In case you’re wondering why Nasrallah’s response to the charge in Der Spiegel that Hezbollah was responsible for Rafiq Hariri’s murder, is that Der Spiegel is a Zionist tool, read Michael Totten’s take.
“[I]f (the majority) uses the report against Hezbollah,†said former Carnegie Endowment scholar and Hezbollah expert Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, “then of course we’re going to see instability in Lebanon, and that’s putting it mildly.†“One word,†said Fadia Kiwan at Saint Joseph University, “could set the streets on fire.†“If the Special Tribunal for Lebanon comes out and confirms the report,†Carnegie Middle East Center Director Paul Salem said, “we could be facing an all-out civil war.†“If these rumors are true,†my own source in Lebanon added, “expect some extremely dark times ahead in Lebanon. After all, the Sunni street hates Hezbollah enough to begin with. Once Hezbollah is officially accused of assassinating Hariri, all bets are off.â€
All this raises the question: if Lebanon could plunge into war should “March 14†cite an unsourced report prematurely, what might happen if the UN officially indicts Hezbollah later?
Totten doesn’t seem convinced that the rumors are true. There does seem to be an element of whitewashing Syria’s role in the assassination attached to the rumor. (Of course, given that both Hezbollah and Syria are clients of Iran, would proof of Hezbollah’s involvement necessarily exonerate Syria?)
It does seem that Hezbollah is scared. That’s why Der Spiegel’s credibility must be undermined.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
