60 public figures from the Shi'ite community have gathered over the last few days at a hotel in Beirut, in an attempt to challenge the dominance of terror group Hezbollah in the country. The Shi'ites are now being called "traitors" on social media, with an academic who attended the conference admitting, "We know we will pay a price."
The conference organizers state that the meeting is meant to voice different opinions within the Shi'ite community. "We met and debated and found that one thing that brings us together concerns the building of a strong state with sovereignty over its land and borders. A state that ensures the transfer of power in a periodic manner in accordance with the formulas established in the constitution. A state that enforces its sovereignty through its army and security forces without distractions."
Hezbollah's recent Shi'ite resistence is reportedly counting on Hezbollah's entanglement in Syria in order to increase their own power in the Lebanese elections, which have not been held since 2009.