http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/lebanon/ en-us Mon, 6 Jul 2009 01:29:31 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286213/posts BEIRUT: Days after officials in Washington announced that a US ambassador would soon be sent to Syria, reports have emerged of an upcoming Syrian-Saudi Arabian summit to be held in Damascus that could include Lebanon. Conventional wisdom holds that any improvement in Syrian-Saudi ties generally contributes to increased stability in Lebanon, and according to experts on Levantine politics, Lebanon may already be benefiting from those nations' thawing ties and a revamped US policy in the region. "Any relief or stabilization in the Syrian-Saudi relationship will be positively reflected in the Lebanese political life," Chafik Masri, an international law professor at... Daily Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286213/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 01:29:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286199/posts The military intelligence officer was sitting in his office in northern Lebanon when the call came from his colleagues in Beqaa Valley. They were asking for his help in negotiating a truce between the Lebanese army and a loose alliance of families in Beqaa who dominate Lebanon’s multibillion dollar hashish trade after a crackdown on drug trafficking and carjacking had turned violent, with casualties on both sides. But the officer had no intention of getting involved. “I know these families, now that they have had martyrs, there is no talking to them,” he growled down the phone. “There is only... The National http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286199/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 01:01:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285901/posts Before Lebanon’s parliamentary elections were over, the world was already turning its attention from Beirut to Tehran, where the presidential campaign was wrapping up. And as the unexpected post-election drama unfolded, ripples from Tehran spread across the globe, raising new questions about that country’s relations with the rest of the world, including Lebanon. NOW Lebanon http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285901/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 13:47:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282246/posts BEIRUT: A tense calm held in the Beirut neighborhood of Aisha Bakkar during the day Monday after armed clashes on Sunday left one person killed and several wounded. A large number of Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers tanks and armored personnel carriers lined Rachidine Street, which divides Aisha Bakkar between supporters of the Future and Amal parties, as the military tried to keep calm in the neighborhood. Despite the military presence, the atmosphere in the neighborhood was strained, as groups of men congregated on sidewalks and around vandalized cars and shattered glass from Sunday's fighting. On both sides of the road... Daily Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282246/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:10:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282233/posts A French comedian has canceled his participation in a festival in Lebanon next month because of concerns for his safety after Hezbollah's TV station claimed he served in the Israeli army. Al-Manar TV said Gad Elmaleh, who is of Moroccan-Jewish descent, was an avid supporter of Israel and showed a purported picture of him wearing an Israeli military uniform. The performer's agent denied the report's claims and said the photo was a fake. Lebanon and Israel technically remain in a state of war, and it is illegal for Lebanese to have contacts with the Jewish State. Israel and the Shiite... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282233/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:45:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281490/posts The Lebanese army is warning people not to respond to recorded phone messages asking for information about missing Israeli soldiers. Lebanese have been receiving phone messages periodically for more than a year asking people to view a Web site or call if they have information on missing Israeli soldiers, including Ron Arad, whose plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1986. The Web site, 10million.org, belongs to a foundation set up by the Israeli government and offers a US$10 million reward. YNet http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281490/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:49:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281397/posts BEIRUT -- Sunni supporters of Lebanon's prime minister-designate and Shiite rivals from the parliament speaker's political faction traded gunfire in a Beirut neighborhood Sunday. Security officials said one civilian was killed and two others were wounded in the first outbreak of violence since this month's elections. Automatic rifle fire and three explosions were heard in the brief gunbattle that underlined the continued sectarian tensions despite recent pledges by political leaders to work together. Those pledges followed a bruising election campaign. Hours earlier, the Western-backed billionaire who is to become the country's next prime minister, Saad Hariri, was holding talks with... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281397/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:22:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280886/posts BEIRUT (AFP) – Saad Hariri, son of slain billionaire ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, pledged to form a cabinet that would unite rival political camps after he was named Lebanon's new prime minister on Saturday. "We will begin consultations with all parliamentary blocs based on our commitment to a national unity government in which all main blocs are represented and which is harmonious, functional, and free of obstruction and paralysis," Hariri said. Under the current unity government, headed by Fuad Siniora, militant group Hezbollah and its allies have veto power over major decisions. The government was formed in May 2008, ending a... AFP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280886/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:06:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277617/posts Did Mirhossein Mousavi play a leading role in the 1983 attack in Lebanon that killed more than 240 US Marines and caused Ronald Reagan to retreat? CQ Politics says yes, calling Mousavi the “Butcher of Beirut”. It serves as a reminder that the man whom the mullahs have suppressed was and perhaps still is of their regime: Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277617/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:43:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277623/posts Did Mirhossein Mousavi play a leading role in the 1983 attack in Lebanon that killed more than 240 US Marines and caused Ronald Reagan to retreat? CQ Politics says yes, calling Mousavi the “Butcher of Beirut”. It serves as a reminder that the man whom the mullahs have suppressed was and perhaps still is of their regime: "He may yet turn out to be the avatar of Iranian democracy, but three decades ago Mir-Hossein Mousavi was waging a terrorist war on the United States that included bloody attacks on the U.S. embassy and Marine Corps barracks in Beirut. Mousavi, prime... Hotair http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277623/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:48:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277319/posts He may yet turn out to be the avatar of Iranian democracy, but three decades ago Mir-Hossein Mousavi was waging a terrorist war on the United States that included bloody attacks on the U.S. embassy and Marine Corps barracks in Beirut. CQ Politics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277319/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:00:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2272572/posts A rare piece of good news recently came out of the Middle East: An American-backed (or, rather, Bush-backed) political coalition defeated Hezbollah and its allies in Lebanese parliamentary elections. And ever since, President Obama’s supporters have desperately made every stretch to credit him – and particularly his Cairo speech – for the victory, in an attempt to justify the less-than-impressive foreign policy route of his young administration. North Star Writers Group http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2272572/posts#comment Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:49:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2272022/posts [...] How can Obama columnists credit the outcome to a man who was too scared to take sides before the election, and was equally embarrassed to congratulate the pro-American side once it won? How can they claim that he cares at all about Lebanon, when he had some intern lazily write a generic reaction statement, a third of which was insultingly taken verbatim from another speech? Indeed, if the pro-American side had lost, the Obama-bots would have speedily chalked it up to Obama’s decision to refrain from taking sides in the election. Pro-liberty forces in Lebanon spent decades trying to... North Star Writers Group http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2272022/posts#comment Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:15:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271770/posts Arab media: U.S. assistance helped uncover Israeli spy ring By Amos Harel, Haaretz Corre spondent Last update - 05:04 14/06/2009 www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1092561.html American training and technology enabled a breakthrough to crack the alleged Israeli spy ring in Lebanon, media in the Arab world reported. Over 20 suspects, including a high-ranking army official, have been charged with spying for Israel over many years, media reports say. Since 2006, the United States has supplied the Lebanese with $1 billion in assistance, including $410 million to improve the work of the Lebanese police and intelligence services. The value of American assistance can be seen... IMRA/Haaretz http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271770/posts#comment Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:35:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271263/posts For the past eight years, the Muslim world has heard and seen relentless hostility from the Bush/Cheney administration. In a welcome change, President Barack Obama’s masterfully written, artfully delivered recent speech in Cairo was filled with just what the Muslim world had been waiting to hear: an intelligent, respectful address calling for normalised relations with the Muslim world, including former “betes noires” Iran and Syria, co-operation, and advancement of democracy and human rights. Very nice, to a point. But the Muslim world was not as taken by Obama’s silver-tongued oratory as many Americans. The general response was, “actions speak louder... The Gulf Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271263/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jun 2009 23:26:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2271153/posts Many MSM pundits have been quick to credit Obama's dhimmi speech in Cairo as being a factor in the defeat of Hizbullah in the Lebanese elections. They are deliberately ommitting a very important factor: That many Lebanese are still very angry at Hizbullah for bringing much damage and destruction to their country. The Islamist groups terrorist attacks against Israelis across the border that started what has been refered to as the 2nd Lebanon War. And brought much damage to their country for which Hizbullah is solely responsible for. Many Lebanese people suffered serious property damage, injury, and loss of life... Amerisrael http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2271153/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:09:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271006/posts We can draw many lessons from the Lebanese parliamentary elections Sunday, which saw the appointment of a new parliament reflecting