Hezbollah MPs, Rivals Clash in Parliament Over Israel

The second day of a general parliamentary debate session saw a heated verbal clash between Hezbollah lawmakers and political rivals over the party's arms and the southern escalation. Hezbollah MP Ihab Hamadeh told opponents to 'Go check what the Israelis said about Ali al-Taher. Shame on you,' prompting independent MP Waddah Sadek to retort, 'Go check who brought the Israelis into the country!' Lebanese Forces MP Ziad Hawat intervened, telling Hamadeh 'Enough with showing off. Go show off in front of the Israelis,' after which Hamadeh called rival MPs 'the cronies of Israel' and Hawat responded 'You have brought Israel into the country.' The exchange underscored the deepening political rift over Hezbollah's weapons ahead of the disarmament debate mandated by the June framework.