Saudis secretly funneled weapons to anti-Hezbollah forces

[TAREK®]

JERUSALEM – With U.S. approval, Saudi Arabia in recent months provided weaponry to militias associated with anti-Syrian Lebanese opposition leaders to bolster them against the Hezbollah terror organization, informed security officials told WND.

The information follows five days of heavy street clashes pitting anti-Syrian gunmen against Hezbollah forces in and around Beirut that has reportedly left 54 dead and much of the country paralyzed.

It also follows a public dispute the past few months between Iranian-allied Syria and U.S.-backed Saudi Arabia, both seemingly vying for more control in several Mideast arenas.

The Saudi weapons were provided to militias associated with Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, Parliament Leader Saad Hariri, and former president Amin Gemayel, according to security officials.

The weapons mostly consisted of assault rifles, rocket propelled grenades, and combat equipment such as military boot, tents and night-vision goggles, the officials said.

The weapons may have been put to use during urban warfare battles yesterday between Hezbollah and Jumblatt followers in the town of Aley, east of Beirut. At least two people were killed and four wounded in those clashes.

Informed security officials say the Saudi weapons were used by pro-democracy gunmen battling Hezbollah forces since Hezbollah started the violence last week after the Lebanese government decided to dismantle and take legal action against Hezbollah's communications network amid accusations the terror group set up a system to monitor the travels of anti-Syrian Lebanese figures.

The Lebanese Army has largely stayed out of the clashes, which have been fought mostly with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. The fighting paralyzed most of Lebanon, shut down the country's international airport, confined the pro-Western Lebanese government to their secured compounds and violently closed media outlets controlled by the Hariri family.
(Story continues below)
Hezbollah is now thought to control large swaths of northern Beirut, once considered a stronghold for the pro-democracy groups.

In a major victory for Hezbollah and its Iranian and Syrian backers, the Lebanese army yesterday reversed two cabinet resolutions that would have seen Hezbollah's communications network dismantled and would have removed the chief of Beirut Airport's security, Major General Wafiq Shukeir, who has ties to Hezbollah. The resolutions were used by Hezbollah as pretext to start the violence.

Prime Minister Siniora announced yesterday he was putting the two issues into the hands of the army, which said in a statement it was keeping Shukeir at his post and that it would handle the Hezbollah communications network in a way "that would not harm public interest and the security of the resistance."

Hezbollah may hold off for more, refusing to withdraw its forces until the group's longstanding demand of veto power over the Lebanese parliament is met.

The Saudi arms report follows a major diplomatic crisis between the Kingdom and Syria.

WND broke the story last month how Syria floated a proposal that if the U.S. helps facilitate billions of dollars in business for Syria and builds up Damascus as the primary American ally in the Arab world in place of Saudi Arabia, the Syrians would be willing to discuss scaling back alliances with Iran and making peace with Israel.

A Syrian official said Syria conveyed this message to numerous visiting foreign dignitaries, including U.S. congressmen and Turkish mediators.

He said Syria also demanded as a key condition for considering altering its alliances that the U.S. cease opposing Syrian influence in Lebanon.

"Syria is the key to the Arab world. We have influence with Hezbollah and Lebanon and hold many cards in the Palestinian and Iraqi arenas. The U.S. needs to rethink the value of the investment it places in Saudi Arabia," said the official, who spoke by phone from Damascus on condition his name be withheld.
The main Syrian request was that America uphold Damascus as its main "partner" in the Arab world instead of Saudi Arabia, said the Syrian official.

He said in exchange Damascus would discuss severing "many ties" with Iran, but he would not specify which ties and whether Syria is willing to cut off all coordination with the Iranians.

"We are ready to significantly and deeply reduce relations with our Iranian brothers if conditions are met," the official said.
The request was said to have angered Saudi Arabia, prompting a major crisis between Damascus and the Saudis.

The Syrian-Saudi row was highlighted at last months's Arab Summit, a major annual meeting of Arab leaders held this year in Damascus. Saudi Arabia sent only a low-level representative – which was seen as a major snub to Syria – and used the platform to blast Syria.

According to knowledgeable Arab diplomatic sources, Saudi Arabia wanted to boycott the event altogether, but sent the low-level delegation to uphold its record of attending every Arab Summit.
The U.S., though, seems to have rejected the Syria overture. Last week, President Bush extended U.S. sanctions against Syria for another year following Israel's strike last September against what the White House said was a Syrian nuclear reactor being built with the assistance of North Korea.

Tayyar.org