The Northern city of Tripoli is witnessing an all-out war between the army and Islamic groups. Why is it happening?
Smoke rising from the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp(Reuters)
Of all the people listening to the news on the violence in Tripoli today, Ban Ki Moon, the United Nations secretary general, is the least surprised.
After all, the sight of Bashar al Assad, the dictator of Syria, waving his hands and threatening to “set the region on fire” from the Caspian to the Mediterranean is still very vivid in his memory.
Fatah Al Islam, “Al-Quaeda in Lebanon” and Hezb-ul-tawheed, all Sunni extremist groups, are waging a vicious war in Tripoli to save their puppeteers back in Damascus.
They don’t have demands, they just want to destroy stuff and kill as much soldiers, women and children as they could. Perhaps some dimwitted international souls will then think that the tribunal is causing the Lebanese to “kill each other”
The Tripoli incident is not isolated. The infighting between Fatah and Hamas militants in Gaza is part of the same sinister scheme. The Palestinians have been wondering in the last few days: If the leaders of Fatah and Hamas are agreeing on cease fires, why are the militants still fighting? Who are they taking their orders from?
Again, the place to look at is Damascus.
Bashar saw how Mr. Moon, at the sound of an explosion in the Iraq green zone, got frightened and ducked. He hopes that the sight of the first Palestinian and Lebanese deaths will change Mr. Moon’s mind about the Hariri Tribunal, now well in its way towards materializing, and make him duck.
Now, in Tripoli, my family is scared from the sounds of shelling and ambulances roaming about and the sight of army Tanks patrolling the streets. Some of them are not even allowed to go to the balcony to watch. 12 heroic soldiers have died so far, but we all remain steadfast and all agree: These are the desperate and last fighting breaths of a dying regime.
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I've been blogging about Lebanese society, business and politics since February 2005.
If the leaders of Fatah and Hamas are agreeing on cease fires, why are the militants still fighting? Who are they taking their orders from?
I know Steve meant it as a rhetorical question. Still, answer: revisit Lebanon circa 75-76.
Remember the amnesty for those islamists who attacked the army in the 90s, in the same region, and also beheaded an officer?
Bravo to the Lebanese political establishment: you all suck and if the army does not protect you now I won’t blame it.
Finally in the file “idiots never learn”:
Skirting the issue with Hezbo to save the “tourist season” last year got us war. The best that the same idiots (biz community too) can come up with now, is 100-day truce so we can have a nice tourist season.
What is more important the next 30 years and the future of the country, or being a disneyland-bordello for 2 months every year (which you can’t even do)?
Thanks for being so prompt and on top of the news on your blog. I know you are from Triploli and was happy to see you have something on this sad “incident”. Doesn’t qualify as a tragedy yet but whose decision is it. Are we going to witness another politician’s plea for calm and forgiveness? Maybe we all we are is a bunch of inept teens with different set of busy step parents to whom we run to everytime we can’t take care of our own problems… And Syria the mean maid is there to offer a helping hand after starting the fight…
Akkkkkhhhh ya albe like my mom says….
Mus: Hope your parents are fine. Please keep us updated on how the city reacts after the dust settles.
Syria is not behind the Fateh-Hamas clashes. Syria doesn’t have that kind of pull (it wishes it did, or rather, wants to give the impression that it does, to get paid for something it cannot deliver). It’s small fish. That’s a bigger fight, involving Iran.
I am praying for Lebanon, but Iran wants blood and so do the evil desperados in the camps. I hope the army will be strong and do what it has to do to protect Lebanon and stop the rot getting worse and the army will have to be very tough to fight these guys and this is going to get worse from the looks of things. Again, you, your family and all the good people of Lebanon are being prayed for. May they stay safe.
The key dynamics are different; except for Hezbo’, all different parties to this country are united in supporting the army.
They tried hiding in Qalamoun, a known ahabsh stronghold, but the population opposed them… so they split and went different ways. The ahbash in tripoli may be supporting them, but this is very circumscribed. The Lebanese army is really hammering at them, and has a lot of popular support, if not unanimity… Even Fatah and Hamas are backing the army.
Let’s hope they do not stop this time, like in ’73
Mustapha,
Just to clarify; I hear the army losses were higher.
I also want to extend my best wishes; Allah yehme Ahlak. May God keep your family and the people of Tripoli, Koura, and Denniyeh safe; this is a large operation. So far, the people have shown much courage in very difficult circumstances.
I know of many people who helped the army, carrying its wounded, providing logistics, and giving directions. Some of the civilians caught in the cross-fire may have been actually helping the troops.
