With Lebanon’s elections near, sources at GeoStrategy Direct are saying that the recent flare up in violence, both the bombings in Beruit and the attacks on Israel in the south, have been a deliberate attempt by Iran and Hizbullah to derail the entire process. I have a rather longish post on my own blog focusing on Hizbullah and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah. It mostly deals with national security issues and provides links for those who want more background on Hizbullah; check out Spotlight on Hassan Nasrallah to read the whole thing.

These are the two paragraphs from my GeoStrategy Direct report excerpt most pertinent to the electoral process:

Last week, Hizbullah launched a series of rocket attacks on Israel representing the heaviest clash with Israel’s military so far this year. Nasrallah has also ordered Hizbullah to infiltrate Israel and abduct soldiers. He hopes for a massive Israeli retaliation that would throw Lebanon and the rest of the region into turmoil and either postpone elections indefinitely or force the country to rally around Hizbullah…

Israeli military sources said Hizbullah has been ordered to begin attacks against Israel’s northern border while intimidating and killing opposition Lebanese leaders, particularly Druze chief Walid Jumblatt. The effort would be coordinated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and elements within Syrian intelligence…

It looks like the Lebanese are perservering, but don’t be shocked if there is more violence over the next week.