Lebanese Journalist Naufal Daou: All Corruption In Lebanon Stems From Iranian Occupation – As Evidenced By Hizbullah's Weapons

Lebanese journalist and activist Naufal Daou said in a November 16, 2020 interview on Al-Arabiya Network (Saudi Arabia) that Lebanon is under an Iranian occupation that is similar to Germany's occupation of France in World War II. He elaborated that Hizbullah serves Iran much like Marshal Pétain served the Germans in Vichy France. Daou also said that the corruption and lack of political life and democracy in Lebanon all stem from the Iranian occupation. He argued and that the only way to save Lebanon is to remove the Iranian occupation, which is manifest in Hizbullah's weapons. For more about Naufal Daou, see MEMRI TV clips No. 7405 and No. 6116.

Naufal Daou: "The way to end [Lebanon's] crisis is to remove the [Iranian] occupation. The political elite will [only] change upon the removal of the occupation, which has instated it within Lebanon's political life and allowed it to control the lives of the Lebanese people. Gebran Bassil says that Hizbullah is a Lebanese group. Naturally, it is true that Hizbullah members are Lebanese, but the agenda marshalled by Hizbullah is that of the Iranian occupation.

"When France was occupied by the Nazis, France was ruled by General Petain. Marshal Petain was French, not German. In Lebanon, we find ourselves in the similar situation. Some people patronize us by saying that this is about the isolation of a Lebanese sect. Nobody wants to isolate the Shi'ite sect in Lebanon. Absolutely not. The problem is that Hizbullah and the Amal movement want to isolate the entire Lebanese people. They want to isolate Lebanon from its natural environment. That is the problem.

"Today, Lebanon is under occupation. The corruption is an outcome of the occupation. It is not one of the causes of the crisis. It is a natural outcome. The lack of political life in Lebanon, the lack of democracy, the lack of accountability, the lack of proper representation for the Lebanese people, and the denial of public opinion and the opinion of leading intellectuals in Lebanon are all caused by the occupation that tightens its grip on Lebanese political life, as well as the country's security, foreign policy, and economic policy. Lebanon can only be saved if it is liberated from the Iranian occupation, which is manifest in Hizbullah's weapons."