There may be hope for Lebanon, after all…
When will you start blaming your illegal Government for a change?…… What is this madness…… you and your likes have a habit of always blaming others for your own mistakes and responsibilities?
It is clear that you are either a member or a sympathizer of the Future Movement your compass aims directly to the Alwyite in Syria , You are the ones bringing back Syria to Lebanon you Hypocrites with your corrupt behavior and rhetoric.
What a bunch of Puppets, you are the last people who want democracy, you want Lebanon to be just a Saudi Disney Province, your new Masters. Every time something happens because of bad internal policies, you immediately blame Syria to deviant the facts, but let me assure to you that; you and the so called government you claim to be, are exposed to the Lebanese people, and this is why you are avoiding elections, because you are afraid of the people’s judgment, people who are fed up and sick to their stomach with your same rhetoric.
If this gang continues with this rhetoric and keeps on refusing to delegate and share power equally with all Lebanese factions and keeps on picturing the situation as if the Sunni’s are in danger; which is not true because Lebanon is in danger and not only the Sunni-es, then Lebanon is heading to become a failed State under the complete control by the United Nations= America and Europe= Israel , and then you will start witnessing a similar state like Iraq, the constructive chaos , and this will start from Tripoli and invades its way to the South where the main target is Hezbollah, then the Israelis will also enter from the South to create more instability and Chaos.
This will be the End of Lebanon……..wake up you fools
I am sad for the soldiers who were injured or dead in this operation, God bless them. I hope they arrest all these thugs and bring them to trial. Can someone send a bomb to Bashar please? whne will Syria wake up and overthrow their ruling mafioso?
It makes a lot of sense for Syria to support al-Qaeda when al-Qaeda hates Syria?
Your idiocy never ceases to amaze me.
To Hypocrites and Danial (Denial, speak londonese very best?)
Please keep talking, you’re doing an excellent job at showing how morally defunct you can be.
To Some real dumbasses in here
The Only Morally defunct are those Sunni extremists who are extremely sectarian and kill people with no moral justification.
We will not allow you to harm our security and our national unity and our national army you hypocrites…. You are exposed
And keep your reverse psychology to idiots like you……..
shit, I didn’t know there were actual Bashar mercenaries on this board. For those of you who are looking from inspiration from Iran, Syria, Israel, Saudi, etc… whatever your clan pays you to do, I have one thing to say. You’re either with us (Lubnan) or against us. Love it or leave it. You should be tried for treason. Khawana, ibn kalb. Woolak baddak mean yhazabak ya wati.
To KB
Your democratically attitude really is being tested. You claim you are democratic and yet can’t stand the truth and also can’t accept the other sides opinion if it collides with your sectarian objectives.
You see, you always have to mention other countries in your discussions, and accuse your Lebanese country men of being Syrian or others…..because you are used to having a Master, and you are the furthest from being independent or representing the true united Lebanon.
So keep your filthily language to yourself and throw your hatred to the sea. It won’t help you carry out your point of view.
Yo Hypo,
Quit acting like you care about Lebanon. You don’t support your army vs. thugs?? you should be kicked staright out of Lubnan, tried for treason ya kha-inn, ta rabeek. This is not about secterian agendas dummass, this is about Lubnan the country. You’re just another Syrian agent who needs to be rooted out. Nobody is talking secterian crap except you. This is the day when the true lebanese are separated from the mercenaries like you whether you’re an agent of Syria or Israel, go to hell.
Hypo,
Democracy does not garantee the rights of killers, traitors, murdurers. It is about time thuggs who were allowed to carry weapons in Lubnan are brought to justice.
LUBNAN SHALL PREVAIL MY FRIEND
Jeha wrote: “Qalamoun, a known ahbash stronghold”
Really? I have not noticed.
To KB,
The hell with you and this site,
It reeks with hatred and sectarianism, and it advocates divisions all the time.
You are the last people to talk about Kha-inn , because you are the definition of it, you cowards….
Lebanese and Proud
Hey guys, thank you all for your good wishes.
Jeha. Qualamoun is in fact a FM stronghold. Also, you’re right, the number of casualties is higher. When I wrote the article it was still in the beginning.
Don’t you think it’s time Mustafa to drop the propoganda and get real. You want us to believe that the ultimate of Sunni Wahabi fundementalists are working with the Shia/Alawite axis – do you even understand their idiology??
