Dr. Sami Moubayed sheds some light on the catalyst for the recent violence in Beirut, which left 81 dead and a world wondering whether the civil war has re-erupted.
The crux of the issue is a power struggle between Hizb’allah and the Lebanese government. Hizb’allah thinks they have the right to a surveillance network at the Beirut airport and to operate like an army. The Lebanese government thinks Hizb’allah has overstepped the boundaries of a non-government organization - mostly because Iran pulls the strings on the Hizb’allah puppet.
The crises was sparked last week in Beirut when the government of Prime Minister Fouad al-Siniora ordered the communication and surveillance network at Runway 17 of Beirut Airport be dismantled, claiming it was “illegal and unconstitutional”.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on May 6 that lasted until 4 am, lobbied for by Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh. The network is one of the primary espionage tools used by Hezbollah in its war against Israel, keeping tabs on comings and goings at Beirut Airport. Adding insult to injury, the Lebanese government dismissed Wafiq Shuqayr, the Shi’ite security commander of the airport, for planting the system in accordance with Hezbollah’s wishes, supposedly behind the back of Siniora.
Hezbollah cried foul, claiming the network had been in place for years, adding that dismantling it was a red line because otherwise Beirut Airport would be “transformed into a base for the the CIA, the FBI and Mossad, referring to American and Israeli intelligence.
Hezbollah secretary general Hasan Nasrallah spoke just hours after the crisis started, saying the communication system and Shuqyar were “red lines” that could not be crossed.
Hizb’allah sent a message to Prime Minister Fouad al-Siniora to back down. Siniora felt the Lebanese government should not back down to what is essentially Iran. We’ll have to see how this turns out, but let me leave you with some fuel for thought.
Speaking at the southern village of Bint Jbeil in 2005, Nasrallah once said, “There is talk of disarming the resistance. Any thought of disarming the resistance is pure madness. We do not want to attack anyone. We have never done so. And we will never allow anyone to attack Lebanon. But if anyone, no matter who, even thinks about disarming the resistance, we will fight him like the martyr-seekers in Karbala.”
Resistance to what?
