In southern Lebanon, a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is now in force. Both sides made certain solemn commitments. The Israelis said that they would remove their troops from Lebanon within 60 days, provided that Hezbollah honored its pledge to pull its own troops and weapons out of southern Lebanon and to redeploy them […]
Lebanon’s New President Reflects Hezbollah’s Weakness
Joseph Aoun is the new president of Lebanon, a country that has gone without a president for the past two years. As required by the Lebanese Constitution, he is a Christian. And unlike his namesake and predecessor as president, Michel Aoun, Joseph Aoun is determinedly opposed to Hezbollah, and hopes to constrain its power. More […]
Lebanon: New president appoints ICJ judge Nawaf Salam as prime minister
Major changes are taking place in Lebanon’s shaky political structure, amid considerable uncertainty about the future. New president Joseph Aoun and his appointed Prime Minister Nawaf Salam promise major change, but it’s premature to gauge how much that promise will be fulfilled in the long run. Lebanon is governed by a sectarian power-sharing system. Under […]
Lebanon: New president says ‘The era of Hizballah is over. The terrorist group will be disarmed.’
The new president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, a Maronite Christian: “The era of Hezbollah is over. The terrorist group will be disarmed.” pic.twitter.com/AovTkfMPMi — Dr. Maalouf (@realMaalouf) January 9, 2025 We shall see. Hizballah could possibly still be better armed than any Lebanese force that could disarm them.
What the IDF Has Done to Hezbollah Since September
As of just three months ago, the Lebanese Shi’a group Hezbollah seemed to the world a formidable threat to Israel, for the terror group was known to have 150,000 missiles and rockets in its Iran-supplied arsenal. It had hidden weapons in residences all over southern Lebanon and Beirut. But since mid-September, when the IDF unleashed […]
Lebanon: Muslim enters church, goes to altar and screams ‘Allahu akbar’
LEBANON: A Muslim Man Storms Church Altar and Shouts ‘Allah Akbar’ in Jbeil District. pic.twitter.com/MjC0eToBND — Faraz Pervaiz (@FarazPervaiz3) December 23, 2024 We have seen similar incidents more than once in Europe: a Muslim enters a church and begins to scream “Allahu akbar,” or prays Islamic prayers, or otherwise disrupts proceedings. We never, ever see […]
Iran considering aerial routes to Lebanon to smuggle weapons to Hizballah
Iran will use any means it possibly can to smuggle weapons to its main proxy Hizballah, so as to enable it to escalate its attacks upon Israel. Its playing field also is not confined to its region. Venezuela is a hub for Iran and its proxy Hizballah, as well as a back door to the […]
Druze Leader Calls Upon Lebanon to Make Peace with Israel
Once a supporter of Iran’s “axis of resistance” to Israel, a Lebanese Druze leader thinks that it’s time for Lebanon to make peace with Israel. In a recent interview on Lebanese TV, Wiam Wahhab explained that he doesn’t want his country to continue to be a battlefield, where Hezbollah is barely hanging on, and physical […]
2024: The Israeli Air Force Has Its Annus Mirabilis
The Israeli Air Force has a long history of remarkable exploits, but never more so than this past year. More on its achievements can be found here: “Israel’s Unprecedented 2024 Airstrikes Against Lebanon, Iran And Syria,” by Paul Iddon, Forbes, December 13, 2024: Historically, Israel has launched some pioneering air campaigns that were unprecedented in their […]
Biden’s Ambassador Says Ceasefire Will Hold If Israel Ignores Terrorist Violations
Fiery but mostly peaceful ceasefire continues. The Biden ceasefire for Lebanon fell apart within 4 days. Officially the ceasefire is holding even as fighting continues between Israel and the Hezbollah Islamic terrorist group. When is a ceasefire not a ceasefire, but still officially a ceasefire? When it’s a fiery but mostly peaceful ceasefire with terrorists. Hezbollah and […]