by Ohad Merlin
Wiam Wahhab, who was known to be a supporter of the Islamic Republic’s axis, made a series of unexpected remarks.
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Wiam Wahhab, a Lebanese Druze party leader and former minister, called to make peace with Israel, in a long interview on the show Whala’ Shu on Lebanese TV. Wahhab, who was known to be a supporter of the Islamic Republic’s axis, gave a series of unexpected remarks, including stark criticism of the Iranian axis and a careful call for normalization with Israel. He was quoted as saying, “I advise the Shi’ites to go to peace with Israel and let’s all live happy.”
“I’ll be frank with you. The topic of Israel and the Arabs needs to be discussed. The nation does not want a war with Israel; it’s been 70 years of war with Israel,” said Wahhab in the interview. “If they were to ask me, I would say: take [United Nations Security Council Resolution] 1701 as a guarantee… I think they should go to make peace. The nation does not want to go to war.”
The anchor, Georges Salibi, appeared stunned by the proposition and asked him to clarify: “Do you call to normalize relations with Israel?”
Wahhab answered by arguing that Lebanon cannot be the only one left in the state of war. “The ‘axis’ sacrificed much for Palestine. My parents went after Gamal Abdel Nasser. We went after the Palestinian resistance and the Lebanese resistance to free our land. The nation does not want to fight. Let’s follow the majority. Will you fight for them? The Muslim Brotherhood, which are Iran’s allies – they don’t want to fight. So we have to fight for them?”
Bashar al-Assad himself was among those criticized by Wahhab. According to the Lebanese politician, Assad’s fall came as a result of a number of reasons, including his misconduct toward his supporters, which included Alawites, Sunnis in the big cities in Halab and Damascus, and some Druze.
Wahhab's criticism of Iran and its proxies
Wahhab claimed that Assad managed to disappoint, starve, and steal from all his supporters, and he also relied on the Russians and neglected his own army. Wahhab also claimed that Assad had some problems with the Russians, since he did not want to settle with Recep Tayyip Erdogan over their occupation in northern Syria, and the Russians were too busy in Ukraine.
When asked about his former loyalty to the regime, Wahhab explained: “I will kill and make a deal with the devil in order to protect my family if needed.”
In another striking comment, Wahhab claimed that he played a role in an exchange of messages between Israel and Syria through a third Western party, in which Israel demanded Assad not arm Hezbollah, but Assad did not agree.
He implied that this is what ultimately led to the current scenario unfolding, in which Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa ultimately took control of Syria, and Israel advanced in the Golan Heights. In this context, Wahhab also called Assad “a liar,” while his brother Maher al-Assad received more trust, which is why, according to him, the messages went through the brother rather than the tyrant himself.
This is not the first time that Wahhab pointed criticism at the so-called “Axis of Resistance” that he once supported. Last month, he came out against Hezbollah for attempting to steal religious garbs from the Druze in Lebanon to dress up as Druze clerics and hide their terrorist activity, and claimed Hezbollah is gone.
In the interview, Wahhab also criticized the Iranian axis. “The Axis of
Resistance was nothing more than Hassan Nasrallah and Qasem Soleimani,”
he said, adding that once the two died, it all ended. “The only
victorious one in the region is [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu.”
Ohad Merlin
Source: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-833621
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