BEIRUT: Lebanon’s government condemned Thursday the Israeli strike on Syria’s Golan Heights which left six Hezbollah fighters dead, overcoming a divisive topic which threatened to undermine the fragile national unity Cabinet.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army scored a new success in its open war against terrorism, dismantling another rigged car in the northeastern town of Arsal.
Convening under Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail, the government blasted the Israeli aggression on the Syrian town of Qunaitra, Information Minister Ramzi Joreige said after the session, which lasted for over five hours.
Speaking at the outset of the session, Salam touched on the “dangerous developments the region was witnessing which could affect our internal affairs,” a reference to the Qunaitra attack which killed the Hezbollah fighters.
He said that the government had to “contain the repercussions of these developments in the region and go ahead with addressing people’s needs and implementing security plans in the country.”
The March 14 coalition called on Hezbollah to avoid dragging Lebanon into a new war with Israel through a possible retaliation to the Sunday strike.
Ministers from rival parties said after the session that the discussion about the airstrike had been calm and civilized.
The government said that any statement made by any political party in Lebanon reflected the stance of the faction only, adding that positions taken by the government were the only ones reflecting those of the state.
This stance comes after the remarks made two weeks ago by Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah criticizing Bahrain over its Dec. 28 arrest of Sheikh Ali Salman, a leading figure in the Bahraini opposition.
Hezbollah’s opponents feared that Nasrallah’s comments threatened to spark a diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and Bahrain, which would adversely affect the Lebanese community living in the small island kingdom.
A Hezbollah source told The Daily Star that Nasrallah would comment on the Qunaitra strike in a speech on Jan. 30 during a ceremony to honor the six slain fighters.
Among the dead was the son of top Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, himself assassinated in Damascus in February 2008.
A state of panic gripped Israeli northern towns following the strike, with the Jewish state getting ready to confront any Hezbollah response.
A source close to Hezbollah told Reuters Thursday that the group did not want an all-out war with Israel.
“The rules of the game are to respond outside Lebanon unless the Israelis bring war to Lebanon,” the source said.
“This attack shows that Israel has crossed the red line in the security war with Hezbollah, which means the rules have changed,” a senior security source close to Hezbollah also told Reuters.
Also speaking to the news agency, an Israeli defense official said that a response from Hezbollah was expected, but in the form of limited attacks unlikely to lead to all-out war.
But Hezbollah issued a statement Thursday saying that sources close to the party to whom Reuters attributed remarks did not speak for them.
Meanwhile, the leader of Hamas’ armed wing appealed to Hezbollah to unite with the group in its battle against Israel.
“The true enemy of the nation is the Zionist enemy and all rifles must be directed against it,” said a letter purported to be from Mohammad Deif, posted on the website of Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV.
“All the forces of the resistance must direct their coming battles as one,” the letter added.
Separately, the military said in a statement that troops had dismantled a car rigged with 25 kilos of explosives near an Army checkpoint in Ain al-Shaab in Arsal.
The statement said that an Army Intelligence patrol had spotted the black Kia, which was not fitted with a license plate.
The development comes exactly one week after the military dismantled a rigged car it discovered in the same area.
An Army source said that Thursday’s rigged car did not have a driver, adding that he believed it was meant to target an Army patrol or checkpoint in the area.
“We are searching for other suspicious cars,” he said.
The source said that soldiers opened fire at jihadi gunmen who tried to infiltrate Arsal in the area located between Wadi Hmeid and Al-Hosn Thursday evening, adding that several casualties were reported among the attackers.
The National News Agency reported that two gunmen were killed in the altercation.
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