HEZBOLLAH ON DEFENSIVE, WORLD MUST SEEK CHANGE: For reasons too long to explain here, Hezbollah and its good friend Iran find themselves in a delicate situation after the catastrophic blast in Beirut. The talk of ‘change’ is in the air and, more than anything, that ‘change’ in Lebanon means curtailing the astonishing power of Hezbollah, a militia that some have described as a “state within a non-state”. Iran certainly doesn’t want to see this change. Also, adding pressure on Hezbollah is the likely conviction of four of its members in the soon-due verdict on Hariri’s assassination. The world must condition aid on real changes in the system of governance in Lebanon. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]
AFP