Hezbollah Wants Us To Fear Violence

Tony Badran:

Hezbollah would like to keep everyone convinced that things could get violent, much like 2008, when the Shia militia turned its guns against its domestic adversaries. At a time when everyone has expressed concern that things may deteriorate to that extent, it is in Hezbollah’s interest to exploit that fear even if it may not necessarily prefer matters coming to that.

As such, Hezbollah may push for some form of street action, perhaps under the cover of workers’ unions. Given the tensions on the ground, that type of action could lead to skirmishes. This becomes a game of chicken, to see how much it would take before concerned actors opt to intervene in order to keep the violence at bay

That’s the political equivalent of playing with fire..