A group linked to al Qaeda has urged Sunni Muslims in Lebanon to rise against the government as well as Shia militant Hezbollah, a US-based group that monitors jihadist websites said on Wednesday. "The Brigades of Abdullah Azzam released a statement from its field commander, Saleh bin Abdullah al Qaraawi, urging Sunni Muslims in Lebanon to rise up against the government and the alleged de facto ruler, Hezbollah," SITE Intelligence Group reported.
SITE quoted Qaraawi as saying: "We call upon you to not deal with the military intelligence and with its checkpoints that are present today in large numbers in your areas. "Show your refusal of this clear injustice that is upon you, and which - undoubtedly - is done by the authority of Hezbollah." The statement came amid high tension in Lebanon, where there are fears of a Sunni-Shia conflict linked to a UN-backed court which is reportedly poised to indict members of the powerful Shia Hezbollah in connection with the murder of Sunni ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.
Lebanon's army chief General Jean Kahwaji has expressed concern over the possibility of attacks by fundamentalists after the Special Tribunal for Lebanon releases its indictments. The Brigades of Abdullah Azzam has reportedly claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on northern Israel last year. Abdullah Azzam was al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden's mentor. He was killed in a 1989 bomb blast. The majority of Lebanon's population of four million is Muslim, with Shias and Sunnis each representing some 30 percent.
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