America’s Blunt Policy in the Region: No Gloves, No Games
By Munir Shehadeh
A blessing from heaven arrived in the person of Mr. Tom Barrack, who plainly announced what is being drawn up for the region:
- Lebanon will be returned to the Levant.
- After the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation, “Israel” no longer recognizes the Sykes–Picot order; it will expand whenever it pleases and strike wherever it pleases.
- There is no peace — there is only the strong and the weak, and the weak must submit.
- The Lebanese Army must train solely to maintain internal security.
- We do not want to arm the Lebanese Army to fight “Israel”.
- Our enemy is Hezbollah and Iran, and we must roll back their influence.
A very clear policy — one that needs no deep scrutiny or analysis. Arab states remain in a state of denial and delirium, believing that the bitter cup will not reach them.
The aggression against Qatar marked a turning point: what came before it is not the same as what came after. We said at the time that this aggression sends a message to every Arab country — there are no longer prohibitions or red lines; no peace treaties protect you, no normalization protects you, no American bases protect you.
Then came an Arab–Islamic summit, producing feeble decisions unworthy of the moment — decisions that only reassured “Israel” there would be no resurrection of the Arab states against it.
The blueprint for the region has become clear: the division of Syria is proceeding apace, and if it occurs, it will lead to the fragmentation of the entire region so that “Israel” may expand rapidly to achieve “Greater ‘Israel’”.
A Kurdish mini-state in northeastern Syria means Kurdistan in Iraq, which in turn means Kurds in Turkey and Kurds in Iran.
It was reported that negotiations between Syria and “Israel” failed at the last moment because of “Israel’s” insistence on opening a “humanitarian corridor” to Suwayda Governorate. “Israel” talking about a humanitarian corridor!? It is, in truth, the “David’s Corridor”, gentlemen.
On another front, in Lebanon, the annual commemoration of the martyrdom of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah cast its shadow over the scene. Once they fought his shrine; today, they even fight his image. Their pettiness and malice made the devotees of the martyr count the lighting of the Al-Rouche Rock as a victory.
The first anniversary ceremony marking his martyrdom, held around his shrine, was massive; it was attended by a number of international and local figures, foremost among them Mr. Ali Larijani, who came to Lebanon specifically for this occasion.
Meanwhile, the South and the Bekaa endure continuous shelling, assassinations, and massacres of children who posed no threat to sovereignty. The real danger to the Lebanese entity and the throne of sovereignty lies in the failure to comply with an official decision.
They attacked the Lebanese Army — the sole institution that proves there is still a country called Lebanon. They wanted to drag it into their internal disputes.
This same institution remained neutral in 2019 during their staged demonstrations that blocked roads across Lebanon, assaulted passersby, and attacked public property on the instructions of embassies for many months, paralyzing the country. At that time, the Lebanese Army was, for them, a national unifying force; today, they seek to hold the Army accountable, accuse it of negligence, and call for the dismissal of its commander.
This commander — whom I know closely, who embodies wisdom, military virtue, rectitude and patriotism — can only be the commander of an army for all Lebanese and must remain equidistant from everyone.
Beware harming the military institution. Take your squabbles and intrigues away from it. It is the unifying institution; let it work in silence, preserve civil peace, confront terrorist cells, combat drug trafficking and production and pursue criminals across all Lebanese territory.
Leave this institution far from your malice and hatreds. It will not be a tool in any of your hands to carry out your aims. Fierce storms surround us on every side while you are distracted by your plots and subservience.
The Lebanese Army is a red line — stay away from it.
The speech of Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem on the occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, reaffirmed that disarming the Resistance is impossible. He repeated the phrase “the Karbala Battle to defend him” to emphasize that the resistance will never allow it, no matter the cost.
He also affirmed that the resistance has recovered and is ready for any “Israeli” aggression should it occur. He called on the authorities to stand up to the external pressures and threats reaching Lebanon: if you do not disarm the resistance, “Israel” will do so.
He further urged the government to include a reconstruction item in its budget — even a modest one — as a sign that this authority truly intends to rebuild.
As for the nation’s martyr, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, I say: did he ever leave us, that we should now revive his memory?
