After threatening street protests, Amal and Hezbollah step back

Barely announced, the street rally planned for Wednesday in downtown Beirut at the call of Hezbollah and Amal was ultimately postponed. While the parties explained their decision as an effort to “preserve stability and make room for dialogue,” the real reasons seem to lie in the latest diplomatic developments — coming on the eve of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack’s visit.The rally was intended as a protest against the measures Nawaf Salam’s Cabinet took in early August, regarding the disarmament of militias. In its first statement, the Amal-Hezbollah duo said it was rejecting “these measures dictated by pressure coming from abroad.” It underscored “the legitimacy of the resistance’s weapons as a tool of national defense,” calling for turning the mobilization into “a historic day of unity and of refusal to bow down.” A few hours later, a second...