Iranian intervention revives an ancient enmity

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Iranian intervention revives an ancient enmity: Alarm about Hizbullah was also rooted in concerns in ruling circles about a Sunni-Shia schism across the Arab world, Mr Doyle said. It is almost two years since King Abdullah of Jordan warned of the advent of a Shia "crescent" stretching from Iran and Iraq to Lebanon, potentially absorbing and energising Shia minorities that populate key oil-producing areas.

And claims by Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Shia Muslim Hizbullah, that his movement is Islam's bold new standard bearer have sent a chill up the spines of the region's conservative, authoritarian Sunni regimes. "Hizbullah is not fighting a battle for Hizbullah or even for Lebanon," Mr Nasrallah said this week. "We are now fighting a battle for the [Islamic] nation."""