Syrian Media Welcome Release of Four Lebanese Generals

Pro-government Syrian media hailed a decision to release four army generals detained in Lebanon for almost four years on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.



In an April 30 opinion article in the pro-government newspaper al-Watan, Hasan Hardan criticised what he called the arbitrary arrest of the four senior Lebanese officers, who have been accused of having close ties with the Syrian security services.



He accused the western-backed governing coalition in Lebanon of having pushed for the arrests as part of a larger plan to effect a political shift and – in his words – turn the country into “an American Zionist western protectorate”.



He argued that the generals’ release, ordered by an international tribunal, would affect the Lebanese parliamentary election in June, implying that many voters would now consider supporting pro-Syrian political groups.



In another opinion piece in the same newspaper on May 1, Isa al-Ayoubi argued that the detention of the officers was politically motivated. Their release, he said, was a sign that the anti-Syrian March 14 coalition was losing ground and had been abandoned by its western allies, France and the United States.



[The March 14 group backed the imprisonment of the four generals, accusing them of assassinating Hariri in coordination with the Syrian security services. Damascus has denied any involvement.]