11 on the only country in the modern middle east that was long dominated by christians today muslims are in the majority its a society that has repeatedly been under threat. And just was not there have always been tensions between the different religious communities and to nominations in various ethnic groups in lebanon. Supported and financed by iran the Shiite Hezbollah Party of god has had a huge impact on the political fabric of lebanon. As follows critics would say yes this does destabilize the region hezbollah supporters would say that hezbollahs military strength is an asset for lebanon because that keeps israel away. In the civil war in syria the hezbollah militia defended his side. Regime now theyre back and levanon in stronger shape than ever. The more the there are fighting to defend is the model of bashar assad which is the its a she. Bought just what extent does hezbollah to term in the course of politics in lebanon. Beirut the lebanese capital still bears the scars of a civil war that for more than 15 years crippled the city and the country as a whole sea and sun have was among those who fought back then he was just 16 years old when he 1st held the weapon in his hands. The civil war erupted in 1975 like virtually the entire country beirut became a battlefield. The war initially saw christian militias fighting against the Palestinian Liberation Organization p. L. O. Which was threatening to take control of beirut. All. The hostilities then escalated into a broader conflict between christians and arab nationalists finally the israelis invaded and occupied southern lebanon in order to expel the p. L. O. From the country it was of this time that hezbollah was formed. The war claimed tens of thousands of lives and left the country devastated. The bad thing for years was a person who where might. Be. Dont speak about that. Thats why every 1520 years something someplace will. Do you know. How to destroy the buildings and they dont mold makers more the house where they go they dont know anything about life except applied to. Here in the middle of beirut in the no mans land between muslim and christian districts ziad sahaba and his former comrades in arms on meeting up in a cafe they want to break the silence surrounding events in the civil war there are lessons to be learned they say also including the conflicts with israel the last of which again shocked the country in 2006 ziad screw cults meetings where all participants can talk about their wartime experiences. With out your love. And at the. Bottom i dont feel bad a friend of mine was driving his car when a shell exploded behind him and. He looked in his mirror and saw a woman collapse he drove back to help her it was then that a 2nd shell exploded and killed him she. Just doesnt get paid but thats just. A growing number of people are eager to talk of how it feels to be at the mercy of tanks and missiles. They also reflect on their own deeds. But. They were hurry to use their guns to solve our problems is the biggest mistake of shooting and the main facts or why we. Do this is us and no it was us for or itself. Actually it was us who believe that by violence we can change this. Well what we did we destroyed our cancer. Among the biggest losers of the civil war were Catholic Christians the maronites in 1943 france had relinquished its mandate power over 11 on and the country became independent for years and decades afterwards the maronites held sway 11 on muslims druse Orthodox Christians and all other religious minorities had to accept the political and economic supremacy of the maronite christians defeated in the civil war had far reaching consequences from various groups as middle east Analyst Daniel gamma explains even on board of. Lebanon was created in order to guarantee a christian majority its an absolute exception in the history of the middle east a state was created with the help of the west and also with the help of the league of nations in which christians were in the majority and the world thus able to determine the Political Developments in the country and before the lebanese civil war the christians had a joy guaranteed privileges including a majority in Parliament Iran is after the war and through the agreements that were signed in its wake this change and not today the christians no longer have those privileges. After the civil war the cards will reshuffled the former warring parties agree to a strict system of proportional representation but at the same time talking to account the needs and interests of the Muslim Population each religious minority was granted posts and privileges that they have defended right through to the present as a result however this Multicultural Society has been gradually disintegrating into its separate parts. Over a 1000000 predominantly muslim refugees from syria a further upset in the social balance politically and economically lebanon is in a deep crisis. That is further dividing the country. A division manifested in the road blocks which are found not only throughout iraq but also the entire country some of them date back to the civil war and the syrian occupation which lasted until 2005. The headquarters of the could tie party resembles a fortress. The party of the maronite christians formerly known as the phalange is led by sami gemayel a cylon of one of lebanons most predominant political dynasties his uncle and brother were both assassinated and the less a mile believes in lebanese democracy. We have a history of 80 years of democracy the only maybe country in the region where you have expresident living in peace in their own country you have every 4 years in the election you have. Governments are being formed even if it takes time even if its difficult to do it every time but at least we are doing it and its a democratic process and this is a model that we. That you are willing to defend. But the political system in lebanon is now under greater threat than ever before the shiite hezbollah the party of god is growing in strength many of its supporters despise the lebanese state. And the last friday of the fasting month of ramadan has been a celebrate could see or to do some day which goes back to the time of the rainy and later Ayatollah