Lebanon: Warnings About Repercussions of Nasrallah’s Threats to US Bases

Arab World

January 7th, 9:30am

Beirut - Youssef Diab

Lebanon's Hezbollah supporters attend a funeral ceremony rally to mourn Qassem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, who was killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport, in Beirut's suburbs, Lebanon, January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s promises to respond to the assassination of Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani has put Lebanon in front of a serious political and security reality. In a speech on Friday, Nasrallah declared, on the behalf of “the axis of resistance, open war to remove the US army from the region,” and pledged to target and hit “every US officer and soldier.” While Nasrallah did not specify the timing of targeting the US bases and their locations, political sources warned of “catastrophic consequences for Lebanon” in case Hezbollah carried out its threats and initiated a military operation against the Americans. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the sources said: “Lebanon suffers from an almost destructive economic and financial situation, and cannot find itself part of a devastating war.” Observers agree that Lebanon remains the weakest party in any confrontation, and that no one will stand by its side, but they value differently the extent of Nasrallah’s execution of his threats. A member of the political bureau in the Future Movement, Dr. Mustafa Alloush, pointed out that Nasrallah specified the target of hitting US soldiers. “Is the US embassy in Lebanon, which is protected by US soldiers, among the targets? Will the party include US officers and soldiers inside the two air bases in Hamat (North Lebanon) and Rayak (Bekaa) within its operations?” He asked. “Any operation against these targets, or any role by [Hezbollah] in the region, will open the gates of hell in the country,” Alloush warned. On the other hand, former Lebanese ambassador to Washington, Riad Tabbara, said that Nasrallah’s rhetoric “is relatively calm and comfortable for Lebanon, as long as he did not mention Israel, not even once in his speech.” “What the Americans fear is the kidnappings of their nationals in Lebanon… They requested their citizens to leave Iraq, and they started strengthening the protection of their embassy and bases in Iraq,” he remarked. “Hezbollah is looking for a reaction that satisfies the axis of resistance, without causing an open war in the region,” Tabbara underlined.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2070501/lebanon-warnings-about-repercussions-nasrallah%E2%80%99s-threats-us-bases