Nasrallah: Hezbollah has 'right' to wage 'pre-emptive war' in Syria

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A day after the formation of Lebanon's new cabinet, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah addressed his disconcerted popular base and allies, who reacted negatively to the new governmental lineup and expressly to the appointment of former Lebanese internal security chief Ashraf Rifi as justice minister. 

The dismay was voiced by supporters on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, and by politicians on TV stations. One strong ally, Maj. Gen. Jamil el-Sayyed — an outspoken politician who is a former chief of Lebanon's general security — declared his withdrawal from the Hezbollah-backed March 8 alliance and said he will stop coordinating with the bloc, accusing both Hezbollah and the Amal movement of ignoring their base by accepting such names in the cabinet.

Nasrallah's speech, surprisingly, didn't tackle the cabinet formation until the end, stressing that his party wants "a government of national unity to be formed and we will enter it with the intent of launching dialogue, not with the intent of setting up barricades inside it." He added, "We were the major compromisers and made the most sacrifices on this issue; we did not want a vacuum, or a neutral or a fait accompli government. The only solution was a compromise government, or a national interest government."

A source close to Hezbollah in Beirut told Al-Monitor that Hezbollah regards the formation of the government as a third priority after the war in Syria and stability in Lebanon. "The most important thing is that Hezbollah is in the cabinet; who will be upset are those who are claiming Hezbollah killed [former Lebanese Prime Minister] Rafik Hariri, the same bloc that said for months they aren't going to be in the same government with Hezbollah until it withdraws from Syria."