Friday, October 19, 2018

UANI Resource: Perspectives on Lebanon and Hezbollah



UANI Logo
Facebook
Twitter
View our videos on YouTube
   




 Perspectives: Lebanon and Hezbollah 

October 19, 2018

Perspectives: Lebanon and Hezbollah is a UANI weekly resource highlighting developments in Lebanon and the activities of the terrorist group Hezbollah.  
Hezbollah Transnationally

U.S. Designates Hezbollah as Transnational Criminal Organization
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions designated Hezbollah as a top "transnational organized crime threat" and announced that a task force of prosecutors had been organized into a specific subcommittee dedicated to countering Hezbollah's illegal activities. The subcommittee will be headed by Ilan Graff - assistant US attorney in the Southern District of New York overseeing the prosecution of two alleged Hezbollah members - and will be staffed by members of the Hezbollah Financing and Narcoterrorism Team, created by Sessions in January as part of the Trump Administration's anti-Hezbollah campaign

Conflicting Reports on Hezbollah Military Draw-Down in Syria
Al-Markazia reported that Hezbollah recently withdrew several of its T-54 tanks from Qusayr in Syria and distributed them among its positions in the Bekaa valley. However, Hezbollah sources denied any such action had occurred, saying, "our presence in Syria remains necessary and important, and our mission isn't over yet." However, they added that it's not impossible that this mission "could end soon, by a decision announced by the Secretary General [of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah] personally." This contradicts an official request by the Syrian regime in late August that Hezbollah remain in Syria indefinitely, as reported in pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar.

Hezbollah Members Force Syrian Officials to Issue Them Syrian IDs
El-Dorar reported that Hezbollah fighters were demanding that employees of the Syrian government's Civil Registry Directorate in the southern Syrian city of Daraa issue them Syrian IDs. The report claimed that if the employees refused, the Hezbollah fighters would then summon a Syrian regime officer to force the employees to comply. Sources claimed to El-Dorar that at least four such instances had been discovered, including one in which a Hezbollah fighter had his name changed on the new Syrian ID.

Hezbollah Reportedly Turning Al-Lajat into Military Base
Pro-Syrian opposition Orient News alleged that Hezbollah, with Syrian regime assistance, had bulldozed civilian homes in the area of Al-Lajat, 50 km southeast of Damascus, to turn the area into an Iranian military HQ attached to its operations room near al-Khalkhala airbase.

Israel Continues to Fortify Northern Border Wall Against Hezbollah
Hezbollah's Central Military Media reported that the Israel Defense Forces continued to fortify the wall that Israel is building along its northern border with Lebanon, placing iron gates atop the cement blocks forming the wall. The report was accompanied by pictures of the continued Israeli construction efforts, and claimed that the latest move "reflected the depth of panic experienced by the enemy along the border with Lebanon."
Cabinet Formation

Sources: Government Formation Process Undergoing Final Touch-Ups
Sources told both Al-Joumhouria and pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that a new Lebanese cabinet would be announced by the end of the week, and that, while some disagreements remained, the government formation process was now undergoing "final touch-ups." President Michel Aoun expressed similar sentiments, saying that the end of the government formation process was "around the corner." However NBN reported late today that the government formation process had hit a new, last-minute impasse - but not a reversal - "and no government will be formed tomorrow or the day after." An OTV report indicated the impasse resulted from the Lebanese Forces party's demands, prompting Prime Minister Saad Hariri to plan a meeting with LF's chairman Samir Geagea for this evening.

Unnamed "Senior Source": Hezbollah Will Get the Health Ministry
An unnamed senior source told Lebanon's OTV that the decision to grant Hezbollah the Lebanese Health Ministry had been approved "by a large margin." In related news, Hezbollah sources told Al-Joumhouria that Hezbollah will definitely receive three Ministries in Prime Minister Saad Hariri's upcoming cabinet, and that the names of the Hezbollah Ministers would be announced by the group's Shura Council "at the last minute." In addition to the Health Ministry - which will go to a Hezbollah member hailing from the Bekaa - the group will also receive another service Ministry, and a State Minister position.

Hariri Works to Solve Christian, Druze Gov't Formation Impasses
Prime Minister Saad Hariri set about this week trying to solve both the Druze and Lebanese Forces-Free Patriotic Movement impasses holding up the formation of a government.

