Hezbollah Channeling Anger Towards Army
Hezbollah’s wing of the opposition is blaming the army for yesterday’s events…For political reasons.
It’s all your fault General Sleiman! (Reuters)
In an angry voice, Hezbollah MP. Ali Ammar told an Almanar talk show that “the blood of the people of the south and of Dahieh cannot be used as a stepping stone by those aspiring to high positions”. Not a very veiled jab at Mr. Suleiman, the army’s head and supposedly consensus presidential nominee.
Hezbollah and Syrian media are blaming the army, not the snipers for yesterday’s deaths. Their allies at the FPM had blamed the rooftop snipers, whose footage was seemingly captured by OTV.
Call me cynical but this seems all too convenient for Syria, who not long ago made it known that it no longer wants Mr. Sleiman for the presidency (and according to today’s Albalad newspaper, proposed Jean Obeid and Fares Boueiz as alternatives). Calling Mr. Sleiman responsible for the deaths yesterday is just the poison his candidacy needed. Hezbollah, it appears, will be glad to administer it.
Hezbollah’s supporters have always secretly disliked the army and saw it as a wussy competitor to Hezbollah that couldn’t defend them if Israel were to invade again. Hezbollah supporters were the ones who sheered least when the army emerged victorious from the Naher El Bared confrontations.
Does Mr. Sleiman still have a chance at the presidency?
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Hello, my name is Mustapha and I blog in The Beirut Spring about Lebanese society and politics. I started in February 2005 after the killing of P.M. Rafik Hariri.
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[...] And the fact that Hizbullah is now pointing the finger directly at the army is very significant. Could the opposition had staged the protest, started the riot by firing at the army from inside the crowd, and assured even more anger by having snipers pick off Hamza all to discredit General Suleiman? I would say it a more likely scenario than March 14th forces trying to deliberately start a civil war. [...]
[...] And the fact that Hizbullah is now pointing the finger directly at the army is very significant. Could the opposition had staged the protest, started the riot by firing at the army from inside the crowd, and assured even more anger by having snipers pick off Hamza all to discredit General Suleiman? I would say it a more likely scenario than March 14th forces trying to deliberately start a civil war. [...]
Yes the Army is in part responsible…..it is responsible for leaving the snipers shoot for almost three hours killing few protesters under the eyes of the media without taking any step in stoping them,or catching anyone of them….they just showed some muscles over few non armed protesters that we saw the army beating them like hell….while the snipers continued their game of hunt on their shrine untouched…..
It’s only going to get worse. What else can Hezbollah do but try to turn the people of Lebanon against the Army? The Army has crossed a “red line” – it is not permissible to interfere with anything Hezbollah does and that would include riots and destruction of private property.
It simply cannot be allowed. The Lebanese Army is now their new “enemy” – referred to as the “enemy within” according to posts on lfpm. Read the thread about “Hunting Shia”. Scary stuff.
It is definitely the Army’s blame.
Who the fuck asked them to bring riffles to the scene, that is civilian in nature.
Poor poor judgment.! Where is the police?
Usually you send the police to deal with civilians, not an armed army.
Someone had to think about the consequences of this stupid behavior.
.
At last Hizb are beginning to be seen even more clearly for what they are – no friends of Lebanon. Nothing short of an Islamic republic will appease them – and that will not be allowed. The young and unemployed – unemployed due to the actions of Hizb over the last few years and its demonstration downtown which has strangled Lebanon – are being used and could lose everything, as will all of Lebanon. I am praying for peace – but I am watching them like a hawk since they do not know how to work with others.
Hah! Who didn’t see this one coming, please raise your hand…
Gotta love how the same people who start unrest, rioting, and burning of private property (cars, etc.) manage to blame the authorities and (of course), Israeli agents, for the deaths. How do people still fall for that?
Amir, Police or Army would’ve made no difference. The Hizbullah base already hates the police (internal security forces) and accuses them of being a sunni militia on Hariri’s payroll. Had they been the one responding to the riots (rather than the army), the sunni-shia issue would’ve been even worse, and you can bet Hizbullah would’ve accused Hariri and Saniora of ordering the ISF to fire on the protesters.
Don’t fall for the disingenious attempts at obfuscation and misdirection here. These guys have been doing it for years. Don’t let yourself be dragged into debate about snipers and whether they were firing standing up or sitting down, or with a dildo up their ass. It’s irrelevant. Mustapha’s first paragraph is really the meat of the matter here: The opposition started unrest (conveniently disguised as something about power cuts) as a pretext for all this. We’ve all seen this coming for 2 weeks already.
