IN THIS ISSUE POWER PLAYS: The Tangled Politics of

Duration: 13:05

Lebanon may be a small country, but it’s a major player in politics. But what’s happening there lately is actually less about Lebanon and more about the big powers of and . Lebanon is also heartland. Founded in 1982, Hezbollah, which stands for Party of God, was formed to resist Israeli occupation. But with its history of violence, it’s considered a terrorist organisation by many western countries. The CBC's Nahlah Ayed takes CREDITS us through some recent events in Lebanon and News in Review is produced by explains Hezbollah’s influence on the country's CBC NEWS and Curio.ca politics. GUIDE Writer/editor: Sean Dolan Related News in Review Stories Additional editing: Michaël Elbaz VIDEO  The Assassination of Rafik Hariri (Feb 2011) Host: Michael Serapio Senior producer: Jordanna Lake  Lebanon War: Israel Battles Hezbollah Packaging producer: Marie-Hélène Savard (Sep 2006) Associate producer: Francine Laprotte  Forced Out: Syrian Troops Leave Lebanon Supervising manager: Laraine Bone (Apr 2005)  The Mideast: Escalating Crisis (May 2002) Visit www.curio.ca/newsinreview, where you will find an archive of all previous News in  Israel 2000: A New Middle East? (Apr 1999) Review seasons. As a companion resource, we recommend that students and teachers access www.cbc.ca/news for additional Other related Curio.ca content articles.

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VIDEO REVIEW 7. What does Sami Nader mean when he says, “The hostage is the whole [of] southern Before Viewing Lebanon and the whole institution of the sovereign state…”? Who does he believe is What do you know about the military, political really in charge in Lebanon? and social organization known as Hezbollah? If 8. Why do international governments have to you’ve heard of them, write down what you deal with Hezbollah if they hope to make know about them. If you’ve never heard of them, inroads in Lebanon? come up with some reasons why you don’t know anything about them (for example, maybe you After Viewing don’t follow the news or current events). Hezbollah’s main benefactor is Iran. Essentially, Viewing Hezbollah does Iran’s bidding on the west side of the Middle East in exchange for weapons and 1. What happened to Prime Minister Saad Hariri money. Both Hezbollah and Iran are dominated of Lebanon in December 2017? by Shia-affiliated military and political personnel. 2. Why did some observers claim that Saudi 1. Why do you think Hezbollah and Iran are Arabia was meddling in Lebanese politics? allies? 3. a) When was Hezbollah founded? 2. Why would Iran want to have a group b) Why were they founded? representing their interests on the west side of c) What does the the Middle East? word “Hezbollah” mean? 4. Why do countries like Canada consider Hezbollah to be a terrorist organization? 5. How has Hezbollah evolved from a small group in Lebanon to a regional player in the affairs of neighbouring countries? 6. According to Riad Tabbarah, why can’t Hezbollah ever be neutral?

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THE STORY

Minds On

On February 14, 2005, the motorcade of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri passed the St. George Hotel in Beirut. Suddenly, a massive 1 000 kg TNT bomb (stored in a parked truck) was detonated, destroying the motorcade, killing Hariri and 21 others. Hariri became another casualty of Lebanese politics. He could count himself among at least a dozen Lebanese politicians who had been assassinated since 1977. The victims included President Bashir Gemayel in 1982 and Prime Minister in 1987.

After an extensive investigation, the finger was eventually pointed at an organization called Hezbollah for carrying out the attack. Hezbollah works closely with its main benefactor, Iran, as well as Iran’s ally, . In 2010, the court at The Hague announced the indictment of four Hezbollah operatives in the killing of Hariri, with the trial expected to conclude in 2018 and the verdict expected in 2019. The current Lebanese government has been directed by Hezbollah to refuse to cooperate with the U.N. or suffer the consequences. The current prime minister of Lebanon, Saad Hariri, Rafik’s son, has supported the U.N.’s efforts. Top to bottom: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri; Reflection questions: a Lebanese soldier watches over an Independence Day military parade; a poster with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Knowing the risks, why would anyone choose to enter politics in Lebanon? What seems to happen to those who assume power in this For more on the investigation into the assassination of country? Rafik Hariri, see the February 2011 News in Review story, “The Assassination of Rafik Hariri”: www.curio.ca/en/video/the ‐assassination‐of‐rafik‐hariri‐ 1808/

