UANI Resource: Perspectives on Lebanon and Hezbollah

Perspectives: Lebanon and Hezbollah  March 8, 2019 Perspectives: Lebanon and Hezbollah, is a UANI weekly resource highlighting developments in Lebanon and the activities of the terrorist group Hezbollah.   Hezbollah Internationally Pompeo to Visit Lebanon Amidst Reports of New U.S. Sanctions on Hezbollah U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to visit Lebanon next week, as part of a regional tour of the Middle East. Pompeo's visit coincides with reports that the Trump administration is preparing a new round of sanctions against Hezbollah, amidst increased U.S. concern over the group's growing power in Lebanon's government. A high-ranking U.S. official said, however, that any potential sanctions would not target the Lebanese Armed Forces. Iran Condemns, Saudi Arabia Praises U.K. Ban on Hezbollah Iran condemned the U.K.'s decision to outlaw Hezbollah in its entirety, calling the decision "wrong and irresponsible." Iran's Foreign Ministry website said Tehran considers Hezbollah "a legitimate and legal force which plays an effective and undeniable role in helping its country's political stability and safeguarding its security." By contrast, Saudi Arabia - Iran's regional rival - called the U.K. ban an "important and constructive," step in worldwide counterterrorism, and urged other countries to follow-suit. Last week's vote by the U.K. Parliament fully banned all forms of support for Hezbollah. Among European countries, only the Netherlands has previously banned Hezbollah in its entirety. Within the U.K., the new law will ban activities such as fundraising for the group, membership in Hezbollah, displaying its flags and other symbols publicly, or independently advocating on its behalf. British Officials to Aoun: Ties with Lebanon Intact Despite Hezbollah Ban Alistair Burt, the U.K.'s minister of state for the Middle East at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, met with Lebanese President Michel Aoun in Beirut on Thursday. Burt told Aoun that U.K.-Lebanese ties remained intact, despite his country's recent vote to ban Hezbollah, which has a presence in Lebanon's parliament and government. Aoun responded by saying he took note of the British decision, but said Hezbollah was part of the Lebanese people and the government. Lebanon Foreign Affairs Aoun to Visit Moscow on March 25 Lebanon's President Michel Aoun is set to visit Moscow on March 25 at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin held talks with Aoun and Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil this week aimed a finalizing the agenda for the visit. Talks between the two leaders will focus on joint Lebanese-Russian actions to repatriate Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Russian assistance to Lebanon's energy sector. This will include plans for a Russian company to begin exploring for oil in Lebanon's territorial waters. Satterfield Visits, Urges Lebanon Not to Serve Foreign Parties David Satterfield, the U.S. State Department's acting assistant secretary of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, visited Lebanon on Tuesday, the highest-level visit by a U.S. diplomat since the formation of a new Lebanese government. Satterfield urged the new government to confront corruption, repair its economy, and deal with the country's security issues. Satterfield expressed U.S. concern over Iran's growing influence in Lebanon, saying it required a national response, and that "parties, notably Iran, are not passive, they're very active." The U.S. diplomat expressed his hope that Lebanon would take measures that would solely serve its national interests, and not those of foreign parties. Jordan Willing to Exchange Electricity for Lebanese Water Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met with Jordanian King Abdullah II on the sidelines of the 29th Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union conference in Amman, where the two discussed Jordan's willingness to supply Lebanon with electricity in exchange for water. Jordan has a surplus of electricity, and Lebanon a surplus of water. The two also discussed the repatriation of Syrian refugees from Jordan and Lebanon and agreed on the need to work closely with the Syrian government in order to accomplish this goal. French Envoy Gives Lebanon 2 Months to Launch CEDRE Reforms Pierre Duquesne, the French inter-ministerial delegate for the Mediterranean, has given Lebanon two months to launch preliminary economic reforms thatwere recommended by the international conference in support of Lebanon development and reforms, CEDRE.  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.