You gotta love how THEY (the opposition) are the ones that start violence (last i checked, torching cars and destroying private property was considered illegal), in areas they control very tightly (notice, no protests anywhere else, except Dahieh), and then somehow manage to blame the Army, the government, Israel, the CIA, and everyone else but themselves.
And let me add this…
To all you conspiracy theorists with brains the size of a peanuts…I dare anyone of you to go to Dahieh or any such Hizbollah controlled area, and get on a rooftop with a rifle….
Anyone who’s been anywhere near Dahieh knows that NOTHING happens in those areas without Hezbollah knowing about it.
Food for thought.
BV, glad to see you regained your constructive posture. I for one truly appreciate your insightful contribution.
We should not easily waiver or condemn everyone to ‘hell’ for failing to live up to our expectations, particularly those of us who live abroad and enjoy the benefits of open and modern societies. For what our beloved country and *true* Lebanese are facing is nothing less than demonic forces.
Let them spill all their anger; the angrier they get, the more they alienate themselves. The Patriarch has lost all interest in maintaining his ridiculous balance between the majority and the opposition, and soon, so will the army.
Making them isolated both on the inside and the outside is the best thing we can do for now. The only way to do that though is to really make use of all these mistakes they’re doing. To hell with Amr Moussa’s request for lowering the media tone. The media should use these events over and over again, to show how sick these bastards are.
Jay,
I don’t feel particularly constructive, to be honest with you. I feel sick and frustrated everytime I read some of the nonesense that floats around these blogs, and in the media. And truth be told, sometimes, you have to stop being nice and tell it like it is. Lebanon, and the countless idiots in Lebanon need a slap of reality in the face.
We dance around all these taboo subjects (sectarian balance, and peace with Israel, and Arab cause, and Resistance) like sheep. We deserve to be called idiots and imbeciles. I’m sorry if I offend some of you sensible folks, when I lash out, but frankly, we Lebanese deserve to be slapped around until we start to see things for what they really are. Show me one other people that’s so easily swayed by conspiracy theories, and foreign “causes”. The Lebanese sheeple have yet to see a “cause” they didn’t like. Except perhaps, for the notion of a proper and functional Lebanese state. Well, I’m angry. I want to say screw all you idiots who are busy debating snipers this and Arab League proposal that. You’re worse than a bunch of 2-year old toddlers, easily distracted by shiny objects. Every week, a car gets blown up, or someone farts sideways, and everyone runs around like chicken with their heads cut off, arguing about the minutiae of this or that little thing, and completely losing sight of the bigger picture. I see this every week on this blog (and other places). Last week, everyone was busy arguing the old “Why immediately accuse Syria of killing Wissam Eid?” and the week before that, it was some stupid argument over whether 10+10+10 was stealing away the Christian prerogative in Lebanon…
Newsflash, folks: While you guys argue over these little details, there is no Lebanon left.
Well said BV.
What we are seeing here is very careful brinksmanship. The question is: is it careful enough to avoid civil war? And also: is civil war unavoidable? Are people angry enough to want it? “Offended” enough?
Amir: Lebanon does not seem to work like that. The army is the most credible and appropriate force available for moderating civil disorder, as well as containing possible militia brouhaha (Hizbollah notwithstanding). If Lebanon was a place where police could effectively keep the peace, then a lot of bad things would not have happened anyways.
Protests should have been banned a long time ago in this tinder box environment.
And the army should have clearly announced, a year ago, that protests and road blocks would be met by first-bullet in the air, second-bullet on the fucks protesting. Whether they are M14, M8 or M-tizi.
Instead Saniora is closing schools in mourning, might as well tattoo: I AM FUCKING SCARED on his forehead.
Ans I forgot, he condemns what’s going on in Gaza.
Banning protests by the government is not the most reasonable thing to do. It’ll just give Aoun more excuses to bark on how the government is abusing power. It will also not stop the riots, nor will it remove the tents.
I’m really not sure what all the frustration is about? They rioted and wrecked havoc,so they got beaten up by the army. That’s something we should be happy about no? (Of course, I’m not referring to the deaths, but to the strict army response). Compare this to last year; at least it was the army that protected Ain el Remmeneh, not Fohood Tareek Jdeedi and Soqoor Jounieh.
