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Source: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2273
Preventing Iran and Hizballah from Filling the Void in Lebanon
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Michael Herzog - The March 8 mass rally in Beirut, organized by Hizballah to counter the popular Lebanese opposition movement, serves as a reminder that establishing genuine freedom and democracy in Lebanon will require more than a Syrian withdrawal. If Iran and Hizballah are permitted to fill the void created by a Syrian departure, Lebanon will continue to be subjected to foreign interference. Accordingly, while pushing for an end to Syrian domination, the international community should not neglect two other key implications of UN Security Council Resolution 1559: ending the Iranian presence and disarming Hizballah. Resolution 1559 "calls upon all remaining foreign forces to withdraw from Lebanon" and requests the "disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias." Hizballah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has specifically rejected the resolution's call to disarm Lebanese militias, claiming that Hizballah is not a militia but a legitimate resistance movement against Israel (despite the long-completed Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon). IDF Brig. Gen. Michael Herzog is a visiting military fellow at the Washington Institute.