Lebanon opposition leader calls Al Qaeda claim “Syrian game”

Khaleej Times ^ | 12/30/05

[Valin]

BEIRUT - Lebanese anti-Syrian opposition leader Walid Jumblatt said on Friday that the claim of responsibility by the Al Qaeda terror network for rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel is “a silly Syrian game.” “The aim of throwing Al Qaeda’s name into the rocket firing is that Syria wants to tell the world community that you asked us to leave Lebanon, look now Lebanon is becoming a base for Al Qaeda,” Jumblatt was quoted as saying.

On Thursday, a statement by Al Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for a missile attack on Israel from Lebanon as part of a “new attack” on the Jewish state. The statement, which was posted on the internet, said “the lion sons of Al Qaeda launched ... a new attack on the Jewish state by launching ten missiles ... from the Muslim lands in Lebanon on selected targets in the north of the Jewish state.” It did not give the date of the attack. This is the first claim of responsibility from Al Qaeda for an attack on Israel from Lebanon. The statement, which could not be authenticated, was posted on a website frequently used by Iraqi insurgent groups.

However, Jumblatt said he believes that a Palestinian group such as the Damascus-based PFLP-GC is behind the rocket launches to “put the Lebanese government in a delicate position at these critical times.” Meanwhile the Lebanese army dismantled on Friday two Katuysha rockets which were positioned to be fired into northern Israel. The rockets were found in the border area of Naqoura, east of the southern port city of Tyre, and they were set up to be fired from a distance, sources said. Israeli fighter jets were seen on Friday flying over southern Lebanon coastal areas near the border with Israel.