Statue Carrying Suleiman's Name Vandalized as FPM Flag Hoisted near Shabtini's Home

Lebanon: Supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement hoisted an FPM flag outside the house of Minister of the Displaced Alice Shabitini in Jbeil overnight before vandalizing a statue carrying the name of ex-president Michel Suleiman in the city, state-run National News Agency said.

A picture published by the agency shows the former president's surname on the statue covered with black paint and the word Aoun written over it, which changes the text on the monument from “The Square of His Excellency President General Michel Suleiman” to “The Square of His Excellency President General Michel Aoun”.

Suleiman condemned the incident on Twitter, slamming the vandals as “masked bats.”

Shabtini, who is one of three ministers loyal to Suleiman in the cabinet, had recently lashed out at FPM chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil.

“Cursed are those who are not allowing the election of a president,” Shabtini said in response to a recent speech by Bassil.

“Cursed are those who try to uproot us from cabinet through holding sessions that violate the National Pact,” the FPM chief said on Thursday.

Shabtini hit back, warning that “whether he knows it or not, Bassil is dragging the country towards partitioning, or federalism in the best case scenario.”

“We reject to be called traitors by anyone and a traitor is one who pushes the country towards further deterioration,” she added.

The FPM's latest boycott of the cabinet is linked to the thorny issue of military and security appointments.

Defense Minister Samir Moqbel, who is close to Suleiman, has recently postponed the retirement of Higher Defense Council chief Maj. Gen. Mohammed Kheir after no consensus was reached over three candidates that he had proposed, angering the FPM which says that it opposes term extensions for all senior officers.

The movement fears that the extension of Kheir's term could pave the way for a new extension of the tenure of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji next month.

Qahwaji's retirement had been postponed in September 2013 and his term was instead extended for two years.