A Lebanese member of parliament is slamming Hezbollah for failing to protect Lebanese territory from increasingly regular attacks by the Bashar al-Assad regime, on behalf of which Hezbollah is fighting in Syria. Basem Shabb blasted the group for being “an Iranian-sponsored Shiite organization that is embroiled in sectarian conflicts throughout the region.”

“How ill-prepared Lebanon would have been had the Army been modeled on the lines of Hezbollah, with an emphasis on long-range firepower and guerrilla warfare at the expense of mobility, logistics and training. The current situation has created an opportunity for the Lebanese Army to be the sole guardian of national interests. While the army includes all religious communities as a national institution, Hezbollah remains an Iranian-sponsored Shiite organization that is embroiled in sectarian conflicts throughout the region. The party has thus disqualified itself on both moral and political grounds to be a participant in any national defense strategy. Should the Syrian regime fall and Hezbollah be weakened further, a strong and unified Lebanese Army will become more vital than ever.”

Hezbollah has long justified its vast arsenal and its usurpation of Lebanese sovereignty – Hezbollah effectively maintains its own mini-state in southern Lebanon – by insisting that its weapons are necessary to protect Lebanon from attacks by outside forces.

The pretext had become influential among some Western foreign policy specialists, who insisted that the organization was shifting from being an Iranian proxy promoting Iranian interests into a Lebanese group. More than 1,000 Hezbollah fighters have reportedly entered Syria in recent days to fight on behalf of the Iranian-allied Syrian regime.

[Photo: AlJazeeraEnglish / YouTube]