03 September 2012 By Tariq Alhomayed Anyone who reads – and here I say "read" and not
"look" – Hassan Nasrallah's interview with Al Mayadeen
channel carefully, in which he defends Bashar al-Assad
and Iran, will realize from the text of the interview,
that Nasrallah is now more convinced than ever that
the end is in sight for the tyrant of Damascus. Despite the length of Nasrallah's interview, the
large number of issues he was asked about, and his
misleading defense of the interests of Iran, with the
Hezbollah leader presenting his interpretation of
events in the region and his vision of some Arab
states according to the perspective of Iran and
Hezbollah, a close reading still brings one very
important point to light. This point was embodied in
Nasrallah's answer to the following question on Syria,
as asked by the broadcaster who said: "If there was
military intervention in Syria in order to overthrow
the regime and save the Syrian people, as the
opposition say, what could Iran do in this situation?"
And here Nasrallah answered, according to the text: "I
do not know". Yes, Nasrallah said "I do not know", yet
when he was asked what the situation would be if
Israel attacked Iran, he began his answer by directly
echoing what he had heard from Iranian officials, and
not only this, he also threatened Israel! In this interview, and especially in the part
regarding the Syrian situation, Nasrallah was not as
stoic or resilient as usual, rather his answers
indicate that he is aware the situation in Syria is
not developing in a manner than his allies Iran and
al-Assad would like, especially when he said: "To be
fair, you cannot demand a regime to surrender, and
this is a regime, not an individual, just like you
cannot demand the opposition to surrender". This is
not the only quote from the interview that shows that
Nasrallah has become more realistic about Syria, even
more than Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Nasrallah, speaking on the the crisis of the kidnapped
Lebanese in Syria, said: "If anyone wants to convince
us of their position regarding what is happening in
Syria, we are available for discussions, we have not
closed the door on anyone!" Likewise he said,
addressing those responsible for the kidnappings:
"This image will not reassure anyone of the future
coming to Syria". This means that Nasrallah is not
only convinced of the fall of al-Assad, but he is even
talking about Syria in its future form! Therefore I would say that Nasrallah has now become
more realistic than Minister Lavrov with regards to
Syria, although it is noticeable that Russia is
calling upon its citizens not to travel to Syria, and
to leave Syrian territory via a secure exit, which
means that some in Russia have realized that al-Assad's
final hour is approaching, for he no longer controls
vast areas of Syrian territory or border points. Here it is natural for the reader to wonder: Why
has Nasrallah suddenly become informed with regards to
Syria? The answer is simple; al-Assad is tottering in
Damascus.
Tariq Alhomayed is the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq
Al-Awsat, the youngest person to be appointed that
position. He holds a BA degree in Media studies from
King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, and has also
completed his Introductory courses towards a Master's
degree from George Washington University in Washington
D.C. He is based in London. Comments 💬 التعليقات |