Concerns rise in Lebanon as another soldier defects
A handful of soldiers have defected from the Lebanese army to join Jabhat al-Nusra, which has caused concern among the Lebanese that it might become a trend.
BEIRUT — A few defections in the ranks of the Lebanese army have provoked some alarm, the latest being soldier Khaled Shmatieh, who defected Oct. 20 and announced his allegiance to Jabhat al-Nusra. Shmatieh announced that he “repudiates this tyrannical and miscreant army before God,” as he put it in a video posted on Al-Manara al-Bayda’ channel, which is affiliated with Jabhat al-Nusra.
The statement included sectarian insinuations and exploited the state of repression and the feeling of injustice that has been growing among Sunnis in Lebanon due to their rejection of Hezbollah’s policies, and especially its involvement alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces against the aspirations of the Sunni majority in Syria.
The defector called on “the young Sunnis to repent and defect from this army that is collaborating with Hezbollah.” He also denounced the “criminality, torture and harassment” that Syrian refugees were subjected to. He called for “unity in the face of the velayat-e faqih project, which aims to kill and displace the Sunnis of Lebanon.”
Most Lebanese political forces, from Hezbollah to the Future Movement, and from all orientations, rushed to denounce Shmatieh’s talk and downplay the series of defections. They all declared support for the Lebanese army in its battle against terrorism.
