UANI Resource: Perspectives on Lebanon and Hezbollah

Perspectives: Lebanon and Hezbollah  January 18, 2019 Perspectives: Lebanon and Hezbollah, is a UANI weekly resource highlighting developments in Lebanon and the activities of the terrorist group Hezbollah.   Israel and Hezbollah Israel Declares Operation Northern Shield Completed Israel announced that it had found and destroyed the last Hezbollah tunnel - the sixth overall - dug from Lebanon into Israeli territory, and was ending Operation Northern Shield. In related news, an Israeli media report claimed that then-head of IDF's Northern Command Benny Gantz was warned as early as 2005 that Hezbollah was digging tunnels into Israel, and not in 2014, as has been claimed. The IDF declined to comment on the report. Hezbollah Regionally Top Fatah, Hezbollah Officials Meet in Lebanon Azzam al-Ahmad, a top official in Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Organization, met with Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem in Lebanon on Thursday. The two discussed the "need to fight against the American-Israeli attempts to end the Palestinian national project." Al-Ahmad also reportedly met with several Lebanese officials, including President Michel Aoun. Lebanon Foreign Affairs U.S. to Invite Lebanon to Iran Talks as Hezbollah Sanctions Loom The U.S. hinted that it intends to impose new sanctions on Hezbollah, and may invite Lebanon to attend an international conference on Iran, to be held in Poland in mid-February. David Hale Visits Lebanon, Meets With Lebanese Officials U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale traveled to Lebanon last Saturday and met with several Lebanese officials, including Lebanese Army Commander Joseph Aoun, President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. During his visit, Hale specifically cited U.S. objections to Hezbollah's destabilizing regional and domestic activities. Hale's visit prompted protests from Hezbollah and Iran. Tehran's embassy in Beirut attacked Hale's speech as "blatant meddling in the affairs of others," in response to his saying that the United States would work to expel "every last Iranian boot" from Syria. Senior Hezbollah official Sheikh Nabil Qaouq dismissed Hale's visit, saying it could not mask the U.S. retreat from the region. Meanwhile, Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem ridiculed Hale's visit as having "no practical impact." Bassil Discusses Syrian Refugee Repatriation, Security with Lavrov Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil held a lengthy phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov this week. The two discussed Lebanese security concerns, the repatriation of Syrian refugees currently in Lebanon, and Lebanon's role in aiding Syria's reconstruction. In a related story, pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar alleged that a confidential U.S. cable threatened to sanction Lebanon if it participated in Syrian reconstruction. However, this report should not be taken at face value. Beirut's Arab Economic Summit Marred by Tensions Over Participation The Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in Beirut kicked off on Friday, but has been marred with controversy almost from the outset. Domestically, Pro-Syrian voices, led by Hezbollah, demanded that Syria be invited. Some wanted to delay the Summit until after Lebanon formed a government, or until Syria - which has been suspended from the Arab League since 2011 - was invited to attend. Pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar claimed Lebanon's Foreign Ministry had invited Syrian officials as a matter of protocol, but that they would nonetheless not attend. In related news, Hariri blocked Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil from sending a letter to Arab League Security General Ahmad Abulgheit, requesting Syria's readmission. Bassil nonetheless used his platform at the Summit's opening to express his regret over Syria's absence. Most Arab heads of state will not be attending or will be sending lower-ranking officials to attend. Libya has entirely withdrawn its participation in the summit, allegedly in protest over the desecration of its flag by supporters of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal Movement, and reportedly mulled severing ties with Beirut. Berri, Amal, and other Shiite officials have protested Libya's invitation due to its former dictator Muammar al-Qadhafi's connection to the disappearance of Musa al-Sadr, a Shiite cleric who founded Amal. Berri and his followers allege the new Libyan authorities have not done enough to uncover the vanished Imam's fate. The row over Libya has also caused tensions to erupt between Berri - who will be boycotting the summit - and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, while President Michel Aoun's "Free Patriotic Movement" - whose own relations with Amal are tense - threw its support behind Hariri. U.S. Citizen Crosses Border from Israel into Lebanon An American citizen residing in Israel, identified by Lebanese officials as "Colin Emery," - although the Times of Israel identified him as "Colin Emery Doyle" - crossed the Blue Line from Israel into Lebanon on Tuesday. He was arrested two days later by Lebanese security officials while purchasing clothing. Conflicting reports have emerged regarding the U.S. citizen. Hezbollah's Military Media and an Al-Manar reporter identified him as an "American Jew," though such identification was not forthcoming from Lebanese officials. There were also conflicting reports regarding his mental state. Cabinet Formation Security Chief Withdraws as Mediator--Government Formation Remains Stalled Major General Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon's General Security Directorate, announced on Thursday that he would no longer be involved in mediating government formation talks. Lebanon has been without a government since parliamentary elections were held in May 2018, and talks to form a new cabinet have stalled over representation of pro-Hezbollah Sunni MPs in Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government.   Hezbollah Domestically Free Patriotic Movement Lawmaker: Aoun's Stance on Hezbollah Unchanged MP Alain Aoun, of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), said that President Michel Aoun's stance regarding Hezbollah remained unchanged, and reports to the contrary were "fictitious." He added that while FPM was not hostile to the U.S., Hezbollah was "free" to view Washington as it sees fit. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons.  UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons.