UANI Resource: Perspectives on Lebanon and Hezbollah

Perspectives: Lebanon and Hezbollah  July 19, 2019 Perspectives: Lebanon and Hezbollah, is a UANI weekly resource highlighting developments in Lebanon and the activities of the terrorist group Hezbollah.   Hezbollah Internationally Argentina Designates Hezbollah as Terror Organization, Freezes its Assets On the 25th anniversary of Hezbollah's attack on a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people, Argentina ordered the freezing of Hezbollah's assets in the country, effectively designating it a terrorist organization. Hezbollah is designated by the U.S., U.K., Israel and several Gulf Arab states, but Argentina is the first country in Latin America to do so. The move coincides with a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Argentina, and was coupled with a statement from Argentina's financial information unit saying Hezbollah, "continues to represent a current threat to security and the integrity of the economic and financial order of the Argentine Republic."  In related news, Israeli relatives of the victims of Hezbollah's 2012 bombing of a bus in Burgas, Bulgaria called on the government in Sofia to likewise designate the group as a terrorist organization. Lebanese Officials Continue to Defend Hezbollah in Face of U.S. Treasury Sanctions Lebanese Member of Parliament Ali Bazzi----  a member of the Amal Movement led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri----   decried recently announced U.S. sanctions on two Hezbollah members of parliament as a "threat to democracy" while in Washington, D.C. as the head of a visiting Lebanese parliamentary delegation. Bazzi also likened Hezbollah's "resistance" to that of George Washington against the British, saying, "also in my country there are people who resisted and are resisting occupation and terrorism, because they are fond of freedom, national dignity and independence." Bazzi's comments ignored Hezbollah's repeated use of its military force to subvert the Lebanese popular will by engaging in wars unsanctioned by the elected government of Lebanon. He also failed to mention that Hezbollah has committed acts of terrorism against Lebanese political opponents, and civilians abroad----   as in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA cultural center in Buenos Aires, Argentina----   and the October 1983 killing of U.S. Marines deployed to Lebanon as peacekeepers. Netanyahu: Israel Will Target Hezbollah, Even in Populated Areas Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a memorial for fallen Israeli soldiers from the Second Lebanon War, warned Hezbollah and Lebanon that there would be no "immunity" for anyone firing missiles at Israel, "even if they hide in densely populated areas." He added that since the Lebanese government, "is not objecting to the military entrenchment of Hezbollah on its territory. It will also bear the responsibility of any attack." Iranian Official: Lebanon Must Steer Clear of all Regional Crises After meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian----   the Iranian Parliament Speaker's international affairs aide----   stressed that Lebanon "must avoid all regional crises." However, while simultaneously stressing the need for Lebanese neutrality, the Iranian official noted Tehran's continued support for "the resistance," and decried what he called Israeli and American attempts to "manipulate regional security." Contrary to Amir-Abdollahian's assertions, however, it has largely been Tehran's local proxy, Hezbollah, that has entangled Lebanon in foreign conflicts, including in the Syrian Civil War. The group's rhetoric and actions have also contributed to strained Lebanese ties with Beirut's Persian Gulf allies, and threatens to thrust Lebanon into another war with Israel. Hezbollah Domestically Hezbollah MP Submits Resignation After Police Station Shooting Hezbollah Member of Parliament Nawwaf al-Mousaoui submitted his resignation to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri after being accused of involvement in a shooting at a police station in Damour. According to a leaked police report, Mousaoui and a dozen gunmen attempted to storm the station where his daughter and her ex-husband had been brought, following a high-speed car chase. After Mousaoui's group was denied entry to the station, the report said a gunshot was fired, hitting the ex-son-in-law in his wrist. Mousaoui denied being the shooter. A dispute over child visitation rights apparently initiated the drama. Lebanon Internationally Lebanon Seeking to Improve its Naval Capabilities Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced that he would seek to have his cabinet endorse a plan to improve Lebanon's naval capabilities before August 31. During the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) last year, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 2433, calling on the Lebanese government to develop a plan to increase its naval capabilities, "with the goal of decreasing the [UNIFIL's] Maritime Taskforce and transitioning activities to the country's armed forces." In related news, Hariri also announced that he was "working relentlessly" to restart negotiations between Lebanon and Israel over their disputed maritime border. Lebanon Domestically Bassil: Naturalization of Refugees Greatest Threat to Lebanese Model During a conference on religious freedom in Washington, D.C., Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said that the naturalization of Palestinian and Syrian refugees in Lebanon constituted the greatest threat to the continuation of the Lebanese model of religious freedom. Bassil also affirmed Beirut's close ties with the U.S. during the event. Lebanon Exempts Palestinian Refugees from Foreign Worker Clampdown Palestinian refugees will be exempted from new regulations in Lebanon clamping down on foreign workers and businesses, after hundreds of Palestinian refugees demonstrated against what they termed a deliberate assault. The protests began when Lebanese Labor Minister Camille Abousleiman launched a program requiring every business under non-Lebanese ownership to obtain a permit from the Labor Ministry. The permit dictates working conditions for all employees, and requires that 75 percent of employees of large businesses be Lebanese. Any business not receiving a permit could be forced to close. Abousleiman reversed his decision on Thursday and ordered work permits for Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon, who are already barred from full integration into the Lebanese workforce.

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.