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Hezbollah Faces PressureAfter Bulgaria Indictment

Ali Hashem examines responses in Lebanon and abroad to Bulgaria's accusations against Hezbollah for the Burgas bombing.
Lebanese Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim sheikhs listen to Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during a rally to commemorate the birth of Prophet Mohammad in Beirut's suburbs, January 25, 2013.  REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3CY5E

Whispering can be heard in Beirut. Everyone wants to know more about the Bulgarian investigation in which Hezbollah has been accused of carrying out the July 2012 attack in Burgas that killed five Israeli tourists. Few are those who dare to raise their voice and question, “Is it really Hezbollah?” Even fewer are those who dare to utter, “It’s time that Hezbollah pays the price!”

A few weeks ago, a visit as quiet as a whisper was made by a Bulgarian official to Hezbollah's stronghold of south Beirut. According to a source close to the Islamist group, at a meeting with a member of Hezbollah the Bulgarian allegedly said that “pressure is being exerted on Sofia to indict Hezbollah, but there was no clear evidence.” The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity added, “The accusation was a bit surprising to the group, as they never thought a sovereign state like Bulgaria would bow to pressure by the US and Israel.”

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