VIDEO - The latest upheaval in Lebanon foundits way to the government meeting Sunday, as Military Intelligence chief Major-General Amos Yadlin briefed the ministers on the ongoings across the northern border.
Israel ,said Yadlin, must be prepared for the power shift in Lebanon: "Hizbullah's use of weapons inside Beirut send a very different kind of message… We have to be pragmatic, but there is no need for hysteria."
Fighting the government in Beirut's, he added, makes Hizbullah ofbreach of the Taif Accord. The agreement, signed in October of 1989, effectively ended the decades-long Lebanese civil war. Hizbullah was able to keep from disarmament at the time of the accord, citing it needs weapons to defend the Lebanese interest against Israel. The fact that the group turned its weapons inland, said Yadlin, is a major sign of weakness.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert toldthe ministers Israel was monitoring thesituation closely. Vice Premier Haim Ramon added that "we have to realize that Lebanon is a Hizbullah state. Everything happening there is their doing… The country is ruled by the Hizbullah and the reigning government is meaningless, its fiction."
Burning streets in Beirut (Photo: AFP)
Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter reiterated, "Hizbullah maintains its hold on Lebanon, without the responsibility of running matters of state. This creates a real difficulty for Israel, which can't work against the (emanating) regional terror."
A senior diplomatic source in Jerusalem told Ynet that "Olmert was kept abreast of the developments in Lebanon all throughout the weekend by the relevant sources in Israel.
"We are constantly briefed on the situation in Beirut, and since Israel maybe affected by what is going on over there, we are somewhat concerned… Israel, however, cannot lead the international response (to the events), which is why we are still refraining from any official move."
Sunday morning saw a tense calm in Beirut, while in northern Lebanon, specifically in Tripoli, violent clashed erupted between government troops and Hizbullah insurgents, resulting in three reported fatalities. Over 30 people were killed in Lebanon in the weekend fighting.
First published: 14:25, 05.11.8