Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cutting off the electricity to the coastal city of Banias and surrounding it with tanks. The
city was subject to a bombardment for several hours and anyone who sought to leave were
fingerprinted. One of the protesters said that:
“Assad is sending us a message: punish those who dare demand freedom with death.”
While all this was going on, Saad Hariri the Lebanese Prime Minister was having his
own problems and these were quite separate to what was happening elsewhere in the Arab
world.
On 12 January 2011 the Hezbollah-led alliance parties resigned from the Lebanese cabinet,
causing Hariri's unity government to collapse.
It is generally believed that the Hezbollah alliance pulled out over Hariri's refusal to re-
nounce the United Nations tribunal investigating his father's assassination five years ago.
The tribunal's first indictments were issued on 17 January 2011 and, pending prosecutor
approval with the contents of the indictment, these will remain confidential until their anti-
cipated release in March 2011.
The indictments are expected to accuse Hezbollah members of the crime; allegations
that the organisation angrily denies. Various media outlets have reported that the tribunal
planned to indict between two and six members of Hezbollah. Including a senior Hezbollah
military commander.
In the meantime, Hezbollah has secured support for its prime ministerial candidate, Najib
Mikati, a Sunni billionaire. However, despite Hezbollah's calls for a unity government, the
now caretaker Prime Minister Hariri, said he would not take part in a government led by
the Hezbollah-backed candidate.
His announcement reinforces the stand-off between the Sunni leader and Hezbollah that
has stoked fears of civil unrest and war.
Just what happens when the indictments are unsealed is anybody's guess.
But the incoming Lebanese government and Hezbollah in particular now have other mat-
ters to consider.
The developments in Syria will have a significant impact on the balance of power in Le-
banon where Syria had troops stationed for 29 years, before being forced out in 2005.
