BEIRUT, Lebanon: Editors of two Lebanese dailies have addressed the issue of Hezbollah’s declining status in political and public standing in Lebanon.

Ibrahim Al-Amin, editor of the Hezbollah-affiliated daily Al-Akhbar, wrote that only "divine help" would save Hezbollah in its current state. Some 10 days later, he even called on Hizbullah to leave the political arena and focus on resistance, in order to improve its situation.

Sati' Nour Al-Din, editor of the pro-Syrian daily Al-Safir, assessed that the Shi'ites' silence over the actions and statements of extremists throughout Lebanon stemmed from weakness and fear. This fear, he said, was triggered by the possible collapse of the Syrian regime, which has heretofore supplied the Hezbollah with weapons that gave them an advantage over the other sects in the country.