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Lebanese army soldiers on military vehicles are deployed following days of clashes between Sunni Muslims and Alawites in the port city of Tripoli, northern Lebanon, May 27, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim) |
There is no single Lebanese national — whether an official or an ordinary citizen — who is not involved in the heat of the bloody war in Syria between the regime and various opposition parties, either in terms of ideology, loyalty, association, or sources of funding and arming.
Moreover, there is no Arab country that is not directly or indirectly involved in this war, which long ago went beyond Syria’s borders and in which all countries of the world are taking part. From the West, there are the United States, France and Germany, and from the East: Russia, China and their allies in Latin America, including the other BRICS states. Meanwhile, Iran is treating itself and is treated by the world as a party to the fight alongside the Assad regime, supporting it even more than Russia and behaving almost like a target in this global war.
On the other hand, the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), who had different positions on this war regarding the regime and the armed opposition, have finally reached a unified position and recognized Saudi Arabia’s leadership of this fateful battle, even if Qatar still believes that it is in the lead. The latter has boasted that it was the one taking the initiative to fight this war with money, weapons and Sheikh Qaradawi’s fatwas.
In this respect, Gulf leaders — including kings, princes and sheikhs — do not deny that they are responsible for the continuation of this war “until the fall of the tyrant regime.” Rather, the latter compete in announcing the efforts they have exerted to transfer volunteers, suicide bombers and mercenaries from all over Europe, Africa and the Islamic Asian countries to the jihadist battlefield in Syria. Moreover, they have offered generous contributions to the jihadists in terms of funds and arms, international recognition and exceptional facilities for their conferences and headquarters in the various capitals of the world. While Doha remains the “center” [of this axis of support] and the primary source of funding, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some European countries have also participated in arming opposition groups, although in a limited manner
Moreover, the GCC isolated Turkey and kept it away from the leadership position, to confer once again the Arabic character to this war, in order to pave the way for renewing a confrontation that was put on hold and recently widely re-opened against Iran.
At this stage, the war has exacerbated political differences, and the historical conflict between Sunnis and Shiites has resurfaced. This calls to mind the worst and bloodiest stages of Islamic history, during which the conflict was political in its essence even if it was a fight over the succession of the Caliphate.
This historical doctrinal dispute was exploited in the Western negotiations with Iran on nuclear weapons, paving the way for Israel to become a party thereto.
Based on the above, the war in Syria became international, and it is difficult if not impossible to find an unbiased party. This allows Israel to reap free political rewards.
In this context, any diplomatic success means that Arab hostility towards Israel will shift towards Iran. Moreover, forces are mobilized by using the Islamic slogan, oil money and Western support in the effort exerted to destroy Syria (and Iraq) under the pretext of efforts to overthrow the dictatorship in Damascus and the confessional regimes in Damascus and Baghdad.
With respect to Lebanon, it is no secret that those who organize and arm “mujahedeen” missions have transformed the northern coast into a port for arms shipments and a transit station for jihadists, who come from various Arab countries to enter the battlefield in Syria. (Is it necessary to recall in this respect the group of 22 young men from Tripoli and other parts of north Lebanon who were caught in an ambush of the Syrian army, and the mediations and intercessions that were needed for repatriating the bodies of the dead amongst them and releasing the ones who lived?)
Moreover, it is no secret that some Lebanese political forces have liaison officers with the mujahedeen in Syria, living in Turkey for about two years now. They had offered to mediate for the release of the nine pilgrims abducted on their way back from visiting some religious shrines in Iran, but their initiative did not succeed.
It is also no secret that many delegations representing the diversified Syrian opposition— whether those supporting the jihadist military option or those who are relying on a political struggle in far-off foreign capitals to topple the Assad regime — visited Lebanon and met with leaders of political blocs and religious authorities to coordinate efforts and unify plans to overthrow the tyrant regime, after stigmatizing it by sectarianism to incite sectarian strife: “Jihad against the infidels.”
Furthermore, political forces with a militia history have offered their expertise and the archive of information they possess about the Syrian regime. They have shared the most successful methods for fighting this regime, based on their experience when they fought against it during the Syrian occupation of Lebanon.
