UANI Resource: Perspectives on Lebanon and Hezbollah

Perspectives: Lebanon and Hezbollah  February 15, 2018 Perspectives: Lebanon and Hezbollah, is a UANI weekly resource highlighting developments in Lebanon and the activities of the terrorist group Hezbollah.   Lebanon Foreign Relations U.S. Delivers Weapons to Lebanese Army The United States announced on Wednesday that it delivered a shipment of laser-guided rockets to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). The rockets are to be used by the LAF's A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft, also supplied by the United States. The timing of the delivery may have been related to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's offer to secure Iranian military aid for the LAF, since echoed by Tehran's ambassador to Beirut. Pompeo Warns of Hezbollah's Growing Influence in Lebanon At this week's U.S.-led conference on the Middle East in Warsaw, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned of Hezbollah's growing influence in Lebanon, but reaffirmed Washington's commitment to its partnership with Beirut and its people. Pompeo stressed that the U.S. wanted "Iran out" of Lebanon, and expressed his regret at the absence of Lebanese officials from the meeting. In related news, Pompeo told Fox News earlier this week that Hezbollah has "active cells" in Venezuela. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro denied Pompeo's claims in an interview with pro-Hezbollah Al-Mayadeen - his first with any Arabic-language outlet. UNIFIL Commander Calls on Lebanon to Increase Deployment to South, Handle Tunnels The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's (UNIFIL) Commander Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col met with newly appointed Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab, and called on the Lebanese Army to "undertake follow-up actions on the recently discovered tunnels north of the Blue Line," and "scale up the rapid deployment" of Army regiments to south Lebanon. France Remains Committed to CEDRE Aid to Lebanon French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire assured Prime Minister Saad Hariri during a meeting in Dubai this week that France would deliver funds it pledged to Lebanon during the April 2018 international economic conference in support of Lebanon development (CEDRE) held in Paris. Foreign Officials Visit Beirut After Government Formation A number of regional officials visited Lebanon this week, after Beirut succeeded in forming a government following a nine-month delay.  Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif arrived in Beirut, and expressed his country's readiness to cooperate "in all fields" approved by the new Lebanese government. Zarif then met with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who said Iran would have a role in repatriating Syrian refugees currently residing in Lebanon. Zarif also met with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, again emphasizing his country's desire to cooperate with Lebanon. He later held a press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil, who said Beirut was open to economic cooperation with Iran that "doesn't breach international resolutions." Bassil also announced that Lebanon would boycott the U.S.-led Middle East conference in Warsaw because of Israel's presence and its anti-Iranian orientation. Bassil also pressed Zarif on Nizar Zakka - a Lebanese citizen detained by Iran since 2015 on espionage charges - but Zarif responded that Zakka's fate was in the hands of Iran's "independent judiciary." Zarif also met with Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, before finally meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Though neither Zarif nor Hariri issued a press statement after the meeting, later reports said Hariri stressed Lebanon's commitment to its obligations to the Arab League and to the international community. Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Abul Gheit also came to Lebanon, a trip purposefully timed to compete with Zarif's. He also met with senior Lebanese officials, including Aoun, and Hariri. Saudi Royal envoy Nizar al-Aloula also visited Lebanon and met with senior Lebanese officials and politicians. Al-Aloula said Riyadh was ready to initiate 20 agreements with Lebanon. Coinciding with al-Aloula's visit, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Lebanon announced an end to Riyadh's eight-year travel ban to Beirut. Hezbollah Domestically Hezbollah Suggests U.S. Responsible for Suicide Bombing in Iran Hezbollah condemned Wednesday's suicide bombing in Iran which killed 27 IRGC fighters - whom it dubbed "brothers" - blaming the U.S. for the attack. Hezbollah's statement said the U.S. propped up, aided, and empowered "takfiri terrorist groups" throughout the region, and said it was not by chance that the bombing coincided with the U.S.-led conference in Warsaw. Hezbollah's Nabil Qaouq: Hezbollah's Control of Health Ministry Demonstrates U.S. Decline in Lebanon Hezbollah Central Council Member Nabil Qaouq said this week that Hezbollah had obtained the Lebanese Health Ministry despite a U.S. "veto." Qaouq said Hezbollah's achievement put an end to the "U.S. veto" in Lebanese politics and demonstrated the magnitude of the decline of the U.S.'s role and influence in Lebanon. Hezbollah Officials Call on Lebanon's New Government to Cooperate with Iran Several Hezbollah officials reiterated Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's call last week for the new Lebanese government to cooperate with Iran and accept Iranian aid. Executive Council Deputy Chairman Ali Daamoush said Beirut's government "must not repeat the mistake of past governments and squander the opportunity to accept aid from, or cooperate with, Iran." He said accepting such aid would demonstrate "for once" that a Lebanese government "possessed independent decision-making and sovereignty, and didn't bow to vetoes set by the United States or its allies." Mahmoud Qmati - currently a Minister in Saad Hariri's new government and the former deputy chairman of Hezbollah's Political Council - echoed Daamoush's call, saying Iran was ready to aid Lebanon "in all fields." Hezbollah MP: The Rifle of the Resistance Made Michel Aoun President During a heated parliamentary exchange between Hezbollah MP Nawwaf al-Mousaoui and Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel, al-Mousaoui said, "it's an honor to the Lebanese that Michel Aoun was elected [president] through the rifle of the resistance." Al-Mousaoui contrasted Aoun to Nadim's father - Bachir Gemayel - whom he said was "elected on an Israeli tank," referring to Israeli tanks guarding the Baabda Presidential Palace upon Bachir's election as president in 1982. 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.