This is a disaster for Lebanon, a disaster for Israel, and a disaster for the United States. It is a tremendous boon to Syria and Iran. Asad’s prediction that Lebanon would regret abandoning Syria’s defense. Asad would “break Lebanon” in order to make his predictions come true. Ironically, Israel and Washington have broken Lebanon to make Asad’s predictions come true. So far Bashar al-Asad has proven to be a better judge of regional character and politics than President Bush.

by Maya
Dear World Leaders,
This letter is a plea from the Lebanese people, and friends of Lebanon . We urge you to exercise any political influence you may have to guide a cease fire between Israel and Hezbollah. Negotiations must take place. The violence that has escalated in Lebanon has gotten out of control, it is insanity! The people of Lebanon are suffering; the Lebanese economy will suffer deeply for years to come. As I am sure you know anger, resentment, and poverty can only lead to further extremism. For the welfare of Lebanese citizens, Israeli citizens, the stability of the Middle East , and indeed the world, we implore you to take action as soon as possible to prevent further violence, destruction, and casualties.
Sincerely,Friends and Citizens of Lebanon
Its your choice, you can send this email to the one, more than one, or all of the following below. Also, please feel free to send this to anyone you deem appropriate and to add your personal touch to the letter. But always try to keep it polite and civilized. Thank you.

The White House: comments@whitehouse.gov

U.S. VP: vice_president@whitehouse.gov

Israeli minister of defense: pniot@mod.gov.il

Israeli Minister of foreign affairs: feedback@mfa.gov.il

The French President:Go to this site
click on Ecrire au President and copy paste this text in the box provided.
The British government:public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

The British Prime Minister:http://www.pmo.gov.uk/output/Page821.asp

Link: CNN Video

CNN Anchor questions Israeli "Mistake
CNN Video.

 

 

 

 

 

Lebanese Red Cross and Civil Defense workers carry the body of a small child covered in dust from the rubble of his home that was hit in an Israeli missile strike in the village of Qana, east of the port city of Tyre, Lebanon Sunday, July 30, 2006. Lebanese Red Cross officials said 56 people died in the Israeli assault on the village, including 34 children. Rescuers dug through the debris to remove dozens of bodies. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)

 

 

Staying sane in Beirut - with yoga and manicures

By KSENIA SVETLOVA






Just a few weeks ago, Beirut's city hall was busy preparing for the city's annual kite festival - one of many summer events that usually take place in the Lebanese capital. But instead of kites filling the skies, there have been Israeli jets dropping bombs.
The mayor of Beirut, Abd al-Munem al-Arisi, has been a very busy man. Each day he goes out to inspect the damage to the city and visit families of refugees that have flooded into the capital from the South.
Rashid Jalah, the head of the city council, says that the situation in Beirut is deteriorating quickly.
"There are more then 60,000 refugees in the city. And although we were promised humanitarian help, there are shortages of most basic food supplies and drinking water. The few recent days were relatively quiet, but we are not very optimistic - the fire can resume at any moment. It's the worst situation in Beirut in many, many years." Still, city hall continues to provide services to Beirut inhabitants, picking up the garbage and cleaning the streets.
While the IDF has only struck the fashionable al-Ashrafiya district once, when a truck in the area was suspected of carrying military supplies for Hizbullah, Jonny Hannah, 27, a resident of Ashrafiya, says that each time the southern suburbs are hit, all the buildings in the city tremble.
"I can feel the wave in my body. The kids are scared and crying. All our fears from the 1982 War came back to life again. I was just a child back then, but now I relive this war all over again, with each and every bombing." Jonny, who has a second, European nationality, says that in the beginning he was not going to leave the city, since many thought the hostilities were just temporary. But now he has decided to apply to his consulate for evacuation.
For many Beirutis, though, leaving is not an option. Some do not have anywhere to go; others do not possess the financial means. Mainly, people stay at home and watch Al-Jazeera, says Nasreen, a 22-year-old art student and a part-time TV producer. There are no shelters or safe rooms in most Beirut buildings, so all people can do is stay in their rooms at home and pray for the best, she says.
"We need to do something in order to stay sane," Nasreen says, explaining why the yoga class she takes is packed with people these days.
And according to some accounts, people have started getting out-and-about the last few days, despite the shelling that occurs nearby. The author of a popular Lebanese blog, "Cedarseed," writes that she was astonished to see shops open this week.
"The resilience of this people will always amaze me," she writes. "Even my hairdresser was open, so I went to have a manicure. (War is no excuse to be scruffy, as all hairdressers that worked during the war can attest.) It was more entertaining than usual as everyone had lots to tell. They're only open two hours a day, mainly to get away from home and TV, and to get a change of air.
"While she attended to my hands, he had a lot to tell about: why post-war buildings are not equipped with shelters (basements are used as warehouses or for other commercial purpose instead), how the destruction of the phone transmitters the other day cost Alfa $100 million..."
It is difficult to get by in Beirut these days as the prices are rising, especially for cellphone cards, drinking water and bread. But with the destruction just outside Beirut and further south, life has become nearly impossible. Tyre, the ancient Phoenician city, has been cut off from Sidon and Beirut after being heavily shelled early this week. The flow of refugees continues to grow but the food supplies in the city are quickly disappearing.
Mahmoud Helawi, the vice-mayor of Tyre, says the city is hosting 20,000 refugees from neighboring villages, while there are another 40,000 displaced people from the city itself.
"There is a huge shortage of food, water and medical supplies. The innocent citizens are dying and being wounded every single day. Still, our will and faith are very strong, but we ask the international community, and especially the Red Cross, to hurry up with the help, as we are quite desperate for it." People in Tyre say there have been a few power outages but generally find the municipality's services to be working. Helawi says the city hall is preparing for a long-term siege, accumulating water, power generators and food supplies.
Tareq Radwan, who lives in Tyre, says his sister's house was destroyed in recent bombing.
"We are Sunnis and not connected with Hizbullah, and [neither is anyone] in this neighborhood. I have heard that Hizbullah is firing rockets on Haifa from some place close to Tyre, but neither me nor my family know anything about it. We don't wanna die."

