PSP says the campaign targeting its leader Walid Jumblatt is ongoing

The Progressive Socialist Party said it has “become convinced today” that the Qabrshmoun incident is aimed at “undermining” its leader , former MP Walid Jumblatt, al-Joumhhouria daily reported on Tuesday.

PSP sources said the efforts have failed so far to resolve the crisis sparked by the Qabrshmoun incident, “things are going in circles, suggesting that attempts targeting  Jumblatt are ongoing. ”

“Everyday we become more assured that  the issue has other dimensions, it aims to send Jumblatt a message,” they added.

They were referring to the insistence of the Lebanese Democratic Party of MP Talal Arslan, a  Hezbollah ally refer the case to the Judicial Council and that it be listed on the Cabinet agenda which PM Saad Hariri refuses.

The case has forced the suspension of cabinet sessions since July 2.

The issue  is the latest pitting Hezbollah, the only non-state group in Lebanon allowed to bear arms after the 15-year civil war that ended in 1990, against weakened political opponents who have renounced violence but are trying to stave off what they regard as renewed vassalage to the Syrian regime.

Although a small country, the direction of Lebanon’s internal politics usually reflects the wider regional, and even international, balance of power.

Today, Hezbollah is perhaps more powerful than at any time since its founding in the 1980s. Its patron, Iran, is ascendant regionally and neighbouring ally Bashar  Assad looks set to survive the civil war. As in the past, Hezbollah had few reservations about the means it uses to solidify its power.

The recent incident involving  Jumblatt is illustrative of how the group attempts to pull strings in Lebanon, without direct involvement in events.