Hezbollah and the added value to the war of Juroud

Written by Nasser Kandil,

Hezbollah did not seem upset towards the debated talk which was directed to it after the end of the war of Juroud, it was sticking to ensure the value of the affirmed victory and the celebration of the second liberation, but this was not out of stubbornness or perseverance. Its opponents have launched two simultaneous painful campaigns against it one entitled the credibility of the Lebanese army in competing the resistance outside the equation of integration, towards asking about the need of Hezbollah’s weapons after the army has showed high efficiency and its ability to achieve. The second campaign undermines the credibility of its fighting against ISIS and accusing it of the keenness on a terrorist organization and the securing of its fighters and their families. The two campaigns have been distributed politically on the area of Lebanon, the Arabs, and the world, but Hezbollah remained preoccupied with its celebration of victory.

If Hezbollah did not invest the aroused titles against it as a part of new equations directed by it in its considerations, it would not keep silent, it did not use to ignore the campaigns which undermine its credibility, so how if they target its weapons. The way through which it dealt with the two campaigns indicates to the degree of confidence which it has in attracting its opponents to the arena which it planned and prepared for the next round. It left the opponents play its game which they will discover in the subsequent steps, after they thought that they won points against it.

In the war on ISIS, the concern of Hezbollah is no longer to gain the credibility of its hostility to ISIS, Al Nusra, and the rest of the components of the terrorist organizations, since the war militarily has become under its control and the victory has become inevitable fate, what concerns Hezbollah in this war is two things. The first concern is how to dismantle the structure of the terrorist organizations to achieve the final victory, which will not be by the annihilation of tens of thousands and their families. Hezbollah accompanied with the campaign which targeted it succeeded in achieving the success by sending reassuring message to the militants and their families; that among those whom you fight there is an important strong force that can depend on its pledges and surrender to it. This is difficult to be believed by groups that do not have pledges and which do not leave a prisoner alive, because they expect to be treated as they treat. But now they are seeing another kind of fighters who are not afraid of death and cannot be confronted in the war, they have pledges, mercy, and morals, keep the secretariats and abide by their promise when they have detainees. The second concern has been always to open a psychological groove that ends the sectarian gap of the supporters of the Salafi widespread movement in the Islamic world, even if not all of its components  are fighters and militants but active in society, media, civil and religious bodies in the Islamic world. Hezbollah has presented for itself a contrary image of the armed salafi groups; the campaign of question of the credibility of its hostility against ISIS has helped it in showing it as a moral reliable party that is proud of its Islamic affiliation. It is known that the Salafis hate Hezbollah and will not believe anything about secret alliance with it, but they believe that it is an honorable respected opponent. This is the beginning of filling the gap and calming the sectarian ignition.

Regarding the future of the weapons and the combating capability of the Lebanese army Hezbollah does not consider seriously the words of the opponents and the doubters of the usefulness of its weapons, it knows that they know that the response to the Israeli aggression makes the weapons of the resistance more than a necessity, so the leadership of the army is the one to be asked, but Hezbollah is proud to boast of the capacities of the Lebanese army and its efficiency in the war which it waged and came out victorious, as it is proud of the independent courage decision of the President of the Republic to liberate Al Juroud despite the US threats and pressures, it encourages the Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri to participate in this decision. Today Hezbollah’s opponents remember the need for a renewed dialogue for a national defense plan or  national strategic plan of defend in order to discuss the future of the weapons of the resistance supported by an international encouragement to accelerate this pressure, while Hezbollah puts the priority for a national plan to liberate Shebaa Farms and Kafar Shuba Hills, it tells its opponents that the Lebanese army is capable and the resistance is strong , but after the achievement, we will talk about how to defend, the second liberation was a prelude for the third liberation, but they did not pay attention, they continued asking about the weapons and the capabilities of the Lebanese army, they are unable to refrain from the calls for the third liberation as long as ending the occupation makes the talk about the weapons more justified and legitimate in their opinion, but in the next stage they have to be prepared to choose between their faith in the defensive capability of the army, and thus the readiness for the call of Hezbollah to liberate Shebaa Farms, because the pretext of the inability out of the fear of Israel makes their argument falls because they will be in need of the resistance’s weapons which will go alone to liberate, and thus its defensive responsibility will remain after that  or to choose to adopt the equation “ the army, people, and the resistance” for the liberation and then to discuss it as a defensive plan.

They will continue talking, and Hezbollah will laugh in its secret since its battles are moving as it planned. Its opponents are unknown soldiers who serve it without taking into consideration, so maybe it will call them to participate in every victory!

Translated by Lina Shehadeh,