The Need to Contain Iran & Hezbollah before it is too late
By: Elias Bejjani*

September 21/08

Hezbollah, the Iranian terrorist militant and fundamentalist organization, is now actually occupying Lebanon, controlling its government and terrorizing its peace loving people. This Iranian mercenary Army by all means and according to all standards is like a wild and cannibal beast gradually devouring Lebanon, the independent, free and multicultural state.

It is viciously annihilating Lebanon's distinguishable identity, forging its deeply rooted rich history, tarnishing its unique co-existence entity, disintegrating the basis of  its civil society, infiltrating and destabilizing sneakily its governmental and private institutions in an evilly orchestrated and systematized Syrian-Iran Scheme.

While this crime is being overtly and bluntly committed against Lebanon and the Lebanese people, the so called moderate Arabic countries, the European Union, the state of Israel, the US, The UN, and the rest of the Free World nations are all indifferently watching this horrible crime and keeping a blind eye on the whole mockery. They shamefully had limited the horizons of their stances to mere rhetoric and context-empty press releases and statements of condemnation.

They are all mainly acting selfishly, naively while deluding and deceiving themselves. They are falling easy preys to a wrong, self-centered, irresponsible and misleading political concept that hypothetically says: "As long as this beast remains far away from our backyards, let him devour whoever it can capture or hunt"!! What a juvenile, derailed, alienated, sickening and reality-history detached thinking and rationale!!

What is currently and sadly unfolding in Lebanon and Iran is a replicate of the Hitler-Nazi phenomenon. Most European nations, as well as many other influential countries had falsely deceived themselves into believing that Hitler's aggressiveness and greed could be cajoled and appeased by some kind of subjection here and there. They did not take his territorial expansionist schemes seriously, and failed to contain his madness when they were still capable of doing so. They initially did not unite to encounter his many invasions to neighboring countries, and when they decided to do so and move from the defensive to the offensive strategy, it was too late. Their appeasement forced the whole free world to sacrifice dozens of millions of lives, in addition to massive destruction, huge financial losses, and laborious years of  horrible wars, agony, and suffering, before Hitler was defeated. Luckily he could not acquire the atomic bomb before the USA, otherwise, he would have destroyed the whole globe.

The question that every sensible man and woman is asking with fear and frustration, is when would the Free World countries, specially the USA and Europe will deal with Iran, and its proxy army in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and either tam or eradicate their teeth so they can no longer be a threat to civilization, humanity and world-wide prosperity, stability and peace?

Are they going to repeat the same wait and see cowardice scenario they applied with the Hitler-Nazi phenomenon?

Are they going to wait for the emergence of another Winston Churchill to cement their scattered efforts, pinpoint the main threat, and lead them in an costly offensive war after Iran's acquisition of nuclear capabilities? Hopefully not, because extraordinary, farsighted, and Godly gifted leaders are not born every day.

While Iran is fooling and ridiculing the UN and all the whole free world, it adamantly continues its stringent evil strive to acquire its atomic bomb, and its proxy army in Lebanon, Hezbollah, is tightening more and more its military grip on Lebanon, the government and the people. One would not be exaggerating to state that Hezbollah is actually occupying Lebanon.

The most dangerous facets of this occupation can be plainly witnessed all over Lebanon in the cultural and educational domains. Hezbollah via religious decrees (Fatawa),  money, intimidation and weapons, is forcing the Iranian Mullah's life style on the whole country. Its militant ongoing endeavors to impose this stone age life style is on the rise all over the country, especially in side the canton that it rules and fully controls.

Hezbollah's education, life style and culture are totally derived from the Iranian Mullah's “Wilayat al-Faqih” religious-sectarian doctrine. The main pillars of this doctrine are zero tolerance for all others who are different in any sphere and do not fully fall under its control, mere rejection of the civil, democratic and free societies,  a systematized tireless strive to export  the ”Wilayat al-Faqih"  and impose it on the whole world through "Jihad" (holy war), deeply rooted hatred for the western democracies and cultures, staunched enmity and hostility towards the USA and Israel and suicide mentality. One of its prime aims is to destroy Israel and "Liberate" the Holy city of Jerusalem.

