Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has praised the “peaceful approach” of protesters in Bahrain.
Sometimes the claim by outsiders that Bahrain’s protests are entirely peaceful is based on simple ignorance. However, Nasrallah knows better. As the leader of Hezbollah, Nasrallah has overseen shipments of arms to Bahrain, assisted with training of terrorists and provided support for plots that have resulted in the deathsof policemen and civilians.
As multiple investigations, testimonies of diplomats and anti-terrorism experts have attested; this support from Hezbollah for bloodshed and terrorism in Bahrain is coordinated closely with Iran and falls in the context of Iranian attempts to undermine stability in Bahrain and the wider region.
Hezbollah and Iranian media outlets have been heavily involved in fomenting and inciting unrest in Bahrain. Indeed, executives from Al-Manar TV have even acknowledged this in the past.
Hassan Nasrallah is a man with a lot of blood on his hands. In 2013 it was Hezbollah’s escalated intervention in support of Bashar al-Assad that brutally crushed many segments of the Syrian opposition and arguably created the vacuum in central Syria that allowed for the emergence of extremist groups like ISIS and Al-Nusra. Hezbollah’s intervention effectively dragged Lebanon into the Syrian war and there has been sporadic civil conflict there ever since.
As one of the principle actors in the brutal crushing of the Syrian uprising Nasrallah knows all about slaughtering freedom-fighters and unarmed civilians alike.
In contrast, in Bahrain civil protests by the opposition are frequently licensed by the authorities and allowed to go ahead, despite the fact that these events often descend into rioting and vandalism.
Opposition movements are accorded recognition and official status. Head of Al-Wefaq Islamic Society Ali Salman has been detained for a 15 day period while an investigation is conducted into allegations that he incited violence and civil discord. This temporary internment has resulted in a rise in tensions and sporadic rioting, which Hassan Nasrallah sought to exploit through making inflammatory comments on the Bahrain situation.
However, up to this point, Shaikh Ali Salman had gone about his business unimpeded and his organization had even been encouraged to participate in the recent parliamentary elections. If only Bashar al-Assad and Hassan Nasrallah had accorded such respect to the Syrian opposition.
One of the greatest threats to this region is sectarian discord. Hassan Nasrallah is personally guilty as one of the figures who allowed the sectarian genie to escape from its bottle in this region. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives in Syria and Iraq over recent years. Extremist groups like ISIS are partly responsible for these atrocities. However Iran-backed militias in Iraq, and Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon are as guilty in ignoring all humanitarian norms and perpetrating shocking acts of barbarity.
We hope that one day all those responsible for perpetrating crimes against humanityin Syria, Iraq and the region; and who have caused terrible suffering for millions of civilians are held to account.