Hezbollah blames Future Movement for Tripoli Army assaults

BEIRUT: Hezbollah dismissed Thursday accusations that it was involved in assaults against the Lebanese Army in Tripoli, pointing the finger back at the Future Movement, which Hezbollah said ultimately bore responsibility for the attacks.

Officials from the Future Movement and March 14 media outlets “have issued false accusation over repeated assaults against the Lebanese Army in Tripoli, pinning the blame on individuals, it alleges, are allied ... with Hezbollah,” a statement released by Hezbollah’s media office said.

The statement came after prominent March 14 figures, including Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi, said Hezbollah was implicated in the attacks on Army positions in the northern port city.

Rifi on Monday claimed that “investigations ha[d] revealed the identities of those who threw the grenades on the Army bases and checkpoints,” who turned out to be “from Hezbollah’s circle and aim to create a conflict between the Army and the city’s residents."

The Muslim Scholars Committee Wednesday parroted the claims, saying “investigations revealed that Hezbollah is responsible for attacks on the Lebanese Army.”

Hezbollah considered the accusations to be “baseless” and “void of any truth,” negating the claims by saying that “those responsible for firing at the Army in Tripoli are known by the residents of the town, the Lebanese Army, and security forces.” None of the perpetrators are “friends or allies” of Hezbollah, the party said.

Hezbollah claimed that the perpetrators were “close allies of the Future Movement,” which has supplied the necessary “legal cover to prevent their trials.”

Hezbollah further decried the accusations by stressing that the party “rejects any assault on the Lebanese Army.” Any attack on the military is “a grave national crime,” the severity of which is only worsened by the fact that the Army is waging battles against terrorists, Hezbollah said.

The statement went on to call for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. The party also hoped that investigations would reveal their “identities, goals, and the groups they are working for.”

In the latest incident in a spate of Army-related violence in the city, a resident of the Baddawi refugee camp was killed during a shoot-out with soldiers Thursday evening. The gunfight broke out after the Army tried to arrest someone suspected of killing a soldier, the National News Agency said.

Earlier this week, the Lebanese Army beefed up security measures in Tripoli following repeated attacks against the military.

Soldiers deployed heavily in several areas in Tripoli's Abi Samra neighborhood and erected checkpoints, inspecting identification cards and vehicles in search of gunmen suspected of involvement in attacks against the Army.

Tripoli has enjoyed relative stability since the implementation of a security plan in April to restore law and order to the city, which has witnessed a series of deadly clashes over the past several years between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad.