Washington is waging a covert war against Hizbullah, according to the militant group, which accuses the United States of arming anti-Hizbullah militias and seeking to undermine the Lebanese army in moves that could plunge the country into civil war.
”[US Vice President] Dick Cheney has given orders for a covert war against Hizbullah … there is now an American programme that is using Lebanon to further its goals in the region,” Sheikh Naim Qasim, Hizbullah’s deputy secretary general, said in a safe house in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The accusation follows reports in the US and British media that the CIA has been authorised to take covert action against the militant Shia group, which receives military backing from Iran, as part of a wider strategy by the Bush administration to prevent the spread of Iranian influence in the region. The reports claim US intelligence agencies are authorised to provide ”non-lethal” funding to anti-Hizbullah groups in Lebanon.
But Hizbullah accused the Lebanese government of arming groups across the country. ”This happens with the knowledge of the prime minister and is facilitated by the security forces under his command,” said Qasim.
The Bush administration recently set aside $60-million to fund the interior ministry’s internal security force, which has almost doubled in size to 24 000 troops.
Earlier this year, US President George W Bush accused Hizbullah of ”seeking to undermine Lebanon’s legitimately elected government”.
Qasim rejected the accusation, claiming Washington scuppered attempts to reach a compromise. ”The US is forcing the government forces to prolong this crisis, because they want a price for it … They want to tie Lebanon into negotiations that benefit Israel and their plan for a new Middle East.” — Â