Hezbollah

[ArmSurvival]

Re: Hezbollah

Hezbollah restored dignity to Lebanon in particular and Arabs in general from almost constant bullying by the Israelis. Too bad so many of the Arab (often brutal) regimes do not support them calling them terrorists (when the former rules through autocratic and repressive means), but the general Arab public admires their unequal yet heroic fight against Israeli incursion.

Yes, most gentiles were happy when Israel was defeated, regardless of political or religious sympathies. Even though my father (a Lebanese citizen) is totally opposed to Hezb when it comes to their politics and agenda, he has nothing but good things to say about the ass-whipping they handed to Israeli soldiers.

The 2006 war was the first time an Arab army (or any army) stopped the Israeli army in its tracks. There is a lot of misinformation about Hezb only excelling at guerilla warfare. In the few head-to-head engagements between Hezb and the IDF, Hezb made them retreat due to their superior tactics.

[Catharsis]

Re: Hezbollah

Yes, most gentiles were happy when Israel was defeated, regardless of political or religious sympathies. Even though my father (a Lebanese citizen) is totally opposed to Hezb when it comes to their politics and agenda, he has nothing but good things to say about the ass-whipping they handed to Israeli soldiers.

The 2006 war was the first time an Arab army (or any army) stopped the Israeli army in its tracks. There is a lot of misinformation about Hezb only excelling at guerilla warfare. In the few head-to-head engagements between Hezb and the IDF, Hezb made them retreat due to their superior tactics.

Indeed, I don't agree with Hezbollah's Muslim fundamentalism, but they were the only force that did save Lebanon from another humiliation and even possible occupation. They also do not impose their fundamentalism on other forces within the country, which is again much more tolerant than Israel will ever be.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Hezbollah

Indeed, I don't agree with Hezbollah's Muslim fundamentalism, but they were the only force that did save Lebanon from another humiliation and even possible occupation. They also do not impose their fundamentalism on other forces within the country, which is again much more tolerant than Israel will ever be.

Hezbollah's fundamentalism stems off from knowing the fundamentalism of the Israeli government.

[Catharsis]

Re: Hezbollah

Hezbollah's fundamentalism stems off from knowing the fundamentalism of the Israeli government.

Yes, very well put, since it has turned into a survival mechanism for the resistance there, absolutely.

[Federate]

Re: Hezbollah

Indeed, I don't agree with Hezbollah's Muslim fundamentalism, but they were the only force that did save Lebanon from another humiliation and even possible occupation. They also do not impose their fundamentalism on other forces within the country, which is again much more tolerant than Israel will ever be.

Agreed. Hezbollah's Islamic fundamentalism is exaggerated anyway. It may have started with such an aim but I would place Hezbollah as more nationalist than Islamic fundamentalist these days. Support for Hezbollah is no longer solely Shi'a-based; many Christians support it now. I have even heard of unconfirmed reports that Christians are allowed to serve in it as well. Of course, this does not mean that it is not true to its roots but it seems like establishing an Islamic regime in Lebanon has been postponed indefinitely.

[Catharsis]

Re: Hezbollah

Agreed. Hezbollah's Islamic fundamentalism is exaggerated anyway. It may have started with such an aim but I would place Hezbollah as more nationalist than Islamic fundamentalist these days. Support for Hezbollah is no longer solely Shi'a-based; many Christians support it now. I have even heard of unconfirmed reports that Christians are allowed to serve in it as well. Of course, this does not mean that it is not true to its roots but it seems like establishing an Islamic regime in Lebanon has been postponed indefinitely.

Yes Federate and that was very smart of Hezbollah since they were able to transform their popular victory into a broader force that became national and important for all of Lebanon. This was the an important move when they overcame their own particular creed and sought a common consensus in defending and rebuilding the nation. This is also why they remain popular along with their peaceful activities in reaching out to the poor and war stricken segments of the population.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Hezbollah

Hezbollah denies link to arms shipment

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah issued a brief statement Thursday denying that a shipment of weapons seized by Israeli naval commandos was meant for it.

Israeli officials boarded a ship in waters off Cyprus Wednesday and discovered that the cargo included hundreds of crates of mortars, munitions, anti-tank weapons and rockets.

Israel said the shipment was meant for Hezbollah, which fought a month-long war with Israel three years ago.

But Israel offered no evidence to support the claim the shipment was meant for Hezbollah — and Hezbollah denied any link to the shipment.

In a statement faxed to The Associated Press, Hezbollah said it "categorically denies" any connection to the weapons. The statement also said Israel's actions amounted to "piracy."

Containers had Iranian shipping codes
Containers taken from the ship, the Francop, had Iranian shipping codes in English. "IRISL" was marked on one side and "I.R. Iranian Shipping Lines Group" on the other. The Israeli military said it found a document on the ship that showed the shipment originated from Iran, but officials didn't show the paper to the media.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Thursday that he hopes the capture of the weapons will be a "wake-up call to those few in the international community who up until now have still held illusions about the true character of the extremist, radical regime in Tehran." Iran had no comment on the seizure.

The seizure spotlighted tensions between Israel and Iran. Israel has said it considers Iran a strategic threat because of its nuclear program and long-range missile development.

Wednesday's seizure was bigger than a similar haul in 2002, when the Israeli military confiscated a vessel with 50 tonnes of missiles, mortars, rifles and ammunition headed for Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Israel has said it believes that shipment came from Iran as well.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/1...llah-arms.html
_____________________________________

Sounds like a false flag operation by Israel.... and what authority do they have over the waters off the coast of Cyprus? They are itching to start something again.