Khomeini an event that centers on the dome of the rock in jerusalem. As well of course itself the party of resistance resistance to. Own allegedly powerless state and resistance to israel. Oh i know you said that resistance has proved successful but by hezbollah not the state this Resistance Movement emerged the moment it became clear that the state was powerless to do anything oh well you are still allowed us in the south of the country to be humiliated by the occupying israelis on a daily basis and the Resistance Movement consists of all of these people here but no. Stay is an International Day not just for us but for every country and with gods help in the near future we will put an end to israels existence as long. As bill as grassroots space is made up of many pora shiites who constitute roughly one quarter of the population and 11 on the general secretary of hezbollah. Is their idol. For decades hes been the head of the party and the armed militia its been years since no one has appeared in public due to the risk of assassination the list of enemies is long israel regards him as a primary terrorist target this evening his supporters only get to see him on a big screen he said to a video message from a hiding place in the mountains. We have precision missiles capable of hitting all essential targets in the zionist entity. Today on this 40th anniversary of jerusalem day let me state once again and tell the whole world that we have persisted missiles in lebanon on and in sufficient numbers to change the entire region once and for all. Carry on living here i know what i am. I know its rollo we will follow him chant the crowd the that and. Let me tell the world that if the americans continue with their current policy we will build a factory in lebanon for precision missiles. No Surveillance Video appearances are closely monitored by governments in many other countries because hezbollah does not make empty threats it has a track record of carrying out attacks on the us france and in particular israel hezbollah has been declared a terrorist organization by the us and israel the European Union gives that designation only to its military wing. Over the years hezbollah has mounted numerous attacks on northern israel near the border with lebanon abducting soldiers targeting and killing civilians with missiles and using suicide bombers. Israel is abroad have also been the victims of terrorist attacks attributed to hezbollah a bombing in bulgaria and 2012 claimed the lives of 5 israeli tourists and their bus driver. Works at the institute for National Security studies in tel aviv. Hizbullah is definitely the most Dangerous Organisation but its not only organisation isabella is a Political Party its a social network its a religious party and its also an army its a very well equipped Army Advanced army was sophisticated weaponry which were provided by the run. In the syrians so were not talking only about an organization. Hezbollah was formed in the 1980 s. In the bekaa plain on the border with syria today it also controls parts of beirut and the south of the country. During the civil war the hezbollah militia force against israel offered all keep on the south of the country faced with a guerrilla war of attrition the israeli army eventually pulled out of lebanon in 2000 hezbollah claimed victory. Yeah. Nicholas blanford is a british journalist at the time he was writing for lebanese daily newspapers. To go back to the lines in mind. Back then israel was occupying a strip of South Lebanon and hezbollah was engaged in a daily Resistance Campaign fighting the israel is back then there was a general consensus within lebanon to support hezbollah to support hezbollah as resistance activities including from those that view has followed with some distrust is obviously an Islamist Organization with links to iran but the resistance of credentials helps hezbollah game popularity across the country. Many towns in southern lebanon about 100 kilometers from beirut every year tens of thousands of people flock to the open air museum here. Is a kind of hezbollah pilgrimage site celebrating the fight against israel it was opened in 2010 on the 10th anniversary of israels withdrawal from lebanon on it boasts an iran. It has been a war trophies including captured tanks and artillery guns. Yet hezbollah was originally founded to defend the shiites against theyve been dominant muslim rivals the sunnis iran provided help in the form of funding and expertise but then the israelis invaded and occupied the south of the country to. Do so far has worked as a tourist guide ever since the Museum Opened he says its his wife offering resistance the museum to begin with just to cherish the memory of the martyrs that they gave their lives to free this country from the invaders. Later used to be a refuge and base for hezbollah fighters it was here that they dug themselves into the mountains and wage to guerrilla war which has below turned into a success story. The media and the world are controlled by zionists all this so. Why not teach the new generation while the resistance all about. This is our war just to give these people our side of the story. Has been his version of history is that Israel Occupied southern lebanon and that hezbollah push happens distance into the israelis withdrew in fact hezbollah also mounted repeated attacks on its ocho enemy after that time. In 2006 hezbollah fired missiles at northern israel and in a cross border right abducted 2 israeli soldiers. Israel hit back launching a Ground Invasion and a series of air raids reaching as far as by route. More than 2000 people were killed most of them lebanese. The war also cemented has been a status as being one of israels principal enemies. Israel is faced with and is challenge by an army that is using those guerrilla tactics thats why i call it an army of. And it is a very well trained very well equipped. With my intentions any jeopardize the stability of the region and it may create a war between israel and lebanon on the state of lebanon on which has basically ig. In the last couple of years israel has declared that hezbollah is the greatest threat facing israel so were not talking about a conference talking