The Lebanese army vs. Hizbullah

It seems eons ago when Lebanese spontaneously took to the street to protest against Syrian-sponsored terrorism. The result was the first popular overthrow of a government in the region. It also seems ages ago when Lebanese tasted the concept of justice—a UN commission delivered the first report on the Hariri murder, sending shivers up the spine of every Lebanese who started believing again in the concept of crime and punishment.

Fast forward to the present day. Hizbullah and the Syrian regime turned street protests into a formula for packing "people" in tight places, using them (albeit unsuccessfully) to overthrow the first post independence government. And to dilute the concept of crime and punishment, Hizbullah sentenced an entire population to death by Israeli bombardment, knowing that there can never be justice when the defendants are shoved onto the wrong side of the law.

Recently, having failed to depose the parliament's majority through its occupation of downtown Beirut, Hizbullah began applying the intifada model: small groups of youths were sent to block roads and stone their own army. It doesn't take a genius to guess the outcome could be deadly. If the objective was to reverse the rise of the army to a stature Hizbullah reserves for its own fighters, then mission accomplished!

It might be about the tribunal. But it's also about Hizbullah, which is trying to squeeze Lebanon into its own mold, as opposed to trying to fit into the country's diverse makeup. Hizbullah's call for justice following Black Sunday would have found receptive ears had the militia men not been trying to impose their own twisted concept of justice on the rest of the population. Calling for the death of Lebanese soldiers sounds and feels wrong, precisely because of the context that Hizbullah created. What’s at stake here is the reputation of the Lebanese army, and whether or not it can stand up to the thugs who have hijacked Lebanon and its institutions. The Lebanese army cannot coexist with a foreign-funded militia with hordes of hooligans and stray weapons. Hizbullah knows this, but the question is whether the army's command knows it.

Comments

[Marillionlb]

One question I would like to ask of you AK and it is the following:
*If the Michel Suleiman stands by his soldiers, would he be on the phone calling Bashar?
*Would he allow the arrest of army members who were simply trying to defend public safety, public property and themselves?
*Would he stand for all the verbal abuse the army has been getting from Hizballah's leaders?
I very much doubt it.
All Lebanese should stage a PEACEFUL demonstration in support of the army.

[fed up lebo]

i wonder what would happen if any of the army boys are found guilty and sentenced to death. would the rest of the army jsut accept it? or the fighting boys will resist?. lets see how far Hizb is going to take this in order to cover themselves for what they were trying to achieve that day.

[theCourtFool]

I feel most Lebanese did not know the "plan" that was set for them in 2004.
Most Lebanese were happy with the way things were...
- Economy was on the rise.
- Centre-Ville (Downtown) was looking lavish by the day.
- The Restaurant/Nightlife sector was booming.
- Real Estate was skyrocketing (even today).

Things were going more or less swell. Until Febraury 14, 2004 - Someone got Jealous, a neighbor maybe?
We've got malicious neighbors.

Look at us now. All we wanted was how things were going but without the Syrians!! Thats All!

[Bad Vilbel]

You touched on a good point there AK. In addition to the bigger picture that we've all been talking about lately (Syria trying to get back into Lebanon, through instability and political vaccum), there is also the matter of Hezbollah feeling threatened by a competent Lebanese Army. That would be yet another nail in their coffin. Their excuse for needing their weapons for Resistance is usually to the tune of "The Lebanese Army is incapable of defending Lebanon from Israeli aggression". So it is clearly in Hezbollah's interest to discredit the Army. The incidents of the past weekends were not just about discrediting Suleiman for president, but also about discrediting the institution of the Army by portraying it to the sheeple as one-sided, incompetent, and criminal.

The comment about the "intifada" model also kinda hit a nerve. I guess sometimes, we have to step back and realize exactly which path the country's heading towards, and stop living in denial. Lebanon = Gaza.