''The Role of Iran and Syria in the Israel-Lebanon Crisis''
uring the past few weeks, tensions in the Middle East have increased dramatically. In late June, Israel initiated a military operation on its southern borders against Hamas after the Palestinian organization kidnapped an Israeli soldier. As part of this operation, the Israeli army returned to the Gaza Strip, which Israel had evacuated in August 2005. Shortly after, on July 12, the Shi'a militant organization Hezbollah opened a second front against Israel on its northern border, kidnapping two Israeli soldiers. After Israel responded by launching air strikes on Lebanon, Hezbollah launched missiles into Israeli cities. Hezbollah is one of Iran's and Syria's main regional allies, and both Tehran and Damascus play an important role in Hezbollah's current operations. Since the 1979 Iranian Islamic revolution, Syria and Iran have shared a strategic alliance and have had overlapping interests in the Middle East. This alliance now faces new challenges.The Iranian-Syrian AllianceAfter the September 11 attacks on the United States, the strategic environment in the Middle East changed radically. The launch of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, based on the doctrine of preemption, represented a general shift from the old doctrine of containment and deterrence. This shift, which led to the fall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and the removal of the Saddam Hussein government in Iraq, strongly changed the political balance in the Middle East. These changes had a deep impact on Syria and Iran. The fall of Saddam and the presence of U.S. troops near the Syrian border posed an extraordinary challenge to the stability of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. U.S. President George W. Bush accused Damascus of being a state sponsor of terrorism because it turned a blind eye to terrorist and jihadist infiltration of the Syrian-Iraqi border. American pressure became stronger after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on February 14, 2005; after Hariri's death, the United States and other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- such as the United Kingdom, Russia and France -- asked Syria to leave Lebanon. Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon increased Damascus' weakness and reduced its strategic options in the area. Indeed, Syria had benefited economically and politically from its presence in Lebanon. The rising international pressure on Syria in the wake of the Hariri assassination also strengthened the country's internal divisions. Recently, the growth of religious, tribal and generational divisions within Syria has been very strong and Bashar now faces new difficult challenges to his regime's stability. The new alliance formed by former Syrian Vice President Abdel-Halim Khaddam and the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood is a clear example of this.The new strategic context in the region has also posed important challenges for Iran. Although Iran has welcomed the fall of two of its historical enemies -- the Sunni Taliban regime in Afghanistan and the Ba'athist government in Iraq -- the presence of U.S. troops in two of Iran's immediate neighbors is seen as a threat. Nevertheless, in contrast to the situation in Syria, Tehran has more options at its disposal since it wields greater geopolitical heft than Damascus. For example, Iran is one of the largest oil exporting countries in the world; it controls the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping lane; it has an extensive nuclear research program; and, when compared to Syria, it plays a stronger role in the region. Moreover, due to Iran's geographic location, it is able to exercise its power in different regional theaters, such as in Central Asia, while Damascus does not have this option. Therefore, Iran's weakness is less marked than is Syria's.In spite of this changing strategic environment, Syria and Iran still share a strategic alliance, one that began after Ayatollah Khomeini's victory in Iran in February 1979; after this revolution, Syria was the second country (after the Soviet Union) to welcome the toppling of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's government. At present, Syria and Iran share common goals: they cooperate against the U.S. intervention in Iraq; they offer financial, logistic and military support to Hezbollah for its operations against Israel; and they help armed Palestinian groups, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, in their struggle against Israel. Moreover, they wish to minimize the regional role of Sunni powers, such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, because a rising regional role for these countries could pose a serious threat to Iranian and Syrian interests. For Iran, increased power to Middle Eastern Sunni regimes could pose a challenge to its Shi'a-based regional role. For Syria, the growing power of the region's Sunnis could instigate Syria's Sunni majority to act against the Bashar-led Alawite regime. [See: "Syrian and Iranian Interests Converge in Lebanon"]In the long-term, however, the strategic interests of both states could change. For example, Tehran sees agreement between Syria and Israel as a threat because such agreement would mean that Tehran could lose its main regional ally. The loss of Syria as an ally would increase Tehran's perception that it is being surrounded by hostile states, thus damaging its political role in the Middle East. For the same reason, Damascus does not want to see an agreement forged between the United States and Iran over the latter's controversial nuclear program; such agreement could result in a welcoming of Iran's more assertive role in the region. Damascus does not want a regional system that is characterized by the presence of a regional hegemon, such as Iran, because increased power to Iran could make it difficult for Syria to play a more effective political role.Actors and Interests in the Israel-Lebanon CrisisThe ongoing Israel-Lebanon crisis can be explained by this aforementioned strategic partnership between Iran and Syria. There are various reasons why Hezbollah opened a second front against Israel (the first front being Hamas' attacks in June). First of all, Hezbollah is seeking to enhance its domestic and regional standing by hitching its wagon to the Palestinian cause. By helping Hamas' hard-line faction, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah sent a message to the entire Islamic world. This message was that Hezbollah is a champion of the anti-Israel struggle, as opposed to the weak support provided to the Palestinians by the Sunni countries, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Additionally, Hezbollah wants to strengthen its position in the Lebanese political scene. In particular, it wants to deflect pressure away from demands to disarm, as required by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, passed in September 2004. [See: "Tension Returns Between Jordan and Hamas"]Since Israel pulled out of southern Lebanon in 2000, the Lebanese militia acquired, from Iran in particular but also from Syria, an arsenal of rockets, estimated to number between 10,000 and 13,000. Some of these rockets have a range of 100 kilometers, providing Hezbollah the capability to strike major Israeli cities such as Haifa and Tel Aviv, thus increasing the strategic vulnerability of Israel. Israel's harsh reaction to Hezbollah's attacks is linked to the regional character of the crisis: it is a message sent to Bashar and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Using the deterrence of its military strength, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has indicated to both Iran and Syria to stop supporting Hezbollah, in addition to ending its support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad.Yet Iran's and Syria's support for these militant groups are a result of their policy at preventing an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Both states want to hamper the search for an agreement because such an agreement would be against their current interests. Peace between Israel and the Palestinians means the end of the "Palestinian question," which is the sacred cow of Islamic grievances and Arab nationalism. As a result, the Islamic and Arabs regimes could lose a formidable propaganda instrument. From a geopolitical point of view, such a peace could be a serious strategic challenge for Syria and Iran. For Syria, it means that its position toward Israel will be weaker than it is now. A weakened position would damage Syria's future negotiations with Israel on the return of the Golan Heights. For Iran, an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement could lead toward a pacification of relations between Israel and the Arab states. This pacification could increase Iran's geostrategic perception of being isolated in the region. Moreover, Iran wants to retain Hezbollah as a potential instrument against other Arab regimes. The Iranian leadership wants to continue to demonstrate Shi'a friendship with the Palestinians since this propaganda weapon assists Iran's search for a prominent role in the Middle East region.ConclusionRegional factors play a fundamental role in the Israel-Lebanon crisis. Lebanon and the Palestinians are pawns in a regional balance of power game. Iran and Syria are the external powers most involved in the crisis. Tehran strongly supports Hezbollah in order to increase its own role in the region. It does not want peace between the Arabs and Israel and wants to use the current crisis to avoid any sort of agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Using Hezbollah and Hamas' hard-line faction against Israel, Tehran sends a clear message to Washington on what its allies in the region are capable of. Tehran is also using the crisis to draw attention away from its nuclear program.Damascus, through its support of militant groups fighting Israel, wants to deflect international pressure away from its regime. It is attempting to foment sectarian strife in Lebanon in order to reclaim its influence over that country. Bashar also wants to reduce Syrian internal divisions and unify the country against an external enemy. Also, like Tehran, Damascus does not want an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians because it will weaken Syrian diplomatic capabilities toward Israel on future negotiations over the Golan Heights. Nevertheless, neither Syria nor Iran want a military conflict with Israel. Olmert understands this reality, and Israel's harsh response toward Lebanon is a clear message to Tehran and Damascus. By threatening to enlarge the conflict, Israel is attempting to obtain the cessation of logistical, financial and military support by Syria and Iran to radical Islamic groups in Lebanon and in the Palestinian Territories. Syria, more than Iran, has an interest in avoiding military conflict with Israel because Damascus' geostrategic position is weaker than Tehran's. Unlike Iran, Syria has a direct frontier with Israel. Additionally, the Bashar government is in a weaker position domestically than is the current Tehran government. Tehran is concerned with Syria's weaknesses because it could affect its own regional position. Therefore, Iran will be compelled to pursue a softer approach toward the Lebanon crisis if Israel demonstrates the real intention to expand the conflict to Syria. In spite of Ahmadinejad's rhetoric of an Iranian military response against Israel if it attacks Syria, Tehran does not have the capabilities and the political will to engage in a serious conflict with Israel, which would invite involvement by the United States. Therefore, the crisis between Israel and Lebanon is not merely a conflict between two states, but is a more complicated question involving state actors -- Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Iran -- and non-state actors -- Hezbollah, Hamas and other Palestinian militant factions. It is in Iran's and Syria's interests to support these armed groups -- especially Hezbollah -- but if Israel threatens to expand the war into the larger region, this support could weaken.

