The Lebanese have to be very careful and wise in dealing with the attacks that shook the Beirut Central District.
If you’re an “external destabilizing party” and you want to provoke a Sunni-Shia rift in Lebanon, what better way can you think of than sending a bunch of troublemakers to bomb a neighborhood associated with the Sunni Hariri’s rebuilding efforts, using weapons that are commonly available to Hezbollah fighters?
But that was precisely what happened this dawn when a group of armed men fired three rockets onto a building in the Beirut Central District, an Icon of the March 14 elite. Fortunately, only a few people were hurt and the rest was material damage, but who did it and why?
To be sure, the explosions are part of a general trend of security disruption. But this particular incident has a lot of significance.
It happened the same day Michel Aoun, a Christian opposition leader, was planning to make a fiery speech demanding the government’s resignation in front of thousands of supporters (the event was cancelled because of bad weather).
The instigator could have calculated that the Sunnis would be in no mood to hear their beloved Prime Minister bashed from the same person who dismissed Hariri’s tribunal as a waste of time. Let alone if that happens the same day their cherished central district was bombed with weapons similar to those at the disposal of Hezbollah, who is also allied with Aoun.
Another clue is the proximity of the attack to the UN headquarters in Beirut (a direction the Lebanese government is emphasizing to reduce talk of the first possibility.)
The UN has enemies in the region because of two things: One is the UN investigation into Hariri’s murder that could point fingers to powerful regional parties. The other, more recent factor is UNIFIL 2’s presence in the South, which is straining the movement of Hezbollah.
In this light, the attacks can be seen as a warning to the United Nations not to meddle too much.
It is yet too early to know exactly who is causing these attacks, but the Lebanese have to be very careful to avoid playing right into the hands of the people who want them the least good.
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The beirut spring is a blog that is interested in Lebanese society and its politics. It started in February 2005 after the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri
October 15th, 2006 at 4:33 pm
Two quick remarks:
1- these incidents could be well organized by the government to outcast Aoun’s demo of power.
2- if the security forces are controlled by the March 14 elite, why aren’t they doing their job?
To be honest with you Mustapha, I am sick of the incompetence of the March14 government, they can’t protect us, they blame everything on the Syrians, HA and lately Aoun. (Soon they will try to blame things on the French mandate, and maybe the ottoman (Turks time))
Either they can rule, be ruled or zi7 min darib el good rulers.
Enough excuses and play the victim role and please show us some actions taken by the MArch14 other than collaborating with Lahoud and bashing Aoun for doing so; Collaborating with HA and Bashing Aoun of doing so.
Finally: Please do compare what Aoun’s speech to Samir Geagea speech and you will be able to see the big picture.
October 15th, 2006 at 11:52 pm
To Anonymous
What can the March 14 Group do really. There are trouble makers that are loyal to Syria and will cause explosions where possible to create insecurity and instability.
They can round up hundreds of prisioners and torture and kill protesters like before, but is that what you want them to do… do you want to return to such a situation as before Syria got out and an independant govt was created.
Yes, there is a little instability, and there are going to be alot more explosions. You may want to blame HA for them, and that is what they are counting on..
On top of all this, there are security services that are also still loyal to Syria, who have appointees from the Syrian occupation times. This will take time to clean up…
There is no point in blaming the government, it is not a failure of the government that people will respond with calling for the overthrow of a legitimate democratically exected governemnt, but rather it is a failure of the citizens who vote for this governemnt, and then want to change it when a foreign instigator tries to cause trouble by use of these explosions.
The people should consolidate with the government, demand tougher measures that will help in catching and prosecuting these cowards rather than demand the removal of the government.
Who can imagine that the US citizens demanded that Bush resign when the catastrophie of Sept 11 happened.
This was a plot to kill americans, like what is happening in Lebanon.
At the time of Sept 11, the entire US population was behind the US president, his approval ratings went through the roof. That is how citizens react when their country is attacked.
Compare this with what is happening in Lebanon. The country is attacked either by:
1. Foreign agents (most likely Syrian Mukhabarat)
2. Palestinian factions taking orders from Damascus
3. Lebanese traitor who was paid large sum of money
4. Lebanese citizen who has a severe grudge or mental disability.
In either of these scenarios, would it be reasonable to demand the government to resign?
I think the way citizens react is just as important as how the government reacts..
You need to show some support to your government and country… it is not bad to do so.
Regards
LebExile
October 16th, 2006 at 5:53 am
to anonymous who said about the government:
Either they can rule, be ruled or zi7 min darib el good rulers
The government serves its people not rules them. We are not living in the Middle Ages any more, we don’t want anyone to “rule” in Lebanon. Its thinking like this that has us back while the whole world moves forward.
October 16th, 2006 at 3:27 pm
To anonym #2, you took my word literally, I meant what you just said “serve”, you are absoluetly right.
For LEb Exile:
Good comaprison between the Syrian Regime and the Al Qaeda terrorist. I can even go further to say htat the Syrian regime is worse. But along the same line; how did the US government react? I enacted the patriot act, it consolidated the secret service under one command, it increased its wiretapping.
What did our governement do? blame Syria, Blame Aoun, Blame HA. It is this inability to act that frustrates me.
By the way, Aoun called many times for restructuring of the secret services, nobody responded.
I might be the only one feeling this, but I think this governement has other priorities than to serve the people. And this last question stays on my mind: what has changed as far as running the government since the Syrians left? Look at the last diplomatic nominations and you’ll find the answer.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:50 am
Hey Mustapha
Read the blog everynow and then and its OK. But I cannot help but notice your anti-shiite sentiment which is representative of a wider chain of events starting from Saad Hariri and his sunni-dictator supporters.
BTW, how come you made no mention of Hariri’s men, the ISF, killed two children recenty dahiye? Or were these two children trouble-makers as well?
And with all due respect to Martyr R. Hariri, but how could of he become so powerful and wealthy under Syrian Tutledge if he diod not deal with them?
Please Mustapha follow Martyr R. Hariri’s example and do not promote sectarian strife (or is that the Saudi’s are funding your blog, because if they are everyone can disregard my comments since all will be clear).