Yet another message
The fatal downing of an army Gazelle helicopter on the eve of Friday’s cabinet meeting, during which a new army commander was supposed to be appointed is looking increasingly like a Hezbollah operation. It is the latest humiliation suffered by an army that has been under severe pressure since its costly but courageous showing at Nahr al-Bared; the assassination of head of military operations, Brigadier Francois al-Hajj; the stage-managed clashes in Shiyyah, where the army was accused of killing civilians; and finally, the civil unrest in May, when it was accused of standing by as Hezbollah invaded West Beirut. This latest incident is no doubt a reminder to the army of its limitations and that the state will always play second fiddle to the region’s über-militia.
According to Lebanese daily As-Safir, the helicopter, which had already made several landings in the area, apparently caused confusion among Resistance members who thought it was part of an Israeli airborne assault. At best, Hezbollah must accept the fact that, either its fighters are incompetent, or, if was another group, that its influence in the South is not as far reaching as they claim. At worst, it was a deliberate act, one designed to send a message to the army on the eve of the cabinet meeting. Hardly the actions of a super-patriotic organization that wants to coordinate defense issues with the same army. But then again, we have known since early May where Hezbollah’s true allegiances lie, and if it were the latter, the implications of the act are almost too disturbing to dwell on.
It also no coincidence – for there are none in Lebanese politics – that the incident came amid an atmosphere of US and Arab eagerness to support and assist the Lebanese army, such as was expressed by the recent visits of the Egyptian foreign minister and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Asia and the Near East David Hale, who’s visit with the Department of Defense’s delegation was aimed at providing the Lebanese army with aid. Naturally, this support is not welcome by those who are working to weaken state institutions, including the army. But then again, the battle today appears to be between two schools: One aimed at building strong state institutions and another that wants to pervert the same institutions into tools working for political agendas.
Which brings us neatly onto the Free Patriotic Movement’s leader, MP Michel Aoun. As a former head of the army, he should be among the first to condemn this outrageous attack on an institution, whose uniform he presumably wore with a degree of pride. The killing of Lieutenant Samer Hanna, who was the embodiment of a young patriotic servant, will resonate deeply within the Christian neighborhoods that Aoun claims to represent. Yet once again, Aoun has demonstrated that he has picked the wrong political bedmates, and once again we have seen what scant regard these bedmates have for the rest of us. And yet he plows on regardless.
If it is proved that Hezbollah did in fact down the helicopter, what more do we need to doubt where the party’s real loyalties lie? Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad threatened 11,000 missiles would land on Israel if the Jewish state attacked Iran. Would that he loved his country as much as Samer Hanna?