about syria or even iran but are nonstate organizations such as allah is not perceived as the greatest threat was from. United nations troops had been stationed in southern lebanon since 978 their mandate to guarantee peace and security in the contested region it proved an Impossible Task for a un force that was far too small. In a beautiful state after the civil war and controlled by different religious groups the Lebanese Army existed in name only when 6 of its peacekeepers were killed in the war of 2006 the United Nations changed its policy. Since 2006 the un forces have had what is known as a robust mandate which allows the use of force if necessary since then there have been only rare armed confrontations at the border both sides are upholding the cease fire agreement to this day however a state of war still exists between israel and lebanon there are no diplomatic relations between the 2 countries. And the most serious crisis since the last war erupted at the end of 28 saying un troops have the job of securing the blue line the demarcation line between the 2 countries the israeli army discovered tunnels leading into israel evidently dug by hezbollah to render them a new. The israelis poured concrete into the tunnels watching events from the lebanese side of the blue line a number of young men with hezbollah flags the militia has continued to store weapons in the area despite a bad imposed through a un resolution. Lebanon has never recognized the state of israel there is no mutually accepted border between israel and lebanon on the blue line serves as a temporary solution. A number unresolved issue is who the sheba farms belong to. They were an expired israel but lebanon lies claim to them exits to the hezbollah tunnels were discovered nima to land inside israel. Tell of it 150 kilometers south of the border with lebanon is israels biggest city. Land it now lies within the range of hezbollah missiles one of the factors behind the Israel Defense forces locating their center of operations deep underground beneath their headquarters. In. Little. Israel slender size means that a short reaction time to attacks from outside is deemed vital to its survival its army closely monitors the activities of hezbollah its analyses show that hezbollah has grown in strength partly through the experience it has gained through the war in neighboring syria. The israelis see hezbollah in a wider strategic context in their eyes the Shiite Militia is 1st and foremost a proxy for the implementation of a rainy and plans. In the opinion of numerous. Service iran is trying to establish a land bridge from its own territory to the mediterranean with the aim of projecting an extended zone of influence including hezbollah the regime into iran now has close allies reaching from iraq and syria through to lebanon. We see rainy and attempts to create a lamp cord or from iran through about a 1000 kilometers more or less from iran all the way to lebanon through iraq and syria when we look at events in syria we care less about if the dictator or asked by Bashar Al Assad regains control over the country are not what we are interested in is whether the iranians will be able to make this into yet another iranian. Outpost military outpost against israel and we have said very clearly that we have no intentions to allow the iranians to do so. In recent years the israelis have launched hundreds of attacks on suspected to rein in targets in syria supplies destined for hezbollah have also been bombed in a war that has yet to be declared. Its a shura or day of remembrance in beirut on this one of the most sacred sites on the shiite calendar the veterans of the hezbollah militia on it. This man is said to have survived an unsuccessful attack on the israelis he says he would fight again. Even in his state he claims it has below are planning an attack on television for his revenge for israel bomb struck down by rage he would not hesitate to follow the call. That many of these men forged in syria. Together with the brainy and forces that have helped to keep syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad and his regime in power its estimated that in the process hezbollah lost more than 1500 combatants. Hezbollahs power center is located in south beirut the die here as the suburbs are 9 has a mainly shiite population here the selfstyled party of god has established what it calls a marshall cemetery. This is the last resting place of men who lost their lives in the wars against israel or in syria they include the son of hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah many relatives pay regular visits to the cemetery which lies close to downtown beirut. Having a fallen soldier a socalled masa in the family is seen as a distinction. And i am to have them yes i have family here thats 2 brothers and uncles 3 martyrs he walk in every mother even if she doesnt have any martyrs must give her children encouragement and educate them to this and that is why as you know because we are fighting for our land and our honor and god willing we will set ourselves free because we refuse to live without dignity and it is a matter of either dignity or marja. Yet but on this. Has been a encourages the veneration of those the coals matias from an early age members of the mahdi Scouts Organization are prepared for war when they are just 8 years old they wear headbands bearing the words Actual Service over hussein who sang the bin ali is the 2nd most important mom revered by shiites the mahdi scouts are intended to fight against the enemies of the hezbollah in his name the song mourns the passing of his son who is considered a mosque up hes a role model for the mahdi scouts. Story about the guy that i have now cause. Of the war and the families of those who have died in combat for hezbollah a given financial and Material Support hezbollah also run schools and hospitals and has become an important social institution in lebanon but how is the organization financed with iranians voice been the main bankroller of hezbollah but hezbollah years ago diversified its portfolio and they have all kinds of Revenue Streams coming directly into the organization so a lot of it is charitable donations from wealthy shia