ISIS not allowed to gain foothold in Lebanon

While regional fears abound that ISIS might successfully reshape the map of the Middle East as we know it, Western political sources are not concerned about militant groups gaining a foothold in Lebanon. A prominent Western diplomat in Beirut expressed optimism and hope for the future of Lebanon, despite the turmoil in the region and the persistent threat of terrorism, which has increased in many Lebanese areas recently.

“Warnings of dramatic developments in Lebanon are still there,” said the source, who said he expects Syrian militants to take refuge along Lebanon’s borders should their circumstances grow dire. This might lead to insurgencies along the border areas and the awakening of sleeper cells, he said. But despite the possibility of security threats, he downplayed the idea of any harm coming Lebanon’s way.

“In spite of this impression, based on information we have,” he said, citing facts from the field and precise satellite monitoring data of militant groups in Syria, “despite the huge number of [militants] headed to the areas on the border, this doesn’t mean that Lebanon has a dark future.”

The international community, according to the diplomat, is keen on sparing Lebanon from the repercussions of the regional turmoil for one very important strategic reason: to deny extremist groups access to the coast.

“It’s not permitted for what they call the Islamic State, ISIS, to have a foothold in Lebanon,” the source said.

Denying the extremist group access the Mediterranean Sea appears to be the main reason why the international community is championing the protection of Lebanon and other countries that share a coastline.

“In Europe in particular, and the international community in general, a decision was taken to prevent the rise of any extremist rule that has access to the Mediterranean Sea,” the source explained.

“This is what accelerated the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, limited Hamas’ influence on Gaza, prevented Syria’s coastline from being jeopardized and pushed the regime in Tunis to commit to pluralism and partnership deal,” the source said.

Having a channel to the Mediterranean is a dream that will not come true for extremist groups despite all their efforts, the diplomat stressed. He even referred to possible military intervention, if such a thing were ever required, to prevent such a scenario from taking place.

The source said he also urged the Lebanese factions to unite in their efforts to fight terrorism, stressing that any division over this subject would be detrimental.

“Any attempts to make this challenge [fighting terrorism] as a device of political rhetoric among parties will reflect negatively on everyone,” said the diplomatic source, stressing the importance of strengthening the civil, military and security institutions.

“Therefore, the map of Lebanon is not allowed to change under any circumstance,” the source said.

The source said that conflicts in the region appear to be sectarian, but from a Western perspective, conflicts in the Middle East are rarely ideologically based. Rather, these conflicts are waged as part of a struggle to control sources of oil and gas, he said.

“In fact, [the conflict] revolves around the sources of energy and the supply lines of oil and gas, particularly the pipelines that transfer the old or recently discovered Arab oil to Europe and Asia.”