Hizbullah is Bringing Down Lebanon’s Financial System

Nida Al-Watan, Lebanon, November 25

Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah was not joking when he threatened that if Iran was attacked, Hizbullah would be ready to set the entire region on fire in its defense. But now a new kind of war is being waged by Washington against Tehran: an economic and financial one revolving around sanctions and which has proven to be less effective than a traditional war. Since announcing its withdrawal from the [2015] nuclear deal, the Trump Administration has imposed successive economic sanctions on both Iran and Hizbullah. From the very first moment, Tehran realized that the battle would be unconventional, harsh and long, and that precautionary measures had to be taken, notably the reduction of Hizbullah’s reliance on Iranian money. This necessitated trying to secure alternative sources of funding for Nasrallah, and at this point, the game became clear to him as well. Just like he’s done so many times in the past, Nasrallah responded by doing what he does best: hide behind civilians. Hizbullah itself began hiding behind the people of Lebanon and their banks, financial institutions and economy. Hizbullah members of parliament took it upon themselves to obstruct any attempt to reform the economy. Meanwhile, Hizbullah members upped their illegal smuggling of goods into the country while circumventing the formal banking system. It is for this reason that Hizbullah refuses to capitulate to the people’s demand to form a technocratic government that would protect the Lebanese national interest. Instead, it seeks to take the country and its economy hostage in the Iranian-American confrontation, even at the cost of a complete collapse of the Lebanese financial, banking and economic system! Simply put, all Lebanese people pay the price for Hizbullah’s decision to engage in a confrontation with the United States from Lebanon in the service of Iran. This crazy adventurism is coming at the expense of the Lebanese people’s livelihoods, savings and financial stability. Certainly, those who have declared their readiness to ignite the entire region, including Lebanon, in defense of Iran will not hesitate to destroy Lebanon’s economy and financial system in the current financial war in an attempt to defend the mullah regime! – Tony Abi Najem (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)