As things increasingly heat up in the Middle East in post ISIS era, it appears the anti-Iran and anti-Shia alliance of convenience between the Saudis and Israelis appears to have placed Lebanon in the cross hairs of yet another looming proxy or Israeli-Hezbollah war. And the war in Yemen will also continue to escalate - perhaps now with increasingly overt Israeli political support.
Barak Ravid, senior diplomatic correspondent for Israeli Channel 10 News published a leaked diplomatic cable and also twitted yesterday which had been sent to all Israeli ambassadors throughout the world concerning the chaotic events that unfolded over the weekend in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, which began with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's unexpected resignation after he was summoned to Riyadh by his Saudi-backers, and led to the Saudis announcing that Lebanon had "declared war" against the kingdom.
The classified embassy cable, written in Hebrew, constitutes the first formal evidence proving that the Saudis and Israelis are deliberately coordinating to escalate the situation in the Middle East and reveals, on Sunday, just after Lebanese PM Hariri's shocking resignation, Israel sent a cable to all of its embassies with the request that its diplomats “do everything possible to ramp up diplomatic pressure against Hezbollah and Iran”. It also stressed that “Iran was engaged in "regional subversion “urged support for Saudi Arabia's war against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen” and Israeli diplomats were urged to appeal to the "highest officials" within their host countries to attempt to expel Hezbollah from Lebanese government and politics. They were also in a very rare move, instructed to demarche their host governments over the domestic political situation in Lebanon and instructed them "You need to stress that the Hariri resignation shows how dangerous Iran and Hezbollah are for Lebanon's security."
Although surprising resignation of Al-Hariri is still in vague position, but cable asked Hariri resignation and his comments on the reasons that led him to resign “illustrate once again the destructive nature of Iran and Hezbollah and their danger to the stability of Lebanon and the countries of the region. Al-Hariri's resignation proves that the international argument that Hezbollah's inclusion in the government is a recipe for stability is basically wrong. This artificial unity creates paralysis and the inability of local sovereign powers to make decisions that serve their national interest. It effectively turns them into hostages under physical threat and are forced to promote the interests of a foreign power - Iran - even if this may endanger the security of their country. The events in Lebanon and the launching of a ballistic missile by the signatories to the Riyadh agreement require increased pressure on Iran and Hezbollah on a range of issues from the production of ballistic missiles to regional subversion.”
While Hariri’s resignation in Saudi reflects the extent of interference of Saudi Arabia in domestic situation of Lebanon and destiny of regional countries. It is really very clear that as one of the US allies in the region, over the past six years, Saudi Arabia has been striving to save itself from Arab Spring breeze by providing necessary conditions for waging proxy war in Syria and Iraq and fomenting extremist and development of violence in the region. Although it did not succeed in this way, but proves and confirms Saudi’s direct involvement in disrupting the region by ISIS.
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