HizbAllah's Offensive in Lebanon: Day Three
By Walid Phares
December 3, 2006
On the third day of HizbAllah’s campaign to takeover the Lebanese Government,
more sectors from civil society began to rise. But they weren’t rising with the
pro-Iranian militia in as much as they were rising to oppose its move. However
on the other hand, it was further noticed that a number of Western media
increased their support to Nasrallah’s organization.
From Saturday late night into the early hours of the morning, more incursions by
HizbAllah’s elements were signaled inside the traditional Sunni West Beirut. A
battle with rocks took place in many streets leaving a number of wounded and one
HizbAllah militiaman dead. The Iranian-backed militants staged their “thrusts”
into Sunni areas from their launching pad in the “protest” areas in downtown,
commonly described by the opponents as the “coup d’Etat” basis. According to
sources in the Lebanese Army, the gradual “coup” is taking place with a minute
preparation coordinated by the Iranian embassy in Beirut. A “War room,”
including HizbAllah, Syrian intelligence, President Lahoud’s secret services,
Baath Party, Syrian National-Socialists and representatives from General Michel
Aoun’s group, is directing the campaign.
On the political level, the single most important development is the decision
made by the March 14 movement and the Cedars Revolution leaders to “move the
headquarters of the Government to Mount Lebanon if the Syro-Iranian militias
would overrun the Prime Minister’s office.” Such a decision means that the
Seniora cabinet and the leaders of the anti-Syrian majority in Lebanon will
resist the onslaught of HizbAllah’s forces and would eventually call on the
people to oppose the coup d’Etat. In Washington and Paris, Governmental sources
said that bringing down the Government outside the Parliament is a red line. In
New York, the Security Council members, particularly the US and French
delegations have clearly signified their rejection of a violent crumbling of a
democratically elected cabinet. This view is widely shared by the majority of
Arab moderate countries, including Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.
A new development occurred overseas as the leaders of the Lebanese Diaspora
declared their “rejection of HizbAllah’s aggression against Lebanon’s civil
society," as they signed a joint declaration published by multiple web sites as
well as as-Siyassa and al Muharer. Joe Baini, the Sydney-based President of the
World Council of Cedars Revolution said “we’re 12 million Lebanese in 32
countries and we are the numeric overwhelming majority of the Lebanese people.”
In a letter addressed to the Lebanese Diaspora, Baini said “we are warning Iran
and Syria not to interfere in Lebanese affairs, and we are warning HizbAllah not
to clash with the Lebanese people. We, the overseas majority of Lebanese, who
maintain the economic lifeline to Lebanon, will not accept the Terror action by
a minority of radicals who take their orders from Tehran and Damascus.” It is to
note that the “Lebanese lobby”, as it is known worldwide played a critical role
in the calling for and making of UNSCR 1559 in 2004, which ordered Syria to
withdrawal from the country and asked HizbAllah to disarm.
In the battlefield of media, more indications are developing about the HizbAllah
propaganda influence. Media watchers out of Lebanon and overseas have noticed
the circulation of “stories” by a support network to the pro-Iranian
organization, attempting to depict the developments in Lebanon as taking place
between a militant group and a Government backed by militias. This war of ideas,
launched by the “War room” in Beirut, is financed –according to leaders from the
Cedars Revolution- by “huge amount of Iranian Petro-dollars.” Roger Azzam, an
NGO activist in Lebanon said “the treasury of the Islamic Republic in Tehran is
fully open for this battle.” Azzam said “millions of dollars have been allocated
to feed all needs such as establishing a new TV station in Lebanon and taking
care of media people both in Lebanon and worldwide. The Iranians we hear have
hired PR companies around the world to win the public opinion battle.” In
Canada, the chairman of the Lebanese Human Rights committee said “we see some of
the HizbAllah propaganda influence even here.” Elias Bejjani indicated for
example an article in the Globe and Mail daily in Toronto which title is
revealing: “West help Lebanon build militia to fight HezbAllah.” Mark McKinnon,
the author of the article, wrote that the Internal Security Forces (ISF) is a
“militia,” backed by the United States, France and Arab countries. The
journalist, according to Lebanese Bloggers, was trying to “sneak a new twist in
the ongoing conflict in Lebanon: that is to portray the Lebanese regular police
as a militia equivalent to the Terror group HizbAllah.” In fact the article
said: “Critics charge that the force is dominated by Sunnis, and that its real
purpose is to defend the government of Mr. Siniora, a Sunni, against the growing
power of the country's large Shia population.” Toni Nissi, an NGO leader working
on implementing UN resolutions, said "the article is a piece of propaganda
aiming at creating a mindset worldwide that a civil war is in the making between
Shiia and Sunnis in Lebanon, just to make the point that democracy can’t work in
this country.” Nissi said the ISF existed for decades, this is Lebanon’s
internal security force; and indeed it is its duty to defend the people and the
Government against the Terrorists of HizbAllah. “We’re stunned that Canadian
newspapers want to equate legal authorities with Terrorism.”
On another front, next steps by HizbAllah may include the introduction of Syrian
intelligence in the covert operations battle against the Government. Sources in
the Lebanese army told Cedars Revolution leaders that “hundreds of armed
elements have been crossing the international borders between Syria and Lebanon
with sophisticated individual weapons.” Lebanese and Arab newspapers said over
the week end that dozens of trucks have crossed the borders and headed to
HizbAllah’s bases in southern Beirut and the Bekaa valley. “All indicate, said
Walid Jumblat, the Socialist Druse leader, “that the Iranians and the Syrians
are staging a coup.”
***Dr Walid Phares is a senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of
Democracies and the author of Future Jihad. Phares@walidphares.com
December 3, 2006