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Many Sunni states are already supplying money and arms to the Syrian rebels taking part in the revolt. It has become clear there are foreign insurgents crossing the border into Syria. Forces from Turkey, Libya, Qatar and al-Qaeda Arabs.
Is al-Qaeda Infiltrating Syria through Lebanon’s Beka’a Valley?
(Jamestown) Jan 12, 2012 – Disputes over the possible presence of al-Qaeda in Lebanon’s Beka’a Valley are beginning to destabilize Syrian-Lebanese relations. Attention on the Beka’a region has intensified following the December 23, 2011 and January 6, 2012 suicide bombing attacks in Damascus, which left a combined 60 dead and 229 wounded. On December 21, two days before the attacks in Damascus, Lebanese Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn told a meeting of Lebanese Army officers that the region of Arsal, in the northeastern Beka’a Valley, was being used for the smuggling of weapons and al-Qaeda members masquerading as Syrian dissidents into Lebanon (Al-Liwaa, December 21, 2011).
The Syrian government blamed members of al-Qaeda for the bombings, alleging some were seeking refuge and a base of operations in Lebanon by using the traditional human trafficking routes of the Beka’a Valley as a transit point from Syria into Lebanon. An already simmering dispute between Lebanon and Syria over the policing of contested areas of the Beka’a Valley, particularly in the northeastern frontier of Lebanon near the village of Arsal, has taken on new importance in determining the course of relations between the two countries since the Damascus bombings. Syria has mined its side of the border and conducts regular military helicopter patrols of the roads leading from Syria into Lebanon.
More below the fold …
Sunni Revenge for Hariri Murder? and UNIIIC Chief Brammertz reports to US Embassy – Wikileaks
Syrian Rebels’ Supply Lines plus Analysis [Stratfor]
Northern Route
The Sunni-concentrated region of Homs in Syria depends heavily on supplies smuggled from northern Lebanon and the northern Bekaa Valley. Lebanese villages such al Al Fakiha and Arsal in the northern Bekaa have large Sunni populations and support the Future Trend party of Lebanese Sunni leader Saad al-Hariri. These villages have helped provide shelter to Syrian defectors and supplies to Syria’s insurgents. Additionally, the Al Qaa village in the northern Bekaa is a predominantly Greek Catholic town. Al Qaa is a center of support for the Maronite Christian Lebanese Forces militia led by Samir Geagea and plays an important role in the smuggling route from the northern Bekaa. Several main roadways connect Homs to sympathetic towns in the northern Bekaa Valley, and numerous side roads run parallel to and complement each main road. Furthermore, the border between Homs and the northern Bekaa region is highly porous. Located in a broad valley, this border area provides much less restrictive terrain and several possible points of entry along the border.
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Potential Northern Route
Another route that could be used to smuggle supplies runs through the northwestern tip of Lebanon where the Quleiat airstrip is located. This corner of Lebanon is predominately Sunni, and there are rumors that Lebanese officials sympathetic to the FSA are preparing the Qulay’at airstrip (also called Rene Mouawad Airport) to facilitate the movement of supplies into Syria. The airfield, which has not been in use since the outbreak of the Lebanese civil war in 1975, is being reopened, ostensibly for civilian aviation. According to Stratfor sources, the main reason for reopening the Quleiat airstrip, which is only 11 kilometers (7 miles) from the Syrian border, is to provide for Syrian refugees at a later point in the Syrian conflict — when rebel-held protected zones for civilians will require a steady stream of supplies. The proposal to reopen the airstrip is unsurprisingly eliciting resistance from some Lebanese officials, who seem to understand that supplies smuggled from this airstrip will likely make their way into the hands of the Syrian opposition.
- British and Qatari special operations units in Syria back Homs rebels
- Turkey preparing intervention and creating a buffer zone
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
