|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6539.htm
Decline in Hizbullah's Status in Lebanon
(MEMRI) E. B. Picali - There has been a tangible decline lately in Hizbullah's political and public standing in Lebanon. This is evident, for example, in attacks by Ahmad Al-Asir, a Salafi sheikh from Sidon, against the organization and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah; in the decision of Michel Aoun, Hizbullah's political ally for the past six years, to revoke political understandings with Hizbullah; in the May 22, 2012, abduction of 11 Lebanese Shi'ites in Syria, who, according to some reports, were senior Hizbullah members; and in criticism by Hizbullah's own supporters over its handling of social and economic affairs in the government and parliament. The weakening in Hizbullah's standing has been caused by the decline in Syria's status in Lebanon; by the growing power of Sunni-Islamist forces throughout the Arab world; and by Hizbullah's unwavering support for Assad, whom many Lebanese regard as a tyrant oppressing and butchering his people.