Dr. Seyed Razi Emadi, in an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, stated that the explosion at the port of Beirut in Lebanon was carried out by the Zionist regime, noting: “This explosion is not unrelated to the political situation in Lebanon. The day before the blast, we witnessed the resignation of Nassif Hitti, the foreign minister, from his post, and the reason for this resignation was the visit of the French foreign minister, Jean Yves Le Drian, to Beirut.
He added: “During that visit, Le Drian made statements that were a clear interference in the internal affairs of Lebanon; but the then foreign minister who had French leanings kept silent and Mr. Hassan Diab said in a strong reaction that you have no right to interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs. Of course, this is just Act 1 on the developments in Lebanon, and another Act goes back to the conditions before this trip.
The university professor pointed to three rounds of protests against the Diab government and their causes since he took office on January 21st. In addition to these demonstrations, we witnessed the resignation of “Nassif Hitti, the then Foreign Minister, in order to increase the pressure on Diab’s government; But Diab and Michelle Aoun showed immediate reaction by introducing “Charbel Wehbe” as the new foreign minister and did not allow the resignation to affect the work of the government.
Developments and Crises in Lebanon Are Purposeful
Emadi said: “It was less than 24 hours after the explosion at the port of Beirut. There seems to be a connection between all these developments. If the Beirut bombing had taken place in any country, there would have been solidarity within the country to deal with its consequences, but in Lebanon, from this event, there were popular demonstrations and then violence and clashes, which show the developments and the crises, are targeted in Lebanon.
The West Asian affairs analyst added: “When protesters occupy the ministry buildings, there is a clash between the army and the protesters, and some are killed and some are injured, in which case the government often resigns in the Lebanese political scene; But at the same time, we saw that the ministers resigned one after another, and in practice the government was moving in the direction of losing the majority. These are not accidental and involuntary developments. Rather, it seems they are targeted and engineered, just as the Beirut bombing was not accidental.”
Israel Behind Beirut Port Blast
Referring to the news that Michel Aoun and Hassan Diab had been warned about the port of Beirut two weeks ago, he continued: “I believe that this explosion took place by Israel for several main reasons. On the one hand, Israel is facing a political crisis inside the occupied territories, which could lead to the collapse of the government and even the end of Netanyahu’s political life.
Zionist Regime the Winner of These Developments
Emadi added: “Netanyahu’s government was very afraid of Hezbollah’s reaction to the martyrdom of” Ali Kamel Mohsen “, one of the Lebanese Resistance fighters, and was expecting retaliation. With this explosion, this reaction is practically eliminated; therefore, the winner of these developments is the Zionist regime, just as the main goal of the Western powers in the West Asian region is to ensure the security of the Zionist regime. Among all these events there is some coherence and consistency that has led to the current situation in Lebanon.
Regarding the government’s management of the situation and the inevitability of Diab’s resignation, the university professor stressed that in the current situation in Lebanon, Saad Hariri and basically the March 14th movement could not be creditors. This resignation had a purpose. It was not to say that I was unable to meet the demands of the people! Rather, he sought to bargain and increase the weight of the pro-Western current by getting concessions.
He said that Hassan Diab is a Sunni and one of the cleanest people in power in Lebanon, adding: “Western-affiliated media and Hezbollah opponents tried to propagate that this government is one of Hezbollah but the truth is that basically, according to the accepted political custom in Lebanon, the prime minister must be a Sunnis and Hezbollah does not form a government in Lebanon.
Governments in Lebanon Short-Lived
Emadi reminded that since 1943, when Lebanon gained independence, 54 governments have come to power, with an average lifespan of one year and three months. “Basically, the lifespan of governments in Lebanon is short, and Diab’s resignation in Lebanon is not a strange phenomenon,” he said. The social and political structure in Lebanon is such that such developments are predictable; because in addition to structure, the role-playing of foreign powers must also be considered.
Referring to the presence of French President Macron in Lebanon after the explosion in the port of Beirut, Emadi said: “Diplomatic etiquette was not observed during this trip and he spoke as if Lebanon is still a French colony!” It should be borne in mind that basically foreign actors in Lebanon do not seek stability in this country. Lebanon’s instability is the main target of foreign actors; because the instability of this country is directly related to the security of the Zionist regime. Of course, the French are well aware that instability in Lebanon is not in their interest at all.”
Political and Economic Corruption in Lebanon
The university professor said: “Diab also addressed the people of his country and said that corruption in Lebanon is bigger than you think!” This corruption is not necessarily financial corruption, it is also political corruption. These developments in Lebanon indicate political corruption and that for some personalities and groups, who are mainly present in the Western spectrum, national interests do not take precedence, but personal, partisan and external interests are in the priority. He stated: Diab was seriously dealing with corruption and there was a possibility of disclosing documents. Incidentally, the protesters occupied ministries that had documents of corruption. Protesters tore them up and set them on fire to destroy corruption cases.
Possibility of Political Vacuum in Lebanon
Emadi continued by stating that several scenarios can be considered for the short-term future of Lebanon: “Currently, Mr. Diab continues to carry out his duties as a government, although legally it should not be more than a month, but it may take longer. This government can only perform executive duties and has no decision-making power. Another scenario is that a new prime minister will be introduced in the short term, and according to the third scenario, Lebanon will enter a political vacuum, and such an issue is not so strange in the Lebanese political scene; therefore, it is very likely that Lebanon will enter a period of political vacuum.
He called the creation of a political vacuum in Lebanon a desire of the Western-Arab-Hebrew axis and said: “In these circumstances, part of Hezbollah’s focus will be on the domestic political scene and the Zionist regime will benefit more than anyone.”
Western Goals of “Conditional” Aid to Lebanon
“They announced that this aid will not be handed over to the Lebanese government, but to NGOs and groups that are trusted by the West,” he said, referring to the conditional implementation of the $298 million aid commitment to carry out reforms in Lebanon. This means that the goal is not to help the Lebanese people, but to gain political advantage from the Lebanese political scene and power structure.
Emadi stressed that if the purpose was to help, the aid should have been given to the Lebanese government so that it could spend it domestically. At the same time, the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund are generally inconsistent with the domestic conditions of the countries and may cause dissatisfaction.
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