For the last decade, Israel has been discovering huge undersea deposits of natural gas in the Tamar and Leviathan fields under the Mediterranean, and is now producing that gas both for its own use and for sale to Egypt and Jordan. Lebanon, meanwhile, has stood on the sidelines, needing to demarcate its maritime border with […]
France’s Macron Furious with Lebanese Politicians, Especially Hezbollah
French President Emmanuel Macron has been to Lebanon twice since the August 4 blast in Beirut. During his last visit, he read the Lebanese politicians the riot act, saying that they had to institute reforms before they could expect any aid from abroad. On September 28, he raged on television against the Lebanese political elite, […]
Macron to Hezbollah Politician: ‘Everyone Knows You Have an Iranian Agenda. Are You Lebanese, Yes or No?’
On his second visit to Lebanon after the Beirut blast, between August 31 and September 2, French President Macron has demanded that the Lebanese institute reforms of the political system. Otherwise, he has warned, the aid that was pledged to Lebanon in a 2018 Donor’s Conference in Paris — $10.2 billion in loans and $860 […]
Macron, Back in Beirut, Gives Lebanese Leaders a Warning on the Need to Reform (Part 2)
Macron, in Beirut at the end of August, engaged in some symbolic acts before getting down to the business of lecturing his hosts on the need for meaningful reform. Earlier, Macron planted a cedar sapling at a forest reserve in the mountains northeast of Beirut. The Elysée palace said this was to show Macron’s “confidence […]
Macron, Back in Beirut, Gives Lebanese Leaders a Warning on the Need to Reform (Part 1)
The French President, who has been the foreign leader most involved in pushing for reforms of the Lebanese political system, is back in Beirut to pressure the Lebanese leadership to make haste with those “reforms,” which may help bring the country back from the brink of economic ruin. His visit is described here. French President […]
Trump administration preparing sanctions to weaken Hizballah’s influence in Lebanon
Previous administrations would be reaching out to Hizballah and offering it billions in exchange for a temporary semblance of peace and order. “U.S. Prepares Sanctions Against Hezbollah’s Allies in Lebanon,” by Dion Nissenbaum, Ian Talley and Benoit Faucon, Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2020: The Trump administration is preparing to impose anticorruption sanctions against prominent […]
Dima Sadek: Hezbollah ‘Worse Than Israel’
Dima Sadek was until last year an anchor for a popular political program in Lebanon, when she dared to criticize Hezbollah, and was promptly fired. Fortunately she still has her social media outlet, and her latest video tweet has been viewed 715,000 times. The story of her video is here. A Lebanese blogger’s criticism of […]
Ambassador Alberto M. Fernandez Discusses Lebanon’s Nightmare
Last Friday, Jihad Watch contributor Andrew E. Harrod on his blogtalk radio show Conservative Casual Friday had an excellent discussion concerning Lebanon’s history in light of the devastating August 4 Beirut harbor explosion with American diplomat Alberto M. Fernandez. This current vice president of the Middle East Media Research Institute has extensive experience in the […]
Carl Bildt Snipes At Israel
As is well known, whenever there is a natural or man-made disaster, anywhere in the world, Israel is always among the first to offer aid, beginning with Human Locator Devices to rescue those still under the rubble. It sends medical teams, medical equipment, medicines, field hospitals. And Israel has a long record, too, of providing […]
Lebanon’s president suggests he is open to peace talks with Israel
Aoun did not respond enthusiastically when asked if Lebanon would make peace with Israel. “That depends,” he said. “We have problems with Israel and we have to resolve them first.” This was, however, not a blanket rejection, as has always been given in the past. The Israel/UAE deal is reverberating positively around the Islamic world, […]
Canada: Hamas-linked Islamic group receiving public money for Beirut disaster relief
A press release put out by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center in Toronto states: Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) is calling on the Canadian government to monitor the expenditure of public money allocated to Islamic Relief, which is part of a “Humanitarian Coalition” of charities to assist with Beirut disaster relief, due to its […]
Muslim sociologist says Beirut blast Allah’s punishment for blasphemy, homosexuality, plastic surgery in Lebanon
“You curse Allah and His religion, and you expect Him to give you success?” Abd Al-Zaziz Al-Khazraj Al-Ansari here assumes the Islamic view that obedience to Allah will bring one success in this world, and disobedience will bring ill fortune in this world. When pious Muslims don’t achieve success in this world, this often leads […]
Blaming the Beirut Blast on Israel
While there is near-universal agreement in Lebanon that the blast in Beirut was the result of a fire that caused 2,750 tones of ammonium nitrate — that had been carelessly stored in Hanger 12 at the Port of Beirut for six years — to explode, there are still those brazenly promoting the story that Israel […]
In Lebanon, Can Hezbollah Be Tamed?
When 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been carelessly stored for six years in Hangar 12 at the Port of Beirut blew up on August 4, the loss of life and destruction was terrific. 154 people have died so far, 5,000 have been wounded, 300,000 are now homeless, and $10-$15 billion in damage has […]
Israel Offers Medical Help to Lebanon, Lebanon Remains Silent
As so often happens after disasters worldwide, Israel was among the very first countries to respond to the blast in Beirut, offering medical help to the affected people. In this case, those affected are Lebanese, many of them Muslims, and their country, Lebanon, is still officially at war with Israel. None of that mattered to […]
Lebanon: Hizballah’s Nasrallah and His Ally President Aoun Hanged In Effigy
Since last October, Lebanese have been out protesting in the streets against the mismanagement and corruption of their political class. Those nonviolent protests were put down violently by Hezbollah bezonians, following the directions of Hassan Nasrallah. In the spring, the coronavirus epidemic took its own toll on the protests, because many were afraid to show […]
Time for Lebanon’s President Aoun to Resign
In Lebanon, there is rage building against the entire political class, the politicians who for years have, through mismanagement and corruption, helped to lead Lebanon to economic ruin. Lebanon’s Debt-to-GDP ratio is the second highest in the world; the currency is cratering; unemployment has skyrocketed; young Lebanese professionals dream of emigrating. The collapse of the […]
Lebanese politician on Beirut blast: ‘It’s crystal clear Hizballah are in charge of the port and warehouse’
This kind of thing can’t happen here, right? Minnesota: Muslim migrant sends drone parts to Hizballah July 27, 2020 Iran, Hezbollah Use Mexican Drug Cartels to Infiltrate US April 3, 2020 Defense Dept linguist accused of passing classified info about DoD computer systems and US intel assets to Hizballah March 4, 2020 NYC: Hizballah sleeper […]
Lebanon: Massive explosion in Beirut, at least 50 dead, 1000s injured, Hizballah ‘already in the limelight’
Hizballah weapons and explosives stored for the next jihad against Israel? Possibly. 🔴 This is the moment an enormous explosion erupted near the Beirut waterfront, sending an immense shockwave tearing through downtown neighbourhoods Live updates on Beirut explosions 👇https://t.co/LrpJHbh6kU pic.twitter.com/dN4OWn5WQZ — The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 4, 2020 My brother sent me this, we live 10 […]
Lebanese Politicians Want Their Government to Act Against Hezbollah (Part 2)
The Sunnis are, unsurprisingly, determined to curb Hezbollah’s power by joining with all the other Lebanese groups that have had enough of Hassan Nasrallah and his bezonians goose-stepping through south Beirut. The Future Movement [predominantly Sunni], led by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, has demanded that the state and military take responsibility, “in light of […]