❊ 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.