Lebanon Hezbullah tells STL they can't find the killers

The Hezbullah-dominated Lebanese government has told the Special Tribunal for Lebanon that it cannot find the four senior Hezbullah officials who have been indicted for the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in 2005. Lebanon informed the U.N.-backed court investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri Tuesday that it has so far failed to arrest

Assad's helping hands

The UN will soon confirm that Hezbullah and Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops have been involved in killing Syrian troops. According to the Arab media, a committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is soon to issue a report revealing that Hizbullah and IRGC activists stationed in Syria have been involved in killing Syrian soldiers who were arrested for refusing to

Davutoglu sounding more and more like Nasrallah

American-based Noble Energy announced on Wednesday that it is going to begin drilling for gas off the coast of Cyprus by October 1. Noble Energy Inc. (NYSE: NBL) will begin drilling for natural gas at Cyprus's offshore Block 12 by October 1, Energy Service director Solon Kassinis told "Cyprus Mail" today.Block 12, located in Cyprus's Exclusive Economic Zone, is near Israel's Leviathan license in

'Cease fire' in Lebanon 'going well'

If any of you are wondering why an 'international peacekeeping force' isn't going to have any role to play between Israel and the 'Palestinians,' consider the case of Lebanon. While he did about the best he could given his situation, Michael Williams, the British diplomat working for the UN in this job, said the UN-sponsored ceasefire that ended the Hizballah-Israel war in 2006 is holding up “

Another reason to root for the Syrian uprising

Here's another reason for Israelis to root for the Syrian uprising: Bashar al-Assad's troubles are already having a devastating effect on Hezbullah. Five years after the Second Lebanon War, a war whose results Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah considers a "divine victory," Hizbullah has currently reached one of its lowest points due to the endangered survival of the Assad regime in Syria, as

Hariri indictment details released

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon has released details of the indictments in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Pre-trial judge Daniel Fransen ordered the lifting of confidentiality on the full names, aliases, biographical information, photographs and charges against the individuals named in the indictment, the tribunal said in a statement.The four men named in

History repeats itself

Tell me this isn't deja vu all over again. 70 years ago, the Times of London decided that there were 'moderate Nazis.'But meanwhile, back in the real world, do you remember when The Times (the London one of course) felt that Hitler was a moderate making concessions to ingratiate himself with the “radical” wing of his own Nazi party. Yes, you heard that right, upon implementing another plank

Hezbullah denies helping Assad

How unpopular is Bashar al-Assad? Unpopular enough that even Hezbullah is denying that it is helping him put down the uprising in his country. "Hezbollah vehemently denies accusations by some Syrian opposition members that it is helping to put down the protests in Syria and asserts that these allegations are untrue,” the Shi'ite group said in a statement quoted by AFP.The group claimed the

Hezbullah's message to UNIFIL

Sorry for the light posting over the last 18 hours or so. It is likely to continue for another few hours.In an earlier post, I reported on a roadside bomb directed against UNIFIL's French troops on Tuesday night in which three (it's now been raised to six) troops were wounded. The IDF believes that the bombing was meant to send a message to UNIFIL. The bombing of a UNIFIL convoy in southern

4 people charged in New York with running drugs, weapons for Hezbullah, Taliban

Four people have been charged in New York with running drugs and arms for the Taliban and Hezbullah. The charges highlighted "the growing nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism," Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara told reporters.In the operation targeting Hezbollah, two of the men told people secretly working for the US anti-drug agency that they wanted to purchase anti-aircraft missiles

Next war will be InMyBackYard

I have often discussed - albeit not recently - how Israel's government is much more willing to let Sderot get hit than they are willing to let Tel Aviv get hit. You see Sderot is NotInMyBackYard. Its population is mostly poor, Sfardi and less educated, while Tel Aviv's is wealthy (or middle class), Ashkenazi and highly educated. But in the next war with Gaza, says Deputy Defense Minister Matan

Three UNIFIL troops wounded by roadside bomb

Keep any eye on this. Hezbullah may have decided that they don't want UNIFIL troops in their way anymore. A few more incidents like this and the countries that supply the troops are likely to cut and run. A roadside bomb blew up a UN vehicle near the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon on Monday, wounding at least three peacekeepers, Lebanese security and witnesses said.The nationality of the

Hezbullah tries to distract attention from Hariri probe by threatening Israel

Hezbullah MP Muhammad Raad told the Beirut Daily Star on Wednesday that in the event that Israel attacks Lebanon, not one inch of Israel would be spared. “If Israel launches an attack, rockets of the resistance will cover all of Israel: even the city of Eilat won’t be spared,” Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammad Raad said, referring to the southern most port city of the Jewish state.Raad’

Nasrallah losing legitimacy

It may be hard to tell from where you and I sit, but Jonathan Spyer reports that as a result of the indictments by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbullah are losing legitimacy. In recent months, the movement’s support for the regime of Bashar Assad in Syria, even as it brutally crushed an uprising by the Sunni majority, has further served to tarnish Hezbollah’s

Bomb blamed on PKK was assassination attempt against Israeli diplomat

A bicycle bomb that wounded eight people in Istanbul in May of this year, which was blamed on the PKK, may actually have been an attempt by Hezbullah to assassinate Israel's Consul General to Istanbul (Hat Tip: Joshua I). Citing a Washington-sourced report, the Italian daily [Corriere della Sera] reported that Hezbollah was targeting Israeli Consul General to Istanbul Moshe Kamhi in retaliation

Hezbullah in deep financial trouble

It couldn't happen to a nicer terror organization. Der Spiegel reports that Hezbullah is going broke. In recent months, Hezbollah has become involved in disastrous investments, losing almost €1 billion ($1.4 billion). The Iranians, who are now feeling the brunt of the UN sanctions imposed as a result of their nuclear activities, have made it clear that they cannot provide Hezbollah with

Syria provides Hezbullah with SCUD-D missiles

The Times of London (which is hidden behind a paywall) reported on Friday that Syria has supplied Hezbullah with eight SCUD-D missiles. The SCUD-D has a range of 700 kilometers, is accurate to within tens of meters, and puts Israel, Jordan and large parts of Turkey within Hezbullah's range. This is said to be the first time that a terror organization has obtained a weapon that is classified as a