[Washington Institute for Near East Policy] David Schenker - Wednesday's car bombing in Beirut, which killed Future Party parliamentarian Walid Eido, underscores the Syrian-backed multifront campaign to undermine stability in Lebanon. One front is the Palestinian refugee camps, particularly Nahr al-Bared, where the Lebanese Armed Forces are currently fighting Fatah al-Islam, an al-Qaeda affiliate with ties to Syria. A second front is Beirut itself. The blast that killed Eido was the sixth such attack in the past month. For Washington, this latest assault on the Lebanese government is cause for great concern, particularly because al-Qaeda and Syria appear committed to destabilizing Lebanon. To help the Lebanese government weather what is sure to be a long war with Syria, Washington should pursue a second UN Security Council resolution to secure Lebanon's border with Syria. It may be time for Lebanon to request, with U.S. support, deployment of UN forces on this border.
2007-06-15 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive