It seems the Lebanese politicians in Doha have agreed on at least one thing: elect Army general Michel Sleiman as president. Of course this is nothing new, lending credibility to those who see the talks as a waste of time. This is because both sides of the USA-Iran confrontation in Lebanon have already agreed to Sleiman months ago, they just cannot agree on a government. But interestingly, the opposition’s hooded gunmen who overran West Beirut last week may have a different view, as seen in the tearing up of Sleiman posters above.
Here are some more souvenirs from last week’s surprise attack/temporary coup:
I took these photos near Hamra, one of the many neighborhoods that was held by militants. The upper image is that of late prime minister Rafik Hariri. In the lower image, Hariri is spared but his son and sucessor is torn to shreds.
By desecrating the symbols of Sunni power in Beirut, opposition forces have crossed a ‘red line ‘in Lebanon’s political mentality according to security expert Timur Goksel as quoted in this Jerusalem Post article.
The fear is that Sunnis will not stand for this kind of humiliation and may procure increased arms as a result.