Al-Joumhouria reported that Hariri met with Melhem Riachy, of the Maronite Christian Lebanese Forces (LF) party, who afterward expressed his optimism that a government would be formed "within the coming days, or a little longer." Riachy's statement came days after his Lebanese Forces party blamed Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) chairman and caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil for obstructing the government's formation, accusing him of intentionally setting matters back to square one.

Hariri's efforts to tamp down LF-FPM tensions have apparently produced results. Shortly after a meeting between Hariri and Bassil, the latter called on FPM's supporters to halt their media attacks against the rival LF party. LF chairman Samir Geagea issued a similar request to his party's supporters earlier. Within days, Riachy and Bassil met at FPM's headquarters. According to Al-Joumhouria's sources - and subsequent comments by LF chairman Geagea - the meeting was intended to patch up relations between the two rival Maronite Christian parties rather than reach an agreement on cabinet portfolios. Shortly after, FPM sources told
Al-Joumhouria that the party had obtained all of its demands for a future government, and LF's Deputy Chairman George Adwan said Hariri had offered his party the Justice Ministry - one of their demands - though Geagea subsequently stressed that nothing had been finalized yet. In fact, an OTV report today claimed Hariri would not be offering the Justice Ministry to LF.

On the Druze front, Al-Joumhouria also reported that Hariri met with the chairman of the predominantly-Druze and Hezbollah-aligned Lebanese Democratic Party, Talal Arslan to work out a "a mechanism to solve the Druze deadlock." The agreed solution would involve Arslan and his Druze rival Walid Joumblatt - the head of the Hariri-aligned Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) - each nominating 5 individuals to the third Druze-earmarked cabinet seat, in the hopes that they would have at least one nominee in common. Despite Arslan's conciliatory overtures and meetings with Hariri and President Michel Aoun, Arslan later stated that while he supports easing the process for the formation of a new government, he and his party would not do so on "the basis of being eliminated." After his meeting with Hariri, Arslan said that he had already offered "many concessions, and I can't make any more sacrifices."

Hariri also met with Walid Joumblatt, Arslan's Druze rival. Lebanon's National News Agency reported that Joumblatt met with President Aoun the next day, presented him a list of his five nominees for the third Druze post, and insisted that PSP wants the Education Ministry, but not the Environment or Refugees portfolios. After a meeting between Hariri and PSP's Wael Abu Faour on Friday, OTV reported PSP sources saying they were guaranteed to get the Education portfolio.

Hariri's meetings continued throughout the week. He met again with Bassil on Thursday, after which the latter said the two had agreed "on everything, without harming anyone else or their rights." Today, Hariri met with PSP's Wael Abu Faour and again with LF's Melhem Riachy. He is also expecting to meet with LF's chairman Samir Geagea to address a last-minute impasse.

Marada Movement Wants Public Works Ministry
Lebanese MP Tony Frangieh - the son of Marada Movement figurehead Sleiman Frangieh - said that his party wanted the Public Works Ministry in the upcoming Lebanese government, but would settle for Energy instead, Al-Joumhouria reported. Meanwhile, an unnamed "senior source" told OTV that while the Public Works Ministry had yet to be allocated to any party, it wouldn't amount to an additional impasse to forming the government.

Frangieh also said that Gebran Bassil and his Free Patriotic Movement "can't have it all," and denied rumors that his party intended to swap the Health Ministry for Public Works with their Hezbollah allies or any other faction. "Hezbollah supports us, and we support them, in all circumstances. We are constantly coordinating [with Hezbollah,] and consider our governmental demands just," said Frangieh.

"Independent Sunnis" Agitated Over Exclusion from Lebanese Cabinet
An-Nahar reported that Lebanon's so-called "Independent Sunni" MPs - aligned against Prime Minister Saad Hariri's Future Movement and with pro-Hezbollah and Free Patriotic Movement leanings - were displeased with their continued exclusion from government formation negotiations. One "Independent Sunni" figure, MP Omar Karami, expressed anger over being kept in the dark, claiming that his bloc "represents more than 45% of Sunni voters. Had we allied with [former] Prime Minister Najib Mikati, we'd even be at 55% or 60% of [predominantly Sunni] north Lebanon's voters. Despite this, we're being ignored." However, in a related story, Elnashra reported that Hezbollah was demanding that Hariri include members from these opposition Sunnis in his government, "no matter the cost" of getting him to do so.

