[TIME] Andrew Lee Butters - The makeup and capability of the Lebanese Army render it unthinkable, say military observers and government officials, for it to forcibly disarm Hizballah or take control of southern Lebanon. More than one third of the army's personnel is Shi'ite, drawn from a community in which Hizballah is overwhelmingly popular. "The Lebanese Army will never be given any orders to disarm any militia," said retired General Salim Abu Ismail, a former military attache to Washington. "The Lebanese army is not going to fight other Lebanese."
2006-08-07 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive