Earlier in the day, the hope of keeping a lid on Lebanon gained
some momentum when Shadi Al-Mawlawi was released on bond by the Lebanese
government.
As is almost always the case in the Middle
East , hope was short lived.
The kidnapping of the 13 Shia pilgrims, if that is what they
were, has dumped gasoline back onto the fire of the Lebanese crisis.
The fact the reactions to this event took place all the way
back in Beirut
seems odd, except for the fact that is
where the families of the kidnapped victims live.
What I found unusual was how un prepared the Lebanese government
was for this reaction.
Now, I will grant you it's a lot easier to walk out into the
street, when you are unemployed and bored to tears, as soon as your cell phone
rings with the news family members have been abducted, than it is to officially
respond to the neighborhood.
Having said that, it is not mystery to the Lebanese
leadership what neighborhoods run the risk of having " problems"!
It is no mystery Lebanon 's leadership has been anticipating
trouble, especially after the events of the past two weeks.
What I did find interesting was how fast Hibollah's
leadership, Nasrallah, took to the airwaves to attempt to keep the situation as
calm as possible.
I've argued with some of my counterparts for several days
over the insane concept that Iran
or Hizbollah is attempting to bring a crisis to Lebanon to make them pay for the
Sunni support coming from the Lebanese sympathizers.
It is not what Iran or Hizbollah wants and
Nasrallah's actions validates my theory.
One thing is for certain; Lebanon is now front and center for
potential violence and everyone is beginning to understand how dangerous that
truly is.
