Wednesday, June 25, 2014

"The Lebanese army was exchanging valuable security information with Hezbollah that allowed it to respond effectively to a number of threats"

Mona seems to forget (or was too young to remember) New Year's Eve 2000' when Jihadists from North Lebanon attacked LAF checkpoints killing scores of soldiers and civilians. President Emile Lahoud ordered a (then) commander of the LAF, Michel Sleiman, to strike back, to which Sleiman used the 'foul weather' pretext trying to postpone the operation (in reality to check with his invisible 'foreign patrons'). He was proded to 'move' when Lahoud reminded him of certain perimeters of command!
LAF moved quickly, and swiftly. 
The US ambassador then (David Sutterfield) was outraged and demanded 'explanations' because one of the Jihadis was a 'US citizen', ... This vas-et-viens with the Americans subsided in the immediate aftermath of ......September 11, 2001! I rember these things well: I was there!
Then, and only then, did they start asking us for intelligence about the Jihadis!
"...Facing greater threats from the escalating war in neighboring Syria, the army sought aid from Hezbollah, especially over the past few months. By 2013, the Lebanese army was exchanging valuable security information with Hezbollah that allowed it to respond effectively to a number of threats. According to an army source, the shared intelligence contributed to the army’s successful dismantling of a terror ring responsible for dozens of attacks in February and March. However, Sunni fears of the LAF’s bias toward Hezbollah were made worse by the latter’s statement that its involvement in Syria is to protect Lebanon against the takfiri threat from jihadis (a foe that the army had fought for several years). This narrative has allowed both the party and the army to identify Lebanese and Syrian jihadis as a common enemy...."

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