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Lebanese Protests Test Hizbullah's Role as Shiites' Champion

(AP-New York Times) Young men chanting the "people want to bring down the regime" gathered outside the office of Lebanese legislator Mohammed Raad, the powerful head of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc. Iranian-backed Hizbullah built a reputation as a champion of the poor and a defender of Lebanon. But now many protesters group Hizbullah into the ruling class they are revolting against, blaming it for wrecking the economy with years of corruption and mismanagement. "The heavy participation of the Shiites...posed a main challenge: that there's a large number from the sect that doesn't accept the current situation," said Hilal Khashan, professor of political science at the American University of Beirut. Now Hizbullah is being "attacked by the very constituency they purport to speak for," said Heiko Wimmen of the International Crisis Group.
2019-11-18 00:00:00
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