Saad Hariri returns to an increasingly unstable Lebanon
On the 20th anniversary of his father's assassination, the Sunni leader announced his political comeback in Beirut. But uncertainties about the Israeli withdrawal and Nasrallah's funeral on 23 February 23 have poisoned the atmosphere. A UNIFIL convoy is attacked and vehicles are set on fire, injuring the peacekeeping force’s deputy commander from Nepal.
Beirut (AsiaNews) – A strange week began yesterday, 14 February, with the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and the announcement of his son's return to active politics three years after he withdrew.
It is also strange because it includes two other key dates for Lebanon, namely the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanese territory on 18 February, and the funeral, expected to be grandiose, on 23 February, of Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of Hezbollah, and his successor, Hashem Safieddine, killed in massive bombings by Israel against two underground bunkers last autumn.
It is against this backdrop that we must place the attack last night against a UNIFIL convoy as it drove through Shia neighbourhoods that resulted in the injuring of the peacekeeping force’s deputy commander, a Nepali major general.
With his return, Hariri opens a new political era for his Future Movement, seeking a new relationship with Hezbollah that is more suited to the new regional situation.
After bowing at his father's grave and reciting the Fatiha prayer, the former prime minister addressed the huge crowd of more than 80,000 people who had come to meet him in Martyrs' Square.
“It is now time for me to come back and stay by your side. Look at where those who tried to kill Rafik Hariri's project (14 February 2005) are today," he told his supporters who welcomed his return, following a hiatus in which he had given up politics while Hezbollah was all-powerful.
The former prime minister, who presented himself as the leader of a current "of moderation, living together and Lebanon first", expressed his support for the project to build Lebanese institutions and the rule of law under the presidency of Joseph Aoun. He urged Hezbollah to shed its "obstructionist" past and facilitate the advent of a new political day.
Commenting on the controversy caused by Donald Trump's plan for the Gaza Strip, Saad Hariri joined all the Arab countries who believe that "the problem cannot be solved at the expense of Egypt, Jordan and/or Saudi Arabia". He also called for the establishment of better relations “on an equal footing” between Lebanon and the new Syrian regime.
A new dark day
One might think that Saad Hariri's return to politics would be a sign that Lebanon is stabilising, if this positive development were not overshadowed by two complementary events involving the Jewish state and Hezbollah, namely the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon on 18 February and the funeral of Hezbollah’s top leaders.
Regarding Israel’s withdrawal, reports coming from Tel Aviv and Washington remain contradictory. According to an AFP story on Friday, the Israeli army said it was ready to withdraw from Lebanese territory within the planned deadline.
On Thursday however, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament, Nabih Berry, said that the United States had informed him that Israel would withdraw on 18 February, but that its army would remain deployed in five strategic border heights, refusing to allow the French UNIFIL contingent take over these observation posts.
For Hezbollah, the Israeli decision is a violation of Resolution 1701, especially since the Israeli army used the ceasefire to raze border villages to the ground, with the aim of creating a depopulated buffer zone between the two countries.
Despite this, Hezbollah made the clumsy decision to pick 23 February for the solemn funerals of Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut. The Shia movement plans to turn the event into something grandiose, inviting foreign delegations, in particular from Iran.
Crisis at the airport
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Beirut airport authorities turned away two civilian aircraft belonging to Iranian company Mahan Air which was preparing to take off from Tehran after Washington warned Lebanese authorities that the runway might be bombed.
Shias were outraged by the decision, taking to the streets in Beirut, shutting down various roads, including the AIB boulevard. During the protest, Friday evening, three UNIFIL vehicles were set on fire as they made their way to the airport, injuring the outgoing deputy commander of the peacekeeping force who was on his way home at the end of his tour of duty. As a retaliatory measure, Iran announced that it was closing its airspace to Lebanese planes. The coming days will tell whether tensions will subside or turn into a showdown.
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