National Bloc Leader Carlos Eddé issued a statement on Friday saying that the Lebanese people should not be surprised by Thursday’s attack on a military helicopter. Eddé tied the incident to what he described as Hezbollah’s attempts to control the country.

The statement said that whoever opened fire on the helicopter knew the aircraft was Lebanese, and thus the incident could not be excused or explained away as a misunderstanding.

“If it was an Israeli helicopter, they would have certainly saved its pilot’s life,” he said.

The statement said that the national unity government’s ministerial statement was to blame for the attack because it gave Hezbollah parity with the army, and allowed them to operate with impunity.

“Who will protect the people from Hezbollah’s totalitarianism? The army cannot protect itself and sometimes refuses to protect its people,” the statement read.

Eddé also said that airspace restrictions imposed on the army by Hezbollah were unacceptable, and that the army should be able to access the nation’s entire territory.

“Those who gave legitimacy to Hezbollah’s weapons are responsible for this attack,” Eddé’s statement said.

-NOW Lebanon