businessmen who support hezbollah respect has fallen. The same applies on a smaller scale to has base but they also have a whole array of Business Networks around the world some of them. Are just not but they will provide farms you know coming to to hezbollahs coffers. Hezbollah continues to grow in power and influence and this shift in the denominational power structure in favor of the shiites in the sunni is who are largely better off economically feel losing political influence even though its traditionally a sunni who holds the most important things in the country that of Prime Minister. Saad hariri who resigned in october 29th chain had hoped to curb the power of hezbollah like his father rafik hariri seen with him here on the poster he had tried to unite the lebanese under sunni leadership to this end he was prepared to make concessions to hezbollah. The billionaire Building Contractor with lebanese saudi and french citizenship wanted to up hold the legacy of his father. Himself a former Prime Minister and assassinated in 2015. Most of that in the bowery was a beacon of hope so not only for lebanon and its National Agenda he was also a figure with whom the sunnis identified the man who brought the cosmopolitan sunni elites back to the country. And who also had given greater emphasis to the sunni identity of lebanon and for the. Saudi arabia selfappointed protector of the sudanese takes a critical view of attempts at reproach met with the shiites feel he is the saudis and urged side hariri to exert more pressure on hezbollah if not only because of its closeness to iran the saudis likewise. Had their own strategic interests. In force the saudis were always eager to have a foot in the door to wield power in the open on this and theyve achieved this in diverse ways your investments your property and government bonds that they purchased the schools of. The saudis big problem was that hariri placed so much faith and had not managed to suppress the interests of other powers to the benefit of saudi arabia. Curry was able and unwilling to take power away from hezbollah while on a state visit to the saudi capital riyadh in november 2017 he surprisingly announced his resignation with a statement that completely contradicted his previous political line. Out of the. No you must not bring down because i cannot accept disappointing the lebanese people over the last few years and decades hezbollah with its arsenal has repeatedly presented us with a fait accompli. Barak has been. That is sad enough. It claims that these weapons are for offering resister. More but in fact they are being used against our brothers in syria yemen and even against lebanon last i looked. To this day its unclear whether hariri was forced to step down it was only when french president Emanuel Mccraw intervened that he was allowed to leave saudi arabia once back in lebanon hariri rescinded his resignation political machinations the. Position a few months later the Group Registered and in fact electoral victory in a government headed by hariri they were represented with 2 cabinet posts for the 1st time. Because the party today is the only your position in the middle really refused to be part of the deal the managed to get. To control the country. And today we are fighting alongside with a lot of independent personalities and some groups from the Civil Society in order to form a larger position to the to the way lebanon is being governed today. Has below representatives really grant interviews to western media. As a recourse that means talking to their allies like you seen yup i am a shiite and longstanding member of parliament. He says hezbollah is indispensable. As well at the moment is the seen by many people as the party that helped defeat boxes that helped liberate the lebanese territories and with all the threats continuously for the israelis that the wall above lebanon a little better could be a at least the better thing. In the mid 990 s. Bahn held a ministerial post he currently heads the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy he puts up resistance whenever the United States or International Organizations like the world bank seen here meeting you have here trying to exert pressure on the lebanese government because of hezbollah. Washington has once again demanded that the government to prod has a lot of power. Something your bear finds completely unrealistic. To day as well is represented in parliament we have colleagues from spall and the same building there was other than and in government and they have a. Presentation i mean the represent the chunk of people of the country so as lebanese i mean all the lebanese. Factions have stated the mean. Raising this issue in a negative way or asking us to put pressure here over who leads to the confrontation to a conflict within the country which is a difficult position for lebanon to go into law. When its facing so much challenges that will destroy the country completely. Hezbollah is also far too strong militarily to be driven out of lebanon on the militia is said to number 25000. 00 soldiers the party of god originally founded to represent the interests of the shiites in lebanon is now an established power factor throughout the middle east. As well as fighting syria as well as voting in iraq as well as voting in yemen as well as fighting behind it is involved in all the the countries in the region and is dragging the ban on 2 problems lebannon didnt choose. How to fill a few hezbollah might have suffered serious losses with many of its fighters being killed in syria but it is now in a position to engage and take maneuvers. The war in syria has enabled it to develop far beyond the military capacity it had in the wars against israel and hezbollah is now a powerful army and not just a militia and a flock of the Army National army leads. The israeli army is already preparing for a new war with hezbollah. This is footage of a maneuver conducted in the north of the country and has been a reportedly has more than 120000 missiles at its disposal all of them potentially pointed at israel. I think its safe to say that lebanon will probably be turned into a car park in the next war but israel will be. Its like they havent been heard since 948. 