"The ascendancy of Hezbollah is a setback to the US..."

FLC

صورة مركّبة تجمع وزراء الحكومة الجديدة باستثناء نقولا نحاس وحسان دياب

Numbers? 7 Sunni ministers and 5 Shia' ministers!
According to AP Lebanon is, alas, not in the Western 'sphere of influence'. I mean, with ambassadors, Connelly, Pieton ... daily drop in visitis to every single Lebanese politician, clergyman ... Lebanon can hardly be said to be wholly in 'somebody-elses's sphere of influence'! But hey, it's AP!

(AP) - "... The make-up of the new government is seen as almost entirely pro-Syrian. Syrian President Bashar Assad, facing a growing uprising against his rule at home, called twice to congratulate Lebanese leaders on the new government's formation.
The ascendancy of Hezbollah is a setback to the United States, which has provided Lebanon with $720 million in military aid since 2006 and has tried in vain to move the country firmly into a Western sphere and end the influence of Iran and Syria. It also underscores Iran's growing influence in the region at a time when Washington's is falling..."