Home >> Middle East Syria & Lebanon President Suleiman's Oath & Lebanese People In Israel
Elias Bejjani - 11/17/2009
In his inaugural speech that was delivered in the Parliament after his election as President for the Republic of Lebanon on 25 May, 2009, General Michele Suleiman promised to bring back our people from Israel who took refuge there in the aftermath of the Israeli army’s unilateral withdrawal from South Lebanon in May 2000. He said: "This day coincides with the anniversary of the national liberation and victory day, let us make it a motive for greater awareness for what awaits us, and to renew our commitment for freedom and democracy, which we offered sacrifices for them in a bid to safeguard th... Europe Sells Out to Syria and Gets Nothing
Prof. Barry Rubin - 11/10/2009
Ugarte: “But think of all the poor devils who cannot meet Renault’s price. I get it for them for half. Is that so parasitic?” The Unfinished War
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 10/28/2009
The explosion in the south Lebanese village of Tayr Felseir offers the latest evidence of the way in which Hizbullah is rebuilding its infrastructure following the Second Lebanon War in 2006. In the pre-2006 period, Hizbullah maintained its military infrastructure in open countryside areas often declared off-limits to all but the movement's personnel. The rebuilt infrastructure, by contrast, has been constructed within the fabric of civilian life in south Lebanon. This process has taken place largely undisturbed by the Lebanese and UN military personnel conspicuously deployed throughout the south. Syria and not Lebanon is the Creation of the Sikes-Picot Agreement
Elias Bejjani - 10/23/2009
Lebanon has been hit by an actual devastating curse since it became an independent country within its current borders in 1920. This curse is embodied in the avarice, envy, detachment from reality and hatred arising from neighboring, Syria, many of whose politicians, rulers and intellectuals have failed to date to accept the solid reality of Lebanon’s entity, distinguishable identity sovereignty and independence. American Artist Immortalizes Neda
Amil Imani - 10/12/2009
One dreadful day, the bullet of a henchman of tyranny pierced the young heart of Neda Agha Sultan, and she collapsed on the pavement, gasped for air as her crimson blood painted the black asphalt. Her music teacher along with a young doctor tried desperately to revive her. They kept frantically telling her not to be afraid, not to be afraid. The music teacher was ... Brazilian Samba & Hezbollah's Terrorism
Elias Bejjani - 10/12/2009
On Thursday, 1st October a preplanned and scheduled Brazilian samba show was banned and torpedoed in the historical southern Lebanese city of Tyre after about 100 Shiite clerics under the chairmanship of Sheikh Ali Yassin, a powerful Hezbollah follower, met and issued a fatwa (religious decree) forbidding it and declaring it sinful. Lebanon's “Madoff” : A Divine Bankruptcy
Elias Bejjani - 10/12/2009
Al Manar Hezbollah website: “On the businessman, Salah Ezzeddine’s, bankruptcy case, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah pointed out that Hezbollah Party, its leadership and the organization had no association whatsoever with this issue from the beginning to the end, stressing that the leadership does not have any of the money claimed. He added that the aim of several media facilities which have shed light on this issue that is in the hands of the judiciary is to tarnish the image of many of the party’s cadres. Sayyed Nasrallah stated that his party is in the process of issuing a detailed release on this sensitive issue that affects the people's money”. Hizballah's Brand is Tarnished
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 9/29/2009
A famous Hizbullah marching song, "Hizbullah ya ayuni" (Hizbullah - my eyes), contains the following verse: "And today through the blood of the brave, the merciful creator has given us victory, and the whole world and all people have begun to speak of our glory." Unfortunately for the Lebanese Shi'ite Islamist movement, the main world news story in which it currently features concerns matters of a distinctly inglorious type, with which it would undoubtedly prefer not to be associated. The Late Bachir Gemayal: The Grain of Wheat & the Yeast
Elias Bejjani - 9/28/2009
John 12:24: "Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit."
On September 14, 1982, on the day Lebanon was celebrating the Day of the Holy Cross, its President-elect, Sheik Bachir Gemayel, passed away into the hands of the Almighty God after carrying the cross of the country to heaven. He was not even 34 years old, but what he achieved for the freedom and dignity of Lebanon places him among the great men who left a stamp of glory on the history of Lebanon. Lebanon's “Madoff” : A Divine Bankruptcy
Elias Bejjani - 9/24/2009
Al Manar Hezbollah website: “On the businessman, Salah Ezzeddine’s, bankruptcy case, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah pointed out that Hezbollah Party, its leadership and the organization had no association whatsoever with this issue from the beginning to the end, stressing that the leadership does not have any of the money claimed. He added that the aim of several media facilities which have shed light on this issue that is in the hands of the judiciary is to tarnish the image of many of the party’s cadres. Sayyed Nasrallah stated that his party is in the process of issuing a detailed release on this sensitive issue that affects the people's money”. Has Hezbollah turned Lebanon into a Jihadist State?
Elias Bejjani - 9/16/2009
All the unfolding destructive, shameful, terrorist and corrupting events that are currently hitting Lebanon and its peace-loving people illustrate with no shred of a doubt that the terrorist organization, Hezbollah, is merely grabbing hold of the Lebanese state and its institutions as hostages. For Assad, Conflict is a Raison D'etre
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 9/6/2009
The Baghdad government's assertion of Syrian responsibility for the explosions which killed more than 100 people in Iraq on August 19 has refocused attention to Syrian policy vis-a-vis its eastern neighbor. Syria's approach in Iraq offers a prime example of diplomacy, Assad-style. Bring Back our People from Israel
Elias Bejjani - 8/19/2009
On August 06/09, the Lebanese official National News Agency published on its website, the following slanderous and desecrating report: “The International Red Cross received today from within the occupied Palestinian territories and via the Naqoura gate, (check post on the Lebanese-Israeli borders) the body of the agent, (Amiel) Elias Joseph Agiel, 52 years old, who died in one of the hospitals in the occupied Palestinian territories. The deceased entered occupied Palestine (Israel) in the aftermath of the Israeli army defeat in year 2000. The International Red Cross Committee handed over Agiel's body to his family in the town of Niha - Chouf district”. Hezbollah Runs Lebanon's Foreign Ministry
Elias Bejjani - 8/7/2009
It has become clear even to the blind that the Lebanese state is massively dominated by the Hezbollah Mullah's leadership. This terrorist militant organization boldly dictates its Iranian decrees on all the Lebanese officials and institutions, manipulates their activities and greatly influences the whole country's decision making process through cancerous infiltration, intimidation, and multifold tactics of terrorism. Not even one decision could be made by the Lebanese government or any of its institutions without Hezbollah's approval. Syria's Goose Lays a Golden Egg
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 7/27/2009
Washington's decision to return its ambassador to Syria is the latest stage in the present administration's policy of engagement with Damascus. It relates most importantly to the US desire to secure Syrian cooperation in the build-up to the departure of American combat troops from urban areas in Iraq. Hezbollah's wickedness & Lebanese People In Israel
Elias Bejjani - 7/27/2009
“Let no one ask us to tag as traitors our Southern “Lebanese” citizens who entered Israel at a certain period, because the “Lebanese” state has abandoned them. They are our brothers and we will definitely demand that they return to their homes, and families.” (Lebanese MP, Sami Gemayel 28/6/09). We value, and greatly appreciate MP Sami Gemayel's courageous, genuine and transparent stance in regard to our Southern Lebanese citizens who because of serious and imminent fears for their lives and the fate of their children were forced in May 2000 to take refuge in neighboring Israel. These citizens are not traitors by any means, but patriotic, noble, decent, and Lebanese par excellence. Hezbollah defies UN Resolution 1701
Elias Bejjani - 7/27/2009
The weird status of the Terrorist Iranian Hezbollah Militia in Lebanon has no precedent in the entire world, not in the contemporary era, nor at any time in the past. Presumably Lebanon is an independent democratic and multi-cultural country and an active founding member of both the United Nations and Arab league, while in reality and practicality it is not so due to the sad fact that its governing mechanism on all levels is mostly dictated and controlled by the Hezbollah leadership who run and dominate a mini Khomeini state inside the state of Lebanon with an army, financing capabilities, soc... Shi'ite Missiles, Zionist Cows and the Lebanese Army
Prof. Barry Rubin - 7/27/2009
The explosions in a Hizbullah arms storage facility in the south Lebanese village of Khirbat a-Silm on Tuesday are testimony to the successful efforts of this organization to rebuild its strength south of the Litani River. Fayyad and Syria's Regime Lie, Americans Applaud
Prof. Barry Rubin - 7/14/2009
“Palestinian prime minister: Jews would be welcome in future state,” reads the headline. Now, it is well-known that the Palestinian Authority, which the aforementioned prime minister Salam Fayyad sort of heads, has always taken the view that all Jews must be removed from any future Palestinian state. This was also known to the more informed members of the audience, but modern Western intellectuals and journalists are very polite people—if you fall into the right category. Three Years Later, The Core Issues in Lebanon Remain Unsolved
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 7/14/2009
Three years have passed since the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pointed out this week that the cease-fire which ended the war on August 14, 2006, remains fragile. The core issues which triggered the fighting remain unresolved. Since the guns fell silent, both sides have been busy seeking to learn the lessons of their successes and failures, on the assumption that another round is at some stage inevitable. Compromises with Hezbollah are Lethal
Elias Bejjani - 6/20/2009
Time after time terrorist and fundamental groups like Al Qaida, Hezbollah, Hamas and all others, prove with no shed of doubt that they only comprehend, listen and respond to crystal clear means of decisiveness, overt offensive action and a strong show of strength and power. Their backward and destructive ideologies, as well as their fundamentalist nature and disrespect for all things unlike their own, reveal their true chauvinistic nature, as they look to humiliate, belittle and trample all those who ignore their threats and who do not bow to their logic and demands. Hezbollah uses politics of fear
Linda S. Heard - 6/4/2009
A May 15th speech by Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has triggered dismay and outrage. Addressing graduating university students, he referred to the events of May 7, 2008 as “a glorious day for the resistance in Lebanon ”. Why Assad Won’t Break with Iran
Prof. Daniel M. Zucker - 6/2/2009
The Obama administration and the U.S. Department of State share a delusion with the former government of Israel led by the hapless Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and elements within the Israeli Foreign Ministry: both groups believe that President Bashar al-Assad can be convinced to break with the Islamic Republic of Iran and be brought into the fold of civilized nation states, if only the right selection of carrots can be offered to woo him away from the embrace of the Iranian terror-masters. Maybe a combination of the Golan Heights, immunity from prosecution for the Hariri assassination, or bette... Damascus Gets What it Needs
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 5/25/2009
In his letter to Congress announcing the renewal of US sanctions on Syria, President Barack Obama was specific regarding the reasons for his decision. May 25 sacrifices & Hezbollah The Dragon
Elias Bejjani - 5/24/2009
Believe it or not, on May 25 each year since 2000 Lebanon has been celebrating a so-called "Liberation & Resistance Day." Sadly, this celebration commemorates a bogus event, and a phony heroism that did not actually take place. Hezbollah: The World's Most Effective Terrorist Organization
Elias Bejjani - 5/13/2009
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing "- Edmund Burke - 17th century philosopher and author"
The U.S. government has labeled Hezbollah, in its State Department report for 2008, as the world's most effective terrorist organization. The report said that Iran remains the most active state sponsor of terrorism, including supporting terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. According to the same report, "Iran's involvement in the planning and financial support of terrorist attacks throughout the Middle East, Europe and Cent... Hezbollah and the Byzantine Lebanese National Dialogue
Elias Bejjani - 3/24/2009
On Monday, 02/09/09, the fifth questionable Lebanese National Dialogue Round was convened at the Baabda Presidential Palace under the patronage of State President, General Michele Suleiman. After two hours of futile and intricate debates the 14 participants who represented the majority of the Lebanese mosaic and multi-cultural communities were only able to agree on setting a new date for the sixth round. Syria's Obstructive Strategy of Resistance
Elias Bejjani - 1/27/2009
The majority of Middle Eastern rulers and politicians are corrupt and deceptive hypocrites. They are experts at formulating empty rhetoric, while declaring illusory and misleading popular slogans, inventing false national stillborn causes and adopting demagogic attitudes, all the while fighting Don Quixote battles and wars. Lebanese People: Faith, Hope & Perseverance
Elias Bejjani - 12/3/2008
General Michel Aoun, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, in his strongly Syrian influenced conduct, has become another Lebanese Judas Iscariot. Judas betrayed his master, Jesus Christ and handed him over to his enemies for thirty pieces of silver and Aoun too follows suit in his Dhimmitude to Syria and his cheap price extracted by the Syrians for himself and his political party. Interview with Lebanese Minister Tarek Mitri
Manuela Paraipan - 11/12/2008
During her fact-finding stay in Beirut, Manuela Paraipan had the opportunity to meet many ordinary Lebanese people as well as people in high-ranking political offices. One of them was Information Minister Tarek Mitri, who was the acting foreign minister after the summer 2006 war with Israel. He played a vital role in the negotiations leading to the cessation of hostilities. His answers to Paraipan's questions provide good insight into the complexity of Lebanese politics. Lebanon's refugees in Israel & the Lebanese Leaders' Questionable Credibility
Elias Bejjani - 10/28/2008
We call on the Lebanese government and parliament to grant unconditional amnesty to the ex-members of the South Lebanon Army (SLA) who sought refuge in neighboring Israel with their families after the unilateral withdrawal of the Israeli troops from South Lebanon in May 2000 in accordance with the UN Resolution 425. A grant of amnesty is justified especially in light of the fact that (after Syrian troops were forced to withdraw from Lebanon in accordance with the UN Resolution 1559) the Lebanese parliament passed in 2005 an amnesty law that pardoned numerous leaders and individuals in a bid to... October 13, 1990: The Good Legacy of General Aoun
Pierre A. Maroun - 10/13/2008
On October 13, 1990, the Lebanese Republic, which was the first free, pluralistic, and democratic state in the greater Middle East region ceased to exist after the Syrian regime backed by Iran and their lackeys attacked and occupied the Baabda Presidential Palace. Their main aim was to oust General Michael Aoun who was the Prime Minister of an interim government appointed for a single mission-prepare for the Presidential elections. October 13, & Lebanon's Heroes
Elias Bejjani - 10/13/2008
On October 13, 1990 the Syrian Army savagely invaded the last remaining free regions of Lebanon, killed and mutilated hundreds of Lebanese soldiers and innocent citizens in cold blooded murder, kidnapped tens of soldiers, officers, clergymen, politicians and citizens, and erected a subservient and puppet regime fully controlled by its security intelligence headquarters in Damascus. Since then, we commemorate the painful event each year on October 13. MP Mohammad Kabbani: Lebanon is a Work in Progress
Manuela Paraipan - 10/12/2008
I knew the discussion with MP Mohammad Kabbani of the Future Movement was going to be interesting when he started by saying that like many others, he supports the idea that Lebanon comes first. However, they have yet to agree what Lebanon is in order to know what steps to take next. Hasan Nasrallah: A Leader or a Wheeler 'n Dealer?