Foreign Affairs

Lebanese Sunni Figures Weigh in on Khashoggi's Disappearance
Annahar and Al-Joumhouriareported that several Lebanese Sunni figures, including Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Sunni Mufti Abdullatif Daryan, weighed in on the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal al-Khashoggi, expressing their solidarity with Riyadh in the matter.

France: Delay in Government Formation Won't Nullify CEDRE Conference
Al-Joumhouria reported that French Presidential Envoy Pierre Dukan said that the delay in forming a new Lebanese cabinet would not nullify Paris' commitments to Lebanon made during the CEDRE conference. "CEDRE is not a marriage contract, where there is a possibility of divorce," Dukan said. Nonetheless, the French envoy warned that continued delays in forming a government would lead to non-implementation of CEDRE. He added that while Lebanon was not "in [a state of] disaster or crises" it was in "a state of emergency requiring haste."

Lebanon Prepares to Resume Trade with Syria Via Syrian-Jordanian "Nasib" Border Crossing
Maj. General Abbas Ibrahim, the General Director of Lebanon's General Directorate of General Security, announced that Lebanese exporters could resume trade with Syria via al-Nasib crossing on the Syrian-Jordanian border, starting Tuesday. In related news, President Michel Aoun welcomed the reopening of al-Nasib, saying that the resumption of trade through the Syrian-Jordanian border crossing would "benefit Lebanon" and "reinvigorate all of Lebanon's production sectors, reducing the cost of Lebanese exportation to Arab countries." Trade via al-Nasib has been politically controversial in Lebanon. Many political factions objected to negotiating with the Syrian regime to allow the passage of Lebanese goods into Syria. In related news, Asharq al-Awsat reports that Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil expressed his hope to his Iraqi counterpart that the Syrian-Iraqi Boukamal border crossing would reopen after the resumption of trade through al-Nasib.

Lebanese Security

Lebanon's General Security: 776 Syrian Refugees to Return Home
Lebanon's National News Agency reported on Monday that Lebanon's General Directorate of General Security announced that, in coordination with the UNHCR, Lebanese authorities would "facilitate the voluntary return of 776 Syrian refugees from various parts of Lebanon to Syria."

Israel Air Force Drone Destroys Israeli Spying Device in South Lebanon
Lebanese media outlets reported an explosion in the area between the two south Lebanon towns of Halousiyeh and Zrerieh, near the Litani river, amidst heavy Israeli reconnaissance overflights. Subsequent reports claimed that the explosion was the result of an Israeli Air Force drone overflying the area and destroying an Israeli espionage device to prevent it from being captured by Hezbollah.

Clashes Resume in Miyeh w'Miyeh Palestinian Refugee Camp in Lebanon
Annahar reported that clashes had resumed in the Palestinian refugee camp of Al-Miyeh w'Miyeh, near the south Lebanon city of Sidon, between Fatah and pro-Hezbollah Ansarullah gunmen, mere hours after a ceasefire had been achieved. One person has been killed, and 20 wounded.

U.S. Delegation Meets with Lebanese Armed Forces Commander
Vayl Oxford, the head of the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and a delegation that included U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard, met with Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) commander Gen. Joseph Aoun. The delegation applauded the LAF's "success in establishing government control of [Lebanon's] eastern border" with Syria.

Hezbollah Domestically

Report: Hezbollah Holding Tripoli's Seaport Hostage
Al-Majalla reported that Hezbollah is holding up development of Lebanon's seaport in the northern (predominantly Sunni) city of Tripoli to prevent it from competing with the Syrian regime's port in Latakia. The report also discussed Hezbollah's desire to have an international port built in the coastal city of Naqoura, in its south Lebanon stronghold. Hezbollah's demand comes ahead of Naqoura's anticipated construction boom in 2019, which will include improving the city's infrastructure to accommodate French, Italian, and Russian oil companies that will begin drilling in Block 8 and Block 9 off the Lebanese coast. 







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.

No comments:

Post a Comment