UANI Resource: Perspectives on Lebanon and Hezbollah

Perspectives: Lebanon and Hezbollah  May 17, 2019 Perspectives: Lebanon and Hezbollah, is a UANI weekly resource highlighting developments in Lebanon and the activities of the terrorist group Hezbollah.  Lebanon Internationally U.S. State Department Video Shows IRGC Training Camp in Eastern Lebanon A U.S. State Department video released this week purports to show a training camp controlled by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps - Quds Force (IRGC-QF) in the Beqaa Valley village of Beit Moubarak. The village sits near the Syrian border and is close to the Lebanese Armed Forces' (LAF) Rayak Air Base. According to the video, the IRGC-QF is using the site to train fighters in the operation of armored personnel carriers. LAF Commander Joseph Aoun visits the U.S. Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander Joseph Aoun began an official visit to the United States on Monday, meeting with military and legislative leaders and participating in annual discussions on continued U.S. military aid to Lebanon. Aoun was reportedly told by one legislator, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, that the U.S. would not reduce aid, despite a general aid reduction to allied armies, because it viewed supporting the LAF as necessary for ensuring Lebanon's stability. Other reports, however, indicated that American officials warned Aoun that Lebanon would suffer grave consequences if Hezbollah initiated a war against Israel, as would the LAF if it provided any assistance to Hezbollah. They also asked Aoun how the LAF intended to operate if a Hezbollah-Israel war broke out, and expressed the hope that the LAF and other state security agencies would prevent Hezbollah from carrying out any hostile actions. U.S. Official in Lebanon to Discuss Maritime Border Demarcation Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield arrived in Lebanon for a two-day visit and met with several Lebanese officials, including President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. The purpose of Satterfield's visit appears to be advancing U.S. mediation of Lebanon's maritime border dispute with Israel. An An-Nahar report claimed Hezbollah had accepted U.S. mediation of the maritime border dispute, decoupling it from issues, such as demarcating the Israeli-Lebanese land border, and implicitly setting aside the matter of the disputed Shebaa Farms. Hezbollah Internationally Hezbollah Denies Report Claiming it Will Attack Israel in Event of U.S.-Iran War A report in Al-Markazia quoted anonymous Hezbollah sources saying the group would "not sit idly by if Iran is attacked [by the United States,] as Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah recently stated." The anonymous source added that Hezbollah did not believe the U.S. would attack Iran, "because it knows the price, and that Iran would win that war within seconds." Hezbollah's Media Relations Department quickly and sternly denied the report, emphasizing that it did not give quotes to media outlets via anonymous party sources, and called on Al-Markazia to "cease inventing sources and positions, and maintain what remains of its honesty and professionalism." N.Y. Man Found Guilty of Being Hezbollah 'Sleeper' Agent After less than a day of deliberations, a Manhattan federal jury on Thursday found Bronx resident Ali Kourani, 34, guilty of working as a Hezbollah 'sleeper' agent and helping the terror group prepare for attacks on New York City. Kourani faces a possible life sentence. Hezbollah Could Drag Lebanon into Clash with U.S. over Health Ministry A report in An-Nahar said Hezbollah is risking U.S. sanctions over actions by Lebanese Health Ministry, currently headed by Hezbollah-affiliated Dr. Jamil Jabaq. One of the Ministry's problematic actions is permitting the sale of Syrian pharmaceuticals in Lebanon - and pricing those pharmaceuticals in Syrian currency for the first time ever - despite U.S. sanctions on the Assad regime. Equally problematic was the Health Ministry increasing cooperation with Iran. Last month, Dr. Jabaq met with an Iranian delegation, and discussed "strengthening bilateral health cooperation," particularly in the realm of organ transplants. Diplomatic sources quoted in the article claimed improved Lebanese-Iranian health cooperation was really meant to establish a backchannel for hard-currency to reach the Iranian treasury, disguised as the cost of organ transplants for Lebanese patients in Iranian hospitals, with costs covered by the Hezbollah-controlled Health Ministry. UAE Court Convicts Six Lebanese Men for Links to Hezbollah A federal court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week sentenced six Lebanese expatriates to prison for setting up a terrorist cell with links to Hezbollah. Four of the men received life sentences, two were sentenced to 10 years in prison, and five men were acquitted of all charges. Hezbollah Official Dismisses U.S. Regional Influence, Effect of Sanctions Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem dismissed the regional influence of the U.S., saying its recent deployment of forces indicates that it can no longer influence the course of events in the region. Qassem also dismissed the impact of U.S. sanctions on the group and Iran, saying they would not succeed, although they required patience to be foiled. Lebanese Interior Minister Interviewed on Hezbollah and its Weapons Newly-appointed Lebanese Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan gave an interview to Saudi newspaper Okaz, addressing Hezbollah's continued possession of arms, and control of Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport. Al-Hassan claimed reports of Hezbollah's control of the airport were exaggerated, saying while Hezbollah was part of the Lebanese social fabric and "located everywhere," only state security agencies controlled the airport. She also denied reports that Iranian travelers had been permitted to enter Lebanon without proper entry stamps. Al-Hassan also said that resolving the matter of Hezbollah's weapons had been temporarily set aside, due to the need for cooperation with all Lebanese factions to solve Lebanon's domestic problems. Al-Hassan did express her personal displeasure, however, with Hezbollah continuing to possess arms. Finally, she said that designation of Hezbollah as a terror organization by the U.S. and U.K. concerned those countries alone, and in any case did not require other Lebanese factions to cease dealing with Hezbollah's governmental representatives. 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.