Pierre A. Maroun - 9/30/2008
Leader of the radical Shiite group Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Hasan Nasrallah, is a very controversial yet liked personality in the Muslim and Arab worlds. Since the withdrawal of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from southern Lebanon in May 2000, he emerged as a strong and wise leader after claiming victory over the IDF. However, this image has been changing lately due to his divisive speeches and the misconduct of his party’s militia inside Lebanon. One his latest speeches took place on September 16, 08, during an Iftar held by the Islamic Resistance Support Association. While Nasrallah ... Interview with Hizballah's Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah
Manuela Paraipan - 9/18/2008
I did not feel nervous when I met His Eminence, Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah - just curious about how the meeting would be. It is not every day that I get to meet such an important religious figure for Shia Muslims throughout the world. Lebanon Remembers Its assassinated President Bachir Jmayel
Elias Bejjani - 9/17/2008
Lebanon's rulers, officials and politicians with their numerous feudal, social, denominational, secular and fundamentalist affiliations - as well as the so-called Interview with Walid Jumblatt: "We have no other choice than to abide by reality"
Manuela Paraipan - 9/9/2008
Manuela Paraipan: What are your comments after the meeting last night with Speaker Nabih Berri? Walid Jumblatt: It is important to have President Michel Sulayman convene the national dialog session to discuss the issue of the arms of Hizballah. It will take a long time to settle it, as it is not a local issue, but we have to speak about it. One day, I hope, they will be incorporated into the Lebanese state. The Hariri Investigation and the Politics of Perception
Gary C. Gambill - 8/27/2008
When the UN launched its investigation into the February 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, many in Lebanon and abroad were convinced that the perpetrators of this crime would eventually be brought to justice. Syria's control over security in Lebanon was so pervasive that an operation of this caliber and complexity would have been nearly impossible to pull off without some degree of involvement by some node of its intelligence services. After the withdrawal of Syrian forces the following April and the election of a new Lebanese gove... Assad's Shopping List
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 8/27/2008
President Bashar Assad of Syria began a trip to Russia this week. Russian news agency RIA Novosti has quoted the Syrian Information Ministry as confirming that the trip will last two days. Dilemma of the Lebanese detainees in Syrian jails
Elias Bejjani - 8/26/2008
Like parrots, the Syrian Baathist regime's officials keep rhetorically insisting that there are no arbitrarily Lebanese detainees incarcerated in their notorious and Nazi like jails. Logically and legally these false allegations and big lies cannot be acceptable unless a United Nations team is formed to investigate the whole matter without any kind of involvement or pressure from both the Lebanese and Syrian authorities. We'll take the dowry - you keep the bride
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 8/15/2008
A fourth round of indirect talks between Syrian and Israeli representatives was concluded in Istanbul this week and as the Turkish mediators kept themselves in shape conveying messages between the hotel rooms of the two countries' delegations, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was keen to stress the urgency of the hour. Michel Aoun Falsifies History… again
Elias Bejjani - 8/15/2008
During his speech to the Lebanese parliament, which is meeting to discuss the new cabinet program and decide on granting confidence, Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah stooge and leader of the FPM parliamentary block, declared that the Palestinian tragedy is the fault of the United Nations among others. He stated: “It was a decision by the United Nations to create the state of Israel at the expense of the Palestinian people, and as a consequence to this decision, the Palestinians were forced into exile” (speech transcript on the Lebanese Canadian Coordination Council). The Best Defense Strategy for Lebanon is a Peace Treaty with Israel
Charles Jalkh - 8/13/2008
Hezbollah’s propaganda has been focusing the Lebanese people into a single argument of how can we defend Lebanon from “Israeli aggressions and designs” over Lebanese territory and resources. Lets us analyze Hezbollah’s premise in its 2 parts; the ”assumption” of Israeli aggression, and then the “designs/wants” of Lebanese territory and resources. Analysis: A Success for Hizbullah - and its Price
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 8/11/2008
The release of Samir Kuntar and his four colleagues, and the national jubilation that greeted their return to Lebanon, bring to a close a week of achievement for the regional bloc of which Hizbullah is a member. The events of the week, however, do not resolve any of the issues of which they form a part. Rather, they plant the seeds of further confrontation. Subtly and determinedly, Syria is taking over Lebanon
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 8/8/2008
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman is to visit Syria next week, to discuss the opening of diplomatic relations between the countries, a Lebanese official told reporters this week. French President Nicolas Sarkozy last month hailed President Bashar Assad's expression of willingness in principle to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon as "historic progress." Lebanon's Battle
Elie Elhadj, Ph.D. - 8/3/2008
The battle for Lebanon is a battle between a relatively rich minority among Lebanon’s four million people and a poor majority. The minority controls the political and economic fortunes of the country. The majority refuses to be dominated. The divide is political and economic, not religious or sectarian; though, Lebanon is home to 18 different religious sects, all recognized in the Lebanese constitution. Samir Kuntar is a Convicted Murderer and Not a Hero
Elias Bejjani - 7/29/2008
It is really sad, shocking and shameful when a convicted murderer is decorated as a hero. Shame on Lebanon's leaders, parties, dignitaries, politicians and officials who boldly and evilly distanced themselves from the hopes, aspirations, education, and culture of their own people and welcomed Samir Kuntar as a hero. By doing so they have alienated themselves from the majority of the Lebanese people and negated the deeply Lebanese rooted standards and criteria for what is wrong and what is right, and for what is good and what is evil. The Iran-Syria Alliance: The Economic Dimension
Nimrod Raphaeli and Bianca Gersten - 7/29/2008
An examination of Syrian-Iranian economic relations reveals that, beyond their propaganda value, these relations are of small benefit to Syria and of negligible benefit to Iran. The alliance between the two countries is driven first and foremost by political and strategic interests rather than by economic considerations. As neither Iran nor Syria is considered a reliable source of data, it is difficult to draw a clear picture on the nature and depth of these economic relations. Often distorted anecdotal figures create a misleading reality in order to serve political objectives. At times it see... Lebanon Needs A Peace Treaty With Israel
Elias Bejjani - 7/28/2008
On Wednesday July 9th of this year, national news agencies reported that the Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Saniora had refused without any declared justifications, an Italian peace initiative presented to him by Italy’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Mr. Gabriel Kekya. News reports stated that the Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, who was on an official visit to Israel, had asked his country’s ambassador in Beirut to inform Mr. Saniora that he is willing to seriously mediate peace talks between Lebanon and Israel. Lebanon's Militia Wars
Tony Badran - 7/17/2008
Lebanon's civil war was a complex, multisided battle whose implications still shape the country's politics today. This article analyzes the forces involved domestically and the course of the war, drawing lessons that apply to the contemporary situation in Lebanon. Lebanon Needs A Peace Treaty With Israel
Elias Bejjani - 7/17/2008
On Wednesday July 9th of this year, national news agencies reported that the Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Saniora had refused without any declared justifications, an Italian peace initiative presented to him by Italy’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Mr. Gabriel Kekya. News reports stated that the Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, who was on an official visit to Israel, had asked his country’s ambassador in Beirut to inform Mr. Saniora that he is willing to seriously mediate peace talks between Lebanon and Israel. Homecoming for a Child-killer
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 7/17/2008
The deal for the return of convicted terrorist Samir Kuntar, four Hizbullah men captured in the 2006 Second Lebanon War and a number of corpses in return for the remains of kidnapped IDF soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser comes at an opportune moment for the Hizbullah leadership. Hezbollah is Iran's Army In Lebanon
Elias Bejjani - 7/7/2008
Unfortunately, Lebanon is facing at the present time a crucial and fatal threat to the core and essence of its existence, its soul of coexistence and freedom. The free world is apparently turning a blind eye to the threat to Lebanon, the land of the historic cedars, the home of the great Phoenicians, and the unique mosaic and multi-cultural country of the Middle East. This tragedy has been unfolding without a decisive deterrent stance from the free world. Hizbullah Won't Stop at Shaba
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 7/2/2008
Israel's announcement of a willingness for peace talks with Lebanon is one of the early fruits of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent visit to the region and her unexpected visit to Lebanon. French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent visit to Lebanon and upcoming visit to Israel is also crucial here. Does Lebanon's House Speaker Head a Jihadist Militia?
Elias Bejjani - 7/1/2008
It was announced in Beirut on Monday June 30/08 that Lebanon's House Speaker, Mr. Nabih Berri will be paying Canada an official visit within the coming few days to participate in the Canadian French Quebec's province 400 years founding anniversary celebrations, and also to take part in the 34 Francophone Parliamentary General Assembly meetings It looks like a peace deal has been cut with Syria
Ted Belman - 6/19/2008
While media attention has been focused on the Palestinian track where no progress has been made and no real pressure applied, serious work has been going on with Syria. Is Syria defecting from Iran?
John Loftus - 6/9/2008
While I understand that no "final" understandings have been reached, the mere fact that Syrian and Israeli governments chose this week to openly acknowledge the ongoing peace talks gives credence to the Israeli Director of military intelligence's amazing assertion last weekend. Mr. Yadlin claimed that Syria may be planning to sever its ties with Iran, in favor of closer ties with the West. Despite the Denials, For Now, Syria Lost Big in Lebanon
Prof. Daniel M. Zucker - 6/5/2008
Caroline Glick, columnist and editor at The Jerusalem Post is normally right on the money with her comments about Middle-East politics. Her column of Friday, May 23, 2008, “Column one: Assad's week of triumph” [1] was a rare exception. As the title of her essay indicates, Glick believes that Bashar al-Assad had his best week since becoming President of Syria. With all due respect to Ms. Glick’s fine understanding of the area’s complex politics, I believe that she and her title miss it, by what we in Middle America call “a country mile”. Rather than being his best week due to Hezbollah’s succes... The Fall of Lebanon
Prof. Barry Rubin - 6/4/2008
May 21, 2008, is a date—like December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001 — that should now live in infamy. Yet who will notice, mourn, or act the wiser for it? On that day, the Beirut spring was buried under the reign of Hizballah. Speaking on October 5, 1938, after Britain and France effectively turned Czechoslovakia over to Nazi Germany, Winston Churchill said, “What everybody would like to ignore or forget must nevertheless be stated, namely, that we have sustained a total and unmitigated defeat….”[i] Hezbollah ruled, the West got fooled
Walid Phares, Ph.D. - 6/4/2008
In the next days a major battle in the War of Ideas will be unfolding worldwide and particularly through the international media. We are now witnessing a massive campaign by Hezbollah's strategic communication machine (as our Western jargon likes to describe it) to frame the outcome of the battle for Lebanon, significantly lost by the United States, the West and the forces of Democracies in the region. The main issue at hand in the Iranian funded war room is not about convincing the international community and the Arab and Muslim world that Hezbollah has defeated its opponents in that small bu... Syria Isn't Serious - Lebanon Is
Prof. Barry Rubin - 6/2/2008
Why is Israel negotiating with Syria and what happened in Lebanon ? One of these events may be the Middle East ’s most important development for 2008. Hint: it isn't the first of them. The gradual takeover of Lebanon by Hezbollah
Reza Hossein Borr - 6/2/2008
"When you have lost, pretend that you have won and celebrate so pompously that everybody believes you have won." This is what the Hezbollah of Lebanon did after its war with Israel, but this time when they really won in Lebanon, they did not celebrate as much as they did before just to downplay their victory and diminish its impact over Lebanon's politics and convince the Lebanese people that they did not have another hidden agenda for Lebanon. Hezbollah was right in both cases. In the first case, they had to exaggerate about their victory to inject hope and confidence in their members and t... Lebanon back to Normalcy?
Abdul Ruff - 6/1/2008
It is only ironical that the Lebanese, like Palestinians, have to settle scores with domestic opponents and e satisfied with that without having any time left for resolving the eve-increasing problems with Israel. Lebanon Settlement: Is it Temporary Truce?
Abdul Ruff - 6/1/2008
It is only ironical that the Lebanese, like Palestinians, have to settle scores first with domestic opponents and be satisfied with that without having any time left for resolving the ever-increasing problems with Israel . Lebanon's collective apathy that will continue to kill
Rabeh Ghadban - 6/1/2008
I had prepared to write a piece on the strategic outlook of Lebanon’s near future. One that tried to make sense of the confusion that has clouded the recent events in Lebanon. My parents grew up in this country and I returned here a year ago to pursue a professional career, hoping that I would better understand my attachment to this unpredictable state. I spent the previous year before my arrival in Beirut writing a thesis about Lebanon, studying the need to incorporate Hezbollah and Shia aspirations more appropriately into the confessional system. I argued the need to implement reforms, su... Was Lebanon sold to Hezbollah?
Elias Bejjani - 5/28/2008
Much has been said in praise and criticism of the "Doha agreement" that ended the bloody and criminal unsuccessful coup attempt that the Terrorist Hezbollah Militia and the axis of evil two countries, Syria and Iran, executed earlier this month in Lebanon to take over all the country, by force and topple the whole free and democratic regime. He who plants the wind shall reap the storm
Colonel Charbel Barakat - 5/21/2008
"It was a forlorn day when the Lebanese agreed, albeit under duress, to the 'Taef Accord". It necessitated dismantling and disarming the militias in 1990. Syria, which at the time was occupying Lebanon, kept and retained Hezbollah, the one terrorizing Lebanon today, as the sole armed militia under the slogan of "fighting Israel". Lebanon to the West: Wake Up Fast!
