NOVANEWS
November 12, 2010
by Debbie Menon
Robert Fisk
Five years after Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was killed, rising sectarian tensions and a teetering government are threatening a new conflict in Lebanon, Robert Fisk wrote on Friday.
In an article in British daily The Independent, Fisk pointed to the vibrations witnessed by Lebanese, noting that last week, F-16 fighter aircraft was flashing over the seafront and the streets of Beirut. “What message were the Israelis sending this time? That they do not fear the Hezbollah? That they can humiliate Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri?” he wondered.
“Heaven knows, they hardly need to do that, when Hariri has several times taken the desolate road to Damascus for a friendly chat with the man he believes murdered his father Rafiq, President Bashar al-Assad.”
“But who cares about the Israeli plane? Supposing a Syrian MiG had buzzed Tel Aviv during a busy shopping day last week? Hillary Clinton would be shrieking condemnation from the State Department, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon would have solemnly warned Syria of the consequences and the Israelis would be pondering an air strike on Syria to teach President Assad a lesson,” Fisk said.
According to him, the Israeli overflight was a clear contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, noting Israel breaks 1701 every day with overflights, but not at this low level.
Robert Fisk, Middle East correspondent of The Independent, is the author of Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War.
