Lebanon hit by black market weapons boom

Demand for assault rifles rises as Lebanese seek personal protection amid fears of new civil war.

The price of a Kalashnikov assault rifle has soared in Lebanon, riding the wave of political crisis, community tension and fears of a new civil war.

It used to be 100 dollars (76 euros). Now it's more than 700 dollars.

"It's a stampede," an arms dealer who did not wish to be named said.

"Those who have guns are keeping them or not selling except for a huge profit, and those who don't have them are buying so they can face any eventuality."

He said a cartridge clip that used to go for two dollars now costs 20 dollars, and "a Kalashnikov has gone from a hundred dollars to 700 or 750 dollars."

After the country's 1975-1990 civil war, militias handed in their weapons, all of them except the Shiite group Hezbollah, whose guerrillas were fighting Israeli occupation in south Lebanon.

The United Nations -- as well as Lebanese officials -- have demanded that Hezbollah disarm, but it has not done so.

After the current political crisis sparked deadly Beirut street clashes last month between opposition supporters and those backing the government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, "everyone is looking for guns," said a businessman close to the arms trade.

Requesting anonymity, he added that Hezbollah, which heads the opposition movement, is not selling weapons on the local market.

The source of guns now available is twofold, the businessman said. Either they have been passed from hand to hand down the years or they were smuggled into the country, generally from Iraq.

Last December, police in the north seized weapons in a raid on offices of a pro-Syrian party, which said they were left over from the 1980s "from the time of the resistance" against Israel.
But guns that have hit the market recently are brought by road from Iraq via Syria, often hidden in containers, lorries, "and even concealed inside car doors," the businessman said.

"To ensure they are not found by Syrian customs officers, only small quantities are smuggled at any one time," he added.

On February 4, Syrian officials said they had impounded an Iraqi truck transporting guns to Lebanon, and on Thursday a lorry loaded with weapons destined for Hezbollah was intercepted by security forces in east Beirut.

A UN report late last year on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day summer war between Israel and Hezbollah, spoke of "information concerning arms movements on the Syrian-Lebanese border."

For the arms dealer, who uses intermediaries to buy guns from Iraq, the former Yugoslavia remains an elusive El Dorado.

"If only I could break into the market over there," he said. "I'd bring over all the Kalashnikovs and sell them in the blink of an eye."

A client's motives for buying a gun are unimportant. In Lebanon, when it comes to doing business, politics plays no part -- both smugglers and dealers have links with all parties, the businessman said.

Kalshnikovs and US-made M-16s are most highly sought after, as are handguns. "But not heavy weapons," said the businessman. "It's more difficult to bring in a cannon or rocket launcher, and demand is low."

The black market price of a rocket launcher has not risen -- it is still 300 dollars.

Patrick Haenni, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the absence of demand for heavy weapons is telling.

"It's true that there is a general tension that is leading people to arm themselves, but I don't think this indicates imminent hostilities," he said.

Haenni believes the current trend to buy guns may give rise to "localized blunders," as happened in late January when seven people were killed and more than 300 wounded in the Beirut street fighting.

"But for civil war to break out again requires a political decision, and for the moment there has not been one," he said.

Source : Middle East On Line

L’armée libanaise démantèle un réseau terroriste

Selon la chaîne LBCI, le 2ème bureau de l'armée libanaise aurait démantelé un réseau terroriste basé dans le camp palestinien d'Aïn Helweh (Saïda), et qui se préparait à organiser des attaques terroristes contre la FINUL.

Source : Libnanews

Le Hezbollah insiste pour le retour des armes saisies

Réagissant aux propos du ministre de la Défense refusant de rendre la cargaison d'armes saisies au cours de cette semaine au mouvement chiite du Hezbollah, le député Hassan Fadlallah a déclaré, au cours d'une conférence de presse tenue ce vendredi, qu'il décidera lui-même du moment et de la nature des cadeaux à faire à l'armée, reconnaissant que l'armée libanaise défend la frontière, mais demandant implicitement le retour des armes saisies à celui-ci.

Selon le quotidien An-Nahar, la cargaison d'armes comprendrait 48 mortiers de 60 mm, 16 mortiers de 120 mm, cinquante roquettes de type Grad et 118 obus de mortier.

Source : Libnanews

Les États-Unis arment les forces de sécurité intérieure

Les États-Unis ont aujourd'hui effectué une donation de 60 véhicules de type Ford Export équipés avec des sirènes et du matériel nécessaire aux forces de sécurité intérieure, au cours d'une cérémonie tenue dans la caserne de celles-ci à Dbayeh, en présence du chef de mission, Christopher Murray et du général libanais Achraf Rifi.

Ces véhicules s'ajoutent aux 2000 équipements déjà fournis aux forces de sécurité intérieure, leur permettant, selon l'ambassade américaine d'étendre le théâtre de leur opération sur tout le pays et de protéger le peuple libanais et le gouvernement démocratiquement élu des menaces sécuritaires en raison des perturbations actuelles. (…)

Selon l'ambassade américaine, les États-Unis se sont engagés à fournir aux forces de sécurité intérieure libanaise, des équipements anti-émeutes, des uniformes de police, des transports de troupes blindées, ainsi que des équipements nécessaires à la gestion de crise.

