Robert Fisk: Developments in Syria May Soon Pose Danger to Lebanon

The anti-regime protests in Syria may soon represent a danger to Lebanon, said The Independent’s Robert Fisk in an article published on Monday.

“Lebanese opposition leaders have been voicing their suspicions that the Baathist regime in Damascus – in an attempt to distract attention away from the Syrian popular uprising – is deliberately stirring sectarian tensions in a country which has only just commemorated the 36th anniversary of its own terrifying 15-year civil war,” he stated.

He explained that the northern city of Tripoli witnessed pro- and anti-Syrian regime protests on Friday, noting that the city is a hub for the Alawite sect in Lebanon, which Syrian President Bashar Assad is affiliated to.

The danger towards Lebanon also lies in Hizbullah’s acceptance of Syria’s accusations that Mustaqbal MP Jamal al-Jarrah is involved in funding terrorist groups creating the unrest in Syria.

“So, too, has the Syrian ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul Karim Ali, who visited the Lebanese foreign ministry – obviously on orders from Damascus – to demand that Jarrah be brought to justice,” Fisk added.

“The Mustaqbal Movement has indignantly protested that Ali's move was Syrian interference in the internal affairs of Lebanon,” he continued.

“Hizbullah has been busily praising – like its Iranian sponsors – the Egyptian revolution while condemning the demonstrations inside Syria,” he said.

Fisk pointed out however that the majority of Lebanese officials sought to distance themselves from the developments in Syria, stressing that Lebanon refuses to meddle in its neighbor’s affairs.