Syrian flames jump the border to Lebanon

All the Arab news outlets report that less than 12 hours after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Sunday to keep his forces in Syria until the Assad regime defeats the Syrian opposition, two missiles were fired at Hezbollah-dominated neighborhoods in Beirut. This has Lebanese citizens from all religious factions worrying that their country may become the next major front in the Syrian civil war.

According to the Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat, there have been no claims of responsibility for the missile attacks, which injured five people, including three Syrians.

In an interview with the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi, the chief of staff of the Free Syria Army, Salim Idriss, denied complicity in the attack and called for the conflict to be kept “within Syria.” Still, anonymous Syrian rebels issued statements saying the attacks were a warning to Lebanese officials to reign in Hezbollah. If not, there will be more deadly attacks in the coming days, they threatened.

Despite Monday’s missile assault, few Arab or international leaders are sparing much support for Hezbollah in light of its growing military presence in Syria, particularly around the area of Homs.

“Stop Nasrallah and save Lebanon,” Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa writes on Twitter. “It is a national and religious duty for us all.”

“All in the region should act responsibly and work toward lowering rhetoric and calming tensions in the region,” says United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, speaking to the “paramount importance of preventing a dangerous spillover of the conflict across borders.” The London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat concludes that his statements are a clear reference to Hezbollah.

“As preparations are ongoing for the international conference on Syria, the secretary-general urges all countries, organizations and groups immediately to cease supporting the violence inside Syria and instead to use their influence to promote a political solution to Syria’s tragedy,” Ban says.

While representatives of the Assad regime and the Syrian opposition continue to try to hash out the details over the makeup of the anticipated conference, which will occur in June or July, the Syrian opposition persists in its attempts to procure weapons. Representatives were set to meet with European Union leaders Monday in Brussels to discuss lifting the ban on transferring weapons to them. Currently, Assad’s government is receiving vast military support from Iran and Russia.

The Dubai-based media station Al-Arabiya reports that millions of Saudi riyals destined to be given to the Syrian people as aid have disappeared, apparently in a major theft. All aid collected among Saudi donors is channeled into official government trusts that are then handed over to the Syrian opposition. Widespread anger is erupting in Saudi Arabia over the government’s mismanagement of the funds.

The Doha-based network Al-Jazeera states that in response to reports that Hezbollah plans to deploy 5,000 militants to Syria, in addition to 5,000 already there, anti-Assad groups in Lebanon have also contributed to bringing the fight closer to Hezbollah’s home. In the past week alone, over 30 Lebanese have been killed in clashes that are being called “a spillover from the Syrian civil war.” Over 130 Hezbollah militants have fallen in battle with Syrian opposition forces.

In light of the backlash against Hezbollah, some Arab editorialists are writing that Nasrallah’s speech stating his unwavering loyalty to Assad’s victory was, in fact, a suicide note.

“Nasrallah has lit a fire he will not be able to put out,” writes Tareq Homayed, the outgoing editor-in-chief of A-Sharq Al-Awsat. “Nasrallah speaks about Lebanon and Syria in a condescending, populist tone. He will not survive this long sectarian battle.”