Lebanese Leaders - Who's Scared of Who?

Worth remembering that Guardian interview with Hezbollah cleric Sayed Ali on 29th July, when having laid out the ways and means with which Hezbollah will destroy Israel he gloated: "Even when the battle with the Israelis is over, Hezbullah will have other battles to fight. The real battle is after the end of this war. We will have to settle score with the Lebanese politicians. We also have the best security and intelligence apparatus in this country, and we can reach any of those people who are speaking against us now. Let's finish with the Israelis and then we will settle scores later.

Watching the Lebanese leaders now, can we second guess how they see the outcome of this conflict? They have to marry threats against Hezbollah with threats against Israel. Lebanon's defence minister, Christian Elias Murr, chances his luck: "anyone firing rockets at Israel from the south will be considered a traitor", but he tightropes: "The Lebanese army this time has a clear order to shoot on any intrusion and if we get in war with Israel, this time war won't be like they say between Israel and terrorist, this time they will have to fight the Lebanese army." He expects Hezbollah to pack and go, or so he said.

Sunni Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, despite a bitterly divided cabinet, famously gushed with pride and affection, late 2005: "The government considers the resistance a natural and honest expression of the Lebanese people’s national rights to liberate their land and defend their honour against Israeli aggression".

For Lebanese policiticians, it is not a question of hanging onto power, it is a question of hanging on to life. Who's to know what they really think? But as previously mentioned, those Christian and Druze leaders that are ready to speak out are extraordinarily brave. Any comments?