Lebanon 'has been torn to shreds'

Bombing dairy factories and electricity plants will only make Hezbollah supporters depend on Hezbollah more.

Israel knows as well as anyone else that Hezbollah in Lebanon is a state within a state. Hezbollah didn't build those rockets. Syria and Iran are fighting their wars against the West and Israel through Lebanon. Syria should be fighting in the Golan, not here.
The international community should start twisting Iranian and Syrian arms. It spends hours arguing over Iran's nuclear reactor. And they want the least powerful authority, the Lebanese government, to tackle Hezbollah on its own.
Since it all started, there has been a lot of damage, and death. The Lebanese who thought that their country was, at last, building a better future for itself are heartbroken about what is happening.
Now Beirut is left behind, its sun struggling through a shroud of smoke from the fires started by Israeli strikes. Less than a week ago Lebanon was basking in its summer, proud that foreigners wanted to come here again.


Canada: 40,000
Philippines: 30,000
Australia: 25,000
US: 25,000
UK: 22,000 (inc. 10,000 with dual nationality)
France: 20,000
Figures correct at start of conflict

Heart broken

Once again, foreigners are turning their backs on Lebanon.
Now Beirut is left behind, its sun struggling through a shroud of smoke from the fires started by Israeli strikes. Less than a week ago Lebanon was basking in its summer, proud that foreigners wanted to come here again.

What justifies this atrocity?

Lebanon is being destroyed, has the world gone blind? Have they no conscience?

