The arrest of William last Friday, who is one of those leading the movement of the victims' families, demanding that Judge Tariq Bitar would be given a free hand after being barred from this file 13 months ago; as a result of lawsuits filed by former politicians and ministers who unbaled the Judicial authorities to issue a ruling due to the failure to approve judicial appointments, led to protests and road blocking and clashes between the protesters and security forces, whether from the state security or the Lebanese army.
Security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that "warnings of a situation deteriorating exist.”
“We have always warned of the repercussions of the unstable political and living situation on the security situation," the same sources added.
“The army command's instructions to officers and personnel say that using the situation and blocking roads is a red line, and the army is strict on that matter and there will be no kind of leniency in all matters related to the security of the country.” They stressed.
The Free Patriotic Movement and its supporters link the escalation in the street against the background of the Beirut port blast file and the arrival of the European judicial delegation to Lebanon to investigate corruption files related to Banque du Liban.
They also discuss exploiting the families of the victims to prevent the delegation from carrying out its duties, while opponents of the (FPM) accuse the State Security Apparatus of moving politically and strongly criticize resorting to pursuing the families of the victims instead of arresting political suspects against whom arrest warrants have been issued.
Parliamentary sources believe that someone is seeking to create security problems in the street to speed up the process of electing a president.
These sources also told Asharq Al-Awsat that "in the upcoming weeks, we might witness various pressures, some of which may take on a security nature, in an attempt to make a breakthrough in the presidential crisis."
On the other hand, the head of the Near East and Gulf Center for Military Analysis, Riad Kahwaji, does not support the idea that people will return to the streets soon, whether due to the Beirut blast file or the socio-economic file.
He pointed out in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that "people are paralyzed due to pressure and frustration in the socio-economic crisis with the security forces inability to change or achieve anything. The ruling authority severely punished the people and cooperated with the money forces in impoverishing them by confiscating their money and depriving them of water, electricity, and other available things before the October 17 revolution."
Adding that "Most of those who participated in the demonstrations left the country out of despair, and some of them contributed to the arrival of some people to parliament to bring about change, only to discover the failure of those who arrived and their inability to achieve anything."
Thus, Kahwaji considers that "there will be a time before a new generation arrives or the emergence of a group that is ready to revolt again and perhaps bring the real change. The revolution does not die but passes through waves and stages, but it is impossible to know the time or period for it to achieve its goal."