Hezbollah moves to control the Lebanese government

BEIRUT – Iranian ally Hezbollah moved to the brink of controlling Lebanon’s next government on Monday, setting off angry protests and drawing warnings from the U.S. that its support could be in jeopardy.

Nearly two weeks after bringing down Lebanon’s Western-backed government, the Shiite militant group – considered a terrorist organization by Washington – secured support in parliament to name its own candidate for the next prime minister. The feat caps Hezbollah’s steady rise over decades from resistance force against Israel to Lebanon’s most powerful military and political power.

Protests erupted quickly in areas populated by Hezbollah’s Sunni rivals, who declared a “day of rage” today to express their rejection of what they called “Persian tutelage” over Lebanon – a reference to Hezbollah’s Iranian patrons.

Hezbollah’s candidate, billionaire businessman Najib Mikati, was set to clinch the nomination after Hezbollah and its allies lined up the needed backing of at least 65 of the 128 parliament members as voting began Monday.

Hezbollah’s Western-backed opponents maintain having an Iranian proxy in control of Lebanon’s government would be disastrous and lead to international isolation. The United States, which has poured in $720 million in military aid since 2006, has tried to move Lebanon firmly into a Western sphere and end the influence of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley warned Monday that continuing U.S. support for Lebanon would be “problematic” if Hezbollah takes a dominant role in government, though he declined to say what the U.S. would do if Hezbollah’s candidate becomes prime minister.

A Hezbollah-led government would also raise tensions with Israel, which fought a devastating 34-day war against the Shiite militants in 2006 that left 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis dead.