Report: Ibrahim Likely to Appease FPM, PSP Bickering

General Security Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim is expected to intervene and “appease” the tension fuelled by dismissal of employees between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.

Sources following up on the file, said Ibrahim will “likely intervene” to calm the escalating feud between the two after the PSP changed the position of an FPM-affiliate staff employee which triggered a retaliatory measure on the FPM’s part.

In remarks made to the newspaper, PSP sources said: “The FPM are resorting to the language of threats, insults and intimidation which reflects weak political argument. They are pushing in a dangerous direction,” they said, stressing that they will not to hesitate to “respond.”

Last week, PSP Caretaker Education Minister Marwan Hamadeh removed Hilda al-Khoury from her position as head of the ministry’s official exams department.

The FPM was angered by the move and took a retaliatory measure and sacked two state employees from their posts, Nizar Hani from the Ministry of Environment who is also director of the Cedar Biosphere in the Chouf Mountains, and Raja al-Ali an EDL staff member.

A war of words through social media spiked after PSP leader Walid Jumblat on Tuesday launched a blistering verbal attack on the “owners” of both the country's private power generators and the Turkish power ships as well as some officials at state-run Electricité Du Liban and the Environment Ministry.

Dismissals have triggered a wave of rage on social media.