Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has tried to reassure his public about the future of his party amid attempts to strike a deal in the region, whether with regard to the Syrian conflict or the Iranian nuclear issue. Hezbollah's secretary general chose a rare public appearance on Wednesday in the southern suburbs of Beirut to inform his supporters, viewers, allies and rivals that the party's future is guaranteed, whether a settlement takes place in Syria or the war continues and the Bashar Assad regime wins, as he hopes. Moreover, the future of the party is guaranteed on the Iranian side, whether an American understanding with Iran succeeds or fails. Nasrallah said, "If you are waiting to win in Syria, you won't win... if there is a nuclear agreement our side will be stronger and in a better situation locally and regionally." The public appearance is itself meaningful. It indicates a state of reassurance in security and political terms that Hezbollah has not known since the July 2006 War. From the beginning of that war Nasrallah was keen to appear before his public on screen except for a few occasions, in which it was only for a few minutes, amid the anxiety of his security detail and their fear for his life. In responding to Nasrallah's public appearance, it is not enough to say that the occasion of the Ashoura commemoration imposed itself on the secretary general, and he did not want to fail to take part personally. Last year and in previous years, Nasrallah did not take the trouble to stand for nearly an hour and address his public in a region that has seen a series of explosions in recent months. Hezbollah officials say that these areas are still targeted. Why this reassurance, then? Is Nasrallah's relaxed demeanor related to his situation as a result of deals the Barack Obama administration is cooking up for the region, and does he seem convinced that his party will not pay a price in any Syrian settlement, or on the Iranian front? Fortunately, Nasrallah is openly revealing the deal for the region that the White House is trying to hide from its friends and allies. It confirms that America is dealing with these crises in order to secure its selfish interests, and with no regard for the repercussions of these solutions on conditions in the region and the relations between the parties that are competing over it. The understanding that the White House is preparing for Iran does not take into consideration the need to limit Iran's regional role as an exporter of conflict in countries of the region. It is unconcerned with the sectarian fragmentation and tension that the Iranian role has spread in most Arab states. The Obama administration's objective is to end the Iranian issue at the lowest possible price and let the people of the region sort out their affairs. This is why Nasrallah is affirming that an Iranian understanding with the west will make his team "the strongest and in the best situation locally and regionally." Strangely, the side sponsoring the sectarian fragmentation in the region is accusing others of doing the very same thing and claiming that it is participating in the Syrian war to confront what it calls "the international regional takfiri attack." Hezbollah is ignoring that the Syrian regime, which it supports in compliance with Iranian wishes, is the one that exported takfiris to Iraq to destroy that country and spread sectarian strife. It then released these people from prison to use them in a process of bargaining with the west over its survival, to support its regime and let it survive. Ironically, if one wants to know the secrets of the American president, one must go to Haret Hreik to observe things with Hezbollah. Nasrallah and John Kerry, for example, are in agreement about warning that the alternative to a US-Iranian understanding is "war". Kerry warned Congressmen and urged them to reject any increase in sanctions on Iran because this would threaten the promised agreement with the Iranians. Nasrallah warned the people of the region that blocking the path of negotiations would lead to war. The secretary general of Hezbollah has begun to fear a US-Iranian war and accompanies his warning with the phrase "God forbid," to push away its dangers. Meanwhile, Iran has been promising us for more than thirty years that it is ready to destroy the "Great Satan," if it dares challenge it anywhere. May God help things change!
