On Sunday, for the first time in nearly a decade, Lebanon held national elections. The results were good for Hizballah, which is now part of a bloc of parties commanding a parliamentary majority. To Tony Badran and Jonathan Schanzer, this victory marks a further step in the transformation of Lebanon into an Iranian satellite:
Hizballah has long had a political and military stranglehold on the Lebanese state. But now, thanks to its ever-expanding military arsenal and control over pockets of territory, coupled with new parliamentary seats captured by its representatives and allies, there can be no denying that the Shiite terrorist group dominates the Lebanese state.
American policymakers attached much significance to these elections, describing them as crucial to advancing two key elements of American policy in Lebanon: preserving the stability of the Lebanese state and strengthening its institutions. But as the elections show, this policy has only stabilized and strengthened the Iranian order in Lebanon, run by Hizballah. . . .
[Furthermore], Lebanon is a headquarters for other elements of Iran’s regional terrorist network. This is a fact the Lebanese interior minister openly acknowledged two years ago when he described Lebanon as “a global terrorist and security operations room.” Lebanon is currently the base for the senior Hamas operative Saleh Arouri, who runs terror operations in the West Bank, and other officials from the Palestinian terrorist group. It is a place where Qais al-Khazali, the commander of the Iraqi Shiite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, meets openly with Hizballah operatives. The same goes for commanders from other deadly Iran-run militias in Syria, like Liwaa al-Baqir. . . .
Lebanon’s terrorism problem isn’t going away. As the election results make painfully clear, Washington’s policy of preserving the political status quo has failed. If anything, it has absolved Lebanon of the terrorist activities conducted on its sovereign soil. Even today, our officials speak about buttressing the country’s institutions, namely the banking sector and the Lebanese military, as a counterweight to Hizballah. . . . The problem is that these institutions are hardly fighting against Iran’s network.
Read more on Washington Times: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/8/elections-in-lebanon-pump-up-hezbollah-granting-it/