Syria on the offensive again

By Olivier Guitta

I agree with my colleague Walid Phares on the likely implication of Syria in the latest attack against our embassy in Damascus. It sounds very plausible.
Assad like his father is famous for playing the arsonist/fireman strategy. For instance when Western citizens were kidnapped by Hezbollah in the 80's on the orders of Damascus and Tehran, Syria would pretend to help Western nations free their citizens. Nobody was really fooled but everybody played along and thanked the Syrians for their help.
Also, back in April 2004 there was an attack against a UN office in Damascus that our own State Dept deemed most likely done by Syrian authorities.
Syria is hosting lots of terrorist organizations and the Secret police is really watching the country quite extensively.
There's no way really for Al Qaida to stage such an attack which actually does not at all have the hallmarks of AQ.
The timing of this "attack" is not coincidental. Assad is on the offensive: the recent attempted murder of one of the top Lebanese investigators of the Hariri murder, Lt-Col Samir Chehade is one example of this. In particular since the UN Brammertz report is soon going to be released. Indeed Assad is behind the assasination of the ex Lebanese PM. On Saturday, the main witness in the Hariri case an ex Colonel from Syrian Intelligence, Mohamed Al Sadiq declared to Al Arabiya TV network that " Bashar Al Assad and Emile Lahoud gave the order to murder Hariri". He added that the rigged car used in the attack was prepared in a Zabadini camp, near Damascus and that he took pictures of it and gave them to ex UN investigator Mehlis.

Also the recent fast degradation of the situation on the Lebanese political scene does not bode well for a calm future. Indeed Hezbollah has been verbally attacking politicians of the March 14 movement (opposed to Syria) in the past few days. Just today Nasrallah speaking in an interview on Al-Jazeera television has heaped scorn on the Lebanese premier for receiving British Prime Minister Tony Blair, saying the move was aimed at provoking and humiliating his Shiite militant group.
Also yesterday an Hezbollah MP, Ali Ammar, violently attacked the March 14 forces: "The March 14 forces have from the beginning aligned themselves with the Israeli enemy. They have planned the murder of the Resistance in conjuction with the Americans and the Israelis."
In response Druze leader Walid Jumblatt declared that " the attempted murder on Chehade is just the beginning of the excution of the threats of the destruction of Lebanon." He added that Assad's recent speech on the "betrayal" of the March 14 forces was a true call to murder. Incidentally, lots of Lebanese ministers and political leaders have been told to stay put and watch their backs carefully because of credible death threats.
Unfortunately once again one can expect a campaign of violence orchestrated by Syria and most likely executed by Hezbollah to hit Lebanon. All this in the midst of rumors of a civil war or a Hezbollah coup d'etat to seize power.

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