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A Whose-State-Is-It-Anyway Update. "Hezbollah rocks eastern villages," from the BBC, May 11:
Control of several villages loyal to Lebanon's pro-government Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has been handed to the army after an attack by Hezbollah.
The group's fighters used heavy weapons and small arms to attack the mountain settlements south-east of Beirut.
A truce was called after the Druze capitulated to avoid bloodshed, a BBC correspondent reports.
It follows four days of fighting in which Hezbollah stormed west Beirut, raising fears of a return to civil war.
The clashes have pitched the Syrian-backed Shia Islamist movement Hezbollah and its allies against the governing Western-backed Sunni, Christian and Druze alliance.
Beirut was quiet on Sunday, after control of areas seized by Hezbollah was handed to the Lebanese army, but clashes took place overnight in Lebanon's second city, Tripoli. [...]
The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut reports that Sunday's battle began in earnest after some skirmishing and provocations, with a string of Druze villages caught in a barrage of fire.
Mr Jumblatt knew Hezbollah, by far the strongest power in the land, could easily storm his entire mountain enclave, so he asked a Druze rival allied to Hezbollah to broker a deal to hand the whole area over to the Lebanese army, he adds.
"I tell my supporters that civil peace, coexistence and stopping war and destruction are more important than any other consideration," Mr Jumblatt told the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.
A ceasefire was arranged, and it seems to be generally holding, our correspondent says. [...]
On Sunday many roads in the capital remained blocked, including the airport road, as the Shia group continued a campaign of civil disobedience.
In Tripoli, Sunni supporters of the government have reportedly been fighting members of an Alawite sect loyal to Hezbollah with machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
At least one person was killed over the weekend and thousands are believed to have fled their homes.
Posted by Marisol at May 11, 2008 8:43 PM
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"...as the Shia group continued a campaign of civil disobedience."
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Civil Disobedience? That's rather mild, isn't it?
They all-but staged a coup, and the regular army stood around and watched and took no action. Now the Druze leader turns over his besieged villages to this same army after brokering the deal through an ally of Hezbollah? I'd say the army SEEMS quite pro-Hezbollah; why do the Druze trust them? and if they're Shia sympathizers, why are they not joining with the militants to overthrow the government?
(PS - It really frosts me that these news agencies always talk about the "US-backed" or "Western-backed" government, as though that makes the LEGAL ELECTED GOVERNMENT illegitimate: a mere puppet. Why is this not being framed as well-armed insurgents trying to overthrow a legitimate state? In addition, other reports I've read mention that Hezbollah is sponsored by Iran, this one says it's Syria. Both?)
Posted by: A_Nonny_Mouse![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at May 11, 2008 10:24 PM
As for the Druse, it was the alarm expressed bvy their hereditary leader Walid Jumblatt (whose father was murdered by the Syrians), about Hezbollah-Iranian takeover of Iran's airport, that finally helped stiffen the spine of the Siniora government. In the end he can defend his own Druse redoubts, or at least make Hezbollah pay dearly, and that is especially true if each of the other militias -- the Christians (and it is time for those Christians who under Aoun foolishly allied themselves with Hezbollah to rethink this, and come back to their senses), and the Sunnis who, while they may be intimidated in Beirut, are quite capable elsewhere, as is apparent in Tripoli, of making things difficult for the Syrians -- and worrying them -- by attakcs on Alawites, and the spectacle of Sunni Muslims attacking Alawites must make the Assad family and the Alawite generals in Syria particularly uneasy (Alawites make up 12% of the population of Syria, Sunni Muslims 70%).
And while Jumblatt has said the usual nonsense about Israel over the years, half-believed in the same ludicrous anti-Israel conspiracy theories, he must surely know that the only hope for small groups in Lebanon, as elsewhere, comes from the example, and even aid, provided by Israel. The spectacle of Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, attacking the Druse will have consequences, or could, if played right, for the loyalties, always in flux, of the Druse in the villages that bestride the post-1967 border between Israel and Syria; this could help Israel and damage Syrian interests.
Posted by: Hugh at May 12, 2008 12:16 AM
Particularly heartening to see Jeremy Bowen feeling the Hiz Love on the video. He'll probably have a full 'BBC returning hero' interview where he casually brushes it of as an occupational hazard.
Then blame the Joooz.
Posted by: Un:dhimmi at May 12, 2008 2:37 AM
""I tell my supporters that civil peace, coexistence and stopping war and destruction are more important than any other consideration," Mr Jumblatt told the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation."
too bad the Muslims don't feel the same way..dying without at least putting up a fight is absolutely stupid. IN case Mr Jumblatt hasn't noticed, his people are being forced from their homes, thousands of other have voluntarily left their homes. Another episode of the great Islamic land grab continues..
If the Muslims come for your land, it is better to fight as they intend to kill you no matter what you do.
at May 12, 2008 5:32 AM
Maybe they could interview all the "We are all Hezballah now supporters" in Dearbornistan? Or are they on a plane over there to fight for their cause?
Posted by: Borg at May 12, 2008 7:56 AM
Syria's goal is to make Lebanon ungovernable...and then to present itself - as it did in 1976 - as the one outside force capable of restoring the stability of the status quo. It's an insidious game.
Posted by: Cornelius
at May 12, 2008 8:04 AM
France should be watching this with interest as it is creating a model for how it will join the Umma in about 20 years. Lebanon today, St-Denis and Paris tomorrow.
Posted by: Drakkar at May 12, 2008 9:55 AM
Syria's goal is to make Lebanon ungovernable...and then to present itself - as it did in 1976 - as the one outside force capable of restoring the stability of the status quo. It's an insidious game.
Posted by: Cornelius
Perhaps. But it's up to the people of Lebanon to prevent that from happening. No one else can fight for Lebanese freedom. Lebanese are the only ones who can do it. And if they don't, well they'll just have to live with the consequences. No Western leader with half a brain will come to their aid after what happened in 1983.
Posted by: PMK at May 12, 2008 10:55 AM
PMK,
I agree with everything you've put forth. Problem is, Hezbollah has the pro-government militias and even the Lebanese Army out-gunned. In essence, without Western support, the country's fate is sealed.
I don't believe in the commitment of foreign troops into Lebanon, but I do believe in giving substantial material assistance - including arms - to the Sinora government.
Posted by: Cornelius at May 12, 2008 3:45 PM
Coward Bush! Coward Rice! Two years ago, they pushed for a UN cease-fire and stopped Israel's war effort in its tracks, rescuing Hezbollah, a serial mass-murderer of Americans. Then, they tried to "solve problems" in Lebanon the usual, imbecillic US government way: throw money, money, money at the country. I've lost count of the huge $700-million chunks of our tax dollars they shipped there during these two years. The result? Hezbollah and Iran take over the country. They dump even greater amounts of our money - our, not their personal money - on the "Palestinians" who elected Hamas as a result of Cowardeezza's "democracy for the Muslim people" grand campaign. In short, we, the American citizens keep paying jizya through the nose to the genocidal jihad enemies of our country.
Not only are the total no-goods in the White House, the State Dept., the US military command and the CIA totally incompetent in fighting against jihad, but they won't let Israel do the job either.
Ruslan Tokhchukov, EnragedSince1999.
Posted by: Enragedsince1999 at May 12, 2008 7:51 PM
Lebanon had an opportunity to take advantage of the situation 2 years ago when Israel Bombed Hezbollah. Had the Government exerted the effort then to force a second front upon Hezbollah. We would not be reading about this today.
This is what happens when our side insists on Negotiations with Pen and Paper with People who only bring Guns.
Posted by: flowerknife_us at May 12, 2008 9:29 PM
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