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It’s complicated people of Iran share a common religious tradition with Hezbollah: Shia Islam. While You are not likely to encounter a more religion does figure in the group’s power complicated social and political situation than structure, it is their political and military the one that currently exists in Lebanon. Divided forcefulness that dictates the course of events along religious and sectarian lines, with rivalries in Lebanon. According to many analysts that stretch back centuries, the people of monitoring goings-on in Lebanon, no decision Lebanon lack a cohesive and unifying leadership is made without the consideration of the structure to allow them to move forward as a group. In fact, the political branch of Hezbollah nation. The party of the current prime minister has veto power when it comes to the decisions holds a loose grip on power with the support of a of the Lebanese cabinet. coalition of allied parties. His position remains tenuous and, as you are about to find out, he Power-brokers relies on the cooperation of a group that Canada (and the United States, the Arab This is the dynamic that the political leaders of League and the Gulf States, among others) has Lebanon have to deal with on a daily basis. designated as a terrorist organization. Despite the fact that there are more Sunnis in the nation than Shias, the Shia dominated Hezbollah Hezbollah has the ability to direct events in the That group is called Hezbollah and they have nation without actually holding a majority of been evolving into a major player in the seats in parliament or the office of prime Middle East. Born from the Shia Muslim revival minister or president. In essence, they are of the early 1960s, Hezbollah became a military arguably the main power-brokers in Lebanon, entity (and adopted its formal name) in the working both inside and outside of the 1980s, in the wake of Israel’s invasion of government itself. in 1978. Initially, the group Summoned to Saudi Arabia committed itself to driving the Israelis and their western partners out of Lebanon. In fact, when It is this power dynamic that created one of Israel eventually withdrew from Lebanon in the most bizarre political dramas in recent 2000, most observers credited Hezbollah with memory. Prime Minister Saad Hariri had been sending them packing. walking the tight rope between his Sunni political base and Hezbollah since he was The name Hezbollah means “party of God.” elected in 2009. He made political appointments and decisions designed to keep Iran Hezbollah from gaining too much influence. However, by late 2017, Hariri realized that his Hezbollah owes its ongoing prominence in the situation had become untenable: Hezbollah Middle East to Iran. When the group emerged was as strong as ever and his Sunni allies were after the Israeli invasion, Iran sent their frustrated. Suddenly he found himself in the Revolutionary Guard to train the militias that cross hairs of his main political partner, Saudi would eventually morph into Hezbollah. The Arabia. In early November, Hariri was

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summoned to , stripped of his mobile To Consider phone, confined and, eventually, forced to resign in a nationally televised address to the 1. How influential is Hezbollah in Lebanon and . The strong arm move by the throughout the Middle East? Saudis came in response to their concern that 2. Why did Saad Hariri go to Saudi Arabia in Hariri was being too soft on Hezbollah. The November 2017? What happened while he Sunnis of Lebanon were shocked by this and was there? raised a public outcry that drew the prime minister out of the hands of the Saudis and 3. What is Hariri’s main criticism of Hezbollah? back to his office in Beirut. Hariri was back as a relevant political player with a groundswell of public support behind him. Follow up Research the answer to the following question: Gaining strength in the region Why does Canada consider Hezbollah to be a This allowed Hariri to add more force to his terrorist organization? criticisms of Hezbollah. Originally founded to keep intruders like Israel (and their western counterparts) out of Lebanon, Hezbollah has recently started becoming involved in regional conflicts, most notably as a military force in the Syrian Civil War. Strategists and soldiers from the group have fought to maintain the rule of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed and western observers fear that Hezbollah, with one of the best trained armies in the region (and a fighting force of 25 000, by some estimates) is becoming too powerful. Hezbollah is also said to have been involved in conflicts in Yemen and Iraq. This has prompted Prime Minister Hariri to insist that Hezbollah stop interfering in the affairs of other Arab nations and stick to keeping Lebanon free of Israeli invaders and western influences. In fact, Hezbollah’s actions, while allowing them to grow in regional influence, are simultaneously seeing them suffer disdain in the eyes of the public because they are participating in fights where Arabs are fighting Arabs and Muslims are fighting fellow Muslims.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF HEZBOLLAH

Iran operating out of the country. This infuriated local Shia and many called for a military For the longest time, Lebanon’s Shia response that the Lebanese government population was one of the poorest and seemed reluctant to deliver. As a result, Iran’s depressed in the Middle East. That started to Revolutionary Guard began training willing change in the 1960s and 1970s with the Shia Shia recruits in the Bekaa Valley. Eventually a revival that really took on momentum with powerful militia was born and they called Iran’s Islamic revolution. Iranian Shias managed themselves Hezbollah — the party of God. to drive the Shah of Iran from power, destroy U.S. influence in the nation (dramatically Hezbollah demonstrated in their attack on the U.S. embassy in Tehran and the subsequent Hezbollah took the lead in an effective guerilla apprehension of 52 U.S. hostages in 1979), and war against the Israeli army. They also waged the establishment of an Islamic . The war on Israel’s allies and are blamed for the rise of the Shias of Iran inspired other nations to bombing of the U.S. Embassy that killed 63 follow suit — including Lebanon, a nation that people and U.S. and French army barracks underwent its own revival. bombings that killed 299 service personnel. Both bombings took place in Beirut in 1983. The Iranian Revolution took place from January 1978 to February 1979. In November 1979, Iranian militants The United States Supreme Court ruled in 2016 that the stormed the U.S. Embassy in families of the victims of the October 23, 1983 bombing Tehran, takings 52 hostages, of the U.S. army barracks in Beirut should be allowed to starting a 444‐day international collect on $1.75 billion of Iranian crisis that eventually ended money held at New York’s Citibank. with the safe release of the A U.S. investigation determined that American captives. the attack was carried out by Hezbollah on orders from Iran.

