Hezbollah is putting the new government in Beirut to a test via riots targeting UN vehicles and seeking to block a road to the airport. The terror organization is sending its people into the streets in part to protest a decision that is preventing an Iranian airline from smuggling items to the group.
“Hezbollah supporters have been blocking the road to the country’s only airport for two consecutive nights over a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing in Beirut,” France24 reported.
A UN vehicle was burned in the attack on Friday. A senior member of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Nepalese outgoing deputy force commander Chok Bahadur Dhakal, was injured in the attack on the convoy.
“Attacks on peacekeepers are flagrant violations of international law and may amount to war crimes,” UNIFIL said in a statement.
However, the UN refused to identify the perpetrators or condemn Hezbollah. “We demand a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice,” the UN stated.
This illustrates how Hezbollah has escalated its attacks into key areas of Beirut in a show of force. It wants to show it can attack the UN and blockade the airport.
Hezbollah ceasefire
The message is that Hezbollah is still in charge. There is a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that began at the end of November and is supposed to mean the Lebanese army will deploy to southern Lebanon after more than a year of Israel fighting Hezbollah. While the terrorist group may not want to pick a fight with the Jewish state now, it is showing it is still in charge in Lebanon through the attack on the UN peacekeepers.
This is the largest challenge to the new government of President Joseph Aoun. According to reports, he has vowed to punish the perpetrators. The president “emphasized that the attackers will receive their punishment” and said “security forces will not be lenient with any party that tries to upset stability and civil peace,” according to a post on social media. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also condemned the “criminal attack.”
While Lebanon’s officials claim they oppose the attack, they have not been able to provide security in the country. The fact that the UN can be attacked in the capital close to the airport demonstrates how the country is out of control.
Hezbollah has done this many times before. When Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah increased its role. It murdered former prime minister Rafic Hariri in 2005. In 2008, the terrorist group engaged in clashes in the capital.
Over the last decade, Hezbollah has prevented the country from electing a president several times. In 2002, the group murdered Irish peacekeeper Pvt. Sean Rooney. The trial of the perpetrators of that attack has just been postponed.
Hezbollah may have suffered setbacks in fighting with Israel, including the loss of its leader Hassan Nasrallah and key commanders. However, the group is still up to its old games. It is showing that it refuses to give up in Lebanon, and that any attempt to prevent it from resupplying itself or having an independent role at the airport will result in violence.