Now, they’re accusing the army of being responsible. Let them have their clash with the army. Let them have as many clashes as they want. Instead of having the government(or the majority) deal head-on with them, let the army deal with them and diffuse any sectarian strife that could result. Meanwhile, the majority should keep its focus on how to elect a President.
The only other option available if we don’t like the -wait till everyone’s patience runs out- plan, would have to be a decisive measure on all levels.
Sleiman declares martial law, starts a real cleaning campaign from the roots, and crushes all those that stand in his way. To put a halt to the bombings and the illegal weapons, he shuts down the borders with Syria no-matter what that would implicate on the economy, and implements a secular state by force. To replace Syria, he also initiates the project for Lebanon’s energy resources by approving the underwater gas pipeline between the South and Egypt, and makes arrangements for our imports/exports to go through Jordan/Turkey. He then sends all the Palestinians to Europe since the Brits and the French are the source of the problem, and withdraws Lebanon from the Arab and Muslim Leagues. Finally after all thats been done, he resigns presenting the platform for the next secular, democratically elected government to come and negotiate what it would take to have normal relations with either Syria or Israel.
Nasrallah and Berri want an immediate and decisive investigation into the shooting of Shiite demonstrators last Sunday.
I think this is a reasonable and fair request.
However, before we start this investigation, I think it is also reasonable and fair that their ministers return to the government and sign the International Tribunal paperwork. They had resigned because they didn’t want to sign.
Because not only Shiites have been murdered lately!
Many more Christians and Sunnites have been murdered by terrorist bombs for the past two years. And someone needs to investigate those murders too. Nasrallah and Berri don’t seem at all in a hurry to investigate those murders!
Double standards?
If there are no double standards, then please Nasrallah and Berri, send back your ministers to the government, sign the International Tribunal documents and let’s start investigating all crimes.
Purple Monkey says “. Meanwhile, the majority should keep its focus on how to elect a President”
It’s not that complicated, you know. How to elect a president: Go to parliament and elect a prez with 50+1. Done.
Not sure what the hold up is.
Happy Arab,
Another investigation? Let me laugh for a minute here. There’s a stack of about 30 investigations that are currently open. 12 or so assassinations, the murder of the two Ziad’s (remember that one?), the investigation into Fath Al Islam, and countless others….
I’ve been clamoring for Martial Law for a long time now. If our neighbour to the East can be under a “state of emergency” for 30 years, without a single bomb going off there, or a single shot being fired on the Golan, surely the current situation in Lebanon warrants SOME sort of state of emergency…
But that’s exactly why these events are nothing to be frustrated about from our side. As time passed, they have managed to REALLY fuck with everyone (mostly recently the army, Sfeir, the Arabs, the French, and all those who were trying to keep an “unfair yet balanced” position).
Soon enough, I would really hope all those will realize that the 50+1 is the only way to elect a President.
To elect Suleiman with a 50+1 vote, you need him to get on board. That’s all I’m trying to say…
Oh and martial law does smell like a fresh cup of coffee…but I’m not sure we have neither the army, nor the General capable of undertaking such a mission.
One prime minister killed, 5 M.Ps, 1 army general, 170 army soldiors, 1 police capt,100’s civilian also killed i didn’t hear march8 asking for a quick investigation. Mind u those i mentioned were not burning tires and rioting.
A “State of Emergency” and Martial Law should have been called long ago, and it is the Cabinet of Ministers that calls it – not an Army General. Why didn’t they? Same reason they are not doing it now. They are afraid of what Nasrallah will do … Hello? He’s doing it – he has begun his war against Lebanon while the rest are still running in circles (including the Arab League) hoping he won’t.
Is it really a “civil war” when it comes from a guerrilla force that is armed, financed, and run by a foreign country? I said all along – Nasrallah can’t afford to lose on this deal and he NEEDS a war to escape the corner he is in. He will bring that war because it’s his only choice if M14 does not give in to his VETO.
Cayman, EXACTLY!
Ace: Indeed. M14 is afraid or incompetent or both. A state of emergency should’ve been declared a couple of years ago. After the first string of assassinations. And failing that, it should’ve been called when Nahr Al Bared happened.
Let me give you an example: When 9/11 happened in the US, within HOURS, all sorts of emergency plans were in action. The entire United States became a no-fly zone. Planes were grounded everywhere, and measures were taken. Based on ONE attack.
Don’t you think that having a terrorist group in Nahr Al Bared slaughtering our soldiers and barricading themselves in a camp be enough reason to declare some kinda of emergency????