The Irish investigators have not yet arrived in Lebanon to investigate the
incident in the southern town of Al-Aqibya, which resulted in the death of an Irish soldier and the wounding of three others after a group of young men opened fire on their patrol on Wednesday evening. But, the investigations into the incident are still ongoing under great secrecy and on two levels:
The Lebanese Armed Forces Intelligence Directorate and the Criminal Evidence Department of the Military Police carry out the first. UNIFIL forces carry out the second.
Regarding the delegation of Irish investigators, LBCI learned that the Irish authorities sent a telegram to the Lebanese authorities asking about two main issues:
The first is, "How can the Irish investigative delegation visiting Lebanon obtain security data on the Al-Aqibya incident?"
The second is, "Which security apparatus should the Irish delegation coordinate with throughout its investigations?"
Thus, according to what a senior judicial source informed LBCI, the coordination must take place with the Lebanese army, which exclusively undertakes investigations and has access to all information, especially since the Irish request is not a request for judicial assistance but rather just security.
Security sources also said that the Intelligence Directorate is still waiting for the reports of the forensic doctor and the forensic expert at the Military Police. The most important thing is to meet the injured Irish at Hammoud Hospital in Sidon to hear their testimonies, which have yet to occur with army investigators, the same security sources added.
In this context, LBCI learned that the command of the international forces operating in southern Lebanon conducts its investigations in complete secrecy, to the extent that it chose not to announce the visit of its commander-in-chief, Major General Aroldo Lázaro, to Hammoud Hospital on Saturday morning to examine the Irish wounded.
Is Hezbollah involved in what happened?
However, Hezbollah is silent and satisfied with
what the Head of Hezbollah's Liaison and Coordination Unit, Wafiq Safa, confirmed immediately after the incident, that it was unintended and that the party was not involved in it.
Amidst this silence, several questions arise. First, should people believe that Hezbollah will stand idly by without investigating the crime Al-Aqibya, especially since it is a region in which the party has significant influence?
Second, did the arrest procedure occur in perfect secret, and the party's security started the investigation or was the party attempting to arrest those who shot the Irish patrol so that they might be questioned first and then turned over to the Lebanese army?
Third, how will the party respond to everything written and said about the Al-Aqibya incident and the allegations that the shooters were affiliated with the party?
The answers might be found, might not, and might be left to Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in his first speech following this incident.