March 14 Voices Fear that International Community Will Label Beirut Airport as Unsafe

The March 14 General Secretariat condemned on Wednesday the latest security incidents that have occurred in Lebanon, saying that these issues have taken precedence over political, financial, and social concerns.

It expressed in a statement after its weekly meeting its fear that the international community will consider the Rafik Hariri International Airport as unsafe.

They also voiced their concern that the Bekaa may slip into sectarian strife in light of the recent kidnappings and shootings in the area.

Arsal municipal chief Ali al-Hujairi and two of his companions were wounded while a man was killed when their convoy came under fire in the Bekaa town of al-Labweh on Sunday, shortly after they took part in a hostage swap that took place in Ras Baalbek.

The General Secretariat noted that the frequency of unrest in Lebanon increased after Hizbullah announced its involvement in the fighting in Syria, warning that the security incidents in Lebanon may return the country to civil war.

The party's involvement has also placed Lebanon in a confrontation with the international community seeing as the European Union has already blacklisted Hizbullah's military wing as a terrorist organization.

Hizbullah is risking leading Lebanon towards a confrontation with NATO after the recent abduction of two Turkish pilots, seeing as Turkey is a member of the organization, added the March 14 camp.

Lebanon's ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council are already strained over the recent measures it took against Hizbullah over its fighting in Syria, it remarked.

“Lebanon's overwhelming majority does not seek a confrontation with the international community and it is its duty to confront attempts to usurp the country by a group that is placing its interests and regional ones above Lebanon's,” it added.

“Ending this fateful crisis requires a general national stand that restores Lebanese collaboration that transcends regions, parties, and sects similar to what took place in 2005 when Lebanese unity ended Syria's hegemony over the country,” it stressed.

“The Lebanese people, who have endured the suffering of civil war and Israeli and Syrian occupations, will not surrender to despair and their right to coexistence that is built on respecting the other,” it said.

A Turkish pilot and co-pilot were kidnapped by gunmen on Friday.

The attack prompted Turkey to issue a travel warning urging its citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Lebanon and those already present in the country to leave.

The relatives of Lebanese pilgrims held in Syria's Aazaz region were quick to deny having any links to the abduction, but one of the relatives, Mohammed Saleh, was arrested on Sunday over links to the incident.

The relatives in return threatened to block the airport road should he be kept in custody.

The families of the pilgrims have repeatedly accused Turkey of being responsible for the release of their loved ones, warning that they will target Turkish interests in Lebanon in order to pressure Ankara to resolve the case.