Lebanon conflict puts army unity to the test

By Tom Perry

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Armed conflict in Lebanon between Shi'ites and rival Sunnis and Druze has put the army's unity to the test, threatening to split an institution seen as a bulwark against a new civil war.

The fighting -- Lebanon's worst internal strife since the 1975-90 civil war -- has placed great strain on an army whose ranks reflect the country's sectarian mosaic.

The military lacked both the will and means to stand in the way of the powerful Shi'ite Hezbollah and its allies when they took over Beirut last week, drawing criticism from leaders whose followers were routed in the campaign.

"There is a central problem which is the unity of the army," said Saad al-Hariri, Lebanon's most prominent Sunni politician and leader of the ruling coalition. "Today, unfortunately, this army was not capable of defending citizens," he said on Tuesday.

The United States has promised military aid in response to the campaign against its allies by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday Washington planned to speed up assistance to the army.

At least 16 officers whose loyalties lie with the ruling coalition tendered their resignations on Tuesday, security sources said.

Their commanders rejected the resignations, trying to preserve the unity of one of the few Lebanese institutions still functioning after 18 months of political conflict that has paralyzed most of the state.

In a statement, the Lebanese army later denied any officers had resigned and urged the media not cast doubts on the military's unity.