Hezbollah, by force and terrorism is hindering Lebanon from regaining its independence, peace and stability on all levels and in all domains. It refuses to disarm or allow the central government take control over the cantons that it has erected and keeps ruling with an iron fist.

In the same realm of the on going series of orchestrated assaults against the country, the people and its institutions, on the 28th of last month Hezbollah's militants fired on a Lebanese army helicopter in the Southern region killing with cold blood one of its two pilots under the pretext that it had crossed the red lines drawn by its leadership.

Meanwhile many independent Lebanese observers strongly believe that Hezbollah is behind most of the assassinations and assassination attempts that took place in the country since 2005 and targeted members in the parliament, journalists, cabinet ministers, politicians, and army - internal security officers.

Defiant Hezbollah's General Secretary, Hassan Nasrallah, declared in a televised speech  earlier this month that his militant militia will keep its arms even if Shebaa farms were liberated, "Shebaa farms are not the reason to keep our weapons; if the farms were liberated, the weapons will stay," Nasrallah said.

Hezbollah leaders had repeatedly said in the past that the party's arms are aimed at liberating Lebanese occupied lands, mainly the remaining Shebaa farms in south Lebanon. Nasrallah, however, said Hezbollah will not give up its weapons "as long as Israeli threat persists," threatening that his group will destroy Israel if it launches an attack on Lebanon.  "The five brigades (which Israel said it will use) will be destroyed," he added. This comes at the heel of another statement when he promised the world "a victory that will change the face of the Middle East". 

Hezbollah has imposed on Lebanon Its own criteria for heroism, martyrdom, treason and patriotism. Recently, it glorified publicly the notorious killer, Samir Kuntar who was surprisingly released by Israel. It gave him a hero's welcome, dragging behind its leadership the country's president, house speaker, Prime Minister and the majority of the MP's and politicians.

In the realm of derailing Heroism and criminal standards, Hezbollah is portraying, Imad Mugniyah, one of its high ranging militants, that was killed in Syria earlier this year, as a great militant leader and Jihadi Martyr. it has erected an exhibition to advocate for this educational derailment and worked hard to give it an extensive media coverage. In a letter to the New York Times published on September 06/08 Abraham H. Foxman commenting on Hezbollah's war exhibition opened in the Lebanese Southern City of Nabatiye said: "Hezbollah’s shrine to the slain terrorist mastermind Imad Mugniyah demonstrates how terrorist groups use and indoctrinate children into their blood-soaked culture of hatred, martyrdom and violence. It also offers a real glimpse at the stark realities facing Lebanon, Israel and the international community. It is frightening that a group that perpetrates and venerates deadly terrorism is set to take on a leading role in Lebanon’s transitional government, with cabinet seats and veto power. And if there was any doubt that Hezbollah is rebuilding its arsenal in the aftermath of the 2006 Lebanon war, the high-tech rockets and other munitions on display in Nabatiye should serve as a wake-up call to world leaders about the continuing threat that this Iranian-backed group poses to Israel, Lebanon and the entire region". 

We, again and again, call on the free world and the so called "moderate Arabic Countries" to wake up from their coma of hesitation and procrastination, and take note that the Lebanese people and their government are unable under any given circumstances to contain or disarm Hezbollah militarily on their own. If Lebanon is not rescued, Hezbollah will soon turn it into a replicate of the Iranian's Mullaha's republic.

Meanwhile Iran's serious Hitler-Nazi like phenomenon threats to the world needs to be addressed as soon as possible with all available means, especially the military ones before it is too late. The battle with Iran and its Hezbollah proxy is inevitable, Accordingly the sooner the better, and lesser losses will be incurred.

*Elias Bejjani
Chairman for the Canadian Lebanese Coordinating Council (LCCC)
Human Rights activist, journalist & political commentator.
Spokesman for the Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation (CLHRF)
E.Mail phoenicia@hotmail.com
 LCCC Web Site http://www.10452lccc.com
CLHRF Website http://www.clhrf.com