Druze leader in Lebanon Walid Jumblat has continued to voice his sharp criticism on Hizbullah and Syria. According to him, a Lebanese army map dating back to 1962 showed the Shabaa Farms outside Lebanon's border.
According to Naharnet, he said that the Syrian-Lebanese security apparatuses had altered the maps by pushing the borderline to include the Shabaa Farms into the Lebanese territory. By doing so, they had given a reason for Hizbullah to continue its military activity against Israeli troops supposedly occupying Lebanese land, Jumblat said.
This way, the Druze leader claimed, "Syria and Iran could extend their influence in Lebanon through the continuation of Hizbullah's role." Jumblat blamed the imprisoned former security chief, Jamil Sayyed, for amending the borderline in a map made in 2001 putting the Farms in Lebanon.
The Progressive Socialist Party leader added that Lebanon's ex-premier Rafiq al-Hariri "was not convinced of the 2001 forged map and that is one of the reasons why he was assassinated."
Lebanon and Syria claim the Farms are Lebanese, and therefore, support Hizbullah's sporadic military attacks against Israeli troops stationed there. Israel and the United Nations, however, contend the area belongs to Syria.