We are giving these examples of facts on the ground, involving the participation and intervention of all international parties — in particular Arab parties, represented by the oil countries and led by Qatar, and then by Saudi Arabia, which the GCC rallied around — in the war in and against Syria (as the regime refers to it), to say that Hezbollah was the last party to intervene and participate in this war. Moreover, its intervention was for self-defense and for defending Syria, which for a quarter of a century has been hosting training bases for Hezbollah troops, protecting the party’s back and providing it with a safe [transport] route, which has been the loyal custodian and carrier of its weapons used to face the Israeli enemy in numerous wars, and which helped it liberate Lebanon in 2000 and fend off the Israeli war of 2006.
Hezbollah’s leadership is aware of the seriousness of the threats made by armed jihadist organizations against the Lebanese in general and Hezbollah in particular.
Of course, Hezbollah’s leadership realizes that its participation in the Syrian war — regardless that it is from a defensive position, and with a view to end the international war that targets Syria, the state and its people (before targeting the regime) — will expose it and its popularity to a relentless campaign that goes beyond the party itself to target the Shiite sect, Lebanon and even Iran. This campaign has already existed for years now, but today it found a pretext to blur the truths behind this war and conceal the motives of the parties involved it.
All of these parties are participating in this war using all kinds of arms, the most dangerous of them all being the weapon of sectarian strife. These are the parties that are not motivated by the occupation of Palestine and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, who haven’t at any time fired a single bullet towards the Israeli enemy, but rather who, supported by their political positions and their rulers’ funds, rushed to accept Israeli conditions for reaching a reconciliation to finally free themselves from confrontation with it [Israel].
The war that is raging in Syria against the regime — which can be blamed for its mismanagement of the political crisis, which led to outbreak of civil war in which the whole world involved — is no longer confined within Syria’s borders. It has extended, or is on the verge of expansion, to the entire Levant, and perhaps beyond, to the Arab African countries and Yemen. Moreover, fundamentalist and jihadist groups are involved in this war in such a way that one must be blind not to see this truth and distance themselves from its devastating risks.
It is worth mentioning that the decisions taken by the GCC states in their most recent meeting crossed the red lines of the [Arab] nation’s unity, and almost took Arabs to a new sectarian war that would destroy their future. These resolutions did not restrict the sanctions to Hezbollah, but divided Arabs into two camps: the infidels on one hand and believers on the other hand, canceling politics and pushing everyone to endless civil wars, at the end of which all Arabs will be the biggest loser.
Moreover, there is no Arab country that is not directly or indirectly involved in this war, which long ago went beyond Syria’s borders and in which all countries of the world are taking part. From the West, there are the United States, France and Germany, and from the East: Russia, China and their allies in Latin America, including the other BRICS states. Meanwhile, Iran is treating itself and is treated by the world as a party to the fight alongside the Assad regime, supporting it even more than Russia and behaving almost like a target in this global war.
On the other hand, the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), who had different positions on this war regarding the regime and the armed opposition, have finally reached a unified position and recognized Saudi Arabia’s leadership of this fateful battle, even if Qatar still believes that it is in the lead. The latter has boasted that it was the one taking the initiative to fight this war with money, weapons and Sheikh Qaradawi’s fatwas.
In this respect, Gulf leaders — including kings, princes and sheikhs — do not deny that they are responsible for the continuation of this war “until the fall of the tyrant regime.” Rather, the latter compete in announcing the efforts they have exerted to transfer volunteers, suicide bombers and mercenaries from all over Europe, Africa and the Islamic Asian countries to the jihadist battlefield in Syria. Moreover, they have offered generous contributions to the jihadists in terms of funds and arms, international recognition and exceptional facilities for their conferences and headquarters in the various capitals of the world. While Doha remains the “center” [of this axis of support] and the primary source of funding, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some European countries have also participated in arming opposition groups, although in a limited manner
Moreover, the GCC isolated Turkey and kept it away from the leadership position, to confer once again the Arabic character to this war, in order to pave the way for renewing a confrontation that was put on hold and recently widely re-opened against Iran.
At this stage, the war has exacerbated political differences, and the historical conflict between Sunnis and Shiites has resurfaced. This calls to mind the worst and bloodiest stages of Islamic history, during which the conflict was political in its essence even if it was a fight over the succession of the Caliphate.
This historical doctrinal dispute was exploited in the Western negotiations with Iran on nuclear weapons, paving the way for Israel to become a party thereto.
