Beirut taxi driver: “Is this resistance? Ruining your country?”
A hero to some, a dangerous militia to others. The bloody fight Hizbullah picked with Israel has aggravated the longtime split in Lebanon over the guerrilla group – and raised worries about whether Lebanon’s Western-backed government can survive.
The division runs through the Lebanese Cabinet itself, which is dominated by anti-Syrian politicians – some sharp critics of Hizbullah – but also includes two ministers from the Shi’ite Muslim terror group.
“The government is helpless,” said former President Amin Gemayel, a longtime critic of Hizbullah. “Hizbullah took a unilateral action, but its repercussions will affect the entire country.”
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A taxi driver in Beirut kept up a tirade against Hizbullah as he drove through the capital’s near empty streets.
“Why did you do it now Sayyed Nasrallah?” he asked, refusing to give his name, fearing repercussions. “Why now? Couldn’t you have waited a couple of months? Just two months until the tourists had left? Is this resistance? Ruining your country?”