Lebanon clashes threaten to crack open fault lines

Increasingly violent clashes between Lebanese protesters and supporters of the Shiite militant Hezbollah group are putting Lebanon’s military and security forces in a delicate position, threatening to crack open the country’s dangerous fault lines amid a political deadlock.

For weeks, the Lebanese security forces have gone to great pains to protect anti-government protesters, in stark contrast to Iraq, where police have killed more than 340 people over the past month in a bloody response to similar protests, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

The overnight violence   some of the worst since protests against the country’s ruling elite began last month   gave a preview into a worst-case scenario for Lebanon’s crisis, with the country’s U.S.-trained military increasingly in the middle between pro- and anti-Hezbollah factions.

By attacking the protesters Sunday night, Hezbollah sent a frightening message that it is willing to resort to violence to protect its political power, increasing the likelihood of more violence if the protests persist. Confronting the powerful Iranian-backed Hezbollah, however, is out of the question for the military   doing so would wreck the neutral position it seeks to maintain and could split its ranks disastrously.

The violence began when supporters of Hezbollah and the other main Shiite faction, Amal, attacked protesters who had blocked a main Beirut thoroughfare known as the Ring Road   a move the protesters said was aimed at exerting pressure on politicians to form a new government after Prime Minister Saad Hariri offered his resignation on October 29.

The army is one of the few state institutions that enjoy wide support and respect among the public as it is seen as a unifying force in the deeply divided country. During the protests, it has for the most part worked to defuse tensions and protect protesters, though on two occasions in past weeks it allowed Hezbollah and Amal supporters to wreck tents at the main protest site in downtown Beirut.

The military is already at the center of a debate in U.S. policy-making circles. The Trump administration is now withholding more than $100 million in US military assistance to Lebanon that has been approved by Congress, without providing an explanation for the hold.

That has raised concerns among some in the U.S. security community who see the aid   largely used to buy U.S.-made military equipment   as key to countering Iran’s influence in Lebanon. Others, however, including pro-Israel lawmakers in Congress, have sought to defund the military, arguing it has been compromised by Hezbollah, which the US designates as a terrorist organization.

US administrations have long believed that a strong Lebanese army could be a counter to Hezbollah's weapons and could deprive the militants of the excuse to keep their arms.