Based on the above, the war in Syria became international, and it is difficult if not impossible to find an unbiased party. This allows Israel to reap free political rewards.
In this context, any diplomatic success means that Arab hostility towards Israel will shift towards Iran. Moreover, forces are mobilized by using the Islamic slogan, oil money and Western support in the effort exerted to destroy Syria (and Iraq) under the pretext of efforts to overthrow the dictatorship in Damascus and the confessional regimes in Damascus and Baghdad.
With respect to Lebanon, it is no secret that those who organize and arm “mujahedeen” missions have transformed the northern coast into a port for arms shipments and a transit station for jihadists, who come from various Arab countries to enter the battlefield in Syria. (Is it necessary to recall in this respect the group of 22 young men from Tripoli and other parts of north Lebanon who were caught in an ambush of the Syrian army, and the mediations and intercessions that were needed for repatriating the bodies of the dead amongst them and releasing the ones who lived?)
Moreover, it is no secret that some Lebanese political forces have liaison officers with the mujahedeen in Syria, living in Turkey for about two years now. They had offered to mediate for the release of the nine pilgrims abducted on their way back from visiting some religious shrines in Iran, but their initiative did not succeed.
It is also no secret that many delegations representing the diversified Syrian opposition— whether those supporting the jihadist military option or those who are relying on a political struggle in far-off foreign capitals to topple the Assad regime — visited Lebanon and met with leaders of political blocs and religious authorities to coordinate efforts and unify plans to overthrow the tyrant regime, after stigmatizing it by sectarianism to incite sectarian strife: “Jihad against the infidels.”
Furthermore, political forces with a militia history have offered their expertise and the archive of information they possess about the Syrian regime. They have shared the most successful methods for fighting this regime, based on their experience when they fought against it during the Syrian occupation of Lebanon.
We are giving these examples of facts on the ground, involving the participation and intervention of all international parties — in particular Arab parties, represented by the oil countries and led by Qatar, and then by Saudi Arabia, which the GCC rallied around — in the war in and against Syria (as the regime refers to it), to say that Hezbollah was the last party to intervene and participate in this war. Moreover, its intervention was for self-defense and for defending Syria, which for a quarter of a century has been hosting training bases for Hezbollah troops, protecting the party’s back and providing it with a safe [transport] route, which has been the loyal custodian and carrier of its weapons used to face the Israeli enemy in numerous wars, and which helped it liberate Lebanon in 2000 and fend off the Israeli war of 2006.
Hezbollah’s leadership is aware of the seriousness of the threats made by armed jihadist organizations against the Lebanese in general and Hezbollah in particular.
Of course, Hezbollah’s leadership realizes that its participation in the Syrian war — regardless that it is from a defensive position, and with a view to end the international war that targets Syria, the state and its people (before targeting the regime) — will expose it and its popularity to a relentless campaign that goes beyond the party itself to target the Shiite sect, Lebanon and even Iran. This campaign has already existed for years now, but today it found a pretext to blur the truths behind this war and conceal the motives of the parties involved it.
All of these parties are participating in this war using all kinds of arms, the most dangerous of them all being the weapon of sectarian strife. These are the parties that are not motivated by the occupation of Palestine and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, who haven’t at any time fired a single bullet towards the Israeli enemy, but rather who, supported by their political positions and their rulers’ funds, rushed to accept Israeli conditions for reaching a reconciliation to finally free themselves from confrontation with it [Israel].
The war that is raging in Syria against the regime — which can be blamed for its mismanagement of the political crisis, which led to outbreak of civil war in which the whole world involved — is no longer confined within Syria’s borders. It has extended, or is on the verge of expansion, to the entire Levant, and perhaps beyond, to the Arab African countries and Yemen. Moreover, fundamentalist and jihadist groups are involved in this war in such a way that one must be blind not to see this truth and distance themselves from its devastating risks.
It is worth mentioning that the decisions taken by the GCC states in their most recent meeting crossed the red lines of the [Arab] nation’s unity, and almost took Arabs to a new sectarian war that would destroy their future. These resolutions did not restrict the sanctions to Hezbollah, but divided Arabs into two camps: the infidels on one hand and believers on the other hand, canceling politics and pushing everyone to endless civil wars, at the end of which all Arabs will be the biggest loser.
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