While the fighting between Sunni supporters of Saad Hariri and Shiite Hezbollah groups has ceased in the Christian district of Achrafiyé, other clashes began late at night near Aley, the stronghold of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. His experienced militiamen repelled an attack by the pro-Iranian militia forces. Eight initial deaths in the Hezbollah camp and one prisoner were reported. This indicates a different dimension for the militants of the Party of God, following the ease with which they took over the main Sunni strongholds in the west of the Lebanese capital. The television station run by the son of the assassinated former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in February 2005, and the offices of the foundation bearing his name, were completely vandalized after the keys to the premises were preventatively handed over to a regular army officer. An army whose strange neutrality, far from the active interposition force ardently wished for by the population, continues to fuel speculation about its real orders—a neutrality enjoyed even though Army Commander-in-Chief General Michel Sleiman has the unconditional support of the international community for the country’s presidency. Some of its Shiite elements have even discreetly colluded with the assailants.
The capital’s calm over the weekend is deceptive. The sudden stop of hostilities poorly masks the high tension accumulated in recent days: terrible stories circulate like that of Hezbollah machine-gunning a procession of civilians at the funeral of a Sunni supporter in Tarik Jdidé, a few hundred meters from the residence of the French Ambassador. Stories of residents sometimes evicted from their homes and sorted by their name, revealing their communal affiliation, remind us of the worst hours of the Lebanese civil war where the simple mention of religion on an identity card meant death or survival for its holder. On the night from Saturday to Sunday in Akkar, in the north of the country, deadly fighting between supporters of the pro-Syrian party and activists of Mustaqubal, Saad Hariri’s formation, resulted in thirteen deaths. In Tripoli, the northern city, a few shells were fired by a pro-Syrian Alawite group led by Jabal Mohsen at Sunni positions. The urgent convening of an Arab summit, the slow mobilization of the international community which timidly calls on the belligerents to “restrain”—only Canada has truly condemned Hezbollah’s actions—the contradictory statements of the French Foreign Minister according to which “France will not remain inactive” without, however, “considering an evacuation operation” are unlikely to halt the progress of Iranian-backed militiamen now encircling the headquarters of the Fouad Siniora government. The UNIFIL, the force deployed by the UN in southern Lebanon, has also not been able to prevent, as confirmed sotto voce by local UN officials, arms and munitions shipments from Iran via Syria.
Photos: nowlebanon.com