It is hell in lebanon,

BUT BEWARE BUT COULD SPREAD EVRYWHERE

IF USA FaiL TO RESCUE THE SITUATION IN LEBANON,
9/11 WILL BE NOTHING COMPARING TO NEW EVENT

BEFORE THE CRISIS LEBANON --------- WAS WAITING BOR A BEAUTIFUL SUMMER

Lebanon has it all for the perfect summer! Gorgeous beaches, vibrant night life, cool and relaxing mountains, cultural and historical tourist attractions, unlimited entertainment, delicious food, an impressive casino, and finally amazing and beautiful people who will be s
July 03

It's gonna be a SIZZLING HOT summer in Beirut!
Well, July is now underway, the summer has truly kicked in. In Lebanon in particular, this summer promises to be crowded, exciting, fun, and hot hot hot!!!
Lufthansa, as well as other airlines I'm sure, is increasing its capacity of flights to Lebanon, totalling 7 per week, using an Airbus AB6, which can seat 270 passengers! That's almost 2000 passengers a week flying in on Lufthansa alone! That's not to mention all the other popular airlines that fly to Lebanon from international destinations such as Air France, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, KLM, Cyprus Airways, and more.

Furthermore, as the temperature is rising, so are the number of events going on in the country. Just to name a few:

The Byblos International Festival will be hosting reknown celebrities such as:

- Barabara Hendricks
- Francis Cabrel (one of my very very favorite French singers! Unfortunately I won't be there )
- Sean Paul
and more!

The BeitEddine Festival will also be hosting hot celebrities such as:
- Ricky Martin
- Liza Minelli
- famous Lebanese singer Magida Al Roumi
and more!

The Baalbeck Festival will be greeting classics such as:
- Lebanese Diva, Fairouz
- Deep Purple
- Oriental dance troupe Caracalla
- St. Petersburg ballet
- and more!


Even 50 cent toured Lebanon this summer!


Of course, there will also be the Expats gathering which I have talked about extensively in my blog in the past.

The beautiful beaches, night life, restaurants, mountain, and all that remains readily available. Not to mention all the famous touristic destinations Baalbeck, Tyre, Byblos, Saida and all! Who wouldn't want to spend a summer in Beirut?



Lebanon has it all for the perfect summer! Gorgeous beaches, vibrant night life, cool and relaxing mountains, cultural and historical tourist attractions, unlimited entertainment, delicious food, an impressive casino, and finally amazing and beautiful people who will be sure to greet you and make your stay unforgettable.

For more information on visiting Lebanon go to:
Travel to Lebanon

For a full program of each festival, just click on the name of the festival.

Hizballah leader Hassan Nassrallah and top command are holed up in Hermel, the northern Lebanese panhandle bordering Syria
July 17, 2006, 11:02 AM (GMT+02:00)
Among them, according to DEBKAfile’s military and Iranian sources, are Hizballah’s “chief of staff” Ibrahim Akil, its head of intelligence and terror Imad Mughniyeh and commander of special operations Halil Harab.
The group fled their Beirut HQ Saturday night, July 15, and went to ground in the emergency staff bunkers prepared in advance of their July 12 attack on Israel.
After failing to prevent the top Hizballah leaders’ escape from Beirut, the Israeli air force headed north Monday morning, July 17, and is clobbering the Hermel region.
DEBKAfile adds: The Hermel drug-farming pocket bordered north and east by Syria is the haunt of smugglers who use the remote, strategically placed region to move fighters, weapons, cash and drugs across Syria into Iraq and as a staging post to other parts of the Middle East. The smuggling gangs’ overlord is Mughniyeh, a triple Hizballah-Iran-al Qaeda agent and terrorist executive, who has figured high on the US wanted terrorist list for more than two decades. On his orders, the smugglers recently relocated their main operation from the Syrian-Iraqi border to the Syrian-Lebanese border in preparation for the new warfront against Israel. In the last 48 hours, Iran has used this illicit route to beat the Israeli air, sea and land blockade and pump quantities of rockets, anti-air and anti-tank missiles and other advanced weapons systems to Hizballah for a fresh escalation.
Syria's role in this smuggling operation is critical.
DEBKAfile’s Iranian sources add that the holds of all the Iranian passenger flights landing in Damascus from Thursday, July 13, have been crammed with weapons for Hizballah.
Friday and Saturday, 25 Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers, anti-tank and anti-air missile experts, arrived in mufti in the Syrian capital. They were led by the smugglers across mountain routes into Lebanon. Mughniye, a confidant of Iran's Ali Khamenei and Osama bin Laden, is constantly at Nasrallah’s side. He is believed by Israeli intelligence to have engineered the kidnap of the two Israeli soldiers on which sparked the hostilities July 12.

July 2006 War, Click for Pictures >> Last Uploads

السنيورة يطالب بوقف شامل وفوري للنار برعاية الامم المتحدة: لا نستطيع النهوض اذا كانت الدولة آخر من يعلم وأولَ من يُطالَب
المستقبل

MISSING ISRAELI SOLDIERS HELD AT THE IRANIAN EMBASSY IN BEIRUT
Delicate Intelligence information coming out of Hezbollah indicated that the 2 missing captives of the Israeli Army Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev have been smuggled outside Southern Lebanon to the capital.They are secretly being held at the Embassy of Iran in Beirut, under direct Iranian security guards supervision.

