Will the Russians be able to help Lebanon get a new president?
Russia’s withdrawal from Syria and the goodwill it generated in Arab circles, may allow it to play the role of mediator in Geneva and to help Lebanon fill its presidential vacuum.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's recent rhetoric reveals he is trying to draw parallels between his Lebanon-based movement and Russia, while not sounding too cozy.
In a March 21 interview for Al-Mayadeen TV, Nasrallah went so far as to say he feels Russia has common goals with the axis of resistance — Hezbollah, Iran and Syria — against Israel and its Western allies' interests.
Nasrallah said he "feels" that Hezbollah, Iran and Russia are on the same page when it comes to the overall battle in Syria. He used "feels” instead of “confirms,” and refrained from using the affirmative oratory that has always marked his speeches. In doing so, he actually called attention to the ambiguous characteristics of the relationship between Russia and Hezbollah. Nasrallah even said, bluntly, “Describing [Iran, Russia, Syria and Hezbollah] as one axis is inaccurate.”
Pointing to the increasing cooperation between Russia and Israel as a main point of divergence between Hezbollah and Russia, he said, “Some political analysts and writers in Lebanon or in the region were trying to [embarrass] the resistance axis [by saying] that Russia is part of the resistance axis and is communicating and coordinating with the Israelis. … Who from the resistance axis said that Russia has become part of the resistance axis?”
