Iran Has Not Conquered Lebanon

In order to "prove" that Gerald Flurry is "That Prophet" PCG's writers have made hysterical announcements that Iran is growing more and more powerful in order to claim that Gerald Flurry's proclamation that Iran is the "King of the South" that he made in 1994. As part of this fear mongering campaign against Iran PCG's writers have proclaimed that Lebanon has been conquered by Iran via Hezbollah.

Here are some examples of PCG's hysterics. Here is one example from May 2008.

First, Iran conquered the Gaza Strip. Now, through Hezbollah, it controls Lebanon. What piece of territory will Iran conquer next?

Hezbollah terrorists recently overthrew the pro-democracy government of Lebanon. Sadly, the international community essentially stood back and let this happen. Everyone knows that Hezbollah operates as a proxy of Iran. A similar scenario occurred in the summer of 2007, when the mullahs in Tehran engineered the overthrow of the Gaza Strip through Hamas. The world was silent then too! (Gerald Flurry, Iran Conquered Lebanon, Now What?, May 19, 2008.)

Here is another example from August 2008.

Do you understand just how dangerous what happened in Lebanon in May truly was? May 9, Iran put a choke hold on Lebanon in order to preserve its position on Israel’s northern frontier. This act of war sounded a death knell for Lebanese democracy, strengthened Iran’s grip on the Middle East, and dramatically increased the threat to Israel and beyond.

Amazingly, the United States and the international community did nothing. ...

What occurred in Lebanon was nothing less than a bleak surrender by Lebanon’s Western-backed governing coalition—and a major victory for the Hezbollah terrorist group and its primary sponsor, Iran.
That the United States, the United Nations and others pretended it was anything else is a measure of their own capitulation to Iran. (Joel Hilliker and Gerald Flurry, Iran Conquered Lebanon...Now What?, August 2008.)

This example is from June 2009.

The real story is more complex, and far less reassuring.

In truth, Hezbollah had no intention of taking over the government of Lebanon. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said as much before the election. He promoted Maronite Christian Michel Aoun as leader of the Hezbollah political bloc. Hezbollah itself only stood 11 candidates, all of whom won. Its popularity among the Lebanese is unchanged.

Hezbollah is perfectly satisfied with its current position in Lebanon: as the political opposition with veto power. That position will remain—just watch. ...

Hezbollah has already conquered the nation, for all practical purposes—but it is not interested in governing. To characterize its failure to win a legislative majority as a stunning setback and a humiliating defeat ignores the reality of what it is really there to accomplish. (Joel Hilliker, Did Hezbollah Really Lose in Lebanon?, June 10, 2009.)

Here's another one from January 2011.

Back in 2008, Hezbollah brandished its military might in Beirut, forcing the Lebanese government to acquiesce to the Iranian proxy group’s demands for veto power within the government. At the time, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry explained how those actions meant the death of Lebanese democracy—even while Western media proclaimed that the compromise raised hopes for a more stable future for the country. ...

The events on Wednesday also showcased America’s lack of influence in the country. ...

The last five years have proven America is unable to remove Hezbollah’s choke hold on Lebanon. ...

As America’s influence wanes in the region, Iran is filling the void. Its choke hold on Lebanon is complete, and it’s now maneuvering to use the same strategy in Iraq. (Victor Vejil, Iran-Backed Hezbollah Topples Lebanon’s Government, January 14, 2011.)

Don't these people in Edmond remember the Lebanese Civil War? Lebanon happens to be divided into numerous sectarian groups.

Consequently even though it seems Hezbollah is on top of the pecking order in some ways it can be reliably assumed that other groups will keep Hezbollah in check.

Iran has not conquered Lebanon.

Hezbollah has not conquered Lebanon.

Many other political factions are able to operate freely within Lebanon. Some are aligned with Hezbollah. Many others are opposed. The situation is complicated. But at least thankfully there has been no return to the dark days of civil was had raged before. May such a war never again happen in Lebanon.

Because of Gerald Flurry's proclamation in 1994 that Iran is the King of the South PCG is biased towards "proving" this claim and consequently is inclined to play up Iran and Hezbollah's power in viewing events in Lebanon. That is why PCG can make such sensationalist claims like that.