To understand today’s crises in Iraq, Syria, and Iran, one must grasp their shared Lebanese connection. This assertion may seem odd. After all, what’s the big deal about Lebanon? That little country hasn’t had top headlines since Israel deigned to bomb and invade it in 2006. Yet, to a large extent, the roots of the bloody … Continue reading “Clean Break to Dirty Wars”
Tag: lebanon
The War of Lies
Thirty years ago this week, the Israeli army crossed into Lebanon and started the stupidest war in Israel’s history. It lasted for 18 years. About 1,500 Israeli soldiers and untold numbers of Lebanese and Palestinians were killed. Almost all wars are based on lies. Lies are considered legitimate instruments of war. Lebanon War I (as … Continue reading “The War of Lies”
Tribunal Concealed Evidence al-Qaeda Killed Hariri
In focusing entirely on the alleged links between four Hezbollah activists and the 2005 bombing that killed Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the indictment issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon earlier this month has continued the practice of the U.N. investigation before it of refusing to acknowledge the much stronger evidence that an al-Qaeda cell … Continue reading “Tribunal Concealed Evidence al-Qaeda Killed Hariri”
Hariri Bombing Indictment Based on Flawed Premise
The indictment of four men linked to Hezbollah in the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri made public by the Special Tribunal on Lebanon Aug. 17 is questionable not because it is based on “circumstantial evidence,” but because that evidence is based on a flawed premise. The evidence depends on a convoluted theory … Continue reading “Hariri Bombing Indictment Based on Flawed Premise”
Syrians Running Out of Refuge in Lebanon
BEIRUT – Syrians from the border town Tell Khalakh have been fleeing a wave of violence over recent weeks to cross into neighboring Lebanon. But those seeking refuge now face an uncertain fate. Syrian territory lies only a few hundred meters from the Wadi Khaled area in Lebanon, home to 17 villages scattered close to … Continue reading “Syrians Running Out of Refuge in Lebanon”
A Hezbollah-Run Lebanon Poses Little Threat to US Security
With the rise of a Hezbollah-backed government in Lebanon, hand-wringing seems to be the order of the day in the American and Israeli governments. Hezbollah is a Shi’ite Islamist group that is the only Arab entity to have defeated Israel in armed conflict – the latest installment being a war in 2006. Yet as much … Continue reading “A Hezbollah-Run Lebanon Poses Little Threat to US Security”
The Assassins of Lebanon
Those who believed we would see a significant change in America’s misguided – indeed, suicidal – foreign policy of global intervention, especially in the volatile Middle East, have surely been sorely disappointed by what President Obama has wrought. In Afghanistan, Iraq, and throughout the region, the present administration has simply continued and even amplified the … Continue reading “The Assassins of Lebanon”
White House Questions Suspension of Military Aid to Lebanon
Several powerful members of Congress have worked to suspend U.S. military aid to Lebanon’s military after a deadly skirmish on the Lebanese-Israeli border last week which left two Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist and one Israeli officer dead. Howard Berman, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced Monday that he had suspended U.S. military … Continue reading “White House Questions Suspension of Military Aid to Lebanon”
Analyst: Israel’s Next War Could Be Lebanon
While speculation over a possible Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities intensifies, at least one influential analyst is calling on Washington to focus more on the likelihood of a new war breaking out between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia and how to prevent or contain it. In his eight-page “Contingency Planning Memorandum” released last week … Continue reading “Analyst: Israel’s Next War Could Be Lebanon”
Ironic Intervention: A Lebanese Doughboy in World War I
In 1914 Michael Zataney, born in the village of Zgharta in what is now Lebanon, lived in Birmingham, Ala., and looked forward to becoming an American citizen. The Zataney family left what geographers call "Greater Syria" to escape the oppression of the Ottoman Turks who had ruled the area for 400 years. Culturally diverse and … Continue reading “Ironic Intervention: A Lebanese Doughboy in World War I”