Lebanese President Michel Suleiman
...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too...
warned Friday against Hezbollah divulging the country into sectarian conflict, the Beirut-based Daily Star reported him saying in reference to Hezbollah fighting in neighboring Syria.
"How can a nation [like Leb] provide such a wonderful example of resistance and sacrifice, while at the same time promoting sectarian differences?" Suleiman was quoted as saying.
The Lebanese president's remarks came following a major assault by Syrian
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Scourge of Qusayr...
's forces on a rebel held town over the past week, which has drawn in fighters from Assad's Shi'ite allies Hezbollah, justifying fears that the conflict would cross borders at the heart of the Middle East.
"The meanings of resistance (Hezbollah's military wing) are loftier ... than sinking into strife, whether in Syria or Leb," the Daily Star quoted Suleiman as saying at a ceremony marking 13 years since Israel pulled out of southern Leb.
"The resistance is more noble and more important than anything, and should not get bogged down in the sands of dissension, whether in Syria or Leb," he added allegedly in reference to Hezbollah's focus on Israel.
Hezbollah guerrillas have been engaged in fighting their biggest battle yet for Assad, and about 30 were killed on Sunday, Syrian activists said, during fighting in the rebel stronghold of Qusayr, near the Lebanese border.
Assad wants to secure the coastal region which is the homeland of his Alawite minority sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam. He is backed by Shi'ite Iran and Hezbollah against mainly Sunni rebels supported by Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
and Qatar.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition London-based monitoring group, said Syrian army and Hezbollah forces at Qusayr were trying to cut off rebels in the nearby village of Hamidiya. State media said the army had destroyed "terrorist dens" in Hamidiya and also killed eight "terrorists" in another village, Daba, close to Qusayr.