Prof. Barry Rubin - 5/15/2008
While America's secretary of state devotes her time to doomed Israel-Palestinian talks and America goes ga-ga over a candidate whose main foreign policy strategy is to talk to dictators, still another crisis strengthens radical Islamists and endangers Western friends and interests. This Means War
Ted Belman - 5/14/2008
Hezbollah is now in control of Lebanon. What is painfully obvious is that the vacuum created by retreat, is quickly filled by Iran through her proxies. So Israel’s retreat from Gaza enabled the takeover by Hamas. Israel’s retreat from Lebanon enabled the takeover by Hezbollah. Similarly a retreat from Iraq by US forces will enable Iran’s proxy to takeover. Lebanon's '300'
Walid Phares, Ph.D. - 5/12/2008
While the West is busy living its daily life, a beast is busy killing the freedom of a small community on the East Mediterranean: Lebanon. Indeed, as of last week, the mighty Hezbollah, armed to the teeth with 30,000 rockets and missiles and aligning thousands of self described "Divine soldiers" has been marching across the capital, terrorizing its population, shutting down media, taking its politicians and the Prime Minister as hostages, and looting at will. The hordes of Lebanon's "Khomeinist Janjaweeds" have conquered already half of the Middle East's cultural capital, Beirut. As I have rep... The Question of Power in Lebanon
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 5/12/2008
Whe recent events in Beirut pose a simple, fundamental question: Who rules in Lebanon. The answer proposed by Hizbullah last week is that the government of Fuad Saniora and Saad Hariri is to be permitted to hold the formal reins of administration - on condition that they well understand the inherent limits of their position. Most important, any attempt to interfere with the Iranian-created and Iranian- and Syrian-sponsored military infrastructure in the country will result in a swift, disproportionate and bloody response. Force is the only Language that Hezbollah knows and understands
Elias Bejjani - 5/11/2008
The recent on-going bloody terrorism riots that Hezbollah has inflicted on Lebanon and its peaceful people since last Wednesday, tragically shows that this country today is confronting challenges of a magnitude unseen since the end of its civil war in 1990. Why Syria can’t be 'flipped'
Ted Belman - 5/3/2008
I recently wrote The Golan is safe, for now in which I set out my reasons for and described, the US hope of flipping Syria. Interview with Pierre Maroun: 'Hezbollah must be confronted'
Manuela Paraipan - 4/30/2008
Pierre A. Maroun is the Secretary-General American-Lebanese Coordination Council. When Manuela Paraipan met him for an interview, he spoke openly about things that some dare not say publicly. Christian Politics in Lebanon
Ghassan Rubeiz - 4/22/2008
Western media outlets have portrayed divisions within Lebanon's Christian community as threatening to tear Lebanon apart,[1] as if Sunnite-Shiite tension is negligible and the divide between Christians and Muslims has disappeared. The split that threatens Lebanon's national unity is less between Christians than between two political camps that cut across sectarian boundaries. Most Christians are not blindly following their leaders to the brink. Above all, they are divided over one m... General Michael Aoun Backs Hezbollah Worldwide
Pierre A. Maroun - 4/16/2008
During his press release on Monday April 14, 2008, Michael Aoun replied to a Syria wants to annex Lebanon
Ted Belman - 4/14/2008
Pursuant to the San Remo Conference in 1920 The Syrian Mandate was created with France in charge. France broke it up into six separate states including Lebanon. Lebanon was intended for the Maronite Christians that lived there. But it also included some Muslims. Iraqi Christians: Exodus, Ethnic Cleansing & Identity Annihilation
Elias Bejjani - 4/7/2008
In Bagdad on Saturday (5 April 2008), another innocent Iraqi clergyman fell victim to the on-going persecution and ethnic cleansing of Christians in Iraq. Iraqi security sources announced that a group of unknown armed men gunned down Father Youssef Adel Aboudi, a Christian priest with Saint Peter's Assyrian Orthodox Church. He was murdered while on his way to the church which is located in the centre of Baghdad. Alliances of Convenience: What Mughniyah’s Death Reminds Us
Nicholas M. Guariglia - 4/1/2008
You could almost picture the scene: an eloquent but exclusive reception in downtown Damascus to mark the anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini’s revolution. The lounge is full of intelligentsia and dignitaries, as one Imad Mughniyah shares stories and cocktails with the man of the hour, the host of the evening, Mr. Musavi –– the new Iranian ambassador to Syria. After a few drinks, and perhaps a few laughs, Mughniyah decides to call it an early night and leaves. At around 10:35p.m. he enters his silver Mitsubishi Pajero, where, hours prior during the dinner party, someone had replaced his driver’s ... Demography and Democracy in Lebanon
Mark Farha - 3/31/2008
Lebanon's modern history has been punctuated by periodic outbreaks of fratricidal violence, followed by political compromises that recalibrated the distribution of power and privilege among the major confessional communities. Although many factors have contributed to these cycles of conflict and compromise, incongruity between demographic and political balances of power has been a major driving force in all of them. The pursuit of more equitable and just political representation has figured as one of the most salient justifications for communal calls to arms. The demographic question remains as much a fundamental - if rarely highlighted - reference point of Lebanese politics as ever before. Salafi-jihadism in Lebanon
Gary C. Gambill - 3/30/2008
As Lebanon looks back on a summer of vicious fighting between the army and Fatah al-Islam that left 168 soldiers dead, armed Salafi-jihadist networks continue to operate beyond the ruins of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp with relative impunity. Contrary to the conventional wisdom among many terrorism analysts, they have never plotted (let alone attempted) to establish an Islamic state in Lebanon. Rather, these Sunni Islamist militants have used "islands of insecurity" in the country as conduits for training and dispatching terrorists to conflict zones around the world (particularly Iraq). ... Lebanese Government needs to declare Hezbollah a Terrorist Organization
Elias Bejjani - 3/28/2008
The Lebanese government has done well in boycotting the Arab League summit to be held in Damascus on March 29-30. Aoun/Hezbollah War of Terror vs. March 14ers Reaches US Federal Court
Pierre A. Maroun - 3/23/2008
When General Michael Aoun was shouting fancy slogans from his comfortable home in Paris, many Lebanese viewed him as the Godfather of resistance, the man of principles, and the ultimate defender of Freedom and Democracy. Therefore, some cherished him, others idolized him, and few criticized him for they saw his real color. Thus, when this few exposed his dirty dealings withSyria and Hezbollah, similar to Paul Shaoul, Fares Khashan, Bassam Abu Eid, et. al. Aoun turned his fangs and claws on us. Therefore, when the threats of the Syrio/Lebanese security apparatus/terrorists on his behalf to sile... The Iraqi Chaldean Archbishop murder is a new victory for Terrorism
Elias Bejjani - 3/16/2008
The Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC) strongly condemns the vicious, heinous and cowardice kidnapping and murder of the Iraqi Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul, Paulus Faraj Rahho. The Archbishop's body was found on Thursday 13/02/08 in a grave located in Al-Intisar suburb of the south-east Mosul Iraqi City. An anonymous phone call was received by the police informing them where he was buried. The condition of the body indicated that he had been dead for some time. Archbishop Rahho was kidnapped on February 29/08 during which three of his escorting deacons were also murdered in cold blood. The Axis of Evil Stands Behind the Jerusalem Crime
Elias Bejjani - 3/9/2008
The Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC) strongly condemns the heinous and barbaric crime that was committed by the fundamentalist Hamas organization and Hezbollah militants against a religious school students' in Jerusalem. In this immoral act, we see a flagrant violation of all international Human Rights, laws and covenants which prohibit the killing of civilians, or attacking them under any given circumstance. At the same time, we strongly denounce all the commemoration of glorifying, praising and sanctifying of this suicide and homicide atrocity that was publicly uttered and shamefully exhibited in Lebanon and other countries. Michele Aoun Represent Axis Of Evil & Not Lebanese Christians
Elias Bejjani - 3/5/2008
On February the 2nd, 2008, the National Lebanese News Agency has reported the following: “An FPM (Free Patriotic Movement) student committee delegation from French St. Joseph's University in Beirut laid a wreath of flowers at the tomb of the martyr Imad Mughniyah in Ghobeiri (Beirut), in a salute to his sacrifices and accomplishments in regard the sovereignty and liberation of the nation, then they stood one minute in silence for his soul.” Imad Mugniyah: Confessions At a Funeral
Prof. Barry Rubin - 3/5/2008
A funny thing happened at the funeral of Imad Mugniyah. Those who had for years been denying any connection with him and his international terrorist activities--Iran, Syria, and Hizballah--suddenly admitted that he was one of their favorite people. Nasrallah's Dilemmas
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 3/4/2008
In a speech last week broadcast at the Sayed al-Shohada Mosque in south Beirut, Hizbullah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah promised his supporters that Israel's 'disappearance' was an 'established fact.' The Unfinished War In Lebanon
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 2/28/2008
The Lebanon war of 2006 failed to resolve any of the issues over which it was fought. Ultimately, the �war may be understood as a single campaign within a broader Middle Eastern conflict--between pro-Western and democratic states on the one hand, and an alliance of Islamist and Arab nationalist forces on the other. The latter alignment has as one of its strategic goals the eventual demise of the State of Israel. While such a goal may appear delusional, the inconclusive results of the 2006 war did much to confirm the representatives of the latter camp in their belief that they have discovered a method capable of eventually producing a strategic defeat for Israel. Lebanon's Saniora Government & and the Israeli Complex
Elias Bejjani - 2/26/2008
During his two years in office, Lebanon's PM, Mr. Fouad Saniora has proved time after time, and without any shed of doubt that psychologically he is like many other "day dreaming Arabs", still possessed by the obsolete rhetoric of the "Nasser phenomenon", that was founded by the late Egyptian President Jamal Abdel Nasser. In the fifties and sixties Nasser promised his fellow Arabs a strong, unified Arab nation, and advocated for throwing the State of Israel into the sea. In the end, he caused the Arabs more and more divisions and led them in the six days war with Israel in 1967, to the worst humiliating defeat in their history. Syria Killed Imad Mughniyah!
Elias Bejjani - 2/22/2008
"The world is a better place without this man in it. He was a cold-blooded killer, a mass murderer and a terrorist responsible for countless innocent lives lost," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. "One way or another, he was brought to justice." Radical Disorder Over Lebanon
Prof. Barry Rubin - 2/20/2008
The assassination of Imad Mugniyah, arguably the world’s second most dangerous terrorist after Usama bin Ladin, has riveted world attention on the story. But few are aware of the dramatic aftermath. Grand Mufti of Syria Threatens Europeans at EU Parliament, EU Media Silent
Fjordman - 2/19/2008
This information was brought to my attention by the blog Snaphanen. As a part of the deliberate merger of Europe and the Islamic world that is the policy of the European Union at the highest levels, yet almost never debated in European media, 2008 will be a "Year of Intercultural Dialogue," which means that Europeans will be bombarded with propaganda about how good it will be to submit to Islamic rule, and some veiled threats about what happens if we don't... The Culture of Tyranny
David Singer - 2/14/2008
The ancient city of Damascus received another mark of recognition last week. Following in the wake of Liverpool - which was recognized as the European Capital of Culture, and Stavanger in Norway, which was named the non-EU European Capital of Culture, UNESCO last week designated Damascus as the Arab Capital of Culture for 2008. Lebanon - A Return To Civil War?
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 2/12/2008
Much will be said about Benazir Bhutto's assassination; little will be understood about what it truly means. I'm not speaking here about Pakistan, of course, as important as is that country. But rather the lesson--as if we need any more--for that broad Middle East which begins in Pakistan and ends on the Atlantic Ocean coast. St. Maroun & His followers the Maronites
Elias Bejjani - 2/10/2008
Every year, on the ninth of February, more than ten million Maronites from all over the world celebrates St. Maroun’s day. On this day, they pay their respect to the great founder of the Maronite Church, Maroun the priest, the hermit, the father, the leader and the Saint. They remember what they have been exposed to, since the 4th century, both good and bad times. They reminisce through the past, examine the present and contemplate the future. They pray for peace, democracy and freedom in Lebanon, their home land, and all over the world. Free World: Rescue Lebanon before it is too late
Elias Bejjani - 1/29/2008
A Lebanese top anti-terrorism investigator was murdered along with his escort and three other civilians in a powerful car bombing that ripped through a neighborhood of Beirut on Friday January 25/08. Maj. Wissam Eid and Aspirant Officer Ousama Mireeb, of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), were killed along with three civilians, and forty two other people were wounded. Eid was a key member of the ISF and was involved in many investigations related to terrorist bombings in Lebanon in recent years. He was involved in sensitive probes and this is a major loss for Lebanon. Eid was on his way ba... Interview with Etienne Saqr (Abu Arz)
Manuela Paraipan - 1/22/2008
At the suggestion and direct support of Dr. Hitti, whom I consider by now to be a trustworthy friend, I went to Cyprus to meet Abu Arz (Etienne Saqre). Abu Arz is a living legend. As with any legend he is also controversial. I read all that I could about him before meeting him, but what I expected was much different from what I experienced. The conclusion of most of my readings was that Abu Arz is an extremist Christian military leader who fell into the state's disgrace for having a relationship with Israel. Nothing could be further from the truth. I found a man who deeply cares and misses his country and wishes to be allowed to go back. Syrian Games Without Frontiers
Jonathan Spyer, Ph.D. - 1/13/2008
The ongoing impasse over the appointment of the next Lebanese president, after Emil Lahoud stepped down on November 24, is the product of Syrian machinations and interference in Lebanese politics. The agreement reached on Sunday in Cairo may finally ensure the appointment of General Michel Sleiman as president, but it is unlikely to bring the crisis in Lebanon to an end. The nature and extent of Syrian involvement can only be understood in the context of the larger, region-wide rivalry between US-led and Iranian-led blocs that is shaping and defining the politics of the region. General Aoun in his new Iranian, Syrian, and Godly Attire
Elias Bejjani - 1/13/2008
I am duty-bound to congratulate Lebanon's MP, General Michel Aoun on his tremendous successes and accomplishments in the area of domesticating and Lebanising the Syrian Baathist policies, especially after his official appointment recently by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem as representative for the Axis of Evil (Syria and Iran), its spokesman, and negotiator on behalf of its groupings in Lebanon. How blessed are we, the Lebanese people in both Lebanon and Diaspora, that the Syrian/Iranian oppressing conditions are allowing us to elect the president who's in the general's pocket. But what else do we want beyond this great victory that General Aoun spearheaded? A Roadmap for Free Lebanon in 2008
Charles Jalkh - 1/3/2008
When a nation is faced with open rebellion by at least a third of its people it has three basic choices; reach a settlement, quell the rebellion, or let go of the rebel territory. You can do this in war, or in peace, then live one more day hoping that you may be able to reunite the nation in the future if the people are willing. Maronite Graces to Pursue for the New Year: Faith and Hope
Elias Bejjani - 1/2/2008
"Be on guard, then because you do not know what day your lord will come. If the owner of the house knew the time when the thief would come, you can be sure that he would stay awake and not let the thief break into his house. so then, you also must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come an hour when you are not expecting him". Matthew 24,/42-44 Islamist Groups In Lebanon
Gary C. Gambill - 12/18/2007
The article examines the evolution of three distinct poles of Islamism in Lebanon and how they have adapted to changes in local political and security conditions over the past three decades. Syrian and Iranian Leadership Comprehends Only The Language Of Force And Coercion
Elias Bejjani - 12/17/2007
With sorrow and pain the Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC) condemns the assassination of General Francois Hajj. This crime has in fact targeted all the Lebanese people in their safety, security and the stability of their nation, as well as their common living and the future of their young ones. It can't be seen or understood except in the context of the Syrian-Iranian axis of evil ongoing scheme against Lebanon and its democracy. All previous and current unfolding major events indicate plainly that the assassins are Syrian - Iranian agents. Hezbollah Is Syrian Occupation
Charles Jalkh - 12/14/2007
There will not be any security nor peace in Lebanon as long as Syrian-Iranian controlled armed groups continue to dominate large swaths of Lebanese territory and violate the authority of the Lebanese state. There is no doubt that the terrorists are using safe havens in the Hezbollah security zones and some Palestinian camps to launch their attacks and assassinations against the Lebanese. Syriantoxication: An Infantile Malady
Prof. Barry Rubin - 12/14/2007
A strange malady has apparently descended on part of Israel’s, much of America’s, and most of Europe’s elite. Let’s call it Syriantoxication, the belief that there is a real chance to make peace with Syria and—in its extreme version—that Lebanon should be sacrificed for that goal. To call this wishful thinking is understatement. Why is this happening? The Beirut Down Town Sit-in: Sacrifices, Dragons & Saint Georges
Elias Bejjani - 12/11/2007
"Now I beg you, brothers, look out for those who are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them. For those who are such don't serve our Lord, Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and flattering speech, they deceive the hearts of the innocent" (Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans:16/17 & 18) General Michel Aoun's Cancerous Arrogance
Elias Bejjani - 12/3/2007
Poor General Michel Aoun, his blind obstinacy and hatred has lead him to a deadly state of perversion that requires our pity towards the conclusion of national and political career of a once-promising leader that was perceived as a different and unique role model unlike all the other vacillating politicians. No Honor or Loyalty in Gen. Michel Sleiman candidacy
Charles Jalkh - 12/2/2007
The French Daily "Le Figaro" published a report yesterday claiming that the Lebanese Army commander General "Michel Sleiman" is reported to have falsely obtained a French Passport in 2004 in order to flee the country as the Syrian occupation was collapsing. Mideast Peace Negotiations Should Be About Syria
Ted Belman - 11/30/2007
The key to solving American troubles in the ME is Syria, not Israel. You may recall that Saudi Arabia demanded that Syria be invited as the price for gaining its attendance and Syria was invited. There is no solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, or should I say the Israel/Arab conflict, until the Arab countries are prepared to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and sign an end of conflict agreement. The former has been rejected and the latter is not even discussed. Looking Down the Precipice
Manuela Paraipan - 11/26/2007
During the time I spent in Lebanon I had the chance to talk - off and on the record - with individuals from various walks of life and with people who act as mediators between the March 8 bloc (Hizbollah, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Amal, Marada, Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party and allies) and March 14 bloc (Future Movement, Progressive Socialist Party, Lebanese Forces, Kataeb Party and allies). No one can play a completely neutral role in Lebanon, but some do manage to keep away from the inter- and intra-quarrels and thus become trustworthy actors. Hizballah As The Iranian Army In Lebanon
Elias Bejjani - 11/20/2007
Hizballah's General-Secretary Sayed Hassan Nasrallah gave a fiery speech on Sunday November 11, 2007 vowing to maintain his party's military power, in opposition to the free world and the majority of the Lebanese people, as well as the United Nations resolutions. Most observers saw it as a sign of an Iranian-Syrian instigation for a coup in Lebanon. Nasrallah declared: "No one in the world can disarm Hizballah! The resistance in Lebanon has determination, will, manpower and sufficient weapons to face Israel in a new conflict, No to the implementation of the UN Resolution 1559. Hizballah's rece... What Sort Of Message Is It For Syrian Reformers?
