Tripoli Attack Sparks New Bou Saab-Mustaqbal War of Words
The deadly armed attack in Tripoli has sparked a new war of words between Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab of the Free Patriotic Movement and al-Mustaqbal Movement Secretary-General Ahmed Hariri.
The row started after Bou Saab said Prime Minister Saad Hariri had not called him after the attack.
“PM Saad Hariri did not call me after the security incident and I’m not waiting for him to call me. Perhaps he considers himself to be more concerned with the Internal Security Forces,” Bou Saab said in response to a question during an interview with Radio Sawt El Mada.
“The terrorist operation that was carried out by the terrorist Abdul Rahman Mabsout is still mysterious and ambiguous and we’re before a person who had been jailed on charges of belonging to terrorist organizations,” Bou Saab said.
“I don’t want to talk ahead of the investigations but any political interferences would eventually be exposed in such cases,” the minister added.
He later tweeted that “after looking into a part of the file of the terrorist Abdul Rahman Mabsout,” he has decided to order a probe to determine how he had been “arrested, sentenced and released from prison.”
“We will not let the blood of martyrs go in vain and we will shoulder our responsibility before the Lebanese,” Bou Saab added.
Ahmed Hariri snapped back swiftly, saying the defense minister “does not have the jurisdiction to specify to his boss whom he should talk to.”
“The issue of driving wedges between the army and the ISF is suspicious, and the premier is saying that ‘the army is one eye and the ISF is the other,’ but it seems that someone likes to play ‘the role of the one-eyed,’” Hariri tweeted.
“Grief is in every Lebanese house and not a single Lebanese does not feel that the servicemen’s martyrdom is not a personal loss and that terror is targeting everyone, so there is no need for rejected allusions,” the Mustaqbal secretary general added.
“We as a political party are the first line of moderation and the line of defense for Lebanon’s dignity. Enough with the maneuvers and manipulation,” Hariri went on to say.
Bou Saab and Hariri had engaged in a war of words last week over the Military Court’s controversial acquittal of Lt. Col. Suzanne al-Hajj in the file of fabricating evidence to frame the actor Ziad Itani in a spying for Israel case.
A lone gunman using a motorcycle fired on police and army vehicles in different parts of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two police officers and two soldiers and wounding several others before blowing himself up later when confronted by troops.
The army identified the gunman as Abdul Rahman Mabsout, but gave no other details. LBCI TV said Mabsout was a former member of the Islamic State group who fought with the extremist movement in Syria. It said he had been detained when he returned to Lebanon in 2016 and was released a year later.
04 June 2019, 15:55
06
The row started after Bou Saab said Prime Minister Saad Hariri had not called him after the attack.
I am not a fan of Hariri, but who does Bu Saab thinks he is?!!! Hariri is the Prime Minister and he does not answer to Bu Saab or any Minister for that matter. If the prime minister is away and a security incident happens in the country, common sense would say the minister of defense would call the prime minister and briefs him.
Bu Saab in typical FPM fashion is sowing discord and division among the security agencies. Lebanon is a lost case as long as these so called good for nothing politicians are at the helm. Talk about ego!!!!
05 June 2019, 14:29
70
Yes Hariri is the Prime Minister of Lebanon, but he is also responsible for Tripoli his Stronghold.
The fact that there are still ISIS members roaming around Tripoli and Akkar, is worrying.
The Salafi case must be dealt with by Hariri and the Sunni dominated Internal Security Forces, only yourselves can deal with the Sunni radicalization.
05 June 2019, 16:48
50
Only calling for Resistance against your beloved Israel and Salafis.
When has Hezbollah targeted any religious group in Lebanon? Never.
06 June 2019, 04:54
03
the heretic says : "When has Hezbollah targeted any religious group in Lebanon? Never."
On May 7th, who did you attack and kill in Beirut, Buddhists ya heretic?
04 June 2019, 15:57
06
Bu Saab later tweeted that “after looking into a part of the file of the terrorist Abdul Rahman Mabsout,” he has decided to order a probe to determine how he had been “arrested, sentenced and released from prison.”
Ask the Military court who sentenced him. The same court and same judge you called to exonerate suzan al hajj!
04 June 2019, 16:07
06
This is all part of the underlying campaign led by Bassil and his cronies to cut Hariri to size and overpower him. Bassil and hezbollah behind him want to control every position in the government, army, and security agencies. Bassil wants to replace the head of the ISF, wants to appoint a new Central Bank Governor and his deputies, and military judges.
Hariri has only himself to blame for cutting a deal with these evil people.
04 June 2019, 16:23
04
الحريري لبوصعب: هناك مَن يحب لعب دور الأعور
“ليس من صلاحيات وزير الدفاع الياس بو صعب أن يحدد لرئيسه مع من يتكلم”. بهذه العبارة توجه الأمين العام لتيار المستقبل أحمد الحريري إلى بو صعب، بعدما أعلن الأخير نيّته الكشف عن تفاصيل كيفية إخراج الإرهابي عبد الرحمن المبسوط من السجن العام 2017.
وقال الحريري عبر “تويتر”، “الوزير الياس ابو صعب المسمى وزيراً للدفاع ليس من صلاحياته أن يحدد لرئيسه مع من يتكلم. شغلة دق الاسافين بين الجيش وقوى الامن الداخلي أمر مشبوه، ورئيس الحكومة يقول الجيش عين وقوى الامن عين أخرى. لكن هناك على ما يبدو من يحب أن يلعب دور الأعور”.
https://www.lebanese-forces.com/2019/06/04/ahmad-hariri-84/
04 June 2019, 18:28
03
Calling Bou Saab an FPM stooge's a misnomer. Bou Saab's a Qawmi and will always be. His promotion into the inner sanctum of FMP leadership after Bassil took over's not a surprise to many long time FPMers. When Bassil was suddenly moved by Aoun to the front row of the FPM executives, with a made-up history of activism to match, many true FPM activists were alarmed due to the Bassil family traditional affiliation with the SSNP in Batroun and even worse that this upgrade came on the heels of the Assad emissaries Pakradouni-Lahoud Jr visiting Aoun in Paris. Also before he returned to Lebanon, Aoun replaced his long time rep to Qornet Chehwan and the Bristol Gathering, Dr Sami Nader, with Bassil. The latter immediately started causing problems culminating in the FPM leaving. Look at Bassil's and his closest advisers, Salim Jreissati, Elie al-Ferzli and the aforementioned Bou Saab and their conduct. It's a pattern of behavior akin to the one we were subjected to during the Syrian occupation.
05 June 2019, 05:04
03
They are all bad but the FPM are the worse. They sold the country to Iran and Syria in order to attain power and riches.
05 June 2019, 10:07
04
@POS
lol @ "Without the FPM at the helm there would be no Lebanon. "
