BEIRUT–A war of words between Lebanon’s pro-Western and Iranian-backed camps has sparked fears of a backlash in the Mediterranean state over a “cold war” between Shiite Muslim Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia.
“This war of words is further evidence that the Lebanon’s internal crisis is intrinsically linked to a regional showdown,” said Fadia Kiwan, head of the political science department at Saint Joseph University in Beirut.
She said that as Lebanon enters its fourth month without a government, the country “will only become increasingly mired in crises.”
Riyadh, which backs the pro-Western camp led by caretaker premier Saad Hariri, has accused Iran of rousing anti-monarchy protests in Bahrain, a majority Shiite country ruled by a Sunni dynasty.
And Tehran, which along with Syria is a major supporter of Lebanon’s Shiite militant group Hezbollah, has slammed back with accusations that Saudi sent its troops into the tiny kingdom to contain a legitimate popular uprising.
Experts say that with regional tensions on the rise, a protracted political crisis in Lebanon could take yet a turn for the worse as Hariri and Hezbollah trade increasingly harsh accusations.
“We have not yet reached the height of the crisis,” said Imad Salameh, political science professor at the Lebanese-American University. “We are only at the tip of the iceberg.”
Saudi-backed Hariri, a US ally, has accused Iran of meddling in Lebanon’s affairs and taking Arab societies “hostage,” sparking a harsh rebuke from Hezbollah.
“Lebanon and a number of Arab countries are suffering politically, economically and in terms of security from blatant Iranian interference in the Arab world,” Hariri said on Thursday.
Hezbollah, blacklisted as a terrorist group by Washington, was quick to respond and in a rare move, Iran also reacted to Hariri’s accusations, calling them “unfounded” and saying they served “US-Zionist” interests.
“Hariri’s position… is an open attempt to mask US interference in the region and the confiscation of the will of the people, who seek freedom and the end of American hegemony,” a Hezbollah statement said.
Hariri and Hezbollah have been locked in a standoff for months over the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is investigating the 2005 murder of Hariri’s father Rafiq.
The tribunal is expected to be preparing to implicate Hezbollah in the murder, an accusation Hezbollah — which says the tribunal is a US-Israel conspiracy — has warned against.
Hezbollah toppled Hariri’s unity government on January 12, as Hariri refused to back down on seeing the investigation through.
Sunni billionaire businessman Najib Mikati was appointed on January 25 to form a new government with Hezbollah’s blessing, but the cabinet has yet to see the light of day.
“This is the first time Saad Hariri has taken a clear, tough position vis-a-vis Iran, given that the current threat did not exist before,” said Hariri adviser Ghattas Khoury.
Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, author of the book “Hezbollah: Politics and Religion,” says the rising tension between Hariri and Hezbollah reflects a wider political polarisation.
Bahrain expelled 16 Lebanese, including 14 Shiites, over “security concerns” days after Bahrain accused Hezbollah of inciting anti-monarchy protesters.
While Hezbollah has made clear it supports Shiite demonstrators in Bahrain, “Saad Hariri’s remarks clearly fall in line with Arab discourse — and even US rhetoric,” Saad-Ghorayeb, a researcher with the Qatar-based Doha Institute, told AFP.
The Hariri camp has accused Hezbollah, the most powerful armed movement in Lebanon, of being “mercenaries of the Iranian president who aim to destabilise the situation.”
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was dismissive in his response.
“The fact that a prime minister talks like that is a mistake,” he said in a televised address. “This is the language used by Israel.”