Prof. Barry Rubin - 11/20/2007
The idea that poverty, relative backwardness, violence, and instability must be caused by external circumstances is engrained in much of the Western intelligentsia. It encourages a tendency to apologize for those regimes and radical groups which are the main cause of continued stagnation and suffering. Life After Death
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 11/5/2007
On the occasion of the 24th commemoration of the bombing of the US Marines Barracks in Beirut (October 23, 1983) by Hezbollah, we re-post the 2003 piece below since it captures the mood of the transformation in US foreign policy that took place after 2001. Syria and Hezbollah are no longer the “factor of stability” that Richard Murphy and Edward Djeredjian of the US State Department were so fond of telling the Lebanese between 1975 and 2003; it became an “occupation”. And the US no longer runs away out of fear of Syria and Hezbollah, like Ronald Reagan did in 1983; today the West is fighting t... Lebanon's Abandoned Role In Hezbollah - Israel exchange Of Prisoners And Bodies
Elias Bejjani - 10/19/2007
Worldwide news agencies published on October 16, 2007 the following Report: (Israel and Hezbollah carried out a prisoner swap on Monday. The Jewish state handed over the bodies of two militants and a prisoner in exchange for the remains of an Israeli man. The exchange of bodies and a prisoner swap took place at the Naqura crossing between Israel and Lebanon," The two Hezbollah fighters were killed during the 34-day war in Lebanon last summer between the Shiite militant group and Israel. The prisoner to be released was believed to be a militant seized during the war. The dead Israeli was an Eth... Michel Aoun: From Jesus to Judas
Charles Jalkh - 10/10/2007
For 15 years, Michel Aoun and the Free Patriotic Movement were the symbol, the inspiration, and the dream of Free Lebanon. The flame was kept alive through the few pure souls who believed in something greater than themselves; Free Lebanon. During those dark years, Michel Aoun was revered as our Nelson Mandela, or Che Guevara, our George Washington. When he returned to Lebanon, he was met by hundreds of thousands. It was hoped that he becomes the “Guardian of the Revolution”, instead, he sank into the narrow alleys of local politics, and then his true dimension was revealed. The Truth About Syria - Book Review by Gateway Pundit
Gateway Pundit - 10/6/2007
Another anti-Syrian Lebanese Christian politician is assassinated in Beirut. A massive bomb killed Antoine Ghanem outside of his home in a Christian neighborhood on the outskirts of Beirut. He was the seventh anti-Syrian politician assassinated in the last two and a half years in Lebanon. Lebanese Crisis Could Turn Violent
Angelique van Engelen - 9/26/2007
The killing of Christian member of parliament Antoine Ghanem last Wednesday has made it clear that regional and international conflicts are more than tangible in Lebanon. Politics in this country mirrors the struggle between Israel and Syria and the pro-Sunni Arab nations’ jostle for regional influence outrivalling Shi’ite Iran. And the puzzle pieces together too in the greater context of the American struggle with Iran. The Truth About Syria by Prof Barry Rubin - Book Review
Gateway Pundit - 9/25/2007
Another anti-Syrian Lebanese Christian politician is assassinated in Beirut. A massive bomb killed Antoine Ghanem outside of his home in a Christian neighborhood on the outskirts of Beirut. He was the seventh anti-Syrian politician assassinated in the last two and a half years in Lebanon. Majority Parliamentarians Need Protection Outside Lebanon
Elias Bejjani - 9/20/2007
Syria's terrorist hand has struck again in Lebanon through its fundamentalist mercenaries spread across the territory of Lebanon. New victims fell today, as the car of MP Antoine Ghanem was targeted by an insidious and criminal bomb that killed him and eight other innocent bystanders, all of whom join the ranks of hundreds of thousands of new martyrs on this endless Calvary of the country of the Cedars. The Future Of Lebanon
Panel Discussion - 9/15/2007
The U.S. Department of State's International Information Programs (IIP) in Washington D.C., the Public Affairs Office at the U.S. Embassy in Israel, and the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center jointly held an international video conference seminar focusing on both domestic and foreign affairs in Lebanon. Israeli and U.S. experts examined the balance of and struggle for power in the country, external factors, and future prospects. Lebanon’s Struggle Magnifies Problems Throughout The Middle East
Angelique van Engelen - 9/6/2007
The Lebanese army’s victory over the 500-strong Fatah al Islam group might have wiped out the newly established terrorist cell in the space of three months, but Lebanon’s 6-month old political impasse still needs sorting. The country’s muddled situation can be seen as a microcosm of the problems in the Middle East where political gridlocks are tighter than ever and where extremism is flourishing on the ground. The Battle For Lebanon
Prof. Barry Rubin - 9/3/2007
Lebanon may be beginning one of the most turbulent periods in its all-too-tumultuous history. As the world looks on with apparent indifference, Islamist and Iran-led forces may be on the verge of a new victory over Arab nationalists and just about everyone else. Yes, Mr. Saniora, Hezbollah Has Committed War Crimes
Elias Bejjani - 9/3/2007
We denounce the hysterical outcry in Lebanon against the “Human Rights Watch" report which discussed with objectivity, transparency, and total neutrality Hezbollah’s military actions which violated international law during the destructive war it started last year at the behest of Iran and Syria. These actions were defined as war crimes against civilians. The report stated that during the 2006 war Hezbollah launched thousands of missiles indiscrimately, and sometimes in a premeditated manner, against civilian areas in Northern Israel killing at least 39 Palestinian and Jewish citizens of Israel... Lebanon's Partition may be a good interim solution
Charles Jalkh - 8/31/2007
The formal partition of Lebanon into two states; a multi-ethnic Christian-Sunni-Druze democratic and liberal state, and a Shiite fundamentalist state is a good thing for the following reasons: Secure Syrian-Lebanese Border Is Necessary For Middle East Peace
Elias Bejjani - 8/22/2007
The UN Security Council is scheduled to convene before the end of this month to debate the renewal of the UNIFIL forces mandate in South Lebanon. This European-led mission that comprises 13,600 troops was deployed in southern Lebanon in the aftermath of last year's war between Hezbollah and Israel in a bid to assist the Lebanese authorities in the implementing of UN resolution 1701. The Council is expected to renew the force's mandate unanimously for an additional year as of September 01/ 07. Lebanon Terror: The Syrian Moukhabarat Connection
Pierre A. Maroun - 8/16/2007
On August 13, 2007, Lebanese Army General Michael Suleiman shed some light on the military situation in Naher El Bared and the fight against Fateh el Islam terrorist group. In the process, General Suleiman mentioned that such a terrorist group is definitely linked to Al-Qaeda, yet, he added, it has no connection to Syria whatsoever. Such distortion of the truth triggered this document, in which most of its intelligence information came from the same Army that General Suleiman is the commander. Lebanese Canadians Condemn Billboard Promoting Hezbollah
Elias Bejjani - 8/13/2007
The LCCC, (Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council), strongly condemns the erection of a billboard in the city of Windsor which surreptitiously promotes the terrorist organization Hezbollah, which has been banned in Canada since 2002. While not identifying Hezbollah by name, the billboard depicts Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the controversial group. Printed in English are the words: "Lebanese and Arab communities in Windsor city congratulate the Lebanese people for their steadfastness and endeavor to establish peace in Windsor." The Truth About Syria: Interview with Barry Rubin
Michael J. Totten - 8/3/2007
Michael Totten has conducted an interview with Barry Rubin regarding his new book, The Truth About Syria, which is a detailed examination of that extremely important country in the news, including being America's main Arab state opponent in the Middle East. Syria and Iran Again Target UN Forces In Southern Lebanon
Elias Bejjani - 7/18/2007
A second fiery terrorist message to the UN forces operating in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been delivered today July 16, 2007, with hatred and grudgers, by the two pillars of the Axis of Evil, Syria and Iran, through their militia and fundamentalist instruments positioned in Lebanon. The message targeted a UN position manned by the Tanzanian Brigade on the newly repaired Qassimiyeh bridge. Fortunately no lives were lost. Hezbollah's Delusional
Elias Bejjani - 7/16/2007
Delusion is defined by the science of Mental and Psychological Disorders as a false belief that is firmly maintained in spite of incontrovertible and obvious proof or evidence. A delusion is a detachment from tangible and lived reality, from the facts and the environment, and from the capabilities available to the inflicted individual. It is a thought or thoughts which can be neither addressed nor corrected through logic or persuasion. The most frequent types of delusions are the "Delusion of Grandeur", the "Persecutory Delusion", the "Nihilistic Delusion", and "Guilt". Getting Serious About Syria
Prof. Barry Rubin - 7/13/2007
"We must once again restore the Israeli army’s deterrence, because there is no other way,” explains Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Quite right. The place to start is Syria. Israel’s strategic policy toward Syria should be based on two simple, basic principles: Washington and Lebanon after the Syrian Withdrawal
Gary C. Gambill - 7/12/2007
"All the parties have started again to be armed, as if we had gone back more than 20 years and learned nothing."[1]
Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Patriarch of Lebanon's Maronite Christian community. The withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon in 2005 marked one of the most significant American diplomatic achievements in the Middle East in years. Washington played a decisive role in mobilizing international pressure on Damascus, encouraging defections among Lebanon's governing elite, and inspiring mass demonstrations in Beirut, leaving Syrian President Bashar Assad little choice but t... The Rise of Fatah al-Islam
Gary C. Gambill - 7/10/2007
The sudden outbreak of fighting between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam in late May has touched off a flurry of conspiracy theories about the meteoric rise of this shadowy terrorist group. Supporters of Lebanon's ruling March 14 coalition typically allege that the militant fundamentalist organization is an "imitation al-Qaeda" secretly controlled by the secular Baathist regime of neighboring Syria,[1] while those on the other side of the political divide allege that Fatah al-Islam is a creation of Lebanon's ruling coalition. Gaza Today, Lebanon Tomorrow?
Prof. Barry Rubin - 7/4/2007
The world is shocked by Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip and the damage done to any hope for peace or regional stability is generally recognized. But a second, even more serious, extremist takeover is in the works for which Western inaction would bear far more responsibility. Interview: Barry Rubin on Syria
Ryan Mauro - 7/2/2007
Barry Rubin is Director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, Interdisciplinary Center university. His latest book, The Truth about Syria was published by Palgrave-Macmillan in May 2007. He has also contributed to the Global Politician. He has recently been interviewed by Global Politician's Associate Editor Ryan Mauro. No Permanent Settlement for Palestinians in Lebanon
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 7/1/2007
Both the Arab world and the West are to blame for the plight of the Palestinian refugees. The history of western anti-Semitism ultimately led to the creation of Israel and the displacement of the Palestinian people. All Arab countries have abused their Palestinian refugee populations for political motives. Lebanon is a small country of 3.5 million people with a sensitive demographic composition. The Lebanese people are unanimous in categorically rejecting the permanent settlement of the 500,000 Palestinian refugees on their soil because they will cause a demographic imbalance in the very delicate mosaic of the Lebanese population. The Truth About Fatah al-Islam's Uprising in Lebanon
Prof. Barry Rubin - 6/24/2007
Fatah al-Islam, a Palestinian Islamist group, has been waging an uprising in Lebanon which has attracted huge media coverage. Most journalists identify this group with al-Qa'ida or are just plain confused as to its identity. In fact, what is happening is a major deception operation by Syria, a rather typical case of how radical forces in the region fool the West, score against their adversaries, and avoid any retaliation for their deeds. Syro-Iranian massacre of Lebanese Politicians
Walid Phares, Ph.D. - 6/21/2007
With the assassination of Lebanese MP Jebran Tueni in December 2006, months after the murder of political leaders George Hawi and Samir Qassir during the summer, the Syro-Iranian terror war room had opened a bloody hunt against the democratically elected Lebanese Parliament. After the withdrawal of regular Syrian forces from Lebanon in April 2005, Bashar Assad and his allies in Tehran designed a counter offensive (which we described then and later) aiming at crumbling the Cedars Revolution. One of the main components of this strategy was (and remain) to use all intelligence and security assets... No Peace for Lebanon without International Deterrent Forces on Its Borders with Syria
Elias Bejjani - 6/19/2007
In my capacity as chairman for the Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC) and on behalf of its Board Directors and members we all express our profound condemnation of the terrorist, criminal and cowardly bombing that took the life of Lebanon's Parliament Member Walid Eido yesterday Wednesday, as well as the lives of his older son Khaled, two of his bodyguards and several innocent bystanders. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Barry Rubin on Syria
Ryan Mauro - 6/15/2007
Professor Barry Rubin is the the editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal and the director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, as well as the author of the new book, “The Truth About Syria”. The Syrian-Jihadi Highway To Peace
Walid Phares, Ph.D. - 6/5/2007
A curious "debate" is growing rapidly among a number of Western-based analysts about the "impossibility" of the existence of Syrian Jihadi-Salafist links. More particularly, some analysts went to the extent of describing the existence of links between the Syrian Mukhabarat and the group Fatah al Islam operating in North Lebanon as "hazy." Breaking News On Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 6/2/2007
The tribal Shiite Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, issued a statement criticizing the British and American UN ambassadors for blaming him for the failure of the Lebanese Parliament to ratify the International Tribunal. In his statement, he talked about the “honor” he has of not violating the Lebanese constitution and leaving the “counter-honor” of doing so to the US and British ambassadors. He also said: “You chose the internationalization [of the Lebanese problem] instead of the Lebanese State.” Assad’s Six Degrees of Collaboration
Nicholas M. Guariglia - 5/30/2007
While at Harvard University, the late social psychologist Stanley Milgram attempted to prove his “small world phenomenon” hypothesis to be true. From his ideas spawned the now widely known six degrees of separation concept of connectedness. There is some debate as to who ought to be granted full credit for the theory, as the Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy likewise proposed this supposition earlier, but nevertheless the concept has more or less been empirically vindicated over time. Namely, any person or entity can be linked to any other person or entity through a chain of acquaintances or contacts using no more than five liaisons or intermediaries. Nasrallah’s Threats to the Lebanese Army: What will Aoun do?
