TWO RECENT REPORTS in the Lebanese press suggest that there may be less to Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon than meets the eye. First, the daily Al Seyassah (a Kuwaiti paper which carries a Lebanese edition) reported that, according to sources close to the Lebanese Ministry of Interior, tens of thousands of Syrians have recently been naturalized. And among them are 5,000 Syrian Secret Service personnel. So, technically these officers are now Lebanese citizens with no reason to leave their “own country.” Second, according to An-Nahar, one of the leading and oldest Lebanese dailies, dating from 1933, Lebanese police in Beirut arrested a Lebanese Army car occupied by two Syrian military officers. Meaning that Syrians can also infiltrate the Lebanese Army and pose as legitimate Lebanese.
It looked too easy when Bashar Al Assad, the Syrian dictator, decided to withdraw his troops from Lebanon. Even though his decision came in the wake of global pressure following the murder of Rafik Hariri, it was difficult to believe that Assad would give up so quietly. Wouldn’t he fight a little?
