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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Lebanon: Palestinian group behind rocket attacks, says analyst |
| 2009-01-10 |
| (AKI) - A pro-Syrian Palestinian group is the prime suspect behind the rockets fired at northern Israel from Lebanon on Thursday, according to a key Middle East analyst. Talal Nizameddin, political analyst at The American University of Beirut, told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC) was believed to be responsible for the attacks. "This group is based at two refugee camps in Lebanon," he told AKI. "There are expectations that if there is another attack against Israel, I believe both camps will be the first thing the Israeli army will bomb, as a controlled response to send a signal to the Syrians." Israel immediately responded with mortar shell attacks against southern Lebanon after the rockets struck the Israeli city of Nahariya in the Galilee region, slightly wounding three people. On Thursday, the spokesman of the PFLP-GC Anwar Raja neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the rocket attacks. The Lebanese Shia Islamist group Hezbollah and Gaza's ruling Hamas both denied any involvement in the Katyusha-rocket attacks, while the Lebanese government condemned the attacks against Israel calling them a violation of a United Nations ceasefire resolution. Nizameddin, lecturer and associate dean of student affairs at The American University of Beirut, said that people in Lebanon were shocked at the rocket attacks against Israel and feared reprisals. "People in Beirut are silent and a bit shocked about the strikes (in Israel and Lebanon) and are waiting for what will happen next," said Nizameddin in a telephone interview from Beirut. Nizameddin also said that a speech by Lebanese Shia cleric Hassan Nasrallah, in which he threatened a "new war" against Israel, on Wednesday was 'historic.' During the speech, Nasrallah said Israel should prepare 'for every scenario'. "He (Nasrallah) said this is a historic and decisive point in the struggle," Nizameddin told AKI. "To me, it confirms the feeling that the balance of power is being changed. How will the supporters of Hezbollah react to this. This is the question." Nizameddin said that countries in the region may be polarised and forced to choose between resistance or dialogue. "Are we ready for a wider confrontation? Or do we just lick our wounds for the time being and come back stronger another time, that is the decisive question," Nizameddin said. "The balance of power is also about Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Jordan, Fatah, the Palestinian Authority on one hand, and Iran, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah on the other. "It is about deciding the future of the region? Is it resistance or dialogue? But obviously with Israel being the stronger part in the dialogue," said Nizameddin. The PFLP-GC is a splinter group of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine or PFLP, which is currently based in the Palestinian city of Ramallah. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 "It is about deciding the future of the region? Is it resistance or dialogue? But obviously with Israel being the stronger part in the dialogue," said Nizameddin. Eat this Peace-proponents |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-01-10 03:58 |