(Bloomberg) Ronen Bergman - The political demise of Hizbullah's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, will be gradual, but it is already clear that his historic role has ended. His principal goal - to become a pan-Arab and Lebanese leader - is now unattainable. For a number of years, Nasrallah was considered, according to polls, the most popular of all Arab leaders. The eruption of the war in Syria made things clearer - Nasrallah is, after all, more of an Iranian representative in Lebanon than a Lebanese statesman. The fighting has not only weakened the Syrian army and significantly eroded Hizbullah's operational power. It has also completely shattered Nasrallah's image. He used to justify the Hizbullah militia's existence by saying its role was to battle Israel. Now he is sending it to assist in the massacre of Sunnis. The writer is a senior correspondent for military and intelligence affairs at Yediot Ahronot.
2013-06-26 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive