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Lebanon

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Is Lebanon’s central bank a Ponzi scheme ?

Is Lebanon's central bank a Ponzi scheme ?

30 November 2019
The situation in Lebanon is deteriorating. Traffic lanes have all been reopened, but a rift has emerged between those who favour the free flow of traffic and the road blockers. The Free Patriotic Movement of President Michel Aoun, the Shiite Amal Movement of parliament speaker Nabih Berri and the Hezbollah condemn road closures; while the Future Movement led by Saad Hariri, a Sunni, the Lebanese Forces of the Maronite Samir Geagea and the Progressive Socialist Party of Walid Jumblatt, (...)

What lies behind the resignations in Lebanon

What lies behind the resignations in Lebanon

15 November 2019
After the Lebanese revolt started in October 2019, the first roadblocks were put up by the Christian Lebanese Forces of Samir Geagea (photo) and the Phalange of the Gemayel family.
The top officials of these two organizations had learned from King Abdullah II of Jordan that US President Trump’s special adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, submitted to Lebanese Prime Minister (Sunni Muslim), Saad Hariri, the idea of granting Lebanese nationality not only to Palestinian refugees in (...)

Lebanese banks urged to re-capitalize

Lebanese banks urged to re-capitalize

7 November 2019
The Lebanese central bank, Banque du Liban, has issued the following directives to the main banks in the country :
not to distribute to shareholders the profits accrued in 2019; and
to build up own funds as compared to 31 December 2018, by an initial increase of 10% before 31 December 2019, followed by another 10% before 30 June 2020.
The capital of the 16 major banks (Bank Audi, BLOM Bank, Société de Banque Générale au Liban (SGBL), Byblos Bank, Fransabank, Bankmed, Bank of Beirut (BOB), (...)

Illusionary reopening of Lebanese banks

Illusionary reopening of Lebanese banks

3 November 2019
On 1 November 2019, the Lebanese central bank authorized the reopening of private banks, while deciding to indefinitely impose restrictions on withdrawls and transfers abroad to $ 2,500 per week. This measure applies to everyone, including businesses and foreigners.
The current protests in Lebanon were sparked by a cash crisis, inhibiting money withdrawals from bank accounts and ATMs. In the circumstances, the government and parliament were forced to hastily adopt a new tax, soon to be (...)

U.S Treasury Designates Vast Iranian Petroleum Shipping Network

U.S Treasury Designates Vast Iranian Petroleum Shipping Network

Washington D. C. (États-Unis) | 4 September 2019
Network of vessels and facilitators has moved hundreds of millions of dollars to Assad regime, Hizballah, and illicit actors
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against a large shipping network that is directed by and financially supports the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and its terrorist proxy Hizballah. Over the past year, the IRGC-QF has moved oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars or more through this network (...)

Paraguay’s Designation of Hizballah as a Terrorist Organization

Paraguay's Designation of Hizballah as a Terrorist Organization

Washington D. C. (États-Unis) | 21 August 2019
U.S. Department of State
We commend Paraguay for designating Hizballah, al-Qa’ida, ISIS, and Hamas as terrorist organizations. This important step will help cut off the ability of these groups to plot terrorist attacks and to raise money around the world, including in the Western Hemisphere.
The world is increasingly recognizing Hizballah for what it is – not a defender of Lebanon as it purports to be, but a terrorist organization dedicated to advancing Iran’s malicious agenda. Like (...)

London deems that some of Lebanon’s ministers are terrorists

London deems that some of Lebanon's ministers are terrorists

2 March 2019
The House of Lords has adopted an amendment to anti-terrorist legislation passed in 2000. The effect of the amendment: every part of Hezbollah without exception will be deemed a terrorist organization. This text will enter into force on 1 March 2019 at midnight.
Hezbollah is a Lebanese network that is resisting Israeli invasion. Previously it was armed by Syria but since 2005 it has been armed by Iran.
Today Hezbollah holds a third of the seats in the Lebanese Parliament and three (...)

The Economic Summit of the Arab League and the case of Moussa Sadr

The Economic Summit of the Arab League and the case of Moussa Sadr

12 January 2019
The Economic Summit of the Arab League was due to be held in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, on 19 and 20 January. However at least two issues raise doubts whether it will go ahead:
First, there is an intense battle between the member states of the Arab League on the convenience of the Syrian Arab Republic becoming a member again;
Second, the Lebanese Party Amal, established during the Lebanese Civil War by Iranian Imam Moussa Sadr, is opposed to a Lebanese delegation attending the (...)

Has Hezbollah built a tunnel to Israel? Israel has not provided enough evidence

Has Hezbollah built a tunnel to Israel? Israel has not provided enough evidence

7 December 2018
For the third consecutive day, the Israeli defence forces are continuing operation “Northern Shield”. The project is under the command of the Head of the North Region, General Yoël Strick, and is being supervised by the Head of the General Staff, General Gadi Eizenkot.
Tsahal has declared that it discovered two of Hezbollah’s tunnels that penetrate into Israeli territory. The Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN, Ambassador Danny Danon, has denounced this as a violation of Resolution (...)

Who is violating Resolution 1701? Israel or Lebanon?

Who is violating Resolution 1701? Israel or Lebanon?

7 December 2018
This photo was taken on 4 December in Kfar Kila (Lebanon). To the right you’ll see several vehicles of the Blue Helmets of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFL). To the left, between the Palestine flags and the flags of Resistance, you see a placard that pays homage to a young Hezbollah combatant now a martyr, and the flags of the Lebanese Resistance and the Palestine. In this area, the road signs to the Israeli border do not mention “Israel”, but rather “Palestine”.
UNIFL is not (...)

Tsahal’s clean up of the Hezbollah’s tunnels at the Israeli border

Tsahal's clean up of the Hezbollah's tunnels at the Israeli border

5 December 2018
On 4 December, the Israeli Defence forces launched an operation to destroy the tunnels dug out by the Lebanese Hezbollah in the No Man’s Land established by the United Nations between the two countries (Operation “Northern Lock”).
Four years ago, the Hezbollah constructed tunnels in this area. This would provide it with a way of passing under the border should Israel attack, and allow it to make a counter attack against the Hebrew State.
Tsahal now has sonars for detecting tunnels. Till (...)

Remarks by Donald Trump Commemorating the 35th Anniversary of the Attack on Beirut Barracks

by Donald Trump

Remarks by Donald Trump Commemorating the 35th Anniversary of the Attack on Beirut Barracks

Washington D. C. (États-Unis) | 25 October 2018
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you very much. (Applause.) That’s fantastic. Thank you. Please be seated. Thank you very much. A lot of spirit in this room. (Laughter.) A lot of spirit. For good reason.
We’re gathered together on this solemn occasion to fulfill our most reverent and sacred duty. Thirty-five years ago, 241 American service members were murdered in the terrorist attack on our Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. It was a very sad period of time. These are great, (...)

Remarks by Michel Aoun to the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly

by Général Michel Aoun

Remarks by Michel Aoun to the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly

New York (USA) | 26 September 2018
Your Excellency Mrs. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, President of the General Assembly,
Your Excellency the Secretary General of the United Nations Mr. Antonio Guterres,
Ladies and gentlemen the heads of States and Governments,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the onset, I would like to congratulate Your Excellency on chairing the seventy-third session of the United Nations General Assembly, wishing you success in this mission. I would also like to thank His Excellency Mr. Miroslav Lajcak for (...)

Turkish Journalist Ayten Öztürk is kidnapped in Lebanon by Turkish CIA

Turkish Journalist Ayten Öztürk is kidnapped in Lebanon by Turkish CIA

17 September 2018
On 9 March 2018, the Lebanese police arrested the Turkish citizen Ayten Öztürk at the international airport Rafiq Hariri (Beirut, Lebanon), when she was making her way to Greece.
On 13 March, the Minister for Home Affairs, Nohad Machnouk, secretly referred her to the Turkish equivalent of the CIA or MI5 (Millî İstihbarat Teşkilatı (MİT), bypassing the judicial process for extradition.
Mr Machnouk is a member of the Current of the Future (Hariri’s party).
Ayten Öztürk is a journalist who opposes (...)

Does Lebanon finally recognize the end of the war in Syria?

Does Lebanon finally recognize the end of the war in Syria?

1 September 2018
It appears that the President of Lebanon, Michel Aoun, had a telephone conversation with his Syrian partner, Bashar al-Assad.
This is remarkable because since the beginning of the war in Syria, only the Russian President, Vladamir Putin and the President of South Ossetia, Anatoli Bibilov, have had official contacts at this level with the Syrian Arab Republic.
Most states in the world consider that the war in Syria is a “civil war” whereas Russia and South Ossetia have declared that it is (...)

Sergey Lavrov news conference with Gebran Bassil

by Sergey Lavrov

Sergey Lavrov news conference with Gebran Bassil

Moscow (Russia) | 20 August 2018
Sergey Lavrov: Ladies and gentlemen,
We have held talks with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of the Lebanese Republic Gebran Bassil. The talks took place in a traditionally friendly atmosphere, were highly informative, and included bilateral relations and regional issues.
Given the nature of multi-faith Lebanese society, Russia has always regarded stability there as a crucial element of regional architecture. We consistently express support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, (...)

Angie hits Jordan and Lebanon

by Thierry Meyssan

Angie hits Jordan and Lebanon

Damascus (Syria) | 26 June 2018
Throughout her voyage of the Levant, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel (Angie), is presenting herself as a person with a good heart, who wants Germany to play its part to helping the Syrian refugees. But the people that she is speaking see her as a fallen angel, who is masking her true intentions which are to wage war against Syria.

Lebanon elections: less than one out of two voters

Lebanon elections: less than one out of two voters

7 May 2018
After nine years in which no national consultation on universal suffrage took place, on 6 May 2018, Lebanon held legislative elections.
Each voter is assigned to a registered religious community. Which community you are allocated to is hereditary and has nothing to do with your faith or lack of faith.
A new electoral law guaranteed the status quo: the number of MPs by religious community was fixed in advance. Similarly, the offices of the President of the Assembly and Prime Minister were (...)

The Second Brussels Conference: Lebanon expressed its opposition

The Second Brussels Conference: Lebanon expressed its opposition

28 April 2018
On 25 April 2018 the Second Conference of Brussels in support of Syria and the other countries in the region, organized by the European Union and the United Nations, was brought to a close.
The donor states put on show their desire to help Lebanon to continue to provide shelter to the Syrian refugees for as long as it takes to come up with a political solution for Syria . Accordingly, they entreated host countries to give legal status to refugees even if they return on a temporary basis (...)

«The Art of War»

In the USA/NATO grip

by Manlio Dinucci

In the USA/NATO grip

Rome (Italy) | 13 March 2018
In 2006, Israël attacked Lebanon, hoping to crush Hezbollah and provoke a reaction from Syria. It is now preparing a new attack on Lebanon, hoping this time to trigger a riposte from Iran. In both cases, the game is rigged, because Israël depends on the United States. This scenario is the theme of the Juniper Cobra 2018 exercises .

Lebanon takes a census of Palestinian refugees

Lebanon takes a census of Palestinian refugees

29 December 2017
The Lebanese government has carried out its first census since independence of the Palestinian refugees on its territory.
It is thought that this population consists of around 500-600 000 persons. This figure is based on the figure provided by the UNRWA which recorded 469 331 persons. However, although the United Nations is taking note of all the arrivals, it is not noting the departures.
The census attests that there are actually 174 422.
Due to the war that has been waged against (...)

Macron succeeds in negotiating Hariri’s liberation

Macron succeeds in negotiating Hariri's liberation

20 November 2017
True the French President Emmanuel Macron had been given an icy reception when he visited Riyadh, but he has now at last secured the liberation of the Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri. The latter had been detained with his family in Saudi Arabia.
After the United States and Russia had got Saudi Arabia to reconsider the rational basis for its decision, France officially invited Mr Hariri and his family to Paris. It would appear that Saudi Arabia has accepted this arrangement.
To save (...)

President Macron snubbed by Saudi Arabia

by Thierry Meyssan

President Macron snubbed by Saudi Arabia

Damascus (Syria) | 14 November 2017
Having hastily organised a detour via Saudi Arabia in order to repatriate the Lebanese Prime Minister, who is being held prisoner with his family there, President Emmanuel Macron had to swallow an unprecedented public affront. Although the French and Western Press did everything they could to camouflage the events, Arab public opinion could not help but note the staggering loss of French prestige and influence in the Middle East.

Israel orchestrating Hariri’s resignation to provoke a war

Israel orchestrating Hariri's resignation to provoke a war

9 November 2017
On Sunday 5 November 2017, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, speaking in a pre-recorded address, observed that it was incongruous for the Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, to resign not from Lebanon, but from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh in the presence of “MBS”. He accused Saudi Arabia of interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs.
On Monday 6 November, the Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs, Adel Jubair, declared on CNN that the firing of a missile by Houthi rebels against Riyadh’s airport (...)

France asks Saudi Arabia to release the Lebanese Prime Minister

France asks Saudi Arabia to release the Lebanese Prime Minister

7 November 2017
The French government has spoken to the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohamed Ben Salmane, to ask him set free the Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri. The latter is currently being detained in the Ritz Hotel, Riyadh with several personalities arrested during the coup at the Palace. He cannot be reached.
Mr Hariri announced from the Ritz Hotel that he was resigning from the office he was holding in Lebanon. According to the Lebanese Constitution, he remains responsible for on-going matters until (...)

Lebanon could once again adopt a budget

Lebanon could once again adopt a budget

18 October 2017
On 17 October 2017, the Lebanese Parliament began its first debate on the budget since 2005 (12 years ago).
Lebanon has not had a budget since the victory of the “Coalition of 14 March”.
Since then, successive governments have pillaged the Public Treasury, without ever producing accounts.
Today, Lebanon is the only “State” in the world not to have a budget.
Parliament could suspend article 87 of the Constitution which provides that a budget cannot be adopted unless the previous budget (or (...)

Saudi Arabia issues a call for an international alliance against Hezbollah

Saudi Arabia issues a call for an international alliance against Hezbollah

13 October 2017
Thamer Al-Sabhan (photo), as well as holding other offices, is the Saudi Minister for Gulf Affairs. Thus he has relations with Iran but not with Lebanon. He has indicated in a tweet:
“There is only one terrorism and that must be fought everywhere. Would the world agree with the presence of members of Daesh and members of Al-Nusra in Parliaments and governments? It is necessary to unite against the Party of the Devil”.
Al-Nusra is the former name of Al-Qaeda in Syria. The expression “Party (...)

Paranoia: the US is said to be threatened by the Hezbollah

Paranoia: the US is said to be threatened by the Hezbollah

13 October 2017
On 9 October, Tom Bossert, President Trump’s Homeland Security Adviser, published an opinion column in which he assures [quite seriously], with neither laughter nor remorse:
“Hezbollah remains a threat for the United States, the security of the States in the Middle East and beyond. It is time that other countries join the United States by presenting this killer organization for what it is, attacking its networks and support systems and preparing a global response to the threat that it (...)

It’s Time to Mobilize a Global Response to the Terrorist Group Lebanese Hizballah

by Tom Bossert

It's Time to Mobilize a Global Response to the Terrorist Group Lebanese Hizballah

Washington D. C. (États-Unis) | 10 October 2017
Sunday, October 8 marked the twentieth anniversary of the United States’ official designation of Hizballah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Hizballah, originally formed as a violent union of Iranian-backed extremists in Lebanon, has terrorized the Middle East and the world since its inception thirty-five years ago.
Hizballah remains a threat to the United States and to the security of nations across the Middle East and beyond. It is time for more nations around the world to join the (...)

Nathan Sales on US Efforts to Counter Hizballah

by Nathan Sales

Nathan Sales on US Efforts to Counter Hizballah

Washington D. C. (États-Unis) | 10 October 2017
Good afternoon, everyone. This past weekend marked the 20th anniversary of the United States designating Hizballah as a foreign terrorist organization. With backing from its patron, the Iranian regime, Hizballah remains one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist organizations. It continues to commit terrorist attacks and to engage in other destabilizing activities across the globe.
The threat Hizballah poses to this country was underscored in June when the FBI arrested two alleged (...)

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