As prime minister, Hariri did not directly confront Hezbollah or the Syrians, but conflict simmered nonetheless.
I think that Hezbollah, no doubt that they work together with the Syrians.
I am not against Hezbollah as a political party, but it should not be the cause of the destruction of Lebanon.
I was born in the middle of Lebanon's civil war.
Hezbollah has a presence - it is in the government, and it enjoys support in the country - but this doesn't mean that Hezbollah is in control of the entire Lebanon.
Israel lost their power to intimidate during the second war with Lebanon.
I don't want to be the policeman of Lebanon. It's not the business of Israel. Israel was not created to serve as a policeman of the region.
Although it is true that Hizballah is organized, inspired, financed, and armed by Iran, its main bases in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley are under Syrian military control.
The Lebanese Civil War, 1975-1990, spanned four World Cups. It would have been a more symmetrical five had the Lebanese begun in 1974, but you know, we're Mediterranean, and timing isn't our forte.
The Israelis are very smart about politics and strategy, but there are a few exceptions. One is Lebanon, the other is Gaza, where they were completely inept.
It's not Beirut or Bosnia.
The [Israelis] believed - they were possessed of an absolute certainty and conviction - that 'terrorists' were in Chatila. How could I explain to them that the terrorists had left, that the terrorists had worn Israeli uniforms, that the terrorists had been sent into Chatila by Israeli officers, that the victims of the terrorists were not Israelis but Palestinians and Lebanese?
When the Lebanese Civil War started in 1975, I was 15. I was shipped to boarding school in England and, after that, to UCLA.
We believe that Lebanon has been the first real experience for all the Arabs.
Every victory of Hezbollah, I celebrate.
I opposed the U.S. involvement in Lebanon. We ended up having to withdraw our marines after our barracks were blown up.
I was a child during the Lebanese civil war, and I remember Israeli bombardments. So growing up, my view of Israel was completely negative. I'm not coming from a neutral place, but with time, I've had to re-examine my thinking.
