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❊ Minister Nahhas Prevented By ISF From Entering Building

The acting minister of telecommunications Charbel Nahhas was prevented by force (photo) by an ISF unit from dismantling some mysterious communications equipment in an OGERO building. Mr. Nahhas had described the equipment as “beyond the control of the ministry” and is therefore dubious and should be dismantled. After being prevented from entering the building, Nahhas accused the ISF in a fiery press conference of a “coup d’etat”, asking the Lebanese army to intervene.

The head of the ISF, General Ashraf Rifi responded that the equipment was installed based on a 2007 directive by the Lebanese government, and that only such a directive at a cabinet level can dismantle it. He added that he received a written request from the director of OGERO to protect the equipment. Rifi also accused Nahhas of withholding sensitive communications information from the ISF and of pursuing an old vendetta with it.

Here’s what I think is going on, and this is purely speculation. The equipment in question could be one of two things:

  • An independent, private communication network being used by March 14 politicians (especially those targeted for assassination like Mr. Hariri), perhaps set up using the help of the Americans and Europeans.
  • A communication network being used by the ISF for “sensitive” operations, i.e anything related to Hezbollah or the Special Tribunal for Lebanon

The reason I’m assuming the equipment is sensitive is because the ISF would not have otherwise intervened so blatantly to publicly confront a minister from shutting it down, risking major PR damage and a big loss of face for Minister ziad Baroud..

This ironically is reminiscent of what happened in 2007, when the Lebanese cabinet decided to dismantle Hezbollah’s communications network. The consequence back then was the storming of Beirut by Hezbollah which forced the cabinet to  withdraw its plans.

This could turn out to be an equally major battle with big stakes. Keep your eyes on it.

11 thoughts on “❊ Minister Nahhas Prevented By ISF From Entering Building”

  1. or the equipments that are used to monitor the internet in Lebanon
    (the hammam or the aub lesbian stories back to the end of the 90′s or beginning of the 2000′s)

    I remember that these equipments were paid by R. Hariri at that time … It might have been used to arrest israelies spies since.

      • i m talking about the older equipments used beginning 2000 offered by R. Hariri. Can also give you the name of the guy responsible of these materials for Ogero. It used to monitor nearly all the internet comm. of the country @ that time.
        I know a bank that used to crypt everything for this reason. The time it was uncrypted, the info were useless and obsolete.

  5. Keep in mind that the Information Unit is tasked with gathering intelligence related to the assassination, in addition to counter-espionage and other covert ops that military intelligence cannot be trusted with, because of the infiltration of Hizbullah and the risk of compromise.

    In my opinion, the tussle is a continuation of the power struggle over the ministry of interior; see, Charbel Nahhas (unwillingly perhaps) stressed the fact that Achraf Rifi takes orders from Ziad Baroud, while Achraf Rifi is adamant that he is under authority of the Prime Minister, which created an uncomfortable impasse for Ziad baroud, who had to quit caretaking.

    Shame, Baroud was my only true representative in the last government.

  6. I just wish thay will all quit and never return to politics again. Tfeh ! Nahas is such an arrogant bastard and Riffi a bully, as for Baroud I am not all that sad that he is going; for me he was somehow a disapointment.

  7. WTF… Samer Karam @BloggingBeirut blogged about a network he caught on his cell: “LBN OGERO Mobile 41505″.

    This was brought to minister Nahas in the meeting with the Onternet folks according to their meeting minutes.

    Is this what ignited this fiasco?

  8. goes to show that hariri’s militia is no better than hezbollah’s militia…we have two baddies in lebanese politics, and the campaign should be ‘laa’ to both

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