The Mysterious Rooftop Snipers

Who are the “agents provocateurs” who shot and killed 9 Lebanese demonstrators yesterday?

The nature of the first victim says it all. Ahmad Hamza was the man appointed by the opposition’s AMAL movement to coordinate the demonstrations with the army, so that things remain in check. He was the first to be taken down. It is obvious that those pulling the trigger knew what they were doing. But who are they?

It didn’t take long before the usual blame game began. March 14 promptly accused Syria and Iran, and March 8 pointed their fingers (and media) at March 14. But something is missing.

The opposition was dancing around the brink for a while, but it has always been careful not let this descend into an all-out confrontation with the army. But then again, weren’t they the ones who chose the symbolic venue of the confrontations, which eerily mark the fault lines of the Lebanese civil war? Weren’t they who chose the timing to coincide with the Arab League’s meeting about the Lebanese Crisis? Weren’t they who were warning of “decisive action in the streets?”

Moreover, how could have March 14 guessed where the demonstrations will take place and carefully planned faultless sniper attacks without being uncovered? On the other hand, how could have the FPM, a party rooted in the army, condoned a confrontation between the opposition and the army?

The puzzle has a missing piece. It seems that a third party wants to stir things up by breaking the balance of restraint between the Lebanese parties. As political analyst Ossama Safa puts it: “This is the work of agents provocateurs — someone is in there stirring trouble [..] I really think they want to get a hold of the situation. But someone, somewhere is doing this.”

The politicians will try to calm the situation. But expect a lot hot-headed blame to be tossed around.