Dr. Guy Bechor, a professor of Arabic Studies at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center, analyzes the state of the Hizbullah terror group and the future of the region.
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Because of the internal dynamics of Lebanon, in which Hizbullah is now playing a larger role, Dr. Bechor told Arutz Sheva, Hizbullah feels pressure to justify its behavior in causing chaos in the country. "Even in the Hizbullah media," Bechor said, "[the latest ransom agreement with Israel] is not as celebrated as we may think it will be."
In Dr. Bechor's view, there is a new attitude in Hizbullah stemming from their new position of responsibility as part of the ruling regime. This new position of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah was essentially a weaker one when it came to negotiating a deal with Israel over the kidnapped soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, according to Bechor. One factor was what Bechor sees as a failure of Hizbullah in a nationwide skirmish it opened up against the Lebanese regime two months ago.
The Israeli hostages, Dr. Bechor said, "became a burden" for Hizbullah. It became "an interest for Hizbullah to get rid of them." Had Israel declared the soldiers dead, the professor added, Hizbullah would have agreed to a lesser ransom.
On the Iranian front, Dr. Bechor said that the working assumption of the Iranian leadership is that an American or Israeli attack can take place at any moment. "They are very much afraid," he said, "I must tell you frankly, this understanding can strengthen the diplomatic efforts against Iran."