Will Syria Get Respect?
At the most basic level, the present conflagration in Israel and Lebanon is all about gaining "respect" in the tough and nasty street wars of the Middle East. The region's leaders, many of whom are new and untested, are seeking to demonstrate where true authority and might lies now that the tide of American power that swept over the region following 9-11 is draining away. A tectonic shift is taking place as local actors who have had their ears pinned back for several years are beginning to assert themselves anew.Sami Moubayed clearly and concisely lays out the motivations of Hamas' and Hizbullah's leaders in sparking the present escalation of war with Israel in his article, "Its war by any other name."Khalid Meshal, Hamas' Damascus based leader, intended to assert his authority over Hamas and its new Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya, who was voted into office earlier this year. Haniyya "wants to run a country" and "needs to bring money into the Palestinian territories," Sami writes. "Haniyya made several gestures of goodwill toward Israel (much to the displeasure of Meshal), to improve the livelihood of the Palestinians" and ensure the survival of a Hamas government. "Meshal had other plans for the Hamas-led government," Sami assures us. He wants it to fail and Hamas to return to the opposition, where it does not have to make concessions. That is why he ordered the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier on June 25 - to scuttle Haniyya's plans and bring down the Hamas government. Meshal's tactic worked perfectly because Olmert shares his desire to see Hamas moved back into the opposition. He will not grant concessions to Haniyya and did not like his advances any more than Meshal did. Israel's new Prime Minister has taken refuge with his hawks in order to assert himself and build his tough guy credentials.Olmert's re-occupation of Gaza, destruction of Hamas' infrastructure, and round up of Hamas government ministers and parliamentarians, who he had dragged before a military court bound hand and foot in chains, was a stunning display of Israeli strength. It enflamed Arab passions and opened the door for Hizbullah's coup.Nasrallah, in carrying out his cool cross border operation, could act as if he was coming to the aid of the Palestinians, while really intending his fury for Siniora's ineffectual and paralyzed government. Like Olmert, Nasrallah is demonstrating to the world that Hariri and his men are nothing. They do not have an army, they cannot defend themselves. They cannot defend Lebanon. All their cozying up to the United States these last few years got them nothing. Washington will not stand by its new friends in Lebanon when Israeli bombs are falling. Nasrallah has dramatically and irrevocably underlined for the Arab World that the United States is not on the side of Arabs and not on the side of Lebanon. All Washington’s honeyed words about standing by Lebanon's side in its tough battle with Damascus, Hizbullah and terrorism were nothing but cotton candy. With a small summer rain, they melted away.Nasrallah has been waiting for just such a moment to display the stunning new power Hizbullah has amassed with its longer range rockets and well trained militia. He has surprised Israelis and Arabs alike in his ability to cause pain.For this reason, Saad Hariri's people have been unable to unequivocally condemn Hizbullah as a terror organization that has started this outburst and deserves the blame for Israel's destruction of Lebanon. Hariri is caught in Hizbullah's logic. Enough of Lebanon still thinks Arab, making it impossible to put the blame squarely on Hizbullah, which is posing as the Arab champion. Israel is refusing to fall for the old Lebanese line - "indulge me while I have an identity crisis for another decade." Olmert is cutting Hariri and Siniora no slack. If the government cannot rein in Hizbullah, Israel will have no patience for Hariri. Those who cannot rule will get no respect when the bullets start flying -- not from Israel, not from the US, and most importantly for Hariri and Siniora, not from the Lebanese.Ynet News writes that Israel has given Syria's Asad 74 hours to bring a halt to Hizbullah and get its soldiers released. It also reports that Al-Hayat reported that
“a senior Pentagon source warned that should the Arab world and international community fail in the efforts to convince Syria to pressure Hizbullah into releasing the soldiers and halt the current escalation Israel may attack targets in the country.” Al-Hayat quoted the source as saying that “the US cannot rule out the possibility of an Israeli strike in Syria,” this despite the fact that the Bush administration has asked Israel to “refrain from any military activity that may result in civilian casualties.” 'Hizbullah made the same mistake' al-Hayat reported that President George W. Bush has repeatedly put much of the blame for the recent escalation on Syria. “It is no coincidence that the Hizbullah operation comes at a time when the international community is working to impose sanctions on Iran due to its nuclear program and settle the score with Syria by establishing an international court to try those behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri,” the Pentagon source said. According to the source, Hizbullah made the same mistake as Hamas when it did not predict the ramifications of its actions and ignored the regional and international changes since the fall of Saddam Hussein. The source said that Israel has indicated that it “will not end its military activity until a new situation is created that will prevent Syria and Iran from using terror organizations, such as Hamas and Hizbullah, to threaten its security.” Some credibility is given this report by the fact that the Defense Department has asked congress to allocate close to $300 million for jet fuel to be supplied to the Israeli air force. Clearly the Defense Department is running with this and is prepared to use Israel as its stalking horse in the Middle East. How far Washington is willing to go in this game or how far Israel is willing to go is anyone's guess. My guess is that cooler heads in Washington will not allow Israel to drag the US into strikes against Syria or Iran. Both Muqtada al-Sadr and Iranian authorities have said that US soldiers will be targeted if Syria is hit. This is an election year. The US is trying to get itself out of the Middle East quagmire, not into it. The US was led down the garden path by Rumsfeld and Cheney once, it will not allow itself to be so easily led by the nose again. This time there is no believing that western bombs will be met by Arabs with flowers or eager democrats. I don't buy the Defense Department's bluster.There are plenty of tough talkers in the US. The New Republic has come out swinging in its editorials, calling for the US to get tough with Syria. The Weekly Standard has done the same in an article by Jeffrey Azarva of the Enterprise Institute, entitled, "Getting Serious About Syria." Michael Young, the Lebanese commentator, has done the same in a New York Times op-ed, "Middle East II: Israel's invasion, Syria's war." He writes: "Unless something is done to stop Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, from exporting instability to buttress his despotic regime, little will change." He advises the UN to send troops into Lebanon to disarm Hizbullah, Israel to call off its invasion, and the US to talk tough with Asad. This all sounds reasonable, but the UN will never send troops to disarm Hizbullah. Israel has already been down that road with little success. If Israel cannot get Hizbullah to cry uncle, no one else will be able to. We will see how much success Israel has along these lines in the next week or so.A secondary debate about Syria's role in Lebanon is being hotly contested. Does Hizbullah take its marching orders from Syria? Paul Pillar, a leading CIA analyst who got fired for giving bad news to Bush on Iraq, claims that Syria is not Hizbullah's master in the LA Times. Sean McCormack, the chief State Department spokesman, said that Iran and Syria "subcontract" terrorist attacks through Hezbollah.My own take on this question is that Hizbullah's relationship to Syria is much like Israel's with the United States. As Bush said yesterday, the US does not tell Israel how to defend itself. Nevertheless, no one would suggest that Israel does not run major foreign policy moves by its friends in Washington before launching them. It would not like to get too far out ahead of Washington and lose cover. The same goes for the relationship between Hizbullah and Syria. The two have a close relationship and in something as big as the present escalation, Hizbullah would not want to lose Syrian or Iranian support. Doing so would leave it very exposed. The three powers need to coordinate very closely in the coming weeks. If they can be divided, they will be easy prey.Israel is attempting to cut Lebanon off from Syria so that Hizbullah will be isolated and unable to resupply itself. This Israel may be able to do. The majority of its targets so far have been aimed at cutting off Lebanon's communications with the outside world. The Israeli chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, said the air strikes would continue until the Israeli soldiers were returned and the Lebanese government took responsibility for Hezbollah’s actions. Israel, he said, also wanted to deliver “a clear message to both greater Beirut and Lebanon that they’ve swallowed a cancer and have to vomit it up, because if they don’t their country will pay a very high price.” Asked about possible Syrian intervention, General Halutz said, “There’s no reason for the Syrians to jump into a pool they might drown in.”Such talk sounds tough and good, but how exactly does Israel expect the Lebanese government to "take responsibility for Hizbullah’s actions? How is it supposed to vomit up Hizbullah? Young has suggested that the UN should fly to the rescue, but that cannot happen until Hizbullah cries uncle and asks it to send in peace keeping troops. Hizbullah is not like the Palestinians who could be shipped off to Tunis. It is Lebanese.Anyway, Hizbullah is intent on trumpeting its own tough talk. After his house was bombed by Israeli jets, Nasrallah exclaimed, “You Zionists, you wanted an open war and you will have it,” and he promised “to reach Haifa and even farther.” He continued: “You want your government to change the rules of the game? This game will change. Now you know whom you’re fighting with. You are fighting the sons of Muhammad and Ali.”Helen Cooper, writing an analysis piece, "U.S., Needing Options, Finds Its Hands Tied," in the New York Times, explains how the US has hamstrung itself by refusing to talk to high ranking Syrians or Iranians. She writes,
The United States does not talk to Tehran, and its communications with Syria are few; Mr. Bush recalled his ambassador to Syria, Margaret Scobey, after the assassination in Lebanon of Rafik Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister, in February 2005.That has left the administration to subcontract its diplomacy to others — the United Nations, Europe, Egypt, Jordan. None are superpowers, and their influence has been limited.Robert Fisk, an old Middle East hand, believes that the US will be forced to talk to Damascus when the dust begins to settle. He writes:
Fouad Siniora, Lebanon's affable Prime Minister, may have thought he was running the country but it is President Bashar Assad in Damascus who can still bring life or death to a land that lost 150,000 lives in 15 years of civil conflict.And there is one certain bet that Syria will rely on; that despite all Israel's threats of inflicting "pain" on Lebanon, this war will run out of control until - as has so often happened in the past - Israel itself calls for a ceasefire and releases prisoners. Then the international big-hitters will arrive and make their way to the real Lebanese capital - Damascus, not Beirut - and appeal for help.Fisk may well be right. If Washington and Israel do have to settle this by going to Damascus, then Bashar will have sent his message loud and clear: I am here. I demand respect. Cut out all the silliness about isolation and the blind eye doctor. Syria is an important player. Anyone who wants to do business in the region will have to address me politely and be ready to trade in kind. Syria is not a charitable organization.

