Is it true US diplomats and CIA operatives are telling Lebanese leaders to shake off Iranian control with American help? Evangelicals who care about Lebanon want to know
Pro-Iranian Hezbollah fighters take part in a staged military exercise in a camp in the Lebanese southern village of Aramta. The show came ahead of the 23rd “Liberation Day”, the annual celebration of the withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon on May 25, 2000. (Marwan Naamani/dpa via Reuters Connect)
Is the American government quietly urging the Lebanese people to rise up and shake off the control of Hezbollah and the terror army’s puppet masters in Iran?
Is Lisa Johnson, the U.S. ambassador in Beirut , privately meeting with Lebanese political, military, and civilian leaders and strongly encouraging them to move quickly and decisively to set their country free?
Is Johnson urging Shia Muslims in Lebanon to publicly distance themselves from Hezbollah?
What’s more, has the Central Intelligence Agency secretly dispatched officers to Lebanon to gather information and possibly to also help the Lebanese people liberate their country?
An article this week in Al-Akhbar — an Arab newspaper in Lebanon that is seen as pro-Hezbollah — cited “a senior security source” with direct knowledge of Ambassador Johnson’s recent conversations.
Israelis first became aware of the story through an article in Israel Hayom , the most widely read daily newspaper in the Jewish state.
EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS WHO LOVE LEBANON WANT TO KNOW: IS THE STORY TRUE?
The Lebanese people and military must start “preparing Lebanon for the post-Hezbollah phase,” Johnson reportedly said.
“Why do you look afraid?” she is said to have asked them.
“Hezbollah has become defeated, its leadership has been destroyed, we are with you, and the whole free world stands by you. We not only want to limit Hezbollah’s influence, we will strike its lines of support, and work non-stop to topple the regime in Iran as well.”
The article in Al-Ahkbar indicates that a team of 15 CIA officers just arrived in Lebanon and that more are coming.
To be clear, ALL ARAB NEWS cannot yet independently verify these quotes or assertions.
But they are worth drawing to the attention of Evangelical Christians and others who are praying for the safety, security, and independence of Lebanon.
If true, such comments by Ambassador Johnson would strongly suggest the Biden-Harris administration is trying to leverage the war between Hezbollah and Israel to undermine and destroy Hezbollah influence inside Lebanon.
They would also indicate that the White House, State Department and CIA are quietly working on undermining and possibly overthrowing the Iranian regime.
But again, is the story true?
The fact that the comments were first published in a pro-Hezbollah newspaper should raise doubts.
Yet it is possible that Johnson really did say such things and that no other publication felt comfortable in making the comments public.
WHAT ELSE DID US AMBASSADOR LISA JOHNSON ALLEGEDLY TELL LEBANESE LEADERS?
According to Al-Akhbar, Johnson urged Lebanese leaders to push for the election of army commander General Joseph Aoun to become the next president of Lebanon.
“He will appoint a strong commander of the Lebanese army, and we will help the army to restrain all Hezbollah supporters, and you will get all the support from the Arabs and the West,” she allegedly said. “But it’s time for you to act now.”
Johnson stated that the Lebanese should use the opportunity of the war between Israel and the Iranian-backed terror army to “eliminate Hezbollah completely, beyond just degrading its military capabilities.”
Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the chief of Hezbollah for the past 32 years, was recently killed by an Israeli air strike.
Eighteen 18 of the top 18 leaders of Hezbollah have been assassinated by Israel over the past three months.
Some 4,000 senior and mid-level Hezbollah terror operatives were killed or wounded this Fall when their pagers and walkie-talkies blew up in their hands or on their belts.
What’s more, upwards of 80% of Hezbollah’s missiles have also been reportedly destroyed by the IDF.
All this has left the once seemingly indomitable terror group in nearly complete control of Lebanon.
Now, the entire Hezbollah organization is in tatters.
That said, “Israel cannot accomplish everything through military means alone,” Johnson reportedly told Lebanese leaders in a series of private meetings that were supposed to be off the record.
“The time has come for you to step up and initiate internal resistance,” she said. “”The Lebanese people must demonstrate their determination to rise up and free themselves from Hezbollah.”
“Why does Hezbollah’s potential defeat seem to frighten you?” Johnson is said to have asked.
“Its leadership structure has been dismantled, and we stand ready to support you. The entire free world will back your efforts. Our aim extends beyond merely restricting Hezbollah’s influence. We intend to target its support systems and maintain pressure until the Iranian regime falls.”
“Lebanese political leaders must now take decisive action.”
Joel C. Rosenberg Joel C. Rosenberg is the editor-in-chief of All Arab News. He is a New York Times best-selling author, Middle East analyst, and Evangelical who lives in Jerusalem.
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