Though the United Nations has officially demanded that Lebanon disarm and dismantle Hizballah as a fighting force, Beirut continues to insist it will do no such thing and that the terrorist militia enjoys broad popular support.
Speaking to reporters in Qatar, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman stressed that "all the Lebanese are united both behind the army and behind the resistance [Hizballah], defending their land and their dignity against aggression."
Suleiman was adamant that "no one in Lebanon, especially in the government, will harm the resistance's status."
Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, widely regarded as a moderate in Western capitals, visited Damascus on Wednesday to solidify his country's renewed ties with Syria.
Hariri called the newfound friendship between Lebanon and Syria, which illegally occupied and controlled its neighbor for decades, a response to what he called "Israeli aggression."