- Syria is helping the Lebanese evacuate Lebanon by charging 1000$ per person to cross the international border toward inland Syria

IF YOU HAVE A BLOG or a WEBSITE, PLEASE POST THIS!

OK guys, this is the plan. I can't stand here, watching doing nothing. Ashraf my fellow blogger from Philly has urged me to do something, just as I was planning this is in my head. The truth is that we are at the mercy of world leaders. However, I think they should know how we feel. I!
have drafted a short letter to be sent to all the world leaders that you can think of. I have provided some email addresses. Please feel free to add more emails to your list of leaders. Please forward this email to all your friends, and urge them to send this email to world leaders. The idea is to flood world leader's emails with our plea. They must receive thousands of emails from people all over the world. Please circulate this as much as you can. I will transfer it to all my fellow bloggers and email it to all my family and friends. Please do the same! We must do something

Dear World Leaders,

This letter is a plea from the Lebanese people, and friends of Lebanon. We urge you to exercise any political influence you may have to guide a cease fire between Israel and Hezbollah. Negotiations must take place. The violence that has escalated in Lebanon has gotten out of control, it is insanity! The people of Lebanon are suffering; the Lebanese economy will suffer deeply for years to come. As I am sure you know anger, resentment, and poverty can only lead to further extremism. For the welfare of Lebanese citizens, Israeli citizens, the stability of the Middle East, and indeed the world, we implore you to take action as soon as possible to prevent further violence, destruction, and casualties.