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 5/29/2007
Tehran issued its orders yesterday to its proxies in Baghdad and Beirut. Muqtada Al-Sadr in Baghdad declared war on the American occupation and called on his Sunni brethren of Al-Qaeda to join forces with him to fight the US occupation. In Beirut, at exactly the same time, Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah issued identical warnings to the Lebanese army not to enter the fortified camp where Sunni Al-Qaeda-affiliated Fatah Al-Islam terrorists are holed up. Nasrallah also wants an “investigation” into why the Lebanese army was receiving weapons shipment from the Americans. Hezbollah and the Political Ecology of Postwar Lebanon
Gary C. Gambill - 5/22/2007
Hezbollah's recent confrontation with Israel is commonly portrayed in the Western media as a proxy war instigated by Iran, with Syria cast as either coconspirator or clingy sidekick, and a fragile government in Beirut looking on helplessly from the sidelines. To be sure, Tehran has a very intimate relationship with the militant Lebanese Shiite Islamist movement and generously provisions it with arms (through Syria) and financial aid. However, while Iranian influence is a powerful enabling factor, the underlying dynamics of the conflict are decidedly local and Lebanon's governing elite is hardly out of the loop. General Aoun, Hizballah and Naim Qassam
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 5/21/2007
In a Naharnet posting on May 18, Gen. Michel Aoun is quoted as saying that Maronite Bishops "are not responsible for political life, but rather for spiritual life. In their capacity as citizens they are eligible to deal with political issues." In other words, Gen. Michel Aoun is applying the principle of the separation of State from Religion, but only to the Christian community, since he has a very cozy alliance with a Shiite Muslim fundamentalist group whose entire leadership consists of Sheikhs and Mullahs who can’t even imagine politics outside of religion. Lebanon Must Decisively Deal With Nahr El-Bared Camp
Elias Bejjani - 5/21/2007
In my capacity as the Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC) chairman, I strongly denounces the criminal attack against the Lebanese Army and Security Forces in North Lebanon yesterday and today by gunmen of the “Fatah al-Islam” group which is affiliated – in decision-making and in weapons – with the Syrian Intelligence Services. FPM-Hezbollah: Divorce: Irreconcilable Differences
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 5/18/2007
With the deadline looming for the Lebanese Parliament to elect a new President of the Republic of Lebanon this summer, there is an undeniable quest by many Lebanese for a “strong” President who would be unlike the riff-raff Presidents the country has had during the three decades of the war. Many of the latter were pure Syrian puppets (Elias Hrawi and Emile Lahoud); or the Lebanese equivalent of Bashar Assad, i.e. corrupt feudal weaklings who are reluctantly given the mantle of the family, and I mean by that Amin Gemayel; or “compromise” technocrat Presidents like Elias Sarkis, who are clean and mean well, but have no constituency to back them. Inside Lebanon's Militia Safe Havens and Mini-States
Elias Bejjani - 4/29/2007
The hands of crime and hate that today killed in Lebanon the young men Ziyad Qabalan and Ziyad Ghandour are the hands of treachery, fundamentalism and terrorism. The same hands that are drenched in the blood of the innocent, the proud and the believers in sovereignty among our people. The same hands which, over the decades of the wars of others on Lebanon, targeted all our martyrs among the politicians, journalists, activists and free citizens and members of the clergy. Oui to a Chapter 7 Mandate For Lebanon
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 4/5/2007
NEAL endorses the idea of a Chapter 7 mandate to establish the International Tribunal for Lebanon. The reasons are many, but they all center on the single most obvious fact now in evidence two years after the withdrawal of the Syrian occupation from Lebanon: The Lebanese government & Hizbollah's Challenges
Elias Bejjani - 2/11/2007
Lebanese officials said yesterday that the security services detained in the Hazmieh suburb of Beirut a truck loaded with various weapons (handguns, machine guns, GRAD missiles and ammunition) that were hidden under a cargo of animal feed. Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said that the truck was stopped while en route to Beirut from the Eastern Bekaa Valley, and was taken with its cargo of weapons to Beirut Harbor for customs inspection under the supervision of the army. He added, "We are awaiting the outcome of the investigation and we will declare everything to the Lebanese people", and expr... Lebanon's Hezbollah Zinger
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 2/10/2007
Writing in the aftermath of the July War between Hezbollah and Israel, and the passage of resolution 1701 by the Security Council this past August, this writer opined the following: "… Nasrallah said on Monday that the Lebanese Army is "incapable" of defending the south, and he sure would love to put this theory to the test. Cornered as he is between international pressure and a weak Lebanese government still trying to provide him with a fig leaf, Nasrallah might engineer the "incident" needed to create new facts on the ground. Surrounded by a loyal Shiite base and an otherwise subservient... Hezbollah and its satellites are either mercenaries or opportunists
Elias Bejjani - 1/29/2007
The Lebanese Canadian Coordination Council (LCCC) condemns the bloody coup-d'etat, militia-style riots perpetrated last Tuesday and Thursday in Lebanon which resulted in nine deaths, more than 250 injuries, and material damage in the hundred of millions. The LCCC also condemns in the strongest terms the expansionist, terrorist, and destructive plans originating from two members of the Axis of Evil, Iran and Syria. These plans target Lebanon in its existence, regime, culture, history, identity, and all its institutions. It also targets its freedoms, and the basis of its people's coexistence, as well as the tenets of democracy and human rights. No To Hezbollah’s Terrorism Against Cedar Revolution Leaders
Elias Bejjani - 1/4/2007
The Lebanese Canadian Coordination Council (LCCC) strongly denounces all vicious attempts of terrorism that are carried on continuously since 1982 by Hezbollah's leadership, armed militia and its media facilities against the Lebanese State, its institutions, constitution, identity, democracy, freedoms, culture, civilization and against the peace and coexistence of its multi cultural, multi ethnic communities.. Michel Aoun: A Psychotic Lust For The Presidency
Elias Bejjani - 12/29/2006
The Maronite Patriarch, Mar Nasrallah Sfeir -(AsiaNews) – on December 18/06: "It is time to put a stop to the opposition sit-in that has blocked the centre of Beirut since 1 December, because it is harming the economy. “Unchecked” gatherings taking place throughout the sit-in should also be stopped because “they could endanger the family”. Interview with Antoine Richa, advisor to the slain Lebanese Minister Pierre Gemayel
Joseph Mayton - 12/19/2006
As demonstrations in downtown Beirut threaten the stability of the country yet again, the Global Politician sat down with the Vice-President of the Phalange party to discuss the current situation. Antoine Richa was also an advisor to the slain Minister of Industry, Pierre Gemayel and an ardent government supporter. The party, which played an active role in the civil war here from 1975-1990, has been anti-Syrian since the end of the civil war. Lesson learned from the suffering of Maher Arar
Alastair Gordon - 12/15/2006
As Canadians, we are deeply distressed by the suffering of Maher Arar, whose ordeal was, in the judgement of Justice Dennis O’Connor, triggered by sub-standard police and security work on the part of the RCMP. We recognize the difficulty in compensating Maher Arar and his family for the ordeal that followed his deportation to Syria. Michel Aoun: An improvised political version of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
Elias Bejjani - 12/6/2006
In this editorial - part six in my Aoun series - the focus will be solely on the text of a lengthy ýaudio interview that the Lebanese MTV channel conducted with General Michel Aoun on ýOctober ýþ9þý, ýþ2002þý while he was still in exile in Paris - France. This is another lengthy text of ýþ40þý ýpages that shows without a shadow of doubt, and by this man's own words, that he has in cold ýblood buried under ýþ12þý feet all his declared national and political convictions whose banner he ýcarried for ýþ18þý years, only to back off completely on all his promises in the end. He simply ýmade a ýþ180þ... An Uneasy Feeling In Lebanon
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 12/5/2006
One more victim fell last week in the Lebanese War. I have been trying for days to figure this one out, to find it a place somewhere in the pile of stuff in my brain about the War, but I seem to be running out of space. Or perhaps emotion. I feel nothing. The reservoir of pity, anxiety, fear, apprehension, terror, sadness and sorrow must have run dry, I think to myself, as I try to put the assassination of Pierre Gemayel in some perspective. But there is nothing left to feel and Mr. Gemayel's insignificance to the big picture won't budge. It is not that I have no sympathy for him. I do. He was... Don’t let the Free Lebanese Face Terror Alone
Elias Bejjani - 12/4/2006
In my capacity as Chairman for the Lebanese Coordinating Council (LCCC), I call on the Free World is waging today the great and grave challenge of the fierce and hellish unrelenting battle with the terror and Jihad regimes and groups throughout the world. This terror is represented by the countries of the Axis of Evil and its appendages, the fundamentalist groups led by the Hezbollah group. Terrorism hits again and a new martyr falls in Lebanon
Elias Bejjani - 11/23/2006
The Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC), strongly denounces the evil assassination of Lebanese MP and cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel who was cowardly shot by unidentified assassins today in Beirut. The LCCC calls on our Canadian government and people, as well as on all the free world countries, to actively and firmly rally around the "Cedars Revolution" leadership and support them in both Lebanon and the Diaspora in their peaceful and civilized struggle against terrorism and terrorists. General Aoun's Alliance with Hezbollah: A Bizarre Marriage of Opportunism
Elias Bejjani - 11/20/2006
"The positions of those afflicted with contradiction between acts and words cannot be reassuring. Such individuals desire one thing and its opposite at the same time" (General Aoun on 16/06/2000). The noose tightens around some necks in Damascus!!
Iqbal Latif - 11/19/2006
Regardless of the Syrian bare proxy, Hezbollah's, enormous pains to bring down the Lebanese government through political blackmail of resignations, the Lebanese Cabinet approved a UN draft to form an international tribunal to try former Premier Rafik Hariri's assassins. It is part of a comprehensive western effort to bring massive pressure on the Syrian Allawite cabal. Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's cold-blooded murder in Beirut reminded me of one episode of The Simpsons where Bart dials 911 and is greeted with a recording, "If you know the name of the crime being committed, pre... General Michel Aoun: Fading Halos & Falling Masks
Elias Bejjani - 11/16/2006
In a public gathering held on October 28/06, with mayors and dignitaries from the Lebanese regions of Keserwan and Jbeil, General Michel Aoun said: "There is another important matter, for every time someone slaps someone else, Syria is accused. Fourteen crimes took place in 2005, and Syria was accused, the truth remains similar to Rajeh's Story, (A Lebanese folk tale in which all wrongdoings, bad behavior and acts are attributed to an imaginary person named Rajeh). General Michel Aoun: Broken Promise & Blemished Record
Elias Bejjani - 11/7/2006
All through their 7,000 years of struggle and deep-rooted history, rich culture, and radiant civilization, the Lebanese people have never ever surrendered to despair or lost hope in safeguarding their beloved Lebanon and carrying it always to resurrection and to a new life again and again after each and every agony. They have always believed in themselves and maintained their unshakable faith and hope and trust in Almighty God no matter what hardships they encountered. General Michele Aoun's Questionable Sincerity
Elias Bejjani - 10/30/2006
Lebanese MP Walid Khoury, a member of the "Reform & Change Parliamentary Bloc", headed by MP, General Michele Aoun, claimed last on Saturday October 21/06, through "Radio Free Liban", that general Aoun had accepted the "Taef Accord", and that his only objection pertained to the absence of any schedule for Syrian troop withdrawal from Lebanon. In a call to the program, I pointed out the untruthfulness of this claim which takes lightly the Lebanese people’s intelligence and insults their memory. Mr. khoury’s claim is a scandalous attempt to sap sacrifices and contributions, and a clear negatio... The Real Power Shift of Taef
Charles Jalkh - 10/30/2006
In the race of history, some peoples resemble a rabbit running after a shrinking carrot. The carrot gets smaller but the rabbit keeps the pursuit, until the carrot vanishes ýcompletely, yet the rabbit continues to run by instinct. The Rise and Fall of Michel Aoun
Charles Jalkh - 10/24/2006
For 15 years, he carried the flame of Free Lebanon, and inspired a generation of Lebanese freedom fighters in Lebanon and throughout the Diaspora, into steadfastness and resistance to the Syrian hegemony over Lebanon. Michel Aoun rode the waves on an ancient, powerful, and deep rooted Lebanese nationalist stream coupled with secular yearnings for a modern, liberal, and compassionate society. The Lebanese will never forget those who changed their skin
Elias Bejjani - 10/17/2006
On this 16th anniversary of the terrible massacre committed on October 13, 1990 by the Syrian Baath regime along with Lebanese, regional, fundamentalist, and terrorist forces, the Lebanese Canadian Coordination Council (LCCC) bows in respect and tribute to the souls of the martyrs of the Cedars nation, military, civilian, and men of religion alike, and to the thousands of handicapped and injured. We raise our prayers humbly to Almighty God asking him with the benevolence of Lebanon's saints Charbel, Rafqa, and Hardini, to have mercy on the souls of all those who died in the field of duty. And ... October 13, 2006: Shocking Truth & Fallen Masks
Elias Bejjani - 10/13/2006
The destructive and satanic role played with extreme insolence by the Syrian Baath regime is hidden to no one, as it continues directly and through Hezbollah and its allies the fundamentalist Palestinian and Lebanese militias, and in total harmony with opportunistic groups which never acknowledged or believed in Lebanon as an independent entity and in its distinct identity. This Baathist-Fundamentalist -Opportunist, bug has spread regrettably like cancer throughout our Lebanese communities and regions. Lebanon: Quo Vadis with this History?
