Iran's
attempts to expand its evil influence throughout the Middle East have suffered
a serious setback as a result of the unprecedented anti-government protests
that have erupted in Lebanon and Iraq in recent weeks.
The most
obvious source of discontent in these two key Arab states has been the endemic
corruption that has taken root in both Beirut and Baghdad; In both countries,
it has been the main motivation to persuade tens of thousands of protesters to
take to the streets.
However,
the desire to end corrupt practices and force the governments of Beirut and
Baghdad to conduct a radical review of the governments of their respective
countries is only part of the story.
The
nationwide protests taking place in both Arab states are also fueled by the
burning desire to end Iran's blatant attempts to turn them into de facto fiefs
of Tehran.
Iran's
attempts to gain control of the political program in Lebanon date back to the
early 1980s, when Iran established its Hezbollah militia in the southern part
of the country to launch a series of terrorist attacks against the Israeli
forces operating in the zone. Since then, Hezbollah, with the support of Iran,
has gradually extended its influence in the country to the point that today it
is widely recognized as Lebanon's most influential political organization.
On the
contrary, Iranian interference in Iraq's affairs is of more recent origin and
dates back to sectarian violence that erupted throughout the country after the
overthrow of Iraqi dictator Sadam Husein in 2003. More recently, Iran has been
able to expand its influence in Baghdad taking advantage of the recent campaign
to defeat ISIS, where Shiite militias supported by Iran, the so-called Popular
Mobilization Forces (PMF), fought against predominantly Sunni militants who
supported ISIS.
After
defeating ISIS, the PMF militias have remained active in Iraq, which has
allowed Tehran to expand its influence in Baghdad.
Now,
thanks to the determination and courage of the anti-government protesters, the
designs of Iran's regional domination in the Middle East are rapidly falling
apart.
The most
obvious sign that Iran is under intense pressure to protect its assets in the
Middle East has been the appearance in Baghdad of Qassem Soleimani, head of the
Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). As a personal
responsible for the export of the Iranian Islamic revolution to the entire Arab
world, Soleimani traveled to Iraq in a desperate attempt to prevent the
resignation of the pro-Iranian Prime Minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi.
Since
anti-government protesters took to the streets last month, Soleimani has
visited Baghdad frequently. The day after the protests began, Soleimani would
have presided over a meeting with senior Iraqi security officials in Baghdad, a
role normally played by the country's prime minister. The next day, more than
100 people died at the hands of unidentified snipers and members of militias
supported by Iran, such as the PMF.
Unfortunately
for Iran, their hard-handed tactics have impressed the protesters little,
despite the fact that the death toll due to protests in Iraq is now around 250.
Last Friday, the biggest protests in Iraq took place. Since the fall of Saddam
Hussein, with thousands of people gathered in the center of Baghdad. Elsewhere,
protesters attacked the Iranian consulate in the holy Shia city of Karbala,
where they climbed the concrete barriers surrounding the building before
removing the Iranian flag and replacing it with an Iraqi one.
There
have also been attacks against the PMF militia bases in Nasiriyah and
Diwaniyah, where 12 protesters were killed when the headquarters of the Badr
Organization, backed by Iran, were set on fire.
In
Lebanon, meanwhile, there have been reports of Hezbollah fighters attacking
peaceful protesters while Iran desperately tries to prevent its most important
representative in the Middle East from falling out of its orbit. The protests,
moreover, could not have come at a worse time for Iran, where the economy is in
free fall as a result of the wide-ranging sanctions that Washington has
introduced.
The
sanctions mean that the Ayatollahs have already had to cut their funding from
replacement militias throughout the Arab world. Local protesters are making it
clear that their aversion to Iranian interference in their affairs could mean
the end of Tehran's ambition to become the dominant power in the region.
SOURCE: Israel Noticias
