Lebanon: Political Tension Takes Over The Blogosphere · Global Voices
Nash Suleiman

The political tension in Lebanon is escalating to critical levels with each passing day. The latest helicopter downing by Hezbollah managed to add more conflicts between the politicians and the citizens as well. Intense debates and political opinions can be seen everyday on the evening news and now on the blogosphere too. Local bloggers armed themselves with their personal opinions and analysis, taking the “battle” into their web spaces.
Tigermarks’ opinion on the current situation in Lebanon focuses this week on General Aoun’s recent comments and press releases post the helicopter downing:
Of course, he is throwing this out there to try to overshadow the Hezbollah killing of the helicopter pilot, whether by mistake or intentionally. He wants his supporters to focus on something else so he cooks up some more rumours and false claims of corruption against the March 14 block. Meanwhile corruption continues to fester in all parts of the Lebanese state and Hezbollah continues to play army in any part of Lebanon it wants to and continues to be the last word on whether we are at war or not.
Targeting the Lebanese Force's recent campaign in the opening of his latest post, Bech writes about the  Maronitism and what he perceive as a sign of the downfall of its a political agenda:
Now here comes the interesting part, early in the war, the Lebanese Forces, then a rising organization under Bashir Gemayel, proceeded into killing most of ‘the Tigers’, in effect removing potential rivals on the “Christian arena”. Dany Chamoun was spared till much later, assassinated along with his two little sons, wife, and dog, though maid and daughter could hide in closet. His daughter Tamara vehemently accuses Samir Geagea then and now leader of the LF of having perpetrated the act.
Hanibaal‘s frustration found its target in the newly elected Lebanese President, Michael Suleiman. Hanibaal posts this news article calling the new president a traitor and a pro-Syrian:
“Slime” was appointed by the Syrian occupation as chief of staff of the army, and when the Syrian army was being evicted out of Lebanon in 2005 by the Lebanese people, this [President] followed his Syrian masters to Anjar to bid them farewell and tell them how sorry he was that they were leaving…How can he be anything but a traitor?
There are no men left in Lebanon – only traitors and more traitors.
The Owuet Front’s blogger N10452 defended the Lebanese Forces against recent claims accusing them in the past to fight against the Lebanese army:
It has come to my attention many people still think that the LF were fighting the Lebanese army back when Aoun was in command. This major misconception is very much exploited by Aounists and lately by Hezbollah who was trying to innocent himself from the murder of Army pilot Samer Hanna by showing the ‘atrocities’ the LF did to the army almost 20 years ago.
Bart Peeters at In the Middle of the East commented on two recent published reports about the political and military situation in the south of the country and draws back the attention to the helicopter incident:
In Lebanon itself, meanwhile, a Hizbullah fighter last week mistakenly downed a helicopter of the Lebanese army, mistaking it for an Israeli one, thereby killing an officer and wounding two soldiers. Considering the Lebanese army owns a whopping total of 3 (three) helicopters, and Israeli aircraft are violating Lebanese airspace on a daily basis, this is not as far-fetched an explanation as it might sound… In any case, Hizbullah has owned up to its mistake and voluntarily handed over the 20-year old fighter to military police. Nevertheless, various parties in the country predictably continue to try and spin a lot out of the incident.