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 10/4/2006
With the dust settling in Lebanon and the players, old and new, trying to stake their territories in the increasingly confined space of this tormented nation, the emerging picture is one of a country headed towards a major confrontation whose outcome is predictably coupled to the outcome of the gathering clash between the West and the Islamic fundamentalist movement. In other words, Lebanon’s fate and the outcome of its eternal crisis, the “La Question d’Orient” of the 19th and early 20th centuries, has witnessed a significant shift in the underlying paradigms of its potential solution in our ... Lebanon Needs New UN Resolution Under Chapter Seven of UN Charter
Elias Bejjani - 10/3/2006
We in the Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC) welcome the final communiqué of the Francophonie summit issued on Friday September 29/06 in Bucharest, Romania, after two days of extensivediscussions in which twenty-two heads of state, eleven prime ministers and thirty six foreign ministers participated. No Peace In Lebanon Unless its border with Syria Is Patrolled By UN Deterrent Forces
Elias Bejjani - 9/24/2006
It is quite clear to any observer of Lebanese and Middle Eastern affairs that Lebanon’s core problem, as well as its derivatives and complexities, is mainlydue to its oppressive neighbor Syria, specifically in the mentality of its rulers who are detached from reality and who lack both insight and discretion, contrary to reason and logic. They are unable to comprehend the changes in the balance of power which followed the dismantling and fall of the Soviet Union. The Syrian regime insists on behaving as if it were a regional power, a role that has been revoked by the international community after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime and the suppression of the Baath throughout the region. Redefining Sykes-Picot: Le Petit Liban?
Charles Jalkh - 9/17/2006
Historically, 3 widely different nationalisms have clashed for control over Lebanon's identity and direction. These nationalisms include: Partitionism (or le Petit Liban), Pan Arabo-Islamism, and Lebanese Nationalism (Le Grand Liban of 1920). During the civil war, the Christians favored a partitioned Lebanon, or "Le Petit Liban", a smaller Christian-dominated state/canton, allied with the west, and designed to answer the national and cultural aspirations of the Christians for an independent, sovereign, and Free Lebanon. They were pushed into that corner by waves of assaults from a myriad of Is... Sheikh Bachir's Tribute: Dwarf Leaders & Immense Responsibilities
Elias Bejjani - 9/14/2006
Lebanon's rulers, officials and politicians with their numerous feudal, social, denominational, secular and fundamentalist affiliations - as well as the so-called resistance have disastrously failed in managing the challenges of the new independence era in the aftermath of Syria's humiliating and forced withdrawal 16 months ago. This mosaic leadership has aborted to a great extent the historic liberation achievements reached by the Cedar's Revolution that was bravely spearheaded by Lebanon's young men and women. Rights & Concerns of the Lebanese-Armenian Community
Elias Bejjani - 9/9/2006
The LCCC (Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council) strongly denounces the Lebanese Government's unjust refusal to call off the Turkish Army's participation in the UN Peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) mandated by the UN Security Council to deploy in South Lebanon in the aftermath of the devastating 34-day long Israeli-Hezbollah war. The denied request was made officially by Lebanon's Armenian community in all its denominational, political and social sectors and representatives. The same appeal was made to the UN General Secretary, Mr. Kofi Annan. Israel has Lifted its Blockade. When will Hezbollah Lift its Own?
Elias Bejjani - 9/8/2006
The lifting of the Israeli air, land and sea blockade over Lebanon will certainly please and calm the Lebanese people who, alone, had to pay the price for the fundamentalist Hezbollah’s monopoly over the decision to launch a futile war against Israel on behalf of Iran and Syria. The Lebanese people alone will, for years to come, bear the consequences of this destructive and inane war that turned the clock back 20 years on the Land of the Cedars and forced a quarter of a million Lebanese to leave their country for greener pastures. Interview with Sheikh Samy Gemayel
Manuela Paraipan - 9/6/2006
Sheikh Samy Gemayel is a political activist and a lawyer. He's the son of Amine Gemayel, who was the President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988. He was interviewed by Manuela Paraipan immediately after the Israel-Hezbollah war. Interview with Dr. Joseph Hitti, President of the New England Americans For Lebanon
Manuela Paraipan - 9/6/2006
Dr. Joseph Hitti is an expert on Lebanese politics and the President of The New England Americans for Lebanon (NEAL). He was interviewed by Manuela Paraipan: Lebanon: Caught by the Stockholm syndrome
Manuela Paraipan - 9/6/2006
The Lebanese post-conflict scene revealed a disturbing fact. It is not only the Southerners that suffer of the Stockholm syndrome. It is also the political leadership - otherwise it would be problematic to explain why Hezbollah is still very much in power in Southern Lebanon. Hassan Nasrallah has been widely reported as the new hero of the Arab and Muslim world. Hezbollah declared its victory and as expected said that it will not disarm. Mr. Saniora, Give peace a Chance
Elias Bejjani - 9/3/2006
I call on Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who has a lot of good potential and intentions, to abandon once and forever the notorious and historically devastating Arab rhetoric and attitudes. There is no doubt that productive and credible Lebanese politics cannot be practiced any longer with this Arab no-stance mentality and indecisive style, especially during this crucial period in the governance of Lebanon. The PM ought to start putting his tongue and mind together where Lebanon's interests, safety, peace, future, democracy and prosperity are. He can no longer waste time, resources and... Lebanon Needs An Immediate Peace Treaty with Israel
Charles Jalkh - 9/1/2006
Prime Minister Seniora has given this week a free and unwarranted gift to the Iranian-Syrian-Hezbollah axis. He declared that Lebanon will be the last nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel. Mr. Seniora did not elaborate on the reasons behind such delay. What Lebanese National interests are served by rejecting an immediate final peace for our homeland with our Israeli neighbors? Opposition Supports UN Forces On Lebanese-Syrian Border
Elias Bejjani - 8/30/2006
We, the undersigned Lebanese Diaspora activists, and on behalf of the organizations and clubs we represent, welcome UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's visit to Lebanon, which is expected to begin today Monday, and wish his endeavors the success they deserve. However, we ask the Secretary General to remain within the bounds of his mandate and not graft onto resolution 1701 similar mechanisms to those he employed in the food-for-oil program in Iraq. We draw the attention of the international community, the Arab countries, the Lebanese government and all those concerned with Lebanon to the following facts, cautions and demands: Desecrating The Dead In Lebanon
Anwar Wazen - 8/28/2006
A disturbing practice has been vaunted on Arab TV networks, Arab newspapers, arab tabloids and most recently on the internet: Pictures and newsreel footages of dead children whose bodies riddled with shrapnels, bullets and rubble are held up from the feet by bearded fellows telling the world viewers: In your face. Ottawa To Negotiate With Hezbollah?
Elias Bejjani - 8/23/2006
The LCCC is not actually surprised with the tunnel vision statements attributed to Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj during his current visit to our homeland Lebanon. Mr. Wrzesnewskyj had been quoted as calling on the Conservative Canadian Government to negotiate with Hezbollah, the fundamentalist organization that has been on Canada's terror list since 2002. Reports from Lebanon had also mentioned earlier on Monday August 21 that a bipartisan committee currently on a fact-finding mission in Lebanon suggested that dropping Hezbollah from Canada's list of terrorist organizations would help in negot... Hezbolah's Missing Financial Audit
Elias Bejjani - 8/22/2006
International and Lebanese news agencies have reported that Hezbollah has began as of last Friday August 18, distributing US $12,000 per Shiite (only) family whose home was destroyed in the Israeli air strikes on the Southern suburbs, South Lebanon and Beirut, where Hezbollah has erected its three mini-states. Hezbollah declared that it has reimbursed hundreds of families and indicated that the funds are paid in cash for the purpose of renting a temporary dwelling and furnishings for one year. Hezbollah failed to clarify the source of these enormous funds. The Hezbollah reimbursement program i... Shebaa Farms & The Hezbollah Facade
Elias Bejjani - 8/21/2006
In the middle of the many efforts to ensure the implementation of the UN Resolution 1701 in the devastating aftermath of the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon, the big lie of Shebaa Farms surfaces again. This lie was fabricated under the puppet Lebanese regime in 1990 when the hegemony of the Syrian Baathist occupier of Lebanon was still in effect. This false issue has been since the pretext to pre-empt the ability of the Lebanese state to assume its responsibilities, an alibi to maintain tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border, an excuse to keep the Iranian-Syrian influence in Lebanon and a justification for maintaining the military presence Why and How Resolution 1701 Will Fail
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 8/17/2006
By expressing reservations to UN resolution 1701, Hassan Nasrallah has effectively laid the ground for his outright rejection of the resolution, a rejection he could not publicly make under the pressures mounting during the final hours of the negotiations, but that he will certainly more expressly make in the coming days and weeks. Hezbollah's allies on the ground, such as the Free Patriotic Movement of General Michel Aoun, have begun a campaign calling the resolution "ambiguous" and "no more than a truce", reflecting a deep unwillingness by Hezbollah to live up to the requirements of the res... The weak link is the Lebanese government
Manuela Paraipan - 8/16/2006
Lebanon pays for its duplicity and complicity regarding Hezbollah's presence and activities since 1982. Hezbollah was welcomed among all the Lebanese as its Savior. Soon enough its agenda and sponsors have been uncovered, but for some reason the Lebanese government decided to keep the Iranian-Syrian proxy close. With which Lebanese State was the deal made to implement UN Resolution 1701?
Elias Bejjani - 8/15/2006
The Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council (LCCC) offers its heartfelt and sincere condolences to all the Lebanese families in Lebanon and in the Diaspora who have lost beloved family members and friends in the devastating Hezbollah-Israeli war. We shall pray for the quick recovery of the wounded and for the safe and dignified return of all the displaced persons. Lebanese Freedom Fighter: Axis Of Evil Destroying Lebanon
Charles Jalkh - 8/14/2006
Lebanon must show courage to cure itself from its mortal disease named Hezbollah. The patient must want to live. Anything short of total victory against this aberration of history will mean the continuation of the conflict and suffering for all people. After 1,000 Deaths and Setting Lebanon 20 Years Back Hezbollah Failed To Achieve Its Aims
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 8/14/2006
With UN Resolution 1701 now a fact, has Hezbollah achieved the goals it set for itself when it attacked Israel on July 12? Lebanese Diaspora Supports UN Draft Resolution
Elias Bejjani - 8/9/2006
The LCCC supports the UN Draft Resolution under consideration by the Security Council, addressing the Israeli-Hezbollah on going war in Lebanon, reiterates its previous stances in this regard and calls for the following: Lebanon's Moment of Decision - Much Rests on Bush and Beirut
Nicholas M. Guariglia - 8/7/2006
Depending on how the next few months play out, we will likely be able to determine how the remaining years of the Bush presidency will unfold –– and by extension, which way the Middle East will drift. It is disheartening to see the citizenry of an otherwise benign state like Lebanon suffer due to the recklessness of a Khomeinist surrogate. The inaction and irresponsibility of Lebanon’s good men, the Cedar revolutionaries, is disappointing but not unforgivable. However much the current Lebanese government romanticizes Iranian-backed fascists as “the resistance,” and however admired Hezbollah be... Thank You Hezbollah!
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 8/7/2006
Thank you, Hezbollah, for showing us that we, the Lebanese people, don't need an army or a government or an infrastructure. As long as we have "sacred unity", steadfastness and brotherhood and all the other slogans, we do not need organized society, and History will judge us well on our actions. We don't need incomes, a GDP, a budget or any of those Western economic concepts, since our love for each other under the rubble and the wreckage of our country is sufficient to sustain us. What's the big deal if our Hariri-inflicted $40 billion deficit grows to $50 billion, and if the nascent economy ... The Buffoonery of Hezbollah: Their Ending Days of Legitimacy
Nicholas M. Guariglia - 8/4/2006
Let’s begin with a modest assessment: it has been a bad summer for the bad guys. It started with the assassination of al Qaida linchpin Abu Musab al Zarqawi, which happened to ceremoniously fall on the same day that the permanent Iraqi government was at last formed. Found in the rubble of the slain terrorist’s safehouse was a treasure trove of information that led to the arrest of his top associates: Hamzi al Aini, Ahmed al Battawi, and Abbas al Mufraji are no longer with us. The mastermind of the Beslan school siege, Shamil Basayev, was killed a few weeks later. Taliban insurrectionists have ... No Time For 'Peace' In Lebanon
Ross G. Kaminsky - 8/2/2006
Israel surprised much of the world by not launching a substantial ground invasion of Lebanon last week. While many of us assumed that the IDF had a strategic surprise up their sleeves, an unusually-timed devastating assault on Hezbollah, it now seems more likely by the day that they had been hoping that air power would do all they needed. Qana II: Will Hezbollah Ever Learn?
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 7/31/2006
There is plenty of responsibility on both sides for yesterday's killing of 65 Lebanese civilians sheltered in a building in the southern Lebanese town of Qana by an Israeli air strike. But the lion's share of responsibility by far falls squarely into the hands of Hezbollah for triggering events whose outcome they did not predict, and for taking the initiative of war without having prepared Lebanon, its army, its civilian population and its government for the consequences of war. The Lebanese Crisis and Iran's Nuclear Program
Pierre A. Maroun - 7/31/2006
Witnessing the latest round of barbaric violence against Lebanon, many have been wondering as to why Israel has decided to end its normally limited reactions to Hizbullah’s aggression and to ferociously and widely escalate its response. Many analysts and spectators have been wondering what could happen next. Is the US initiative in the Middle East over? Will the US and the UN be forced to cut a deal with Syria and/or Iran to curb Hizbullah, and would such a deal bring Syria back to Lebanon? Will Israel invade Lebanon, again? When will this barrage of death and destruction end? Israel rejects UN aid truce call as fighting continues in Lebanon
Bhuwan Thapaliya - 7/30/2006
Israel pulled thousands of its ground troops out of the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbail on Saturday. But despite the hiccups all over the world, Israeli missiles are deafeningly proceeding in Lebanon, and Israeli military sources have indicated that the fighting could intensify. The Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council On The Rome Conference
Elias Bejjani - 7/25/2006
On the 26th of this month, an international conference will be held in the Italian capital based on a recommendation by the Security Council issued during its meeting of July 21, 2006. The conference will discuss the tragic situation in Lebanon, the possibility of reaching a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah group, and means of enabling an implementation of UN resolution 1559. Gruesome Fate Of Innocents In The Lebanon-Israel War
Amit Pyakurel - 7/25/2006
The world is witnessing one of the largest human evacuations, combined with untold civilian suffering, in Lebanon after Israel began its "counteroffensive" strikes on the country. The strikes were aimed at the hard-line Islamist group, Hezbollah, after the group took two Israeli soldiers hostage and killed two others in a cross-border raid against Israel. Radical Terror Cleric Omar Bakri Tries to Flee Lebanon
Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. - 7/23/2006
Radical Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed, banned from the United Kingdom, has attempted to board a ship evacuating Britons from Lebanon. When refused, he fled to the hills outside Beirut in fear of Israeli air strikes. Bakri Mohammed argued he should be allowed back to the UK to see his children, but was turned away by British officials. The former leader of the banned terror-supporting al-Muhajiroun group was banned from the UK in August last year because his presence “was not conducive to the public good.” Hizballah's Christian Ally, Former Prime Minister and General Michel Aoun - Dossier
Gary C. Gambill - 7/23/2006
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Michel Aoun continues to be many things to many people. To Lebanese political elites, he is a populist rabble rouser whose mass appeal continues to undermine the foundations of political clientalism in Lebanon. The late Syrian President Hafez Assad bore a particularly acute and personal hatred of Aoun, whose success in bridging sectarian divisions in Lebanon has stifled Syrian attempts to "divide and conquer" Lebanon's pluralist society. Lebanon's Only Chance: The Painful Cure
Nicholas M. Guariglia - 7/18/2006
Never has there been a greater amoral concept than stability. Anchormen and women, self-ordained geopolitical experts, Middle East “regional analysts,” and retired colonels and generals love to sit in their Situation Room thinking-chairs and visibly vex whether or not a particular initiative will disturb the secular god Stability and her almighty compatriot Capitulation. “How dare someone be brazen enough to disrupt the easy, somewhat tolerable status quo of an unelected kleptocracy?” “Who in their right mind brashly challenges murderers at a time when they are tepid between murders?” Ahmed Jibril’s "Naameh" Tunnels of Deceit
Elias Bejjani - 6/13/2006
The Lebanese people are hopeful that their Leaders who are scheduled to meet in Beirut on June the 8th in a new "National Dialogue" session to make the tragic dilemma of "Al Naameh" coastal town a priority. I do not know if the leaders and other officials of my homeland, Lebanon, really appreciate the dangers of Ahmed Jibril’s tunnels (Head of PFLP-Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) and his organization in the town of Naameh 10 miles south of Beirut. These tunnels, which are dug, against any law and common sense, under the houses of a significant number of resident families of ... Hezbollah, the Unsinkable Titanic? Think again!