[Ex-Aounist]

FREE THE SOLDIERS NOW They Need to Be Given PROMOTION AND MEDALS FOR KEEP THE LEBANESE SAFE, DOING THEIR JOB ( WHICH THEY HAVE TAKEN THE OATH TO DO )
GO ARREST HIZBTZ AND CO OPPOSITION BARKING DOGS YA SULEIMAN
ARREST NASSIALLAH, BERRI, FRANJIEH , WAHAB , KARAMEH ANDIL THE KANSSOS' AOUN and all the SCUMBAGS and TRAITORS!

GOD DAMMIT !!!!!!!!!!! RELEASE OUR BOYS RELEASE THOSE WHO BEHAVED WITH TOTAL SELF CONTROLE CONSIDERING THAT ONLY 7 WERE SHOTY!!!
LET ME SEE THOSE RIOTERS HORDES IN SYRIA OR IRAN ...THESE SHEEPLE WANTED IT THEN THEY GOT ENOUGH BULL CRAP!!!!!
AND THAT STUPID RAT-HOLE WANT the SOLDIERS HANGED ...LET HIM GO F*&K HIMSELF....ENOUGH TREASON ENOUGH ...IF THEY CANNOT STAND THE HEAT LET THEM GET THE HECK OUT OF THE KITCHEN...7 DIED GO AND TAKE NASSRALLAH OUT OF HIS RAT-HOLE FROM HIS NECK AND HANG HIM ...ALONG WITH BERRI AND RABIEH CLAOUN ...THEY ARE THE REAL KILLERS NOT THOSE DEFENDING SECURITY AND LEBANESE CIVILIANS HEALTH AND PROPERTIES ...FOR GOODNESS SAKE....
BESIDES IF THIS WEEZLE SULEIMAN REALLY ACCEPT ARRESTING HIS BOYS ( SOLDIERS AND OFFICERS ) TO ALLEVIATE HIZBTZ ANGER WELL HE WOULD BE WORSE THAN THAT OTHER ASSHOLE LAHOUSS ....

SORRY GUYS FOR THE FOUL LANGUAGE BUT I AM JUST MAD ANGRY....THAT IS RIDICULOUS ...ARRESTING THEM, IN THE MILITARY LAW THEY SUSPEND THEM UNTIL THE INVESTIGATION IS OVER THEN THEY TAKE THE ADEQUATE MEASURES...NOT BEFORE ...GOD DAMMIIIIITTTTTTTTT

WE LEBANESE SHOULD REALLY DO SOMETHING WEE SHOULD DEMONSTRATE TO DEFEND OUR ARMY AND FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ALL OF THEM, AND COME WHAT MAY ...

WHAT ABOUT INVESTIGATING THE PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN DURING 3 DAYS ON TAYYAR AKHBAR SAFIR MANAR AND ALL THEIR BARKING CIVIL STRIFE HORNS ??? EH WHERE IS THE INVESTIGATION ARREST AND CLOSING UP OF THESEE FILTHY TOOLS AND TREASON AGENTS????

FOR GOODNESS SAKE YOU IDIOT ...GET SOME BALLS AND START "SA3EEDEH YA BA W DA3WESS" ALL OF WHOM ARE AGAINST THE LEBANESE REPUBLIC STARTING WITH THAT SYRIAN IRANIAN SLAVE-SNAKE NASSRALLAH ALONG WITH HIOS THUGS IN OPPOSITION JUST DRAG HIM OUT AND HANG HIM IN THE DT TENT CIRCUS ... AND THOSE 7 "MARTYRS OF BULB LIGHTS" WRLL "FADDA ESSAYED WALAOU "???

GENERAL SULEIMAN DURING JULY WAR THERE WAS 1200 LEBANESE WHO DIED BECAUSE OF THAT COWARD "BUNKER HIDING " RAT-HOLE NASRALLAH ....1200 KILLED ..AMONG OTHER CATASTROPHIES....HE IS A CRIMINAL ...WHERE 's OUR LEBNANESE WINOGRAD FOR CRYING OUT LOUD ....HANG THE BASTARD AND HANG ANYONE WHO TRIES TO HELP HIM ...GOD DAMMIT! ENOUGH BS ALREADY ...