Les véhicules ont été financés par les fonds américains d'assistance à la sécurité, les équipements anti-émeutes par le département d'État américain à la stabilisation et à la défense. Ces deux départements participent au programme d'assistances aux forces de sécurité intérieure, qui vise à assurer la sécurité et à sauvegarder le peuple libanais, soutenant, toujours selon l'ambassade américaine, le gouvernement démocratiquement élu du Liban.

Source : Libnanews

Les voitures blindées, un marché florissant au Liban

Le quotidien libanais Assafir souligne que la situation que connaît le Liban profite aux fabricants, aux transformateurs et aux équipementiers des voitures. Les annonces se multiplient pour faire la promotion d’une société spécialisée dans le blindage des voitures contre les charges explosives et contre les balles. Pour certains, qui sont pressés de détenir ce genre de véhicules, l’entreprise qui compte déjà parmi ses clients des ambassades et des hommes politiques, propose l’importation de voitures déjà blindées, ou la location parmi son parc déjà prêt.

Source : Assafir via MediArabe

La majorité se réarme

Selon le quotidien britannique, The Guardian, le mouvement chiite Hezbollah ne serait plus le seul à posséder des armes. La vente d'armes a en effet triplé, démontrant que les factions politiques sont en train de se réarmer. The Guardian indique que des personnes armées d'origine sunnite, soutenus par un parti membre de la coalition majoritaire et entraînées à l'étranger notamment en Égypte, en Jordanie et en Arabie Saoudite ont fait leur apparition dans la capitale libanaise. (…)

Le journal britannique note également que ce réarmement ne concernerait pas seulement la communauté musulmane mais également la communauté chrétienne. Il indique que des membres des forces libanaises ont été arrêtés en novembre dernier au cours d'une séance d'entraînement au maniement d'armes. (…)

Selon un journal libanais, la vente d'armes illégales a triplé au Liban, de nouvelles armes ont été achetées par les sympathisants de groupes politiques. Cet article fait écho aux affirmations des dirigeants de l'opposition accusant la majorité actuelle de former des hommes et de fomenter une guerre civile à caractère confessionnelle. Il est encore à noter que le Hezbollah avait alors affirmé lors des émeutes de janvier dernier que ses armes ne se retourneraient pas contre la population libanaise malgré les provocations faites par la majorité actuelle.

Source : Libnanews

Fears of new civil war increase as Lebanese political factions rearm

Gun sales in Lebanon have tripled since the current standoff between the government and the Hizbullah-led opposition began, prompting concern that political factions are rearming.

The increased presence of gunmen on the streets of the capital, Beirut, and reports of fighters loyal to the Sunni-dominated government being trained overseas has heightened fears of a return to civil war, which ravaged Lebanon from 1975 to 1990. Gunfights last month, some involving the army, left six civilians dead and more than 150 wounded.

"There is a reappearance of arms in the hands of almost every political group; we are sitting on a powder keg, tension is increasing every day," said a prominent security analyst. "They don't know what they are doing, they are going to destroy this country."

A two-month campaign by the Shia and Christian opposition to topple the government descended into riots and street battles last month between Christians from rival camps and between pro-government Sunnis and the opposition.

The Arab League secretary general, Amr Moussa, is expected to visit Beirut soon in a second attempt to mediate after his efforts in December failed.

Tensions are running high ahead of the second anniversary next week of the assassination of Sunni prime minister Rafik Hariri, when supporters of the government intend to stage a massive rally near the sprawling tent city where opposition protesters have been staging a sit-in for more than eight weeks.

The sense of instability has deepened with the seizure of guns and training equipment in November from members of a former Christian militia commando unit as well as reports by US intelligence analysts of fighters loyal to Lebanon's largest Sunni party being trained abroad.

The private intelligence company Stratfor reported in December that "Lebanon's Sunni bloc, led by the Hariri clan and their regional Arab allies, has sent a number of fighters to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to receive military training to counter Hizbullah's well-equipped and well-trained military forces."

According to the analyst...-...himself a Sunni...-...contingents of men are being brought from Sunni areas in the north to safe houses around the centre of Beirut where they are armed in preparation for clashes such as those last month.

"They are not militias yet but they are increasingly assuming the role of a militia," he said.
Hizbullah has said it wants to prevent violence, claiming any division will be exploited by Israel, but its significant military apparatus remains controversial among Lebanese.

According to one Lebanese newspaper, illegal arms sales have increased threefold. Lebanon is now awash with arms dealers, the newspaper reported, some selling 10 to 15 guns a day in a country of four million people. Many of the guns are bought by individuals, but there have also been newer weapons bought in bulk by supporters of key political groups.

Source : The Guardian