SYRIA SAID TO TAKE DIRECT CONTROL OF LEBANESE ARMY
NICOSIA [MENL] -- Syria, alarmed by rising unrest against its occupation of
Lebanon, is said to have seized direct control of the Lebanese military.Lebanese opposition sources said the regime of President Bashar Assad
has ordered a direct takeover of the Lebanese military command. The sources
said Syrian officers have moved into key posts in both the Lebanese military
and security services.In addition, the sources said, about 5,000 Syrian soldiers have been
incorporated in the Lebanese military. These Syrians now wear Lebanese army
uniforms.The Lebanese military command, in a weekend statement has denied the
report and officials have threatened lawsuits. The report was also carried
by the Paris-based Al Watan Al Arabi weekly, which reported unrest in the
military as a result of Syrian intervention.Opposition sources said the crackdown on anti-Syrian activists earlier
this month was directly led by Syrian commanders in the military and
security services. They said the Syrian takeover came after Lebanese
President Emil Lahoud hesitated in detaining hundreds of Christian
nationalists.
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