Lebanon's 'real' soldiers are put in their place

[wellst0nev0ter]

TODAY was supposed to be the day when the muchmaligned army of Lebanon took control of its borders and policed the UN ceasefire.

Instead, its military commanders were left humiliated and its troops stranded as Hezbollah told them not to try to disarm its fighters.

The first infantry units were preparing to head south yesterday when Hezbollah demonstrated who exercised the real control by announcing that it had no intention of surrendering a single weapon. General Michel Sleiman, the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Army, and his lieutenants had been invited to join in Cabinet meetings to finalise plans to deploy their 15,000-strong force in a buffer zone south of the Litani river. However, they ended up being lectured by Hezbollah’s two Cabinet ministers in the coalition Government on what the army could and could not do.

<snip>

Sami Haddad, the Economics Minister, said: “The Government can’t force Hezbollah to abide by the ceasefire. It’s unnatural to have an armed political party that is in Cabinet and does not abide by what the Government of Lebanon wants.”

<snip>

One soldier told The Times that Hezbollah was better armed and organised, adding that he was reluctant to confront what he called “the resistance fighters”.

A colleague added: “We want to be able to go anywhere we want in Lebanon and be the only force inside our borders carrying guns. What we don’t know is when we will be able to do that.”

Another said that his brother and a cousin were fighting for Hezbollah. His cousin was injured last week and moved to a Hezbollah clinic in a secret location. The soldier said: “I can't turn a gun on the resistance, because they are family.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-2312171,00.html

[bhikkhu]

1. Of course they would not disarm,

as the crafters of the UN ceasefire would have been well aware.

[Igel]

2. I'm shocked. Of course.

So, what else is new ... the deployment's an achievement for Lebanon and Hezbollah. Except it was discussed months ago and Nasrallah objected to it.

But this will be declared an unimportant part of the agreement. Actually, everything but the actual cessation of large-scale hostilities will be deemed non-essential, and therefore omissible.

UNIFIL will go back to filing reports, so careful to be neutral that they won't actually let anybody know when there's a problem needing attention; Hezbollah will go back to arming itself to the gills, and everybody will be happy. Then the katyushas will start, there'll be more cross-border incursions.

Everybody submits to the cleric. He wins. Or, as he would put it, there is justice. Alhamdulillah. Or, perhaps, alhamdulanasrallah.

[Dhalgren]

3. Right now, Hezbollah is the only thing keeping Israel at bay.

If I were the Hezbollah, I wouldn't disarm, not with Israelis still in Lebanon. Who thinks that the Lebanese Army could have stood toe-to-toe with the IDF and fought them to a draw? Who here thinks that the Lebanese Army could have forced Israel to accept a cease fire that is essentially based on the "status quo anti"? No, Hezbollah "should stand down only as the Lebanese Army stands up"...to coin a phrase...

[David__77]

4. Lebanon should incorporate Hezbollah into state-recognized popular militia

I think that Hezbollah would support that concept. The militia would provide for asymmetrical warfare when Lebanon is threatened by certain aggressor forces.

[plasticsundance]

5. Nice idea in concept

but the US and Israel would never allow for the Lebanon government to take that step. Remember, the new Lebanon government was in part an instigation of the West. When the Lebanon revolution took place after Syria left, all those claiming it as a victory for democracy (meaning Western influence and another client state) no one looked at the hard core reality of the historical make up of Lebanon, especially the rise, respect, and influence of Hezbollah.

In addition, Israel states it wants Hezbollah to disarm, but for Israel this equates to Hezbollah's destruction. Hezbollah realizes this.