Lonely times for Hizbullah
By
Magdi Mehanna
What is to become of Hizbullah? Will friends continue to provide it with moral, financial and political backing or will they distance themselves from the Lebanese resistance group? In the aftermath of the US-UK aggression against Iraq anything is possible.
The Iraqi regime, according to the letter by Saddam Hussein published in the London-based Al-Quds, collapsed because it was betrayed, not least by the Republican Guards. The same complaint was reiterated in a videotape sent to a major television station. Had it not been for treason, Saddam argued, Baghdad would have held out longer and US and UK losses would have been greater.
Saddam, of course, is not Hassan Nasrallah and Hizbullah is unlikely to suffer from internal treason. Yet its allies -- Syria and Iran in particular -- may have second thoughts about their support for the organisation.
Will Syria ditch Hizbullah? It may. Before and during the visit to Damascus by Secretary of State Colin Powell Syrian leaders made no reference to Hizbullah. They acted as if the Lebanese Party, that for years has fought Israel with Syrian support, did not exist. Unable to activate the Golan front Syria had been using Hizbullah as a proxy to keep Israel on its toes on the Lebanese front. Now Damascus seems to have more serious matters on its mind.
What about Iran? Perhaps it is still too early to judge. Tehran is unlikely to abandon Hizbullah in the short term. But suppose this happens. Will Hizbullah be able to survive, as a credible resistance force without Iranian support? The only thing certain for now is that Hizbullah faces lonely times ahead.
This week's Soapbox speaker is former editor-in-chief of Al-Wafd.
