The launch of missiles and public provocation against Israel give Hizbollah, Iran and Syria much prestige without risking any significant retaliation due to the current election season.
With Syria descending into all out civil war, neighboring Lebanon finds itself in a precarious spot. The Lebanese government’s equivocal stance may prove impossible to continue.
Months after the outbreak of the uprising in Syria, Damascus continues its steady descent into sectarian strife and is at the epicenter of a regional struggle that may well shape the new political contours of the Middle East.
Looking ahead there are two major concerns for Lebanon. Firstly, if a new government cannot kick start the ailing economy and publicly support the Lebanese people by providing much needed water and electricity projects, then Hezbollah’s influence will grow, as Iranian money will finance vital social programmes, as witnessed already in the south of the country.
On 17 November, the residents of Ghajar took to the streets to protest against the Israeli Security Cabinet’s approval of a plan to unilaterally withdraw the Israel Defence Force (IDF) from the northern half of the village. This move is only the latest episode in the unfortunate history of Ghajar.
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