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Hezbollah should dump Iran for Lebanon

Hezbollah should realise that blindly following the Iranian strategy could lead to its own destruction.

A French proverb succinctly captures the relation between Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah: Qui donne ordonne. It means the one who provides is the one who gives orders. So when Iran is cornered, Hezbollah will be automatically neutralised.
Iran has been the lifeblood of Hezbollah since its creation in 1982. The militant group, therefore, feels indebted to successive Iranian governments.
In fact, the Lebanese have repeatedly questioned Hezbollah's loyalty towards their country. They often question if Hezbollah will always remain duty-bound to Iran, whose leadership has unsparingly used Hezbollah fighters to advance Tehran's agendas in the region. In the Syrian war, for instance, Hezbollah has been fighting with the Assad regime on behalf of Iran. Needless to say, many have lost their lives for Iran's cause.
And now Hezbollah could once again be used to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani, former commander of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah was already seen on Lebanese TV on January 5 threatening the United States. General Soleimani was killed in Baghdad international airport by an American drone. He was very close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and a potential candidate for the Iranian presidential election in 2021.
Hezbollah is a private army and yet it is more sophisticated in regards with its military equipment comparing with the Lebanese army. It has more clout and often forces its own policy and political agenda in Lebanon. It has on several occasions taken decisions against the interest of the Lebanese and the country.
Yet, the fact remains that the Lebanese government cannot confront Hezbollah. It is a catch-22 situation and raises the risk of a new civil war in Lebanon.
After the January 5 speech, the Lebanese took to the social media to vent their anger.
They don't want their country to be fighting wars for someone else. Lebanon is not Iran, some wrote.
Nasrallah has called on the shia militias to attack American military assets throughout the Middle East by using all sort of means including suicide bombings. He has also threatened the American President when he said "Trump and the fools with him don't realise what they've done, but time will show them." He added that the assassination of Soleimani marked the start of a new US war in the region.
What Nasrallah seems to be missing is that Hezbollah surely cannot afford a new war.
The group has already been battered by the Syrian war. It has lost around 2,300 fighters in Syria, and several more have been disabled and seriously wounded.
Lebanon is at the brink of bankruptcy, and what it needs is political stability and economic prosperity.
While the western world had looked the other way and used their financial muscle to keep refugees away from their soil, the country had opened its doors to almost two million refugees from Syria and Iraq. Lebanon, however, is now feeling the pinch as its limited resources are strained. Any war in Lebanon would push these refugees and also the Lebanese to run towards the West.
It is time for Europe and other countries to put diplomacy to use and bring everyone back to the negotiation table. Tehran has been destabilising the Middle East, the Gulf region, and Lebanon, and it is so evident now.
An economic warfare seems to be more efficient than the use of force. It could still be the best way to bring the Iranian government back to the negotiation table. The Iranian economy is fragile. People in fact have been out on streets protesting against the government for high inflation, and dwindling economy that has crippled life in the country.
The lack of consistency and weakness in European policy towards Iran could have repercussions for the continent itself. Moreover, Hezbollah should realise that blindly following the Iranian strategy could lead to its own destruction and also cause irreparable damage to Lebanon.
It is time for the Lebanese Hezbollah to defend the interests of Lebanon.
Christiane Waked is a political analyst based in Beirut