Lebanon fears being drawn into Iran-Saudi cold war
\nApril 12, 2011<\/p>\n
BEIRUT: A war of words between Lebanon\u2019s pro-Western and Iranian-backed camps has sparked fears of a backlash in the Mediterranean state over a \u201ccold war\u201d between Shia Muslim Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis war of words is further evidence that the Lebanon\u2019s internal crisis is intrinsically linked to a regional showdown,\u201d said Fadia Kiwan, head of the political science department at Saint Joseph University in Beirut.<\/p>\n
She said that as Lebanon enters its fourth month without a government, the country \u201cwill only become increasingly mired in crises.\u201d Riyadh, which backs the pro-Western camp led by caretaker premier Saad Hariri, has accused Iran of rousing anti-monarchy protests in Bahrain, a majority Shiite country ruled by a Sunni dynasty.<\/p>\n
And Tehran, which along with Syria is a major supporter of Lebanon\u2019s Shia militant group Hezbollah, has slammed back with accusations that Saudi sent its troops into the tiny kingdom to contain a legitimate popular uprising.<\/p>\n
Experts say that with regional tensions on the rise, a protracted political crisis in Lebanon could take yet a turn for the worse as Hariri and Hezbollah trade increasingly harsh accusations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not yet reached the height of the crisis,\u201d said Imad Salameh, political science professor at the Lebanese-American University. \u201cWe are only at the tip of the iceberg.\u201d Saudi-backed Hariri, a US ally, has accused Iran of meddling in Lebanon\u2019s affairs and taking Arab societies \u201chostage,\u201d sparking a harsh rebuke from Hezbollah.<\/p>\n
\u201cLebanon and a number of Arab countries\u2026 are suffering politically, economically and in terms of security from blatant Iranian interference in the Arab world,\u201d Hariri said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Hezbollah, blacklisted as a terrorist group by Washington, was quick to respond and in a rare move, Iran also reacted to Hariri\u2019s accusations, calling them \u201cunfounded\u201d and saying they served \u201cUS-Zionist\u201d interests.<\/p>\n
\u201cHariri\u2019s position\u2026 is an open attempt to mask US interference in the region and the confiscation of the will of the people, who seek freedom and the end of American hegemony,\u201d a Hezbollah statement said. …more<\/a><\/p>\n