This is unusual

In the face of the fierce Israeli assault on Hezbollah -- the Party of Allah -- in Lebanon, A number of Arab governments have condemned. . . Hezbollah.

With the battle between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah raging, key Arab governments have taken the rare step of blaming Hezbollah, underscoring in part their growing fear of influence by the group’s main sponsor, Iran.

Saudi Arabia, with Jordan, Egypt and several Persian Gulf states, chastised Hezbollah for “unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts” at an emergency Arab League summit meeting in Cairo on Saturday.

The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, said of Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel, “These acts will pull the whole region back to years ago, and we cannot simply accept them.” Prince Faisal spoke at the closed-door meeting but his words were reported to journalists by other delegates.

The meeting ended with participants asserting that the Middle East peace process had failed and requesting help from the United Nations Security Council.

Such a condemnation is virtually unprecedented. Israel is always accused of being the bad actor by Arab nations. Is this a tactical move by these Arab leaders, or are we seeing a strategic shift in the Middle East -- one in which Iran, not Israel, is seen as the greater threat to regional stability?