Shia revival For the most part, Lebanon’s Shia revival ran Open letter parallel to the one taking place in Iran. By 1985, Hezbollah had come out with an However, by the mid-1970s, unrest within “open letter” declaring itself an Islamist Lebanon — which many blame on the organization dedicated to the “obliteration” of migration of members of the Palestine nations who occupy Muslim lands — Liberation Organization (P.L.O.) from Jordan — specifically Israel, the United States and the turned to civil war. Israel took advantage of Soviet Union. By the end of the Lebanese civil the unrest by invading Southern Lebanon (the war in 1989, Hezbollah had become so home to most of Lebanon’s Shia population) in powerful that it was able to work around an effort to suppress Palestinian militants disarmament provisions demanded by Israel’s

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occupying forces. They were also able to gain Confronting Israel influence politically, running candidates in the This leads to Hezbollah’s second bold move: Lebanese national election. Also, with their confrontation with Israel. In 2006, Hezbollah continued guerilla war against the Israeli army, crossed the border into Israel, attacking and Hezbollah is credited with driving Israel out of killing eight Israeli soldiers. They also kidnapped Southern Lebanon in 2000. two others. This provoked an overwhelming The assassination of the P.M. response by Israel that resulted in the death of over 1 000 Lebanese (mostly civilians) in a Hezbollah’s powerful position in Lebanese month-long bloodbath. Despite the casualties, society led to some bold action. First, in 2005, Hezbollah maintained its prominence in Hezbollah was implicated, along with the Lebanon, eventually stemming off a wave of Syrian government, in the assassination of efforts to eliminate them and winning veto Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. A power over decisions made by the Lebanese billionaire and a Sunni, Hariri was critical of cabinet. Syrian influence in Lebanon and this is what may have cost him his life. Initially pretty much everybody blamed Syria for orchestrating the According to some estimates, Hezbollah has sophisticated assassination plot. Who else but a upwards of 150 000 rockets at‐the‐ready to fire at Israel. These rockets have enough government, with a skilled military at its range to hit anywhere in Israel. Many fear disposal, could arrange for a large delivery that a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is truck to intersect with the former prime imminent. minister’s motorcade to detonate its 1 000 kg bomb and blast Hariri and 21 others into oblivion? The attack demonstrated military Saad Hariri’s challenge precision. However, in the years that followed This is the climate that the current prime Hariri’s death, the blame shifted to Hezbollah minister, Saad Hariri, the son of Rafik Hariri, finds as investigators were able to home in on himself trying to govern in. When word leaked several of the organization’s operatives and in 2010 that the U.N. was going to lead the demonstrate their connection to the events charge to indict four members of Hezbollah in surrounding the prime minister’s assassination. the assassination of Rafik Hariri, their leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said he would not accept The expression “home in on” suggests moving the verdict and told the Lebanese government toward or focussing on something. Recently, a to back away from cooperating with the U.N. variation of the expression — “hone in on” — has Then, shortly after the outbreak of the Syrian started to surface, mostly in North America. While Civil War, Hezbollah sent troops to fight this new usage sounds correct — the verb hone means to alongside the troops of Syrian President Bashar sharpen or make more acute — it is likely to be called an al-Assad. This has prompted Prime Minister error by people who follow grammar and language rules in Saad Hariri to direct Hezbollah to remain the strictest sense. neutral and avoid meddling in the affairs of other nations. Since that time, Hezbollah has

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been accused of engaging in military Sources: operations in Yemen and Iraq. With the Barnard, Anne and Maria Abi-Habib. (December 24, Lebanese general election scheduled for May 2017). “Why Saad Hariri had that strange sojourn in Saudi 2018, many wonder what role Hezbollah will Arabia.” New York Times. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2017/12/24/world/middleeast/saudi- play in determining the outcome of the vote. arabia-saad-hariri-mohammed-bin-salman-lebanon.html To Consider BBC Staff. (March 15, 2016). “Profile: Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.” BBC. Retrieved from www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-10814698 1. What common bonds do Iran and Hezbollah share? Why is this common Gladstone, Rick. (March 2, 2018). “Confined on his last trip ground significant? to Saudi Arabia, Lebanon’s leader returns on better terms.” New York Times. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/world/middleeast/hariri- 2. How has Hezbollah lived up to the lebanon-saudi.html mandate outlines in their “open letter”? How have they gone beyond that Hubbard, Ben. (August 27, 2017). “Iran out to remake Mideast with Arab enforcer: Hezbollah.” New York Times. mandate? Retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2017/08/27/world/.../hezbollah-iran- 3. What role do you think Hezbollah will play in syria-israel-lebanon.html the future of Lebanon? Will they grow in Reuters Staff. (November 27, 2017). “Hariri says Hezbollah strength or will they fade away? Explain must remain neutral to ensure Lebanon moves forward.” your answer. Reuters. Retrieved from www.reuters.com/article/us- lebanon-politics-hariri/hariri-says-hezbollah-must-remain- neutral-to-ensure-lebanon-moves-forward- idUSKBN1DR2B7 Worth, Robert. (January 15, 2011). “Hezbollah’s Rise Amid Chaos.” New York Times. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/weekinreview/16worth.ht ml

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