Hezbollah Channeling Anger Towards Army

Hezbollah’s wing of the opposition is blaming the army for yesterday’s events…For political reasons.

It’s all your fault General Sleiman! (Reuters)

In an angry voice, Hezbollah MP. Ali Ammar told an Almanar talk show that “the blood of the people of the south and of Dahieh cannot be used as a stepping stone by those aspiring to high positions”. Not a very veiled jab at Mr. Suleiman, the army’s head and supposedly consensus presidential nominee.

Hezbollah and Syrian media are blaming the army, not the snipers for yesterday’s deaths. Their allies at the FPM had blamed the rooftop snipers, whose footage was seemingly captured by OTV.

Call me cynical but this seems all too convenient for Syria, who not long ago made it known that it no longer wants Mr. Sleiman for the presidency (and according to today’s Albalad newspaper, proposed Jean Obeid and Fares Boueiz as alternatives). Calling Mr. Sleiman responsible for the deaths yesterday is just the poison his candidacy needed. Hezbollah, it appears, will be glad to administer it.

Hezbollah’s supporters have always secretly disliked the army and saw it as a wussy competitor to Hezbollah that couldn’t defend them if Israel were to invade again. Hezbollah supporters were the ones who sheered least when the army emerged victorious from the Naher El Bared confrontations.

Does Mr. Sleiman still have a chance at the presidency?