Car Bomb Kills Key Lebanon Opposition Figure, Five Others
Hezbollah Denies Involvement in Death of Sunni Moderate
A major car bomb in Beirut has killed six people, including former Finance Minister Mohammed Shatah, a top figure in the Lebanese opposition.
The opposition leader Saad Hariri, suggested that Hezbollah was behind the killing, linking it to past assassinations. Hezbollah denied involvement, as did the Syrian government.
Other former Lebanese officials also saw this as unlikely, suggesting the assassination focused on Shatah as a Sunni moderate, and aimed at increasing radicalism in the Sunni-dominated Future Movement.
With no claims of responsibility it is too early to speculate, but Shatah was a major politician in Tripoli, where sectarian violence has been growing, and moderates on both sides have found themselves less welcome.
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Thomas
December 27th, 2013 at 8:42 pm
More of the same, trying to get a wedge to divide…. Was it the Saudi's & Bandar, their proxy, Hesbolah,,, the Israeli's, Assad, the U.S. or Georgia…. Don't laugh, they took on Russia… Bunch of crazy muther- flabbers…. Most likely we will never really know…. who………….
jtt
December 28th, 2013 at 4:35 am
Who desperately wants to see the fall of Assad and Hezbollah along with Iran…..? that's the big question.
RICinOR
December 28th, 2013 at 12:09 pm
Research the Oded Yinon plan and you'll understand who did this, or arranged for it to be done. The Balkanization of the middle east, the divisions between Sunni, Shia, etc., are all in accordance with that plan.
chris
December 29th, 2013 at 1:21 pm
i would have thought that the last thing hezb would be wanting was open sectarian conflict within lebanon- when it has people in syria and is on the alert to defend against israeli attacks in the south. so why open another 'front' esp after spending so much money on reconstruction after the last devastating israeli attack?
the target was supposedly a moderate? if so he would seem expendable in someone’s eyes- hardly an critical or controversial t target… with moderates gone, it leaves only those who are further apart in their politics….which lessens the chances of dialogue/cooperation.
who wants to break up/weaken/divide and rule lebanon? who has a plan for this? who may have had a hand in other recent assassinations against hebz and iranian targets?
is it really likely to be the syrian govt with its hands full fighting a war….
is it likely to be iran which is trying to achieve detente with certain western countries and relieve sanctions
is it likely to be hebz- for the above reasons… ??
Who wants to spoil IR/US detente and other peace talks and deflect attention from its actions eg Syria and land grabbing in Palestine ?
who has started more wars in the last 7 decades? who has been interfering in other countries affairs for the same period? who has had a long colonial history in the region and would like to redraw the map of the region -to have better control through puppets of resources and other strategic areas? who stands