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 6/13/2006
Two events over the past two weeks have caused the unsinkable Hezbollah to begin taking water in what may be the beginning of the end for this dinosaur of Lebanese politics. The “Party of God” has hit the iceberg laying beneath the surface while cruising for many years on the pretense of its invincibility and the superiority and coherence of its ideology with its practices on the ground. The pretense of having liberated the South of Lebanon from Israeli occupation (when Israel never claimed any ambition over Lebanese territory and entered Lebanon repeatedly after provocations and threats to it... Dossier: Former Syrian VP Abdul Halim Khaddam
Gary C. Gambill - 6/2/2006
After forty years of government service and six months of quiet, self-imposed exile in Paris, former Vice-president Abdul Halim Khaddam has suddenly reemerged to challenge Bashar Assad's leadership of Syria. Although he has no power base inside Syria and little credibility as an opposition leader, Khaddam's wealthy Lebanese benefactors make him an attractive ally for the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. The Lion in Winter: Bashar Assad's Self-Destruction
Gary C. Gambill - 5/28/2006
You wouldn't know it from recent headlines, but Syrian President Bashar Assad was once the darling of Europe. Just a few years ago, the young ophthalmologist-turned-autocrat and his beautiful English-born wife received red carpet receptions in Paris, London, and Berlin and a lavish welcome by the king of Spain. Washington never quite fell in love with Assad, but its courtship was steamy - the White House openly discouraged internal opposition to his ascension, turned a blind eye to his illicit oil imports from Saddam Hussein,[1] and tacitly accepted his dominion over Lebanon.[2] Assad's gilded stature on both sides of the Atlantic was the envy of dictators everywhere. The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood
Gary C. Gambill - 5/23/2006
As Syrian President Bashar Assad grows more and more isolated, his regime's arch-nemesis - the Muslim Brotherhood (al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun) - is gearing for a comeback. Fortunately for the brotherhood, powerful politicians in Lebanon are ready to lend a helping hand against their former patron. The Counter-revolution of the Cedars
Gary C. Gambill - 5/20/2006
By and large, the sclerotic governing elite of Syrian-occupied Lebanon has managed to survive the withdrawal of Syrian forces. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and President Emile Lahoud remain in their posts, while the premiership has merely passed to Fouad Siniora, a regime stalwart who ran the finance ministry of Syria's satellite state in Beirut twice as long as all others combined. Nearly all of the ministers in the current cabinet either held high-ranking government positions under Syrian rule or are politically subordinate to others who did. The So-called "Michigan Delegation" To Lebanon
Pierre A. Maroun - 5/3/2006
On May 1, 2006, a delegation referring to itself as the “Lebanese American leaders from Michigan” visited Lebanon and met with Lebanese officials. The delegation discussed the sentiment of the community in Michigan regarding the situation in Lebanon and the United States' involvement in that country. Their visit to Lebanon came after a visit on April 24th to State Department officials and the Lebanese Ambassador in Washington. Lebanese Court Drops Charges Against Dissident
Elias Bejjani - 4/18/2006
The Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation extends warm congratulations to Attorney Dr. Mohamed Mugraby in regards to the recent ruling taken on April 15, 2006 by the Lebanese Military Tribunal to drop all charges and judicial pursuits against him. The Court declared that it lacked the jurisdiction to prosecute Dr. Mugraby on charges emanating from a testimony he had delivered in 2003 before the European Parliament. Lebanon's Military Tribunal Persecuting Dr. Muhamad Mugraby
Elias Bejjani - 4/8/2006
With a loud and clear voice, like John the Baptist’s voice in the wilderness, we ask everyone in Lebanon without exception – from religious instances, presidents, government and regime, to judges and the justice system, members of Parliament of the minority and the majority, the Lawyers Bar, the press and the journalists, Human Rights organizations Lebanon: A man they love to hate
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 3/14/2006
We have said it many times, and everyone knows that Michel Aoun has a much longer way to go than his enemies to qualify for the “pro-Syrian” label they love to tag him with these days. As hard as they say he is trying, he could never beat his opponents of the March 14 Movement in the pro-Syrian Olympiads of Lebanon, for they have scored the highest records ever in the category of poodling, cavorting, and whoring to Syria for decades. Lebanon and The Laurels of March 14, 1989
Elias Bejjani - 3/13/2006
On March 14, 1989, the army of the Land of the Cedars, (Lebanon) and its people fought a War of Liberation against a vile and cowardly occupier that promoted fear and surrender and, with the help of its inside boys – Trojan horses and bonded serfs – indecision and subservience. The Baathist Syrian occupier, under the pretense of brotherhood and with unparalleled feeble-mindedness and ignorance, thought it could make our people kneel, rape our land, and uproot our roots and our identity. Who is St. Maroun, the founder of the Maronite Catholic Church?
Elias Bejjani - 2/12/2006
Every year, on the ninth of February, more than ten million Maronites from all over the world celebrates St. Maroun’s day. On this day, they pay their respect to the great founder of the Maronite Church, Maroun the priest, the hermit, the father, the leader and the Saint. They remember what they have been exposed to, since the 4th century, both good and bad times. They reminisce through the past, examine the present and contemplate the future. They pray for peace, democracy and freedom in Lebanon, their home land, and all over the world. The Shiite Crescent and the treacherous politics of a madman
Pierre A. Maroun - 2/10/2006
Two months ago, MP Michael Aoun paid a visit to the USA where he met with congressmen Eliot Engel and Eliana Ross-Leithnen. At this meeting, Aoun requested to address the US Congress, but his request was rejected. Congresswoman Ross-Leithnen's rejection of Aoun’s request was based on the fact that he has too many opponents in Congress due to his latest treacherous positions in Lebanon, especially his relationship with Hizbullah and Syria. Prior to the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, Aoun was praising the US Administration’s stance regarding its backing of Lebanon's freedom and for its calling ... Time for the UN to deploy troops in Lebanon to protect its multicultural society
Elias Bejjani - 2/10/2006
The Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation (CLHRF) staunchly denounces the savage, criminal and terrorist assault of fanaticism, backwardness, hatred and cruelty that took place yesterday in Lebanon against the Christian residents of Ashrafiyeh. There is no doubt that our homeland Lebanon has witnessed a manifestation of an evil fundamentalist plot against its unity, stability, and safety and the coexistence of its multicultural mosaic society. Thanks to the wisdom, patriotism, courage and tolerance of the predominantly Christian residents of the Ashrafiyeh suburb of East Beirut, and to Leb... Beirut Mob Torches Consulate
Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. - 2/6/2006
Muslims worldwide have been outraged by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten's publication of 12 cartoon caricatures of the Mohammed. It's been an ongoing ugly scenario. The New York Times reported (www.nytimes.com/2006/02/06/international/middleeast/06cartoon.html?hp&ex=1139202000&en=d7fd387b0985d049&ei=5094&partner=homepage) that protesters angry over the cartoons clashed with Lebanese security forces on Sunday, setting a building housing the Danish Mission on fire and attacking a nearby church. Lebanon's Sacred Weapons: The Law vs. Fatwas
Elias Bejjani - 1/26/2006
On January 16/2006, the head of the National Council of the Media in Lebanon, Mr. Abdel-Hadi Mahfouz, cited the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, as saying during a visit by the Council, “The weapons of the Resistance (Hezbollah - Party Of God) for us are the Holiest of the Holies. They are akin to our “honor”, and we are Easterners. I will not tolerate anyone who messes with my honor, and the weapons of the Resistance are our honor.” Fatwas in Lebanon Contradict The International Covenant of Human Rights
Elias Bejjani - 1/25/2006
The Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights Federation (CLHRF) hails and commends the courageous and unprecedented lawsuit filed in Lebanon earlier this week by eight Lebanese intellectuals, human rights activists and legislators representing all religious denominations of Lebanon against the Shiite clergy Sheik Afif Naboulsi. The lawsuit charged Naboulsi with identity theft, threatening and terrorizing in an attempt to obstruct the practice of civil rights, instigating sectarian differences and portraying political disputes as disputes between religions and sects. Interview with Ziad Abs of the Political Bureau of the Lebanese Free Patriotic Movement
Manuela Paraipan - 1/25/2006
An interview with Ziad Abs, Political Bureau of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) - General Aoun's movement. During her last trip to Lebanon, Manuela Paraipan, who writes for the Global Politician and the World Security Network, interviewed Mr. Abs. Lebanese versus Lebanon: Something new, something old, something tricky
Manuela Paraipan - 1/23/2006
Last year parliamentary elections were significant for Lebanon. After decades of Syrian occupation, the Lebanese were finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The goal was to build a genuinely democratic Lebanon, free of Syrian control. At that time many Lebanese from outside and inside Lebanon were highly optimistic about the immediate future of Lebanon. But, soon they were to find out that democracy is more than voting and that the regular tribal rivalries, and back doors broken deals to serve the selfish interest of this or that party were back in place. The fact that Lebanon... Lebanese Exile Leader: The Cedar Revolution - Mission Unaccomplished
Pierre A. Maroun - 1/3/2006
On September 11, 2001, the United States and the world were irreversibly hanged by the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington D.C. and the plane crash in Pennsylvania. On this horrific day, the tragic acts of terror and evastation that were usually observed on televisions and that occurred in faraway places now occurred in our own neighborhoods. It became clear that there was no super power that was immune to terror. With this realization, President George W. Bush declared a war on terrorism; focusing US foreign and domestic policies on this objective. Regardless of the means, either t... Lebanon Remains a prey for axis of evil powers
Elias Bejjani - 1/3/2006
Numerous puzzling questions are on the horizon in the aftermath of the recent military escalations that took place on the Israeli-Lebanese border. Six rockets were fired by an unidentified terrorist organization from inside Lebanese territory targeting Israeli residential communities. This unjustified infringement has instigated an immediate Israeli retaliation with an air raid on a Palestinian military base located in a coastal Lebanese village south of the capital, Beirut. Interview With Lebanese Sheikh Samy Gemayel
Manuela Paraipan - 12/15/2005
The following is an interview with Sheikh Samy Gemayel, son of former President Amine Gemayel of Lebanon. Sheikh Samy Gemayel is a political activist and a lawyer. Manuela Paraipan, a reporter for the Global Politician and the World Security Network, interviewed him on her last trip to Lebanon. No Peace in Lebanon, No Peace in whole Middle East
Elias Bejjani - 12/13/2005
One can only condemn the shameful and horrific attack on Lebanon's freedom, sovereignty, and independence that robbed us of one of the country's most ardent defenders. The voice of Lebanon's prominent journalist, politician and MP Gibran Tueni was brutally and cowardly silenced on Monday when a car bomb took his life and the lives of three of his bodyguards, and injured more than thirty others who happened to be near the site of the attack. New Mass Graves Found In Lebanon
Elias Bejjani - 12/8/2005
The newly uncovered Syrian Baathists' crimes of mass murder against the Lebanese people should not pass unnoticed and without judicial accountability, nor should the free and decent Lebanese leaders and citizens, and the free world communities and human rights organizations, once again bow to the Baathist terror and acquiesce to the concept of "forget and forgive". Lebanon and Syria: Enough Lies
Elias Bejjani - 12/2/2005
It is a shame and a pity that some of those leaders & politicians holding the decision-making in our suffering homeland, Lebanon, are wasting a rare golden opportunity for salvation. The reality of the “arena-country” is imposed by the weapons and money of foreigners, and it is critical to begin – with all honesty, transparency and dedication – the process of strengthening and reinforcing the foundations of the State of Laws, Rights and free, sovereign and independent Institutions. Lebanon: Plus ça change
Dr. Joseph Hitti - 11/29/2005
Since its inception in the late 1960s, the Lebanese crisis has evolved through phases and periods with an ever changing array of actors and players, friends and foes, outsiders and insiders, collaborators and heroes, and traitors and patriots. Yet, as we ever so asymptotically reach the end of this long and tiresome tunnel, we also come to realize that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Interview: Christian opposition member Jean Aziz
Manuela Paraipan - 11/21/2005
Jean Aziz is a member of the Christian opposition and a professor at the Saint Esprit University of Kaslik. He also works as a journalist and founded the Foundation for Human and Humanitarian Rights in 1989. Manuela Paraipan of Global Politician and the World Security Network spoke with him in Lebanon. Syria and the Mehlis Report
Manuela Paraipan - 11/14/2005
Detlev Mehlis report, as many expected had an immediate impact on Syria. The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1636 calling on President's Assad regime to fully cooperate with the UN investigators into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. At the insistence of Russia and China, the final version of the resolution failed to include sanctions, but it did let the possibility of "further action" open, in case the regime choose to ignore the international community once again. Mehlis has hinted that Hariri could not have been killed without ... EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Farid Ghadry, Head of Syrian Reform Party
Manuela Paraipan - 11/6/2005
The Syrian Reform Party, which Mr. Farid Ghadry heads, was founded to advocated regime change in Damascus in favor of a pro-Western, democratic government. They web site states that they want "to rebuild the country on the basis of principles of economic and political reforms that will usher democracy, prosperity, freedom of expression, and human rights in addition to lasting peace with open borders with all of Syria’s neighboring countries including Israel." Some critics, however, see Mr. Ghadry as Syria's version of Ahmed Chalabi. Bombers Target Journalist In Lebanon
Anwar Wazen - 9/26/2005
May Chidiac is a female journalist at the Lebanese TV LBCI. She is a leading TV anchor in Lebanon and the Arab world. May covered the Cedars Revolution and was a critic of the Syrian occupation and Terrorism. Lebanon's Search for Stability
Manuela Paraipan - 9/19/2005
The UN investigator, the German State Prosecutor, Detlev Mehlis is scheduled to visit Damascus in September with the task of questioning several Syrian officials who might have been involved directly or indirectly in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafiq Al Hariri. Lebanon's Foreign Minister & Lost Credibility
Elias Bejjani - 9/6/2005
Numerous Lebanese leaders, politicians and intellectuals, cried foul while Mr. Fouad Siniora was in the process of forming Lebanon's first Cabinet in the aftermath of the 28 years of Syrian occupation. They strongly warned about the devastating hazards of surrendering to pressures and threats from the Shia coalition of the Hezbollah and Amal, and the handing over of the Foreign Ministry portfolio for a minister of their choice. All the warnings fell on deaf ears, and the two armed groups were successful in hijacking Lebanon's Foreign Ministry portfolio through their hand picked man; Fawzi Sall... No Lebanese Reconciliation Before Dignified Return of Refugees From Israel
Elias Bejjani - 8/23/2005
None of the other Lebanese people throughout Lebanon has endured the horrible injustice suffered by those Lebanese citizens living in the Southern security zone and Jezzine city. For the last thirty years Lebanon's Southern citizens were and still are victims of alienation, assaults, persecution, exodus and impoverishment not only at the hands of terrorists' and fundamentalist' foreign and local militias, among which is the Hezbollah, but most importantly as a result of complete abandonment by all successive Lebanese governments since 1975. A dialogue with Hezbollah? On what?
