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Monday, August 30, 2010     INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING

Plan to absorb Hizbullah into Lebanese military fails to please anyone

NICOSIA — Lebanon has been considering a plan to absorb Hizbullah into the military.

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Under the plan relayed to Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Hizbullah would establish a separate command force in the Lebanese Army. Hizbullah has already dismissed the plan as an attempt to marginalize the Iranian-sponsored movement.

"The plan seeks to address Hizbullah's separate military force, which is more powerful than the Lebanese Army itself," a Lebanese source said.

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The plan was drafted by Lebanese Forces party chief Samir Geagea, regarded as close to Hariri as well as Syria. Geagea, a participant in a dialogue over Hizbullah's role in Lebanon, has proposed that Hizbullah contribute up to 4,000 special operations troops to the Army. Hizbullah was estimated to have a force of up to 20,000.

The SOF brigade would conduct both border patrols as well as missions in urban areas to quell unrest and insurgency plots. Geagea envisioned that many of the Hizbullah troops would operate in civilian clothes, particularly in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel.

"My proposal came in light of the unstable situation, which the region is witnessing and that could lead to a potential escalation in south Lebanon and based on the delicate situation that could turn the smallest incident into a devastating war," Geagea said.

The plan was submitted in wake of a bloody clash between the militaries of Israel and Lebanon in August 2010. Israel has accused Hizbullah of taking control over Lebanese Army units throughout the south.

Geagea said Hizbullah would also contribute its missile and rocket arsenal for use by the Lebanese military. He stressed that the military would have responsibility for using these weapons.

"But given the current circumstances and since we did not find a solution for the issue of weapons, I presented this paper to benefit from [Hizbullah's] weapons under the stated conditions,” Geagea said.

Hizbullah has dismissed Geagea's plan, presented at a defense strategy session on Aug. 19. Officials said the proposal was meant to limit Hizbullah's forces and eventually confiscate its huge weapons arsenal.

"The goal behind the proposal is not to defend Lebanon but to eliminate Hizbullah and its weapons," Mohammed Raad, the Hizbullah whip in parliament, said.



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