[ArmSurvival]

Re: Hezbollah

Indeed, I don't agree with Hezbollah's Muslim fundamentalism, but they were the only force that did save Lebanon from another humiliation and even possible occupation. They also do not impose their fundamentalism on other forces within the country, which is again much more tolerant than Israel will ever be.

Hezb is not just much more tolerant than Israel, but more tolerant than other factions within Lebanon itself. In fact, they are the only faction in Lebanon that has never fired a single shot toward a Christian. The western-backed Sunni faction has been continuously putting Christians down, and various Christian sects have even attacked each other. Hezb's hands are clean in this regard.

And lots of people (even my dad) accuse Hezb of wanting to "Islamicize" Lebanon. I had an experience in Lebanon that changed my view 180-degrees. We were in the center of Beirut, a liberal area which is mostly Sunni, and were sitting at one of the many outdoor restaurants/cafes. My cousin's husband asked for a beer, and the waiter told him that he couldn't serve him beer because it was Ramadan. Yes, the Sunnis in Beirut were forcing everyone, including Christians, to comply with Ramadan traditions, as if it was an Islamic republic. And less than a mile from where we were sitting they had built the biggest mosque in Lebanon, overshadowing an Armenian church that had been there for decades. And Hezb gets accused of having an Islamic agenda by the western-backed Sunnis...

And there's more. When these western-backed Sunnis, most notably the Hariris (who are Saudis, but are considered Lebanese somehow...) were conducting building projects in Beirut at the end of the civil war, they kicked thousands of people out of their homes in order to make space for their building projects. Fair enough, it happens in lots of countries. There were two problems though: The compensation was so little, that according to my cousin's husband, it wasn't even enough to pay to move their stuff to another location, let alone to pay for a new residence. The second problem is they did this to thousands of Lebanese citizens, and the building complexes they built are so up-scale and expensive that only rich Saudis and Gulf Arabs can afford to live there. In essence they cleansed part of Beirut of Lebanese citizens and replaced them with fellow Saudi and Gulf Muslims, in the name of "rebuilding Lebanon".

Contrast the story I just told you with what Hezb did after the 2006 war: Any Lebanese who lost their home in the bombardment simply had to show Hezb that their home was damaged or destroyed, and Hezb compensated each family over $5,000 USD, a large sum of money in Lebanon.

So those Armenians who are not familiar with Lebanese internal politics, and are dumbfounded as to how ARF and Armenians in general are supporting Hezb, now you have a better idea.

[Anoush]

Re: Hezbollah

Hezb is not just much more tolerant than Israel, but more tolerant than other factions within Lebanon itself. In fact, they are the only faction in Lebanon that has never fired a single shot toward a Christian. The western-backed Sunni faction has been continuously putting Christians down, and various Christian sects have even attacked each other. Hezb's hands are clean in this regard.

And lots of people (even my dad) accuse Hezb of wanting to "Islamicize" Lebanon. I had an experience in Lebanon that changed my view 180-degrees. We were in the center of Beirut, a liberal area which is mostly Sunni, and were sitting at one of the many outdoor restaurants/cafes. My cousin's husband asked for a beer, and the waiter told him that he couldn't serve him beer because it was Ramadan. Yes, the Sunnis in Beirut were forcing everyone, including Christians, to comply with Ramadan traditions, as if it was an Islamic republic. And less than a mile from where we were sitting they had built the biggest mosque in Lebanon, overshadowing an Armenian church that had been there for decades. And Hezb gets accused of having an Islamic agenda by the western-backed Sunnis...

And there's more. When these western-backed Sunnis, most notably the Hariris (who are Saudis, but are considered Lebanese somehow...) were conducting building projects in Beirut at the end of the civil war, they kicked thousands of people out of their homes in order to make space for their building projects. Fair enough, it happens in lots of countries. There were two problems though: The compensation was so little, that according to my cousin's husband, it wasn't even enough to pay to move their stuff to another location, let alone to pay for a new residence. The second problem is they did this to thousands of Lebanese citizens, and the building complexes they built are so up-scale and expensive that only rich Saudis and Gulf Arabs can afford to live there. In essence they cleansed part of Beirut of Lebanese citizens and replaced them with fellow Saudi and Gulf Muslims, in the name of "rebuilding Lebanon".

Contrast the story I just told you with what Hezb did after the 2006 war: Any Lebanese who lost their home in the bombardment simply had to show Hezb that their home was damaged or destroyed, and Hezb compensated each family over $5,000 USD, a large sum of money in Lebanon.

So those Armenians who are not familiar with Lebanese internal politics, and are dumbfounded as to how ARF and Armenians in general are supporting Hezb, now you have a better idea.

Thank you ArmSurvival, I had no idea about sunnis. Please do tell, are all Persians/Iranians sunnis or mostly sunnis? Now I see why the ARF officials have respect towards Hezbollah.

[Armanen]

Re: Hezbollah

Thank you ArmSurvival, I had no idea about sunnis. Please do tell, are all Persians/Iranians sunnis or mostly sunnis? Now I see why the ARF officials have respect towards Hezbollah.

Iranians are shiites, as are Hezbollah. Over 60% of Iraq's population is shia too. The azeri's are also shia. Sunni islam though accounts for nearly 90% of the worlds muslim population.