Robert Fisk: Can the Lebanese army fight America's war against terror?

[IndianaGreen]

Robert Fisk: Can the Lebanese army fight America's war against terror?

Published: 03 June 2007

On the surface, it all makes sense. A group of radical Islamists fighting the Lebanese army shoot on amid the ruins of Nahr el-Bared refugee camp. Nahr el-Bared means "the cold river", but there is no river. They are shelled by the Lebanese army. In fact, Lebanese Gazelle helicopters machine-gunned them yesterday. Another chapter in the war on terror.

In reality, it is another tragedy in that same conflict (though let's delete the word "terror"). The Gazelles have no rockets - courtesy of the United States, because Israel fears they will be used against its own forces.

The Belgians even offered Leopard tanks - again vetoed by the United States - in case the Lebanese used them against the Israelis. So the Lebanese are armed sufficiently to fight Palestinians, but not enough to fight their enemies on their southern frontier.

<snip>

So can the Lebanese army really fight America's war in the north of this country? Though composed of Shias, Sunnis, Druze and Christians, it has held together. But it was not created to fight the West's wars in the Middle East. Just over a week ago a secret meeting was held in the south of this country in which intelligence officers from the French, Italian and Spanish governments - based in their embassies in Beirut - sat down and talked to senior officials of the Hizbollah guerrilla movement, Israel's greatest enemies in Lebanon.

They were assured - as they hoped they would be - by Hizbollah that their soldiers in the enlarged peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon would be protected from al-Qa'ida and their friends in Fatah al-Islam. They were also told that if Israel attacked Lebanon again this summer, there would be a far fiercer war than the 34-day conflict last June and July. North of the Litani River - and amid the conflict in northern Lebanon this has gone unreported - the Hizbollah is building new roads and bunkers in preparation for the next battle with Israel.

http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2609304.ece

[bemildred]

1. Well, I can't agree, it seems truly weird to me.

I would not be surprised to find out that Hizbullah helped the Army out with the Fatah al-Islam guys before this is over, assuming they need it. The Fatah al-Islam guys do seem to have given a good account of themselves for a bunch of loons so far, and I wonder what is behind that? Where did they get their arms, who trained them? Nobody in Lebanon seems to like them or support them, but there they are, robbing banks and attacking the army on in the middle of a refugee camp, all of a sudden.