Hezbollah throws weight behind protests, deepening crisis

[bemildred]

Beirut: The powerful Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah threw its weight on Tuesday behind mass protests calling for the government’s resignation, deepening a crisis that started over piles of uncollected garbage in the streets of the capital but has tapped into a much deeper malaise.

The explosion of anger targets the endemic corruption, hapless government and sectarian divisions of a brittle country once torn by civil war and now struggling with a wave of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.

A grassroots youth movement calling itself “You Stink” mobilised thousands of people in two rallies over the weekend, and has called for another large protest on Saturday. The Hezbollah announcement of support for the protests is likely to fuel concerns the Iranian-backed group will try to hijack a rare, non-political movement for its own political gain.

Hezbollah ministers and their allies walked out of a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday meant to discuss the worsening garbage crisis. Prime Minister Tammam Salam called the emergency session after the weekend clashes between security forces and demonstrators protesting corruption and poor public services.

http://gulfnews.com/news/mena/lebanon/hezbollah-throws-weight-behind-protests-deepening-crisis-1.1573061

[bemildred]

1. Assad defends presence of Hezbollah fighters in Syria

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has defended the presence of fighters from the Lebanese Shia Hezbollah movement among the ranks of the Syrian army, saying his government had legitimately requested their help.

In an interview aired on Tuesday night on the official Hezbollah channel, al-Manar, Assad said the presence of non-Syrian fighters among the Syrian army was no justification for the presence of foreign fighters in the ranks of the rebels.

Hezbollah has led several battles against rebel groups in Syria along the Lebanese borders in the suburbs of Homs and in the mountainous Qalamoun region.

The Iranian-backed group is now heavily involved in fighting for the Damascus suburb of Zabadani.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/assad-defends-presence-hezbollah-fighters-syria-150825203254106.html

[Syzygy321]

2. I keep waiting for the magic moment when

leaders in the ME say, "Hey! Sectarianism is not working. And wouldn't war be less likely if we indoctrinated citizens in ideas of equality and tolerance? And if we damped down the influence of religion in politics?"

Europe was all bloody and religious once - and not too long ago, either. Somehow they got themselves out of it. Surely there is hope for others?