00 the missiles and weaponry at the disposal of hezbollah now will bring the entire country of israel to a standstill. There will be no civilian traffic you know civilian maritime traffic people will all be in the bunkers there will be no one going to schools universities work for the duration of the conflict so this is a very sobering picture for any Prime Minister in israel as it is indeed for of for hezbollah we know what hizbullah is planning we know that they have precise weaponry that can hit with carried out a lot of explosives that are going to devastate our cities and to kill people in high numbers there retaliation must be and im telling it from the even dovish point of view must be to stop with in any cause. So far the principle of deterrent has worked on both sides. No one wants a new conflict memories of the civil war a still fit. Now the lebanese too are realizing how dangerous has been his political course could be for the entire country even though up to now they have accepted the organization as a legitimate defend against israel. Laurie hi tyrion is a popular blogger and activist she criticizes hezbollahs policy of sending its militia into conflicts elsewhere in the middle east she believes it increases the chances of war breaking out. You half as violent as the Lebanese Hezbollah which defense lebannon. This is reality of our lives in. The same time. As well our words is the regional players and this is where the division comes. The fact that hezbollah has become a state within a state is perhaps only part of a wider problem faced by lebannon that of politics being defined by religion. Laurie hi tion organizers meetings for women who want to bridge the gulf between the denominations. Here christians and muslims are sitting at the same table only in this way she says can the country progress in the office or apart from one or 2 politicians the lebanese people have no voice in parliament with a microphone in front of them of course everyone speaks in the name of the lebanese people but in reality no one represents us as politicians are only concerned with defending the entrance of their particular religious denomination and harass are a lot of ones you saw a little haydel but it has to be possible for people to live in this country with their own convictions and there are prospects for changing things but this can only happen if we challenge the political and sectarian regime we need a secular state which also respects the interests of Civil Society. Lebanon has experienced much violence and enjoyed many conflicts this could almost prove to be a strength but there also needs to be a radical break with the past. Tripoli the 2nd biggest city in lebanon is proof that the religious divisions and conflicts do not necessarily have to persist. Up until a few years ago crossing syria straight meant taking your life into your own hands because fighting between rival muslim factions was a daily occurrence and the people shooting at each other were neighbors. Sunnis and alawite who used to belong to the same shia branch of islam especially sad used to be adversaries. Of the form of mobility. Now they are working together to repair their neighborhood and its power lines. These young men are under 30 years old. Many of them were still minors when they took up arms of a reconciliation project called march has brought them to get off. Their good honestly i thought he was a terrorist. Says some mia an alawite about the man next to him last a devout sunni used to have nothing but contempt for the other whites. And. I say that a lot has commanded me to attack anyone who attacks me. Even if he is my brother. Because the quran says that if anyone sins against you so you must sin against them. But that doesnt apply to him for whom hes ok like all the other white guys from this district theyre really fine lads really good hearted and polite to them and they will theres talk about the much reconciliation project was launched by leah baroudi from beirut. Vince that the religious conflicts are no facade. I honestly believe that the sectarian divides in our minds are here out of fear and simply out of fear because we are afraid that the other is going out to get us or out to eliminate us. And my ideas is this is the solution is we need to talk to each other we need to spend time with each other and get to know each other so that the spirit that comes from you know many people a friend from the past from what youve been through you know get get this always because we know each other the problem is that we do not know each other and are afraid of each other. Up. Skepticism is understandable what works in tripoli might not have the same post effect in the rest of the country hezbollah has fought hard to secure a position in which it is a decisive Political Economic and military factor. And as long as religious go to system where the between christians sunnis or shiites they will continue to determine the political and economic structure of lebanon and the country will struggle to emerge from the ongoing crisis while fundamentalism become stronger and stronger. Moving back to the sticks and founding a company with elderly residents. Moscow businesswoman. Came up with this wild idea. They produce unique products that give city dwellers a taste of the country to bring life and money back to their village. 90 minutes w. Take football personally with the wonderful people and stories that make the games so special are you ready. For the truth. Far. Kickoffs one. Look into 2. G. W. 50 years of religions for peace people from many different states for working together toward a common goal the peaceful resolution of religious conflicts. Now female members are for allegiance for peace from the middle east are demanding the larger. The female peacemakers stores where we fish to double. The speed of you news live from berlin Mass Evacuations in australia as people flee deadly bushfires tens of thousands are on the road right now trying to get to safety as gas and Food Supplies run out hot dry and windy conditions are expected to get worse over the coming days well go live to sydney for the very latest
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