A day after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah accused the Lebanese government of a lack of credibility and being “in a state of weakness and feel[ing] a huge defeat as the result of the last Israeli war in Lebanon”, the anti-Syrian bloc in the Lebanese government fear a coup is imminent.
Prominent politician Walid Jumblatt warned his party members today that “the (pro-Syrian) opposition groups are on the verge of announcing a coup in the country and we (the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority) should take the brave decision to confront all options.” Jumblatt is the Druze leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, the second largest party in the Lebanese parliament and a member of the coalition.
From Haaretz:
Nasrallah urged his followers in his speech to be “psychologically” ready to take to the streets in mass demonstrations to support Hezbollah’s demand for a national unity government.
Nasrallah’s speech comes amid mounting political and sectarian tensions in Lebanon in the wake of Hezbollah’s 34-day war with Israel last summer
The militant group has demanded that Lebanon form a national unity government that would give it veto power over major decisions. But negotiations among groups broke down recently, and six Cabinet ministers, including two from Hezbollah, resigned.
In my mind, this political tension and coup-mongering attests to desperation in the pro-Syrian camp. The Lebanese government last week approved a draft agreement with the UN to establish an international tribunal to prosecute the suspected killers of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Prominent Lebanese pro-Syrian politicians are thought to be accomplices in the murder and are likely to be implicated if the tribunal goes ahead. A national unity government would give Hezbollah, a member of the ruling coalition, to veto this and potential future inquiries in to Hezbollah war crimes in the recent war with Israel.
Of course, I don’t think Nasrallah should be worried about that last part. The UN is far too busy condemning Israel for killing civilians that Hezbollah used as human shields for their fighters and weapons stockpiles. It is unlikely to be concerned with the people who deliberately put those civilians in harm’s way to up the body count and deter Israel from defending itself. I don’t think I could handle such a shocking display of competence from the UN.
Meanwhile, I’m curious to see France’s reaction to a coup in Lebanon. France has a vested interest in Lebanon and the Lebanese think highly of the French. So I’m wondering whether Chirac’s eagerness to appease Middle Eastern regimes will allow him to watch by the sidelines as Lebanon becomes a Syrian vassal state again
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