HE IS MAKING YOU PAY BACK YOUR BURNING HIS RED LINES GENERAL ....WATCH OUT FOR YOUR BOYS NOT FOR A MURDURER'S WHIMISICAL GENOCIDAL KILLING FRENZY!

[Bad Vilbel]

Wow, Ex-Aounist...I know you're angry. So am I, and I share your sentiment. But caps is really hard to read for most of us.

You're right though. I just finished posting a similar tirade on Mustapha's blog. There are some complete imbeciles there (and elsewhere) talking about "innocents getting killed" and other such bullcrap. Truth of the matter is, the Army was acting in self-defense. An army that isn't even allowed to defend itself when rioters are trying to strip them of their weapons is no army at all.

And if anyone needs to be executed, it's the fuckheads who organized the whole thing. Not to mention, if we're holding people accountable for killing civilians...how about we arrest Hassan Nassrallah for causing the death of 1200 civilians in the July War? Or those Fath Al Islam guys? Let's execute these folks, and then maybe we can talk about soldiers defending themselves.

[Ex-Aounist]

Bad Vilbel,Sorry man, my bad :0)

You're 100% there with the 1200 civilians killing...
I just cannot stomach such behavior from a AN ARMY GENERAL !!!!!!!!

What's sickening is that condescendant behavior of hizbtz yet what is more sickening is the "servile " attitude of this presidency 1st runner up god dammit !!!!!
Rather than making each and every political party READ HIS LIPS and UNDERSTAND that those who will try to play their dirty games with the army will have only themselves to blame ( if they stay alive ) BY GOD !

we need to do something about it, along with the FAMILIES of the Soldiers who are in custody now...Lebanese should not and CANNOT have the luxury to accept such a "in your face " blackmail" from a bunch of terrorists ! Enough either lebanese take matters into their own hands or....hizbtz will be sucking us dry from our last drops of blood and of DIGNITY. ....

DEMONSTRATION should be in preparation huge ones and not for only one day....until the circus in tent city is demolished , until president is elected which means parliament open, and until soldiers are freed...

'want something TAKE IT no one is going to hand it to us...time to shake our butts !

[danny]

BV, Ex-A,

All you guys are right. I also posted on Mus's blog that Hassan and Iztez should be executed!!However, we are seeing the far edges of the Syrian/Irani/HA desperation. all other "measures" having failed they are moving into the street wars...As for March 14th, by not responding in kind they have further exposed the orangebutts to their leaders' idiocy and their addle headedness. From far away, I am burning however, IT is it (sorry for the play on "it").As for HA nothing new in their behaviour; their mask had fallen long ago exposing it for the terrorist organization that it is...sadly an armed confortation will be the only way these fools need to change their "goals"...If they deem it achievable (the destruction of the others) they'll dismantle Lebanon further by attrition or make a deal with the March 14, if their armed confortation fails. Remember this: there will be armed scirmishes on an isolsted but large scale in Christian (Zgharta) and Druze areas as well as a few buildings burned down around Beirut to "test" the waters!!!
This will be the biggest test whether the army stays or fractions like the past.

So get ready boys and girls, there are a few tests coming...

[marillionlb]

Unlike you guys I have not seem to be able to post on Mustapha's blog (and on some others as well).
Ex Aounist, Yes we should take to the streets (like I said a few days ago), even more why don't we our own tent city somwhere by Ein Al tineh and demand that the soldiers be free.
As for the TV stations remember why MTV was shut down (supposedly). I defy anyone to tell me that Al Manar, Orange, and New TV have given the government at least a dozen ezcuses to shut them dow.
I say we should all go on a week end rent buldozers and drive them over Dahiyeh. That would be a start.
If the people of Lebanon do not react (M14 will not) they will be no more army and no more Lebanon.
N.B: If any of you living in Lebanon would like to stage a demo to free the soldiere I will be there with my son! Those of you abroad should do the same in front of our embassies.

[marillionlb]

Danny,
I agree with you 100% and if the current government still plays it down, and Michel Suleiman doesn't completely cut his ties with his Syrian masters and stand by his men; I see the Hizb attempting a coup and declaring their own vision of Lebanon (Dawlet Al Fakih).

