News / Interviews

Aoun election shows Saudi losing power in Mideast: Analyst

Monday, 31 October 2016 6:42 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 31 October 2016 6:44 PM ]

A handout picture provided by the Lebanese Parliament press office on October 31, 2016 shows Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (2ndL) giving his congratulations to newly-elected President Michel Aoun (C) after the presidential election session at the parliament in downtown Beirut. (Photo by AFP)

Lebanon finally has a new president. Lawmakers have thrown their support behind Michel Aoun, a strong Hezbollah ally, to fill the country's long-vacant presidency.

Gordon Duff, senior editor of Veterans Today, believes the election of Michel Aoun as Lebanon’s President indicates that Saudi Arabia’s power in the Middle East is reaching its limitations.

The analyst also stated Saudi Arabia has had a “major effect” on politics in Lebanon, pouring money into one side and the other.

He went on to say Saudi embassy in Beirut has certainly been an “intelligence base”, frankly running terrorism within the region.

Duff further noted with Saudi Arabia losing its influence in Lebanon, the country has a big change to become “master of its own universe”.

However, he said, the issue with Lebanon is that it still has a political system of warlords, factions, and a balancing act where there is no effective government.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Duff argued that no matter what the United Nations says, Hezbollah is a Lebanese military force which is fighting against terrorists.

“Hezbollah has become a world class military force. Hezbollah is well beyond the capacity of the Lebanese army not even close. Hezbollah has learned to operate with air support, with running armor, they are running complex operations, they are running an intelligence organization,” he opined.

“Now they have become a world class military capable force and Hezbollah despite the rhetoric in the Western media is certainly respected around the world as an organization standing against terrorism,” he added.

Lebanon has been without a head of state since 2014, when the term of President Michel Suleiman expired.

The Lebanese parliament has repeatedly failed to elect a president due to the lack of quorum.

Hezbollah has accused Saudi Arabia of thwarting political initiatives and blocking the election of a president in Lebanon.

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