almost precisely the same distribution of seats between the country’s two main political groupings as the previous parliament (68 seats for the Hariri-led March 14 movement, 57 seats for the Hizbollah-Michel Aoun-led March 8 group, and three independents). Here are my conclusions about what happened and what it means: The Jordan Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271006/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:52:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269771/posts (IsraelNN.com) United Nations Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) may have been involved in arresting Lebanese citizens suspected of spying for Israel. The story was reported Thursday by Spanish media and by Israel's Channel 10 news. Channel 10 obtained video footage in which a Spanish UNIFIL commander states that his troops worked with Lebanese troops to arrest alleged spies for Israel in primarily Shiite Muslim areas. The taped conversation allegedly took place two days ago Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269771/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:06:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269065/posts Osama bin Laden was so worried that President Obama’s Cairo speech might win over Muslim hearts and minds that the jihadist sent out a pre-emptory audiotaped message denouncing the United States and warning against Obama’s “new beginning.” It turns out that bin Laden was right to be worried: The president did, it seems, change some minds in the Middle East. On Sunday, an American-aligned coalition won a surprising victory in Lebanon’s parliamentary elections, pushing back a challenge by Hezbollah, which had been widely expected to win a majority of seats. There were undoubtedly many factors at play — Lebanon’s politics... The Atlanta Journal-Constitution http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269065/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:16:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268674/posts INDIA has called for its students in Australia to show restraint in the face of a series of violent attacks against them, after more than 200 Indians protested on the streets and exacted a "vigilante" reprisal attack on a group of Middle Eastern men. Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna, speaking in New Delhi yesterday, called on Indian students to be "patient" and "restrained". "They have gone there to pursue higher studies," Mr Krishna said. "They should concentrate on that." Police were called to Wigram Street at Harris Park, in Sydney's west, just before 9pm on Monday after an Indian student... The Australian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268674/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:59:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2268545/posts Anti-Maronite Lebanon's Maronites make up the largest Christian community in the country - a community where religion and politics are inextricably mixed. The Maronites, linked culturally and politically to the West, favored teir own continue rule, Lebanese nationalism, and a Western-oriented foreign policy. Sunni Muslims favored Pan-Arabism and were often friendly to Nasir and Syria [source], so was its armed wing the Phalangist's early stance, pro-Western and opposed to Pan-Arabism [source] in the 1970s, the Maronite bloc showed some degree of unity in opposing pan-Arabism, (although recently some have split and allied themselves with Hezbollah and became anti-American) [source]. Any... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2268545/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:39:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268418/posts Less than three days after President Obama tried to woo Islamist forces with a major speech in Cairo, secular democratic forces in the Middle East won a dramatic victory in a crucial election in Lebanon. Two rival blocs faced off -- one pro-Iranian, one pro-Western. New York Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268418/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:10:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2268391/posts This past Sunday, the Lebanese stopped - at least temporarily - Hizbulla’s, Iran’s and Syria’s dreams of taking over Lebanon. Blacksmiths of Lebanon presents an exhaustive analysis of the election. Most political pundits expected Hizbullah and its political block to emerge victorious but Lebanese sanity prevailed. People have not yet forgotten the destruction wrought on Lebanon by Hizbullah’s recklessness and are therefore not ready to trust their future welfare to these thugs. I can only sit back and admire Lebanon and its democratic ways, so unlike the rest of the Arab world. Having said that, Saad Hariri (murdered Rafik Hariri’s... Freedom's Cost http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2268391/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:34:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267887/posts Lebanon: Stalemate With Terror By: P. David Hornik FrontPageMagazine.com | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 The best that can be said about Monday’s victory for the moderate, pro-Western March 14 coalition in the Lebanese elections is that Hezbollah was concerned enough to warn, “The majority must commit not to question our role as a resistance party, the legitimacy of our weapons arsenal and the fact that Israel is an enemy state.” The worst that can be said is that few expect Hezbollah and the Iranian-Syrian axis it spearheads to be significantly weakened by the results. The elections, in which the March 14... FrontPageMagazine.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267887/posts#comment Tue, 9 Jun 2009 12:29:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267744/posts US allies defeat Hezbollah in Lebanon vote‎ - June 8, 2009 BEIRUT (AFP) — A pro-Western bloc inflicted a surprise defeat on Hezbollah and its allies at the ballot box in Lebanon, final results showed, as the winners ... ap http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267744/posts#comment Tue, 9 Jun 2009 03:36:04 GMT