".. Events in Lebanon are a stinging slap in the face to President Obama & a colossal, if expected, failure of American policy in our region.."

 Hariri 'toughies' downward-jabbing a ...........photo of Miqati

Yisrael Hayom says that if the Hezbollah-backed Sunni candidate becomes the next prime minister in Beirut, Lebanon "will have openly become Hezbollahstan, a country under Shi'ite control and – worse – under the hegemony of Hezbollah and Iran."  The author believes that if this happens, Syria "will quickly learn that it has lost its historic role as kingmaker in Lebanon, in favor of Iran and Hezbollah," and says that the "treason" of Walid Jumblatt and Michel Aoun has made Hezbollah's takeover possible.  While the paper declares that "Events in Lebanon are a stinging slap in the face to President Obama and a colossal, if expected, failure of American policy in our region," it nevertheless adds that developments in Beirut presage no great change for Israel since "Even under Saad Hariri, Hezbollah prospered without hindrance."  The editor notes that "Israel now finds itself surrounded by Hamastan in the south and Hezbollahstan in the north."