Tag: Lebanon

Tribal and sectarian animosities have been poisoning Lebanon for decades, perpetuating its existence as a failed state that is subject to the whims of corrupt crime bosses. If there is one thing that always trumps the desire for social justice and better economic policies, it is the hatred for and fear of a rival tribe

This Update deals with both the killing of Islamic State head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by US special forces last weekend and the ongoing mass demonstrations in Lebanon, which led to the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday. 

In a press conference on Sept. 9, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made public a previously unknown Iranian nuclear site in Abadeh, South of Isfahan, showing photos of the site. 

Over the last few days, there have been four attacks against sites in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq which have been attributed to Israeli forces.

While Hamas is often discussed solely in the context of its rule over the Gaza strip, it retains a wider regional and even global presence.

Since 2011, tens of thousands of Palestinians living in refugee camps in Lebanon have apparently been influenced by the exodus of Syrian refugees in their midst to Europe and made the decision to also start new lives elsewhere

Washington needs a dual-edged strategy that hinders Hezbollah’s growing domestic influence while promoting the necessary economic growth to help Beirut break free from Teheran’s grasp.

It took more than 10 years, but the United Kingdom has finally designated the entirety of Hezbollah as a terrorist group. The UK had already designated Hezbollah’s so-called military wing in 2008, and now, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said, Britain is “no longer able to distinguish between their already banned military wing and the political party.” Of course, the distinction always was fictional.

The results of the elections forced Hariri to consent to almost all of the demands made by Hezbollah during the prolonged, tiresome negotiations over the make-up of the government.

Hezbollah, with the help of Iran, is upgrading its arsenal, to convert its missiles into precision missiles with guidance systems and greatly increase its ability to destroy Israel’s military and civilian infrastructure.