Two pro-Hezbollah newspapers in Lebanon—Assafir and Al-Akhbar—reported this weekend that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said during a closed meeting that the battle against the takfiris is an existential battle, and that it will require many sacrifices, even if two-thirds of the Shiites have to die.
He added that the Shiite al-Safara (the Shiites of the Embassy, referring to the anti-Hezbollah Shiites who are usually accused by Hezbollah of being US agents) are “traitors, agents and stupid,” and that Hezbollah will not be silent anymore and will “deal” with all those criticizing its sacred mission.
For the first time, Hezbollah’s top leader threatened his Shiite opponents, and this caused waves of heated reactions on social media, because we know from experience that these threats are serious. They mean one thing: that Hezbollah is going to militarize the Shiites in Lebanon by force, and that whoever disobeys will face severe punishment.
Of course Hezbollah has been militarizing the Shiites for decades, but when Nasrallah threatens independent Shiites publically, it means that all the recent question marks and little voices of discontent among the community will cease.
Nasrallah has obviously been annoyed by the increased criticism among the Shiites in Lebanon for its meaningless and deadly mission in Syria. Blaming Shiite al-Safara for the frustration in the community is easier than facing the fact that many Shiites, including those who have never stepped foot inside the American Embassy in Beirut, are today doubting the sacredness of the battle. But Hezbollah prefers to use threats when dealing with its internal problems, simply because they can.
Hezbollah’s arrogance is blinding. But it’s not the only factor that pushes them to threaten and kill their opponents. The main reason is that no one has managed to stop them.
The Party of God has been using violence against other Lebanese since its inception, when they murdered the leaders of the National Resistance Front back in the early 80s. Since 2005, however, violence and crime have become too common and too easy.
Since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Hezbollah has been killing other Lebanese in broad daylight. The events of 7 May 2008, the murder of Hashem al-Salman in front of the Iranian Embassy, and the assassination of security and political figures in Lebanon who cooperated with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) are, among many others, examples of how Hezbollah has learned that violence yields results.
Hezbollah has gotten rid of everyone who could seriously harm them and threatened everyone else. They realized that the language of threat and fear forces people to compromise. That’s exactly how they managed to thwart the March 14 majority governments in both 2008 and 2010. So when the Syrian revolution started, violence was the obvious answer. And they’ve been killing non-stop ever since.
Instead of being held accountable for their crimes—with the exception of the STL, which has yet to yield results—Hezbollah are today given the green light to kill as they wish. Moreover, all their crimes in Lebanon and Syria are rewarded with a deal with their bosses in Iran; a deal that will bring them more resources and gains on the ground. So why would they stop or change their tactics?
No one will stop Nasrallah from threatening and hurting all those who stand up to him, because every time his party hurts someone, nothing happens. On the contrary, Hezbollah gets rewarded. They won Lebanon and now they are moving to win Syria and the whole region.
The only thing that seems to be annoying Hezbollah are the little voices within the Shiite community that are asking questions and doubting their sacred and existential battle in Syria. That’s why Nasrallah’s speech carried a clear message to all the Shiites: Hezbollah cannot lose this “existential battle” and you all should join it. Anyone who refuses to join is a traitor and will be held responsible.
So here’s what’s going to happen: All Shiites should join Hezbollah’s battle. Being silent or neutral is no longer okay. And if you criticize the sacredness of this battle, you will be dealt with. All Lebanese Shiites must die for the sake of Hezbollah and Iran’s thirst for power and control. All Shiites in the region should come together as one big sectarian army to fight Iran’s battle. All Shiites should sacrifice themselves.
The problem for Lebanon is two-fold. If Hezbollah wins this battle—even to a limited extent—they will try to translate their victory into political victories in Lebanon, exactly as they have done after every victory since 2000. This means more control over Lebanon and its institutions, which might also lead to changing the constitution to guarantee them vast political power.
If they lose, the price will not be political. They will use whatever is left of the Shiites in Lebanon to take the battle home and continue to impose their will.
In both cases, Hezbollah will not be stopped because Lebanon has already been sold to Iran. And in both cases, the Shiites will be more militarized.
SEE ALSO: Hezbollah says it will 'be everywhere in Syria'
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