Sincerely,
Friends and Citizens of Lebanon


It’s your choice, you can send this email to the one, more than one, or all of the following:
Also, please feel free to send this to anyone you deem appropriate and to add your personal touch to the letter. But always try to keep it polite and civilized. Thank you.

The White House: comments@whitehouse.gov

U.S. VP: vice_president@whitehouse.gov

Israeli minister of defense: pniot@mod.gov.il

Israeli Minister of foreign affairs: feedback@mfa.gov.il

The French President: go to this site:

http://www.elysee.fr/elysee/elysee.fr/francais/le_president/son_portrait/portrait_de_m_jacques_chirac_president_de_la_republique.39705.html

click on “Ecrire au President” and copy paste this text in the box provided.
The British government: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Syria and Hizbullah on the Attack
The Hizbullah incursion into Israel to capture two Israeli soldiers to be used as a bargaining chip for the release of Lebanese prisoners being held in Israel was carried out smoothly. Ostensibly, it was an operation that had only limited goals. Hizbullah has been announcing for over a year that it would kidnap Israeli soldiers if Lebanese prisoners in Israel were not released. As Anthony Shadid writes from Lebanon:
The attack Wednesday was almost sure to bolster the martial reputation of Hezbollah, which probably enjoys more support in the rest of the Arab world than in Lebanon itself, where other sectarian factions have pushed for it to disarm. Nasrallah has vowed on numerous occasions to seize soldiers as a bargaining chip for the Lebanese prisoners; in one speech, he said it would happen this year.But in the larger arena of the Middle East, Hizbullah's attack on Israel was clearly timed to increase pressure on Israel and the US when they are most vulnerable. Passions in the region have been inflamed against Israel and the US by Israel's aggressive incursion into Gaza and attempt to force the rapid collapse of the Palestinian Authority led by Hamas.Normally, Hizbullah would have to be very cautious about embroiling Lebanon in another round of fighting with Israel for fear that Lebanon's other sects would condemn it. But with the Gaza situation having aroused general anger against Israel, Hizbullah felt free to jump into the fight on the side of the Palestinians, knowing that even its Christian enemies in Lebanon could not condemn it for sacrificing Lebanon's infrastructure and all important tourist season.Syria is thrilled by the opportunity to undermine America and Israel's general policies in the region. For years, Asad has insisted that the US is following contradictory, hypocritical and unrealizable policies in the region and has opposed them. The United States has condemned Syria for terrorism and being a force of evil in the region because Syria not only refuses to help the US achieve its goals in the region, but has been actively working to frustrate them. Washington has asked Syria to help build a strong Hariri led government Lebanon, build a strong pro-American government in Iraq, and help Israel tame the Palestinians in the occupied territories while it establishes the wall through the West Bank as its border.The US has sought to isolate Syria, cut off its regional trade, push it out of Lebanon, and starve it of international funds and assistance. Syria believes it must hurt the US where it can in order to force Washington to rethink its anti-Syrian and general regional policies. Syria insists that Washington must engage it if it wants even a modicum of Syrian cooperation. It will continue to encourage its allies to attack American interests in Lebanon and Israel until it gets that engagement. With the United States on the run in Iraq, frustrated by the Hariri government's weakness, extended in the UN by its losing showdown with Iran, and embarrassed by Israel's aggressive anti-Palestinian policies, Syria is feeling strong. It can now go on the offensive. Damascus feels confident that Washington cannot counter-attack at this time. It has few arrows left in its quiver.So far it looks like Israel may be playing into Syria's hands by holding the Hariri government responsible for the Hizbullah attacks and not just Hizbullah and its backers. The New York Times quotes Prime Minister Ehud Olmert:
"I want to make clear that the event this morning is not a terror act, but an act of a sovereign state that attacked Israel without reason,” Mr. Olmert said. “The government of Lebanon, of which Hezbollah is a part, is trying to shake the stability of the region.” Israel is demanding that all three soldiers be returned and that militants stop firing rockets at Israelis from Gaza in the south and Lebanon in the north. But both Hamas and Hezbollah are holding out for an exchange for a large number of Palestinian and other Arab prisoners held by Israel.The New York Sun, quotes Israel's army's chief of staff, Lieutenant General Dan Halutz, saying that the military operations being planned would "turn back the clock in Lebanon by 20 years" if the kidnapped soldiers were not returned.Israel threatens to reoccupy and strip of Lebanese land in the South. This will only relegitimize Hizbullah, which claims it is a legitimate Lebanese resistance movement fighting occupation. The bombing of the Beirut Airport will also serve to undermining the Lebanese government, not to isolate Hizbullah. By attacking the central government, Israel will push ordinary Lebanese onto Hizbullah's side, not deepen the divide between the two. This will speed up the collapse of Washington's Lebanon policy, which is to strengthen the central government and Hariri's Future Party. Olmert's need to prove his military toughness will undermine the West's standing in Lebanon and undermine its allies there. The central government in Beirut has no means to discipline or disarm Hizbullah, nor does the United States. George Bush tried to defend the Beirut government as Israel attacked it. This is not a good sign of unity. Syria and Hizbullah will play on this lack of unity for all they are worth in an effort to bring out the contradictions in Washington's policy: one-sided support for Israel and support for pro-American Arabs.The US will expect pro-American governments in the region to condemn the Hizbullah action. But Saudi Arabi, Egypt, and the Lebanese governments will find themselves condemned by their own people if they take Israel's side in this fight.Robin Wright of the Washington Post, who explains how the several Middle East crisis are all linked, explains that:
The White House said it is holding Iran and Syria responsible for the flare-up along Lebanon's border because of their long-standing support for Hezbollah. It charged that the seizure of two soldiers was deliberately timed to "exacerbate already high tensions in the region and sow further violence."Hezbollah's actions are not in the interest of the Lebanese people, whose welfare should not be held hostage to the interests of the Syrian and Iranian regimes," a statement said.Robert Malley, of the international Crisis Group, explained why the US has so little leverage to stop the violence this time around. "By cutting off its relations with states such as Syria and Iran it has very little ability to convince them to do favors for Washington."
The Bush administration has few ways of directly pressuring Iran on any of the three fronts [Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria]. "They have sanctioned themselves out of leverage on Iran," Malley said. "They have cornered themselves out of a lack of influence on any of the parties that are driving this -- Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria and Iran. Counseling restraint or condemning actions is pretty meager when you think of the influence the United States should be wielding."The United States reached out to Arab allies -- Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia -- to weigh in with Syria and, through Damascus, to Iran. In Paris for talks on Iran's nuclear program, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on all sides to "act with restraint." She also talked to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.But the U.S. options stand in stark contrast to the U.S.-brokered cease-fires in 1993 and 1996 between Israel and Hezbollah, via Syria.In the coming months, we can expect Syria to move more forcefully to the counter-attack. Syria feels confident that it has the upper hand for the first time since 2003. Syria wants to show Washington what a failure it is. Thus, it will turn up the pressure on Washington just as Washington turned up the pressure on Syria over the last two years. Damascus is determined to demonstrate to Washington that there is a price to be paid for not dealing with Syria as a respected power in the region.Washington thought it could roll Syria out of Lebanon, destroy Hamas, and force the Iraqi government to boycott Damascus. Asad will do what he can to demonstrate that Washington does not have the power to do this and will fail in its anti-Syrian policies. Only by cutting deals with Damascus can Washington hope to run a successful Middle East policy. This is Asad's goal.Now that American influence and power in the region is on the decline, Asad's is on ascendant. He will make trouble for pro-US politicians in Lebanon and support Hizbullah, he will do what he can to keep Hamas alive, and he will try to broaden his relations with Iraqi politicians in an effort to get trade deals and oil flowing through the Syrian pipeline again. In Iraq, Syria has little interest in promoting violence, which it has little control over and which can come back to hurt it. But it will try to make itself useful to the Iraq government and powers on the ground in order to get trade flowing to strengthen Syria.He must prove to Washington that only a policy of engagement, not isolation, will work.

