The well-known and highly regarded Lebanese political and security affairs analyst, Ali Rizk says “Hezbollah is far from defeated and remains an effective fighting force”. Rizk says that while the killing of Hassan Nasrallah was a major blow, it could end up being a strategic mistake on Israel’s part because it could propel support for Hezbollah even if only as a way of revenge against Israel.
In a 35-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Rizk, speaking from Beirut, explains that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call (on Tuesday) to the Lebanese people to rise up against Hezbollah has not had any effect as far as he knows. He points out that several Christian Maronite political parties, several Sunni groups, who were earlier opposed to Hezbollah, as well as Walid Jumblatt’s Druze organisation stand firmly with Hezbollah. There is, therefore, little chance of the Lebanese people rising up against the Lebanese outfit.
