Hezbollah Stronger, More Successful than Ever: US Scholar

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An American political commentator said a decision by London to impose a full ban on the activities of the Lebanese Hezbollah was made because the resistance movement is bigger, stronger, and more successful than ever, a fact that “drives the Zionists (and their supporters) crazy”.

“The Zionist-dominated West is panicking at the failure of their regime change project in Syria. And the Zionists are still smarting from the wounds of their 2006 defeat at the hands of Hezbollah. Now Hezbollah is bigger, stronger, and more successful than ever. This drives the Zionists crazy,” Kevin Barrett told Tasnim in an interview.

The following is the full text of the interview.

Tasnim: UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid said recently that the government will designate the entire Hezbollah organization as a terrorist entity. The UK had previously blacklisted Hezbollah's military apparatus as a "terrorist group". What’s your take on the move by the British government?

Barrett: I am appalled but not surprised. The UK move ignores the definition of terrorism, which is: “a military tactic consisting of intentionally targeting civilians to induce fear.” So a terrorist group is any group that uses this tactic. The British military, throughout history, has been a terrorist group—possibly the worst one ever. (Just ask the descendants of the millions of Irish who were intentionally starved in the 1845-1849 genocide, during which British troops stole and exported Ireland’s food.) Hezbollah, by contrast, is an anti-terrorist group. Its whole purpose is to fight the systematic terrorism practiced by the Zionists and takfiris. In fighting the region’s worst terrorists, Hezbollah does not itself use the tactic of terrorism. So labeling Hezbollah “terrorist” is an outrageous lie.

Tasnim: What is the main reason behind the decision given the fact that Hezbollah is a resistance movement against terrorism and Zionism?

Barrett: The Zionist-dominated West is panicking at the failure of their regime change project in Syria. And the Zionists are still smarting from the wounds of their 2006 defeat at the hands of Hezbollah. Now Hezbollah is bigger, stronger, and more successful than ever. This drives the Zionists crazy. So they are lashing out ineffectually in various ways. Such childish name-calling, in which the spoiled British brat insults Hezbollah by using the T-word, communicates nothing except the desperation and immaturity of the British themselves. This move will have little effect other than to increase Hezbollah’s popularity in the region, where people have bad memories of the horrors of British and Western imperialism.

Tasnim: Israel and Saudi Arabia have hailed the move by London. Why?

Barrett: Israel and Saudi Arabia are the worst terrorists in the region. The Zionists systematically target Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. And Saudi Arabia sponsors extremist takfiri groups that also systematically target civilians. So both of these two terrorist regimes are happy to see powerful Western countries lying about who the real terrorists are.