During his sermon delivered at Al-Imamayn al-Hassanayn in Haret Hreik, in the presence of several religious, social and political figures on Friday, Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah said Lebanon is a bargaining card used by powerful countries in order to exert pressures on Syria. Fadlallah said the country is going through a period of "political chaos full of sectarian positions," which will lead to the failure of democracy and liberty: "The sectarian speeches delivered by some officials in the name of democracy and liberty will lead to the failure of these principles."Fadlallah added that the U.S. is using Lebanon to exert pressure on Syria and to achieve its interests through that strategy. "Everyone knows that 'international arrogance' is seeking to achieve its own interests and not Lebanese interests, and is using Lebanon as a bargaining card to exert pressure on another country in the framework of its strategy to exert pressure on the whole region."