Issue No.588
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30 May - 5 June 2002 Issue No.588 Region |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Double trouble
Two political assassinations revived the bitter memories of Lebanon's civil war and raised serious security concerns, Zeina Abu Rizk writes from Beirut
In the blink of an eye, the unexpected resurgence of assassination incidents last week -- executed in the heart of the capital and in the middle of the day -- plunged Lebanon back into the gloomy atmosphere of the civil war. The killings also raised questions about the precarious security situation in the country.
The son of Ahmed Jibril, secretary-general of the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine- General Command (PFLP-GC), was killed on 20 May in west Beirut, when a bomb planted in his car exploded.
A few hours later, the decomposed body of Ramzi Irani, 36, was found in Beirut's Caracas neighbourhood, some two weeks after the disappearance of the young engineer, known as an active member of the Christian, right-wing Lebanese Forces (LF), officially disbanded after the civil war. Irani was first reported missing on 8 May, a day after he failed to return to his Ashrafieh home in east Beirut from his workplace in Hamra, in the western side of the capital.
Only a few months after the assassination of former minister and LF ex-leader Elie Hobeika, the two incidents shook the country's stability, dealing a serious blow to the slogan of "well-established security", one of the pillars of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud's political regime. Hobeika was charged with coordinating and executing the massacre of thousands of Palestinian refugees in the Sabra and Shatila camps in Lebanon in 1982 with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Shortly before his death, he threatened to reveal unknown facts on the horrific massacres in the course of a case filed by Belgian lawyers against Sharon on behalf of Palestinian victims.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese were left feeling that settlements of the civil war accounts were unfinished. They now fear similar incidents could recur if the government does not deploy serious efforts to stop them, or, at the least, conduct serious investigations into them.
Jihad Jibril, 38, was driving alone in his Peugeot 505 at 11.45am down Mama Street leading to Corniche Al-Mazraa in west Beirut when a two- kilogramme bomb planted under his seat detonated. Security sources said the precision with which Jibril's assassination was executed pointed to a conspiracy involving people from Jibril's personal guard or direct entourage. The amount of explosives placed under his car also showed that only he was targeted.
Jibril was a resident of Beirut and served as the head of military operations for the PFLP-GC, founded by his father in 1968.
Jibril's father said it was the fifth attempt on his son's life. "The Mossad managed to assassinate my son after trying four times to do it in vain," he said at his Damascus headquarters. "He is now a martyr, like the Palestinians who offer their lives everyday in Palestine."
However, speaking to Al-Jazeera television, Jibril hinted that Jordanian intelligence might be involved, accusing it of recently monitoring the group's military presence in Lebanon.
Yarden Vatikay, an aide to Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, denied any Israeli role, saying: "As usual, they blame Israel."
A senior PFLP-GC commander was reportedly arrested in Beirut on suspicion of being involved in the killing. Security sources said three unidentified people were detained and being questioned.
A previously unknown group, the Movement of Lebanese Nationalists, claimed responsibility for the assassination.
"One of our units has liquidated Jihad Jibril by bombing his car as he was coming out of his secret hideout," the group said in a statement faxed to Agence France Press in Cyprus. "We will not rest until we force all foreign hands, which are playing with Lebanon's fate and future and forcing it into a new war, to leave without returning." The group claimed Jihad Jibril, under Syria's orders, had transformed "the land of Lebanon into a den for planning and implementing operations against Lebanese interests."
"Syria -- its symbols and its tools -- has been receiving one strike after another to force it [Syria] to lift its grip on Lebanon and withdraw its soldiers and intelligence agents," the group added, promising more operations.
Lebanese and Palestinian groups had a clear idea of where to assign the blame for the murder. "Zionist fingerprints are obviously behind this assassination, which creates a critical political and security situation," said a Hizbullah statement. "This highlights the Zionist attempts to shake the country's security after having been defeated in Lebanon."
Harshly denunciated for their "impotence" and "unacceptable negligence", security apparatuses appeared determined to come up with fast and concrete answers about the latest developments, in a bid to compensate for deficiencies they had been accused of over the past couple of days.
Meanwhile, since the Irani case seemed easier to handle, Lebanese security forces have been deploying more energy on this file, in search for rapid results that would help clear up the tension in the country.
Security sources said the Irani case was taking a "personal turn," which contradicted speculations that his killing may have been connected to his LF political affiliation. Although nothing is final yet, as one of the sources said, investigators were able to collect some data pointing to personal motives behind Irani's assassination.
Police discovered the body, swollen and covered with black grime, around 6.30pm in the trunk of a late-model car registered in Irani's name, after an unidentified individual reported a strong odor. It remained unclear how long the vehicle had been in the area. A source close to the investigations said Irani was killed a few days after he was kidnapped. The source said it was still uncertain whether the car reappeared the same day Jibril was killed, and whether the two incidents were connected.
In addition to being prodded by an urgent need to restore their credibility, security authorities were reportedly given a rather short deadline by Damascus to uncover those responsible for Irani's assassination.
Syria's concern with identifying the culprits behind Irani's murder appeared to stem from a desire to prove wrong theories Damascus may have been involved in the incident. By helping disclose the truth about Irani's murder, Syria would also prove its good intentions towards all Lebanese factions and political groups, including the LF, in which Irani was a key figure. Moreover, Damascus may also be trying to avoid criticism that its presence in Lebanon for security needs was unjustified, taking into account the latest security developments.
In addition to their serious repercussion on the country's stability, last week's violence could also be harmful to the country's economy, on the eve of a summer season that was expected to be prosperous.
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