Afif Diab - Beirut
The repercussions of the security incident on Sunday in the western Shehhar area near the town of Alia in Mount Lebanon, which resulted in the death of the Lebanese Minister of Displacement Affairs Saleh Al-Gharib and the killing of others from the supporters of the Progressive Socialist Party led by Walid Jumblatt,
The political and security contacts that were taken by more than one party succeeded in controlling the situation on the lines of security and politics after the supporters of the Democratic Party cut off a number of secondary and main roads in South Mount Lebanon, demanding the handover of those believed to be shooting at the convoy of Minister Saleh. Time Progressive Socialist Party announced its full commitment to the results of security and judicial investigations, calling on its supporters to remain calm.
| Al-Gharib convoy was shot, killing two of his companions (Reuters) |
The Supreme Defense Council was held at the Lebanese Presidential Palace in the presence of President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Defense, Interior and Finance Ministers, Military and Security Commanders and the Government Commissioner to the Military Court.
The Council adopted resolutions that it described as decisive for restoring security to the region, which witnessed bloody events and the arrest of all wanted persons and their referral to the judiciary, "as an act of sedition and preservation of the prestige of the state under a political consensus that preserves security in every part of Lebanon and fortifies it."
| Arslan: Minister's convoy was ambushed armed (Al Jazeera) |
Political consensus
The "fragile" political consensus - as one Lebanese government minister described the Island Net - was the reason for what happened in the western Shehhar region.
The spokesman added that the political understandings between senior leaders and their parties in the country, "did not produce security stability, repeated problems arise from the political discourse, which is not free of incitement and marginalization," adding that what happened in the western Shehhar "destabilized security in the country."
And security stability, which was shaken by the incident of Western Sahara, preceded by similar incidents in more than one area of Mount Lebanon during this year and the last half of last year.
Political analyst Munir Rabie said what happened was "a message from Jumblatt's supporters to anyone who tries to surround him and besiege him."
He added to Al-Jazeera Net that "what happened was not the outcome of his time." Djumblatt made many concessions to preserve the political and security stability, and his supporters in their own country attacked more than one of the supporters of Arslan and the allies of the Syrian regime.
"Jumblatt" absorbed the political discourse against him by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.
| Al-Rayes: What is said about the assassination attempt on Minister Saleh al-Gharib is not true (Al-Jazeera) |
Opportunity
He added that Bassil considered Jumblatt's calm an opportunity to attack him, especially that the latter's relations are tense with Hezbollah and Saad Hariri and with the President of the Republic and the Syrian regime, and that a fatal blow has come on time in his home, considering that the crowd Jumblatt can no longer control himself after Put the knife on his neck by allies of the Syrian regime in Lebanon.
The Lebanese security stability, which was disrupted after the incident, turned into an occasion for exchanging accusations about what happened and who was responsible.
The leader of the Lebanese Democratic Party, MP Talal Arslan, told a news conference that the convoy of his party's cabinet minister, Saleh al-Gharib, had been ambushed by a gunman, accusing Jumblatt of being an instigator and calling on the state to take its decision "either to protect people or to protect the people themselves."
Progressive Information Commissioner Rami al-Rayes told Al-Jazeera Net that the assassination attempt on Minister Saleh al-Gharib is not true, pointing out that popular protests were recorded against the visit of Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil to the western Shehhar region.
He pointed out that the Progressive Party controlled the street, which was provoked by the sectarian discourse. "Unfortunately, the convoy of Minister Saleh Al-Gharib broke into the road, and the videos showed that his companions shot at the citizens."
Al-Rayes stressed that his party "will not go in any direction, and we have a popular position that no one can cancel."