[Jeha]

A while back, it was not too obvious as to who the "Lebanese army vs. Hizbullah" fight will turn out... But the way this one is shaping up does not look good for the Party of God; they are approaching a propaganda war from a strictly military angle. And only "their" crowd is buying it.

Time will tell whether I am right in this, but it seems that Nasrallah has made all the wrong moves so far, with everything backfiring against his "conservative revolution". This last move will backfire as well.

[Andre]

Truth be told that the army has always been a symbol of unity and THE only LEGAL source of protection for ALL the lebanese. What these thugs and irrational cretins are trying to do is nothing short than trying to discredit our army and thus weaken it by making baseless accusations under false pretenses. Their scheme has been steadily developing: Draw the army into a fabricated "popular" confrontation and see how it reacts, if it acts with decisive force as it should, then use the casualties as a tool to point the finger and make them look bad, if they don't, then keep pushing it as far as possible until it loses credibility. It's a plan that HA and their cronies have hatched out of desperation in their attempts to regain their own credibility after having failed so miserably in their stated goals and threats. It has become obvious to everyone now that HA's private illegal militia is going to have to be reined in, in order to save Lebanon from these bunch of "sold out" traitors! In any case, it does not look for the future of the country. marillonlb, danny and BV are right: the people must rise and take back Lebanon away from these cowards.

[Bad Vilbel]

Jeha (or others),

I have a question. I assume you are in Lebanon. I'm not. Is your statement that "only their crowd is buying it" really true? What does the "average Joe" think on the streets? What I mean is, let's discount for a second the folks who have already picked sides: Your pro-Hizballah guys on one side, along with the hardcore aounists, and your M14 activists (The folks who are actually active in Mustaqbal or LF or PSP). But what's the sentiment amongst the "regular folks"? I'm kinda curious about this.

[marillionlb]

B.V,
I don not adhere to any political party, on the contrary I have tried a couple of years back to start my own (gave up on the idea). I was raised in a non-political family, and as a teenager during the war I made my fare share of mistakes which led me in 1984 to self exile (England). In 1999 came back in the hope of raising my only son in the homeland.
I have tried my best to go by my daily life and stay clear of politics; impossible thing to do in Lebanon.
Trust me when I say (and most will disagree with me on that one) that the Tayyar is not losing much of his popularity as many hope it is, neither is the Hizb. Their media machine (Hizb especially) is much more advanced than that of all M14 put together. One other factor that is slowing the demise of Aoun’s popularity is the bloody history of the opposing M14 leaders. For example in the Metn elections last summer if anyone else than Amine Gemayel (from the Kataeb party) was nominated I think he would have had a better chance against this unknown from the Tayyar.
Another reason was the opposition still can rally so many supporters (and again that is my own opinion) is that the Hizb before July war was never seen as a threat to the inside by many Lebanese, some never even thought about how many active members the Hizb has. When confrontation started and the Hizb threat became clear (and imminent) many follow out of fear (the common belief was that no one locally can stand against the Hizb).
I hope that this vision has now changed after the events of 27th of January.
I think that we are now presented with a SECOND chance (the first one we pissed away was after the July war) to bring down the Hizb. It all depends on how the investigation and the army will deal with the latest string of events. Do not count on M14 to achieve anything (they are still incapable of ELECTING a president).
The feeling on the streets is that of frustration coupled with a careless attitude. The average citizen does not care anymore, all he wants is stability, electricity, cheaper gas bills, being able to pay school fees…etc.
The more than average citizen would like to see his side crush the opposing side and create a perfect Lebanon.
The Silent Majority would like, a secular, free, democratic, ecologic, free of fanaticism….Lebanon. They are still waiting to be organized I guess.
This is why I say, if we the people both in and out of Lebanon do not take over we can kiss our country goodbye.

[Jeha]

BV,

Nothing really changed. Those who are emotionally invested with Aoun will remain so. But if Aoun is not a factor, neither are the others; most people couldn't care less, having seen too much "coat turning". But since the outcome affects most people's dreams and aspiration, most are losing hope.