Elias Bejjani - 8/3/2005
It is time for the actual representatives of the Lebanese people - the political leaders, Members of Parliament, Cabinet Ministers, and high ranking clergy - to immediately engage in an objective, transparent and serious national dialogue. This dialogue has become necessary after the liberation of Lebanon was achieved last April ending thirty years of savage Syrian occupation. The decision-making process of Lebanon has now presumably become free and, accordingly, their leadership can decide on productive plans for the future of their country without any Syrian intimidation or pressure. Interview with Former Lebanese Foreign Minister Fares Bouei
Manuela Paraipan - 8/2/2005
Fares Bouei is a former Minister of Foreign Affairs and the former Minister of Environment. He was first appointed as a Member of Parliament in 1991, was elected in 1992 and re-elected in 1996 and 2000. Manuela Paraipan, reporter for the Global Politician and the World Security Network, interviewed him during her last trip to Lebanon Interview with Hezbollah's Hussein Naboulsi: "Lebanon exists because of us!"
Manuela Paraipan - 8/1/2005
Hussein Naboulsi, political officer and director of foreign media relations of the Hezbollah Party in Lebanon. Manuela Paraipan, reporter for the Global Politician and the World Security Network, interviewed him during her last trip to Lebanon. Interview with Lebanese Political Analyst Naji Hayek
Manuela Paraipan - 7/29/2005
Dr. Naji E. Hayek is a former member of the Maronite Christian "Tigers Militia", which was absorbed into the Lebanese Force militia in 1980. He's an activist for a free, independent Lebanon. He spoke recently with Manuela Paraipan, reporter for the Global Politician and the World Security Network,. Interview with Head of Lebanon's National Liberal Party
Manuela Paraipan - 7/19/2005
Dory Chamoun, the eldest son of former President Camille Chamoun, is the head of the National Liberal Party (NLP), a secular nationalist political movement established by his late father in July 1958. During her recent trip to Lebanon, Manuela Paraipan, a reporter for the Global Politician and the World Security Network, interviewed him. Interview with Lebanese Parliament Member Nayla Moawad:"Lebanese women can participate in political life"
Manuela Paraipan - 7/11/2005
Nayla Moawad, Lebanese Christian opposition member, was appointed a Member of Parliament in 1991, then elected in 1992 and re-elected in 1996 and 2000. She is a member of the Parliamentary Committee for Budget and Finance, a member of the Parliamentary Committee for Education and President of the Parliamentary Committee for Women's Rights. During her recent trip to Lebanon, Manuela Paraipan, reporter for the Global Politician and the World Security Network, had a chance to interview Mrs. Nayla Moawad. Interview with Former Prime Minister of Lebanon Michel Aoun
Manuela Paraipan - 7/6/2005
Gen. Michel Aoun was the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1988 to 1990. In 1990, his government was assaulted by the Syrian army after the United States sold him out in order to get the Syrians to send a small force to fight in the first Gulf War. Manuela Paraipan, reporter for the Global Politician and the World Security Network, interviewed him during her recent trip to Lebanon. Old People in New Times: Post-Elections Lebanon
Manuela Paraipan - 7/5/2005
The Lebanese Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa announced on June 19, 2005 the results of the first Parliamentary elections held in a Lebanon free of the Syrian claws. The alliance led by Saad Hariri, son of slain ex-Premier Rafiq al-Hariri together with the other groups of the opposition have 72 out 128 seats in the Lebanese assembly. Hariri's allies include the Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt whose party took 15 seats, the Lebanese Forces Party of jailed warlord Samir Geagea with 6 seats, and the Qornet Shehwan with 5 seats. Interview with Ali Hamdan, Head of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of Lebanon's Amal Party
Manuela Paraipan - 6/30/2005
Ali Hamdan is the Head of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the Amal Party, representing moderate Shi’ite Muslims in Lebabnon. Manuela Paraipan, reporter for the Global Politician and the World Security Network, interviewed him regarding Amal's long-term friendly relations with Syria and Amal's position on the Palestinian problem during her trip to Lebanon in the Spring of 2005. Interview with Former President of Lebanon Amine Gemayel
Manuela Paraipan - 6/29/2005
Amine Gemayel was the President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988, after his brother, Bashir, was assassinated by extremists unhappy with his moderate stances towards the West and Lebanon’s southern neighbour, Israel. Mr. Gemayel’s father, Pierre, founded the Kataeb “Phalange” Party, representing interests of the nation’s Christian minority. During her trip to Lebanon in April 2005, Manuela Paraipan, reporter for the Global Politician and the World Security Network, interviewed President Gemayel. A Glimmer of Hope as Lebanon's Political Stalemate Recedes
Samer Zouehid - 5/2/2005
After months of infighting between the different factions, Lebanon seems to be regaining some resemblance of stability. The appointment of Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the formation of a new cabinet helped ease tensions and smooth the way for elections, called for the 29th of May. Also, it was confirmed that Saadeddine Hariri, son of slain PM Rafik Hariri will run in May's parliamentary elections. Saad Hariri along with other MP's running in the upcoming elections will face major challenges in maintaining the current unity created through his father's death, although events last week looked... Syria Ends 29-Year Presence in Lebanon
Samer Zouehid - 5/2/2005
Lebanon witnessed a truly historic day on Tuesday, April 26, as the last of the Syrian army crossed the border the notion of a truly sovereign Lebanon became a reality. As Syria's 29 year presence in Lebanon ended, there were truly mixed emotions within the country. Syria sacrificed around 10,000 troops during the civil war in an attempt to bring stability to the war torn country. However, after a series of events which culminated in the assassination of late Premier Rafik Hariri, the Lebanese began to despise Syria's presence. My Meetings With Hezbollah and Lebanese Officials
Manuela Paraipan - 4/25/2005
The Shia Hezbollah is a powerful political party; influential within the Shia community and respected outside it. But Hezbollah is more than a political party. It has its resistance, or militia as the West usually refers to it. In my meetings with Hezbollah officials I have noticed several issues they emphasize when talking to a foreign journalist, as well as the language nuances they use depending on how I have tackled a certain subject. President Bush renews the warning signals to Syria and Hezbollah
Manuela Paraipan - 4/21/2005
"Hezbollah not only is trying to destabilize the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, but Hezbollah, as you know, is a dangerous organization," President Bush declared in an interview with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) on Monday. New Lebanese PM Bids to Form a Caretaker Government
Manuela Paraipan - 4/19/2005
The designated Prime Minister, Omar Karami resigned because of his inability to form a caretaker government. If the proverb, when there is a will, there is a way usually works, Omar Karami complained about the obstacles the opposition and his pro-Syrain gathering, Ain El Tineh put in front of his attempts to form a neutral government. Lebanese PM Najib Mikati forms a Technocrat Caretaker Government
Manuela Paraipan - 4/19/2005
Lebanon's Prime Minister, Najib Mikati formed a unity government on Tuesday, increasing the chances that a May Parliamentary elections could be held on time, as asked by the opposition and the international community. Najib Miqati said after the Monday parliamentary consultations that he had detected an emerging consensus in favour of a narrow-based government with the limited role of organizing next month's elections. This new government is representative for the Lebanon's multi-religious society, and it is a cabinet made of technocrats. The 14 members of the new cabinet are: Old Rivalries Reignite Power Struggle in Lebanon
Samer Zouehid - 4/15/2005
[From Lebanon]Once again the world's attention has turned to Lebanon, a nation haunted by its turbulent history. Just as the Lebanese people started getting accustomed to normality, a destructive reminder of its past shook the nation and sent shock waves through the Middle East and beyond. February 14th, now a fateful day in the nation's history, saw unknown assassins' murder former premier Rafik Hariri as he was driving back from a parliamentary session. As the world looked on in horror, an unprecedented movement was taking shape in Lebanon. A series of protests began to engulf the cap... EXCLUSIVE: Interview With Hezbollah Official Abdallah Kassir
Manuela Paraipan - 4/12/2005
Abdallah Kassir is a Member of Faithfulness to the Resistance Parliamentary Bloc, as part of the Hezbollah Party in the Lebanese Parliament. Syrian Foreign Policy is To Avoid Being Ignored
Manuela Paraipan - 4/9/2005
The attacks of September 11, 2001 served as a wake up call for the United States and the world. The main priorities of various US administrations in the Middle East for a long time was oil and opposition to communism. As long as oil prices were low, the US turned a blind eye to religious intolerance, preaching of hatred toward the US, Israel and Europe, Islamic terrorist actions and everything else. Saudi Arabia was allowed to treat their women as it chose and the Syrian army and intelligence in Lebanon became a friendly presence protecting the country from Israel, rather than an occupying force. Syria's Sunshine Policy
Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. - 4/8/2005
Well into the 1980's, Syria - which could have been the Switzerland of the Middle East - was derided as its North Korea. Belligerent, steeped in paranoia and xenophobia, and socialist to boot - it revolved around the personality cult of the current president's late father, Hafiz al-Assad. The Western media reported how Syria colonized Lebanon, suppressed the Sunni majority at home, and aided and abetted unsavory terrorist organizations inside the region and without. It is still on the USA's black list, though not a member of the tripartite "axis of evil". Road to Damascus: Were Iraqi WMD Moved to Syria?
Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. - 4/8/2005
Was Saddam Hussein hiding in Syria? DEBKAfile, an Israeli-owned rumor mill thought so two years ago. He was supposed to be in the Mediterranean coast town of Latakia in the Cote d'Azur De Cham Resort, a neighbor of the al-Assads, the indigenous dynastic rulers. Allowing him entry was supposed to be one of a series of manifestly anti-American moves by the Syrian regime. Lebanon: The Forgotten Key
Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. - 4/7/2005
In April 2003, a day after he won a parliamentary vote of confidence, 58-year old Rafiq Hariri, Lebanon's multi-billionaire prime minister, reluctantly formed a new, overtly pro-Syrian government with 30 ministers, only 11 of whom are new faces. It was to have been his last. He was murdered in February 2005. Manuela Paraipan Explains From Lebanon the Country's Crisis and Reforms
David Storobin, Esq. - 4/6/2005
[From Lebanon] Manuela Paraipan worked in Lebanon in the past. Today, she's a journalist based in Romania, but she's currently reporting from Lebanon. Manuela Paraipan received a Political Science degree in Romania, concentrating on Arab/Muslim domestic and external policy. She has been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, World Security Network (WSN), World Press, Yemen Times and other publications. She has also been invited as a speaker at multiple political conferences. She's a recognized expert on the Middle East. Do not let Lebanon become a Prey for the Opportunists
Manuela Paraipan - 3/21/2005
[This article has been written by Manuela Paraipan from Lebanon] A car bomb exploded in a Christian area of North Beirut last night causing extensive damage to buildings and cars. Few people wereinjured from flying glass and debris. The same hand that masterminded Rafiq Al Hariri's assassination, who pushed or convinced Sheikh Nasrallah to organize a pro-Syrian rally at a time when Lebanon needs unity and a powerful pro-Lebanese campaign in the country and outside it, is trying really hard to raise the fear that the dark past of the civil war can become tomorrow's reality in Lebanon. Shia Bid For Power in Post-Hariri Lebanon
Manuela Paraipan - 3/1/2005
In the post-Hariri era, it's not the Sunnis or the Christians who will decide Lebanon's fate, as much as they would like to. It is Hezbollah, the Shia factor that will count the most. The sudden assassination of the former Prime Minister Rafik Al Hariri was a severe blow to Lebanon, the region and the world. Hariri was the most and the only decisive driving force in the reconstruction of Lebanon after the dark years of the civil war. As the most important economical entrepreneur, Hariri enjoyed widespread popularity and was loved and respected both, at home and abroad. Syria: No More Carrots, Time For Sticks
Anwar Wazen - 12/29/2004
After the deadly attack of December 21, 2004 on a U.S. base in Mosul where 22 soldiers were massacred, an American official declared that sanctions are likely to be implemented against Syria, where the attack was likely organized. The Najaf attack a few days later was also coordinated from within Syrian borders according to the city's police chief. It certainly looks like the Syrian Mokhabarat has been quite busy. U.S. Official: Syria Should Worry About Invasion
David Storobin, Esq. - 12/25/2004
The US is considering an attack on terrorists and Iraqi Ba'athists hiding in Syria who, it believes, are directing many of the attacks against Coalition forces in Iraq, a senior American administration official told The Jerusalem Post. A recent attack in Mosul that resulted in the death of 22 Americans was likely orchestrated from Syrian territory. A group of former Iraqi officials and generals set up a "New Regional Command" from which they orchestrate attacks against the new Iraqi regime and the Coalition forces. Syria's Role in Destabilizing Iraq
Ryan Mauro - 12/12/2004
On January 23, 2004 Jane's Intelligence Report had Donald Rumsfeld quoted as saying that the United States was considering a multi-faceted attack on Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, to wipe out terrorists there including Hezbollah. Limited action in Somalia was also mentioned. [1] The increased pressure on Syria certainly shows an escalating series of events that could culminate in such limited strikes. People in the Bekaa Valley have reported that a US military attaché to our embassy in Beirut has been seen visiting the area with military escort. [2] Coupled with an increased US military presence on t... |
