Lebanese Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri is turning to Iran, the primary patron of his main opposition, Hizbullah, for assistance in controlling the terrorist organization as its chief, Hassan Nasrallah gears up for a possible coup against the Beirut government. Hariri is scheduled to meet Sunday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after his arrival Saturday in Tehran for a three-day visit.
A Lebanese ministerial source has told the AFP news agency the Lebanese prime minister will offer support for Iran’s nuclear development activities in return for reconciling the Lebanese government with the terrorist group.
“This visit is important because of its timing, when Lebanon is in crisis because of the expected indictment of the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” the source said.
Ahmadinejad visited Lebanon last month, where he received a hero’s welcome that underscored the Islamic Republic’s pivotal significance in the region.
Hizbullah, a proxy of the Islamic Republic, is expected to go on a rampage in response to being indicted by the United Nations Tribunal on charges of murdering Hariri’s father, former Lebanese Prime Minister and tycoon Rafik Hariri.
Hariri and 22 others were killed when a massive car bomb ripped his convoy apart as he drove through central Beirut on February 14, 2005.
Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah threatened the current prime minister and Israel earlier in the month, claiming Hariri and the Jewish State were behind the possible indictments by the Tribunal charging his operatives with murder.
“We will cut off the hand that reaches out for any one of them,” Nasrallah warned during a televised speech in honor of so-called ‘Martyrs’ Day.’ He continued, “Those who think that the resistance will not defend itself and its dignity against any accusation are mistaken.”
Between two and six members of the Shi’ite guerrilla organization will be indicted, according to media reports.
Mustafa Badr Aldin, the brother-in-law of former Hizbullah second-in-command Imad Mugniyeh, is among those expected to be charged. Mugniyeh, wanted for masterminding a series of terror attacks before he himself was assassinated in Damascus in February 2008, was also believed to have been involved in the 2005 murder. Israel was blamed for his assassination.