There is no appropriate description for the current tragic Lebanese situation
which led to the issuance of the predicted Saudi decision to conduct a
reconsideration of its relations with Lebanon; a decision that perhaps is more
drastic than the despair of the Lebanese Minister of Justice, Ashraf Rifi, of
justice itself in his country; with the latter feeling obliged to resort to
the international justice to prosecute former Minister Michel Samaha, who is
protected by Hezbollah's stances, considering this party in place over the
Lebanese state.
Imagine that the Minister of State himself is a victim for Hezbollah's
conspiracies and unable to face them, thus what could be said about the
Lebanese arena that has become occupied by local forces working in favor of
the Iranian agenda?
In this case, would we be surprised from the Saudi decision to perform a
''surgery'' for the official body of Lebanon, hoping to save it from the
outbreak of the Iranian infection?!
All Arabs know very well that Saudi Arabia has always been supporting Lebanon
without regardless of the party; it supported the Shiites and Sunnis, the
Christians and Muslims, and all the other religions and sects in Lebanon
equally. In addition, to the Shiite regions destroyed by Israel in 2006 that
were reconstructed by Saudi funds regardless of their opposing political
stance towards Hezbollah.
Saudi Arabia confirmed in its statement saying: ''the Kingdom stands by the
Lebanese people with all its sects, and the Kingdom will not give up on the
Lebanese people and will continue to support them, stressing that these
positions do not represent the Lebanese people.''
However, what can Saudi Arabia do as long as Hassan Nasrallah and his party
want to transform Lebanon into a platform to attack the Kingdom and Arabs in
Iran's favor? What is the solution if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which
is controlled by Hezbollah through its ally Michel Aoun, has adopted stances
that distanced Lebanon from the Arab consensus into the Iranian side?
With its decision, Riyadh has put the ball in the Lebanese people's court, if
they see their interests lie in moving to the Arab bank and let go of the
Iranian hegemony, then it is not hard for them to achieve. Nevertheless, if
they see that the interest of their country lies in staying in the Iranian
bank, with all its complexities and disasters, then this is also their right.
Moreover, the current Lebanese government ought to specify its stance since
the deceptive game of working on both sides that some ministers and a number
of Lebanese politicians are playing will not work, particularly with the
revelation of their real stances and leadership capabilities, especially after
things have reached an unbearable point by opening a door for Iran to occupy a
seat in the Arab League through Lebanon.
No country in the world accepts to be back-stabbed by a so-called ally, and no
country in the world accepts to provide aids for a country that will use them
in conspiracies targeting its peace and stability. Riyadh has been patient for
so long now, and it found out that the only way to return Lebanon to the Arabs
is by issuing this decision.
On the other hand, Assad's regime did not only succeed in assassinating Rafic
Hariri but also in assassinating the actual leadership which put an end to the
dependence on the Iranian-Syrian decision. The truth is that no one ever was
able to replace what Hariri, the father, left behind; therefore, the Saudi
Arabian surgery to save Lebanon and fill the gap between it and its Arab
region has become a must. No matter how difficult and shocking this operation
is and no matter how catastrophic its results will be, it is thousand times
better than leaving the situation in Lebanon the way it is since Lebanon's
capital nowadays is Tehran, not Beirut!
Salman Aldosary is the
editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
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