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Syria hints at 'Israel's connection' in Lebanese general's
killing
Damascus - Syria condemned the killing of a senior Lebanese army
officer in a blast in eastern Beirut on Wednesday and hinted that
Israel may have been behind the attack, according to the Syrian state
news agency SANA.
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The General Francois al-Hajj Was Anti Israel
"The Syrian government sends its deepest condolence to the Lebanese
army, its command and the family of
General al-Hajj," SANA said.
The agency quoted an official media source as saying Damascus
condemned the killing, which "targets Lebanon's military establishment
with its anti-Israeli beliefs."
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Israelis Benefit
Israel and its allies in Lebanon stood to benefit from the crime
through the killing of a national Lebanese figure, who held the
Lebanese army's belief, supported the resistance (against Israel),
worked for a united Lebanon and rejected its division, the source
said.
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Israel Threatened The General Before
SANA alleged that Israel had blown up al-Hajj's car in south of
Lebanon in 1976 after he refused to cooperate with a pro-Israeli
militia there.
Israel also threatened al-Hajj during the war on Lebanon in 2006,
the news agency claimed.
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The Dead General Was To Replace Gen Suleiman
An army source said al-Hajj was a candidate to replace Army
Commander General Michel Suleiman, whom the ruling coalition and
opposition have chosen as Lebanon's next president.
He also led the Lebanese army during its deployment in southern
Lebanon, alongside the beefed-up United Nations peacekeeping force
UNIFIL following the
33-day Israeli war on Lebanon, in
accordance with UN resolution 1701 which imposed a ceasefire after the
war.
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Syria Provided 18,000 Peacekeepers For 30 Years
Syria had a deeply entrenched involvement in Lebanon that had
started in June 1976, when its troops went into the civil-war ravaged
country at the invitation of the then president Suleiman Franjieh, who
was a Maronite Christian.
The assassination of Rafik Hariri, Lebanon's former prime minister,
led to the withdrawal of Syria's troops from the country in April
2005, thus ending its 30-year presence.
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Syria Isn't The Enemy
Syria, however, still has allies in its southern neighbour, mainly
the Shiite group Hezbollah, which is believed to be funded by Iran.
The failure by Lebanese powers to elect a president is one of the
dimensions of the current deadlock between the country's pro-Western
majority alliance and the largely pro-Syrian opposition, of which
Hezbollah is a key member.
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