American/Israeli infidel.

Aggressive Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, made his target known in a long, open letter to President Bush on May 9. He said: “How long must the people of the world pay for the incorrect decisions of some rulers? How much longer will a specter of insecurity haunt the people of the world?”

It can be speculated that Hizbullah’s capture of the two Israeli soldiers, which triggered the current crisis, was probably known to the Iranian government in advance. The mullahs must be happy about the turmoil that they have helped to create. They must dream of the day when a nuclear-armed Iran will hold sway over the region and beyond.

• Daniel Schorr is the senior news analyst at National Public Radio.

Latest news

 Statistics show that New Year accidents’ deaths in Iran reached 585

Ahmad Shirani, the head of the Information and Traffic Control Center of the Iranian regime’s police, announced that the...

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Must read

Iran blamed as Lebanon battle broadens

Sunday Telegraph: Iran was thrust to the forefront of...

Iran kills 16 in mass purge

Free Beacon: Iran reportedly carried out the mass execution of...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you