NYC Tunnel Qaeda Plotter Had Strong Detroit Hezbollah, Palestinian Ties
Dear Nicholas,

SCHLUSSEL EXCLUSIVE:
By Debbie Schlussel
Assem Hammoud, the ringleader of the Al-Qaeda plot to bomb several New York City tunnels and murder thousands of commuters, had strong ties to Detroit. And to Hezbollah.
Several of Hammoud's relatives in Detroit--most of whom share his surname--have been indicted in a series of Hezbollah schemes, including money laundering, cigarette smuggling, black marketeering, and a series of other illegal activities all aimed at funding Hezbollah. Hammouds convicted in cigarette smuggling include Mohamad and Chawki Hammoud (see here, also), Bassem Hammoud, and others--all of them from the Detroit Hezbollah Hammoud syndicate.
Reportedly, Assem Hammoud had contact with some of his Detroit relatives over the years and more recently when he was in Canada, engaged in taqiyah (deception of Infidels) with his Canadian lovelies (note the Islam-prohibited alcohol in the pic). He had a Canadian girlfriend, holds a Canadian passport, and just "loves life and fun," according to his mother. Sure, he does.
Al-Qaeda/Hezbollah Plotter Against America Assem Hammoud
(Pictured w/ Easily Duped Canadian Girlfriends at Right)
More might have been learned about Hammoud, his Al-Qaeda plot and its connection with his Hezbollah relatives in Detroit, were it not for the incompetence of U.S. Attorney Stephen Murphy III a/k/a "Abu Porno," President Bush's outrageous nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals. Murphy and his staff sat on an indictment of several Hammouds and their Hezbollah pot FOR TWO YEARS! after the indictment was brought, enabling most of the Hammouds to flee the country back to Lebanon, flight that Murphy deliberately did nothing to prevent.
Hammoud, a Shia Muslim and member of Al-Qaeda, was also active in Hezbollah. This is important because it gives lie to the long-held misguided convention of FBI and CIA officials that Shi'ite Hezbollah and Sunni Al-Qaeda are at odds and don't work together. In fact, they have and they do, as we've detailed on this site. And this operation being planned for New York tunnels was also likely a joint Qaeda/Hezbollah plot, giving lie to claims from Hezbollah supporters like U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa a/k/a "Jihad Darrell" that Hezbollah is not a "global" terrorist group. It is and is a component of the Al-Qaeda network.
Among many other terrorist activities, Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda worked together in:
* the Khobar Towers bombing;
* training insurgent terrorists in Iraq;
* production of IED explosives used by terrorists in Iraq.
It is also significant that Assem Hammoud trained at Ein El-Hilweh, a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. That is a Sunni camp, more evidence that Sunnis and Shi'ites are working in unison against the common enemy--us.
We might have been able to learn much more about Al-Qaeda's and Hezbollah's intertwinement . . . if U.S. Attorney Stephen Murphy III hadn't wantonly let Assem Hammoud's Hezbollah relatives flee the country over two years. Now, he's being rewarded with a spot on one of the highest courts in the land for it.
So what was that President Bush was saying about how "you're either on our side or the terrorists' side?!"

Syria: U.S. Relations and Bilateral Issues
The Library of Congress
Alfred B. PradosSpecialist in Middle Eastern AffairsForeign Affairs,
Defense, and Trade Division