Hariri's war on Hizbullah's Arms Heightens Tension (Hizbullah's Arms‪)‬

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri and his allies in the Western-backed March 14 coalition have declared war on Hizbullah's arsenal after publicly blaming it for the country's political, economic and security woes. This was the clear message sent by Hariri and other March 14 leaders during the coalition's mass rally held in central Beirut on March 13 to commemorate six years since their movement was founded on March 14, 2005, exactly a month after the assassination of Hariri's father, former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. The movement was launched to defend the country's freedom, sovereignty and independence and demand a Syrian troop withdrawal from Lebanon. If anything, the March 14 bloc's campaign against Hizbullah's weapons has further heightened tension in a sharply-divided country already on edge over the upcoming indictment into Hariri's assassination. The UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which has divided the country into two rival camps, is expected to hand down its indictment soon, amid wide expectations that some Hizbullah members will be implicated in the assassination, raising fears of sectarian strife.