Environment Minister Antoine Karam wondered, with a heavy dose of irony, whether the Lebanese army needed a memorandum of understanding to protect its officers from Hezbollah attacks.

During a dinner held by the Lebanese Forces in Ehmij on Sunday, Karam noted that some had said that the memorandum of understanding signed by Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement had prevented conflicts in certain areas, and asked whether those same people would continue to offer “excuses” for Hezbollah’s actions, in the wake of last week’s attack on an army helicopter. Hezbollah handed over a suspect in the attack, which led to the death of an officer in the Lebanese army, to Lebanese judiciary authorities late last week.

Karam said that the real problem was Hezbollah’s weapons and called for restricting all arms to “legitimate” military institutions.

He also said that next year’s parliamentary elections would be a turning point, and said that it was time for the people of Lebanon and Christian community in particular, to understand the danger posed by Hezbollah’s weapons.

-NOW Staff