The Iranian regime's anxiety over what is taking place in Syria, and its fear of losing its ally, the Syrian regime, and seeing a democratic and civilian regime with a Sunni character has made Tehran strengthen its grip over Lebanon, through its ally Hezbollah and the Lebanese government, which it dominates. Lebanese censorship authorities have decided to ban the screening of a documentary by Nader Davoodi, about the acts of violence by the Iranian authorities in their crackdown against peaceful demonstrators, angry about the recent fraudulent Iranian presidential elections. The banning of Davoodi's visit to Lebanon is a sign of this heavier grip on the country. In June, Lebanese censorship authorities banned a film by Hana Makhmalbaf, "Green Days," and the Lebanese official at the time explained that the decision came at the request of the Iranian ambassador in Lebanon. The embassies of Syria and Iran in Lebanon are active. The former kidnaps Syrian dissidents in Lebanon and the latter bans documentaries about what is going on in Iran. As we have heard from one of the Syrian-Iranian alliance's representatives in Mount Lebanon, former Minister Wi'am Wahhab, Iran is determined to provide assistance through millions of dollars, to build a hospital in his region. We have also heard the Iranian ambassador in Lebanon confirm falsehoods, that the former government of Saad Hariri took the decision to cancel entry visas for Iranians to Lebanon. The ambassador forgot that the Iranian authorities asked Hariri for this when he visited Iran, but Hariri did not take the decision, because he rejected the idea. The current government, headed by Najib Mikati, is the one that decided this, because Iran's dominance over this government has come to have no limits. The government of Lebanon, like the government of Nuri al-Maliki in Iraq, is turning into a tool in Iran's strategy to protect the rest of its cards in the region, should the Syrian regime fall. The Syrian regime, for Iran, represents a bridge for it in the Middle East. How can Iran continue to provide its friends in Hamas and Hezbollah weapons if the road through Syria is closed? On the Arab scene, if Iran loses its ally Syria, who will remain for it in the Arab world? Lebanon is a certain ally. This is prompting Iran to become quite active, first in helping its ally Syria via its ally Hezbollah and its friends in the government. Lebanon is experiencing a strengthening of Iran's influence, which is very worrying. It requires strong vigilance to prevent Iranian domination of this small country, whose distinctive aspects are freedoms, democracy and an openness to the rest of the world. Iran has not been tardy in offering money and assistance to its representatives on the ground in Lebanon, while its domestic economic situation is very poor. Many Iranians who visit France complain about domestic conditions in their country, and they expect a return of the demonstrations that Iran saw during the presidential elections. They expect a deterioration in the Iranian regime, because it is experiencing divisions and tension that will lead to the expected deterioration. But the Iranian regime, which is suffering from huge domestic problems, is doubling its efforts to strengthen its grip on Lebanon and its government.
