The Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah, which is internationally recognized as a terrorist organization, is asserting its dominance in Lebanon’s Parliament – that after Hezbollah and group’s that support the Iranian proxy won at least 70 of Parliament’s 128 seats in a 6th of May election. Among Hezbollah’s close allies, Nabih Berri, was once again re-elected for a sixth term as Lebanon’s parliament speaker, a post reserved for a Shi’ite Muslim in Beirut’s sectarian political system. Berri won the votes of 98 of 128 parliament members, a role he has held since 1992. Another close ally of Hezbollah, Elie Ferzli, was elected deputy speaker of Parliament. Ferzli announced, following his election, that the United States’ actions against Hezbollah and Iran are mere delusions, a statement clearly reflecting a shift in Lebanon’s political landscape in favor of the heavily armed Shi’ite minority. “All the U.S. delusions are nonsense and will lead nowhere, whether regarding Lebanon, Iran or others,” Lebanese MP – Amal Movement Bloc (Shi’ite) Ayoub Hmayed said.
The growing anti-American sentiment in Lebanon seems to grow. Lebanon’s outgoing Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, whose Christian ‘Free Patriotic Movement’ has aligned itself in recent years with Hezbollah, accused Washington’s policies – including its animosity toward Iran and its favor toward Israel – as undermining peace in the Middle East and leading the region to war. “But again this is something that we cannot accept. We cannot accept to have any kind of peace while Jerusalem is being kidnapped. Jerusalem does not belong to a country, like Israel or the United States.” / Unfortunately, Israel has declared a long time ago that it is seeking anything but peace, but now the United States is backing Israel and its policy of launching wars against the peoples of the region,” Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said.
A White House official responded to Bassil’s comments, dubbing his statement as “an attempt to please Iran and Hezbollah that have clearly highjacked Lebanon and its peoples by spreading fear – a reality that will be dealt with.”