The challenges Hezbollah is facing in the various spheres in which it is involved point to a growing erosion in the organization position. A good example of this is the fact that last month, Argentina officially designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets in the country. The decision was symbolically announced on the 25th anniversary of the AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires.
Argentina has blamed Iran and its Lebanon-based proxy Hezbollah for the deadly attack, and the designation made it the first South American country to take this step, which many now hope Brazil and Paraguay will echo; and chances of that are seemingly realistic.
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Hezbollah's illegal operation on the border triangle between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, are cause for concern for many nations in South America and beyond.
US pressure to designate the Shiite group a terrorist organization is also exerted in Venezuela, where Hezbollah has put down roots. Syria-born Tareck el-Aissami, President Nicolás Maduro's national industries and industrial production minister, is a known Hezbollah supporter.
Once Hezbollah is quelled in South America, efforts to undermine it should focus on South Africa, where the group enjoys both financial and political support.
Many Shiites from Lebanon immigrated to Africa decades ago, where they settled and prospered, and today they serve as something of a prop for Hezbollah on the continent. Only recently we learned that a tip from the Mossad intelligence agency led Uganda authorities to arrest a suspected Hezbollah agent and prevent a terrorist attack.
In Lebanon, where Hezbollah enjoys considerable political clout, the group is also facing growing opposition.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri are staunch supporters of the Shiite terrorist group, but many other political parties and entities are becoming increasingly vocal in their criticism of Hezbollah, which they blame for dragging Lebanon into a potential conflict with Israel – something that would spell Lebanon's ruin.
Moreover, Iran has slashed the financial support that it lends Hezbollah because of the financial crisis Tehran is facing over US sanctions, so it seems Hezbollah is feeling the crunch, in and outside of Lebanon.
This, of course, is a welcome trend and future diplomatic and political steps to propel it forward should be encouraged.
For example, Saudi Arabia was the intermediary of the 1989 Taif Agreement, which ended the Lebanese civil war. Under certain circumstances, Riyadh could seek to reopen the deal and demand that Hezbollah disarms and disbands – just as the Taif Agreement demanded of other Lebanese militias.
This may seem to be an impossible task, but in the Middle East that is shaping before our very eyes nothing is impossible – if you have the right objectives in mind.
