Special to WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — Lebanon has been bracing for war amid the Sunni
revolt in neighboring Syria.

Officials said Lebanon could erupt in another war — this time between
Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims with intervention from neighboring Syria. They
said the growing Hizbullah support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar
Assad has made the Iranian proxy into a target for the new Sunni militias
financed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

“There are enough money, fighters, weapons and foreign support that
could keep this war going for a long time,” an official
in a Lebanese security agency said.

Over the last year, Lebanon has become involved in the war in
neighboring Syria. Hizbullah has used its bases in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley to fire artillery toward Sunni rebel positions in Syria while Assad forces were repeatedly raiding and shooting into Lebanon.

“The Army continues to do its job of safeguarding stability and
security, in addition to protecting the people on the border,” the Lebanese Army Command said.

The most likely area of conflict appears to be along the Syrian-Lebanese
border, particularly in the northern Bekaa Valley. Officials
report nightly fighting, particularly in Shi’ite villages in Syria dominated
by Hizbullah and bolstered by the Syrian Army.

“We must commit ourselves to neutrality,” Lebanese Prime Minister Najib
Miqati said on March 17. “We reiterate our calls to different Lebanese
factions to abide by the policy of disassociation towards Syria’s conflict.”

The potential conflict could center on the Sunni town of Arsal in the
northern Bekaa. Security sources said Arsal hosts the rebel Free Syrian Army
and has become a hub for smuggled weapons. Arsal is located near Hermel,
deemed a Hizbullah stronghold.

“The Sunnis have been attacking Hermel on a regular basis, and it is
only a matter of time before Hizbullah retaliates,” the official said.

Another flashpoint was identified as Tripoli, located in northern
Lebanon. Officials said Salafist militias financed by Saudi Arabia were
trying to expel the Hizbullah-aligned as well as Syrian presence from
northern Lebanon.

The security sources said Sunni fighters have attacked supply convoys to
the Assad regime. On March 15, at least three fuel tankers heading for the
Syrian border were stopped and torched in Tripoli.

“While Hizbullah is not the only Lebanese player participating in the
hostilities in Syria — Sunni Islamists have also crossed the border to join
the anti-Assad opposition forces — its institutional involvement is much
more significant in terms of both magnitude and impact,” the Israeli-based
Institute for National Security Studies said.

The Assad regime has deployed hundreds of troops along the border with
Lebanon. Officials said the elite Syrian Army units have moved within meters
of the Lebanese security command.

“Syrian forces are showing restraint by not striking these gangs inside
Lebanese territory to prevent them from crossing into Syria, but this will
not go on indefinitely,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry said. “These past 36
hours, armed terrorist gangs have infiltrated Syrian territory in large
numbers from Lebanon.”

  Arsal, Bashar Assad, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon fears Hizbullah support for Assad could spark war, Najib Miqati, Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims