Nothing better describes the political situation in Lebanon than two demonstrations held in Beirut on November 13th, 2008. One was to commemorate the third year anniversary since the assassination of former Lebanese prime-minister Rafik Hariri and the other was a funeral for Hezbollah terrorist mastermind Imad Mughniyah whose car exploded while he was driving through the streets of Damascus a couple of days earlier. The Lebanese army was in full force making sure that the two demonstrations did not collide. Harriri's supporters were calling for democracy and Lebanese independence from Syrian domination. The Hezbollah demonstration was calling for revenge, open war and the usual rallying cry for destruction of the Israel.

be a part of America's war on terror in light of 9/11 attacks.

Hariri refused to turn over known Hezbollah terrorists, including Imad Mugniyah, suggesting that "Hezbollah was protecting Lebanon against the Israeli occupation". It was pretty obvious that Hariri had no other choice. Even though he was a Prime-Minister, the real masters of his country were the Syrians who occupied Lebanon since 1976. Taking on Hezbollah, as the Americans were demanding, would have potentially destroyed Lebanon's fragile peace although in retrospect that was also a mistake. Since then Hezbollah grew much stronger both militarily and politically. In 2006 Hezbollah threw Lebanon into another war with Israel and presently, with the tutelage of Syria, is trying to bring down the democratically elected government of Fuad Siniora. In the Middle East there are no good options. 

Hariri could have easily sat back and enjoyed a comfortable life and the accolades his position allowed him, but instead he took on the occupying Syrian power which has been raping Lebanon for decades, demanding their withdrawal. When he refused to alter his position amid multiple treats from Bashar Asad and his cronies he was taken out without a second thought. But what Hariri could not achieve while alive he did from his grave. Hariri's assassination sparked an anger that Lebanese people must have felt for years. It lead to a "Cedar Revolution" that eventually left the Syrians no other choice but to get out of Lebanon amid an international outcry and U.N. investigations, thus ending the years of "brotherly" occupation.

On the other hand Imad Mughniyah served the dark forces all his life. As a teenager he joined Yasir Arafat's Force 17 even though he came from a Lebanese Shia upbringing while Palestinians usually belong to Sunni branch of Islam. He learned how to kill early on, honing his skills as a sniper against Lebanese Christians during the civil war. He also studied engineering in Beirut University but his true calling was discovered when his future brother-in-law taught him the art of bomb making. Since then you could follow his carrier by the trail of blood he left around the world, from Argentina to Iraq and many places in between.

When the Palestinians were forced out of Lebanon by Israel, Mughniyah joined the newly formed Shia militant group Hezbollah, which was founded, trained and financed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard stationed at the time in the Bekaa Valley. Even though most of  Mughniyah's work was done under the emblem of Hezbollah, the people who were calling the shots behind the scenes were situated in Teheran and Damascus.

Mughniyah had a hand in the bombing of the U.S. and French Marine barracks in 1983 that killed hundreds. He was wanted in Argentina for bombing the Jewish Center in Buenos Aires that killed 83 people. He was involved in hostagetaking and torture of the Americans in Beirut, high jacking of the TWA passenger jet in 1985, abduction of two Israeli solders and killing of  eight others that led to war with Israel in 2006. This is just a short list of his accomplishments. Many terrorism experts say that Mughniyah made Usama bin Laden look like an amateur. His masters utilized his obvious talents in the aria of terrorism for many years but it may have also contributed to his demise as he may have become a man who knew too much.

Right after his assassination, the chorus of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran immediately pointed the fingers at Israel. Mughniyah had a lot of Jewish blood on his hands and Israel tried for years to take him out. But there were many others who wanted him dead, like Americans who tried to capture him for many years. Even many Arab regimes would want him dead as Mughnyah was rumored to have ties to Usama bin Laden that could not have made the Saudis happy. He was also suspected in two plane hijackings and series of bombings in Kuweit. Maybe that is why Kuwaiti lawmakers called Mughnyiah a terrorist not worthy of mourning. The list of potential culprits is quite long.

Imad Mughniya's FBI wanted poster

What were the similarities among above-mentioned names? All these people were critics of the Syrian regime and members of the pro-democracy movement. Most of these people were also advocating the disarmament of Hezbollah, a die-hard Syrian supporter and murderous puppet of the Iranian regime. Is it plausible that Mughniyah, who is Hezbollah's number two man and both a Syrian and an Iranian agent, did not know anything about these associations? Not very likely since his signature car bombings are is all over the place. In light of the international scrutiny that Syrians are subjected to, and the looming U.N. investigations they may have decided that Mughniyah had served his purpose and needed to go so that the details of Syria's dirty work in Lebanon did not accidentally find their way into the world.  

In the meantime Hassan Nasrallah, the adopted son of the Iranian ayatollahs and a brave leader of Hezbollah, spoke over the videotaped message broadcast shown on a giant screen at the funeral ceremony. He went into hiding in 2006 during the war with Israel fearing assassination. While Lebanese politicians still go to work under the real threat of Syrian reprisals, Nasrallah is spewing venom from his secret rat hole calling for a holy war. "Let this war be open, Imad Mughniyah's blood will lead to elimination of Israel" he said. "You have killed Hajj Imad outside natural battlefield" cried Nasrallah. Hezbollah has always maintained that it only fights Israel along the Lebanese border. So when Hajj Imad organized the killing of the innocent Jews in Argentina it was a "natural battlefield" ? Someone needs to show Mr. Nasrallah the map of the world. Argentina does not border Lebanon. If fact it's on a different continent.

Since the end of Lebanese civil war, Hezbollah is the only entity, other than the Lebanese army that is allowed to remain armed under the false pretence that they need these weapons to defend Lebanon against Israel. That is a lie that Hezbollah has been using for years to justify their militancy and keep Lebanon at a perpetual state of fear. In fact, Israel offered many times to sign a peace treaty with Lebanon just to be rebuffed like an unwanted suitor. It was Fouad Siniora that famously said in August of 2006 that he refused to have any direct contact with Israel and that Lebanon would be the last Arab country to ever sign a peace deal with it.

How can he even think about a peace with Israel when there is an entity in his country, armed to the teeth by foreign powers, that opposes any such talk. That entity, named Hezbollah, has a dream of turning Lebanon into the Islamic state fashioned on Iran. It's also ironic that Hassan Nasrallah is hell-bent on fighting Israel, who has no interest or claim to an inch of Lebanese land. At the same time he is serving the interests of Syria who has occupied Lebanon for many years, stole  their resources, killed it's politicians, presents the biggest threat to Lebanese sovereignty and created conditions in Lebanon that can lead to the civil war. But Hasan . Nasrallah has not time for reasoning. He is too busy counting haw many Katusha rockets are in his arsenal and preparing the next generation of martyrs to take revenge on hated Zionists for the pleasure of his foreign masters.

At the end the life and death of Rafik Hariri inspired many Lebanese from different ethnic and religious groups to struggle for a better future for their country, while the demise of the "martyr Hajj Imad Mughniyah" will inspire many fanatics to commit more murders and spill more blood in the name of God and a false revenge.