Yes we have a problem with Syria and it’s intentions, but what has just been exposed is another major problem we have in Lebanon, Sunni fundementalists that the govern has gone soft on in the hope they stay quiet and it has them as a counterweight to Hizballah. When Frakenstein built his monster, he turned on him in the end. These are the frankenstein’s monster of this government’s policy.
hey Mario,
lovely name for a Syrian agent, Freudian slip my friend? you’re another Bashar Mafioso from Sicily wanna be… Go back to Sooria, once day Lubnan shall prevail. Go cry to mama now. You must be proud to defend Bashar and some agents of sunni fandamentalist thugs. Baddak mean ykassir rasak.
man…the whole middle east is fucked up. you have iran wanting to be the big dick on the block and supporting any number of militant groups. you have syria trying to pull the strings for iran so iran doesnt get dirty. throw in libya, saudi arabia, israel, egypt, iraq and a good dash of al-qaeda and you have an ultimate mix of utter ridiculousness. you have hamas that has elected leaders living in other countries (syria) just like hezbollah and several others. that would be like if the new french president decided he was gonna live in australia and still govern france. makes no sense. you have groups like fatah in the palestinian territories trying to finally get a palestinian homeland ( akey issue in the whole arab/israeli conflict), but you have hamas still threatening and launching rockets into israel. WHAT THE FUCK IS THE MATTER OVER THERE??? are you all afraid of life without fighting?? what would all the toy makers do if they suddenly didnt sell all those toy ak’s or “suicide” vests?? or the people that make all those hamas or hezbollah flags?? maybe they should start making toy cars or maybe space toys or something. give the kids something positive to play with. look at even that damn mickey mouse rip off cartoon. what the fuck??? teaching kids to become militants,,,how about teaching kids to be lawyers or doctors or even football players. do you see that on tv in the west?? no cause we are trying to educate our kids with math and science and languages. its all insane. i see glimmers of hope every now and then, then something happens and i am forced to re-think what is happening. 1 step forward 2 steps back. i guess the main question is: what do you want?? either be part of the solution or get the hell outta the way.
Always after deadly incidents,blog comments get nasty and poeple start pointing fingers.What happened on the streets of Tripoli,was a disaster.Seeing lebanese soldiers dead for doing their duty tore my heart,it doesnt matter who these band of armed thugs are,who they take orders from,or what they want,what matters is the Lebanese army was defending itself and its citizens.So instead of pointing the finger and claiming urselves as more lebanese then others,how about supporting the army and the institutions,ie your Government,because thats the only way to be lebanese.All those in the Opposition camp like “hypocrite” take this opportunity and blame the “unconstitutional” government as they have done in the last 2 yrz.I never saw any Hizbos protecting the army or the citizens.Your a sad excuse for an opposition.
Qalamouni, Mustapha,
Qalamoun is today an FM stronghold, but it had always been before close to the ahbash; the terrorists who planned the bomb attack against Balamand were from there.
This is beside the point; today, all are united. I understand that both Moslems from Qalamounis and Christians from Kalhat and Fi3 supported the army in this.
i guess i should have stated that i give my full support to the lebanese army for sacrificing in doing their jobs to protect lebanon and to lebanon’s citizens who are trying to change lebanon for the better. hezbollah, sorry but you do not fit into either of those catagories.
Allah Yhmeee Lebanon , all its people , In The Whole North, Beurit , the Whole South , from you ya Z3rann Al Mustakbal,
Allah Yrhamak ya Raffic Harri , you would have been very disappointed because they are doing exactly what you always warned as a NO NO ,
Allah yehme Lebanon from Unethical Behaviors….
Dear fiends in Lebanon, I’m from far away, Argentina and Uruguay, where many lebanese immigrated, sirians, etc. From very far, I see a lot of untolerance, hate , insults, blaming in some of your exchanges. We had just that here in the 1970′s. In our case it was left against right. We had killing, bombing, kidnapping, polarizing of brains and souls, neigbours becoming enemies, all that. When all fighting dust settled, all tempers cooled down, all wounds stopped bleeding, we looked around and we were all neighbours. We have not been caught in that hate circle any more. Now it’s not perfect at all, but we now we don’t want to get back into that. So there’s one thing we all defend: we must preserve our rights and those of our neighbours, and preserve ways to solve differences tru a set of rules we all respect. Then life doesn’t magically improve, you still have good and bad around, but little by little, good finds its way. Excuse me for this comment. I just want to share what I’ve lived with you.I wish you earn peace, together. It’s much harder than fighting so you really have to be brave and smart to conquer peace because you risk being perceived as weak and a loser. So it takes really strong people to turn war into peace.