Tag Archives: Hezbollah

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Who Are These People?

Steven Cook on liberal Egypt’s shock at the success of Salafists:

given the world in which many Egyptian liberals exist, they can’t seem to fathom where the Salafis come from so they complain about Saudi money and the manipulations of Habeeb al Adly’s Interior Ministry in the late Mubarak era, but I have news for them, they come from Egypt. It’s the same dynamic as when New Yorkers, for example, woke up on November 3, 2004 to learn that George W. Bush had been re-elected. Like everyone on the 6 train that morning who was feeling alienated from the rest of the United States, the denizens of La Bodega and the Marriott garden are collectively asking, “Who are these people?”

My own such moment of waking up to the other’s existence was on March 8 2005, when Hezbollah rallied hundreds of thousands of its supporters to thank Syria. I remember thinking precisely: “Who are these people?”

Back to Egypt. I think one of the best things that came out of the Egyptian elections is the surfacing of the Salafists from their underground. The choice was not between Salafists or no Salafists. It was between Salafists who are working in public and Salafists that are in public view and that are subject to the scrutiny of the rest of Egyptians.

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The American Financial Assault on Hezbollah Continues

That New York Times article about Hezbollah’s finances turned out to be a little amuse-bouche in preparation for the real news: The American government is launching a full on legal war on all parties that have dealt financially with Hezbollah as reported by the Times:

The court action, filed in Manhattan federal court, seeks nearly half a billion dollars in penalties from three Lebanese financial organizations — the now-defunct Lebanese Canadian Bank and two Beirut-based money exchange houses — and 30 auto dealers in the United States. The $480 million in penalties is the sum of the drug proceeds that are alleged to have been laundered; the government is also seeking to freeze and seize assets traceable to those companies.

SGBL, which took in the assets of the Lebanese Canadian Bank (LCB) is safe because it refused to take in suspect accounts. But the court action might involve tracing the assets of the 200 account-holders orphaned by the LCB and who are now probably hosted at other Lebanese Banks. Governor Riad Salameh is in a tough spot as he might find himself forced to cooperate with the legal investigation and shine more light on a publicity-shy Lebanese banking system.

Assocation of Banks in Lebanon

- Not enjoying the attention at all -

A nice side-story to this entire tale is that sources close to the Association of Banks in Lebanon told Annahar that the 36$M paid by Lebanese banks to the International Tribunal are partly meant as a gesture of goodwill towards an international community which has set its eyes on Lebanese banks for allegations of laundring money and dodging sanctions against Syria.

And yet this is the news they wake up to this morning.

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Bottom Line: The Lebanese Government DID NOT Pay For the STL

Daylight Robbery

One of the aspects that grated me most about the story that Lebanese private banks payed for the STL is the fact that the government did not end up paying. It was Lebanese private businesses who footed the bill, and it is still not clear if their shareholders got anything in return, save for perhaps “protection” from extortion.

On a symbolic level, this is bad. Remember those pesky Aounists who claimed that Hariri should pay this from his own pocket because he’s rich? Remember how we always answered that this is not about Hariri or other individuals, that this is about a commitment made by the Lebanese government to the international community on an institutional level?

This has all gone up in the wind. This is now a crude case of the merchant being extorted by the gunman. Lebanese institutions are more of a joke today than they ever were.

Update: Apparently Mr. Hariri doesn’t mind..

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Is Governor Riad Salameh Being Warned Through the New York Times?

- Will he keep smiling? -

Considering the length of the New York Time’s exposé on Hezbollah’s finances and the Lebanese Canadian Bank (again, I strongly recommend that you read it) , you will be forgiven if you didn’t reach the very last paragraphs, specifically those that deal with Banque Du Liban’s Governor Riad Salameh’s cooperation with the treasury department and “terorrism financing”.

Long story short, there were two hundred bank accounts in the LCB that were identified as “suspect” and that the SGBL has refused to take in after acquiring the LCB’s assets. This left two hundred millionaires with potential Hezbollah connections as bank orphans who are shopping for a place to put their money in. Many banks would love their business, but the American treasury department would also like to keep its eye on them. For that to work, governor Salameh needs to cooperate with them.

Daniel L. Glaser, assistant Treasury secretary for terrorism financing, issued what seemed like a warning in the Times article:

What the Central Bank hasn’t fully demonstrated, and the jury is still out, is whether they will use [Governor Salameh's cooperation on the Lebanese Canadian Bank] as a launching pad to ensure that these illicit actors aren’t migrating elsewhere

The Times reporter also did his homework and followed up. Notice the skeptical language he’s using:

The signs are not terribly encouraging. The Central Bank governor, Riad Salameh, cut short an interview when asked about the aftermath of the American action, calling it an “old story.” As for those nearly 200 suspect accounts, Mr. Salameh would only say that he does not involve himself in such commercial questions.

Privately, he has played down the findings to the Treasury Department, attributing much of the suspicious activity to peculiarities in the way business is done in Africa. Those accounts he did deem problematic, he told the Americans, have been referred to Lebanon’s general prosecutor. But the prosecutor refused to comment, and his deputy, who handles money-laundering inquiries, said last week that he had received nothing.

In fact, as Treasury officials acknowledge, on Mr. Salameh’s watch, most of the accounts were simply transferred to several other Lebanese banks.

I don’t know about you, but this seems like a big and scary “I am watching you” directed at Governor Salameh.

Also: Governor Riad Salameh Gets An Earful In Washington

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Nasrallah’s Sectarian Incitement

Elias Muhanna (A.k.a Qifa Nabki) on the double standards of those who accuse March 14 of being the sectarian ones:

I challenge you seasoned Lebanon-watchers to listen to the final segment of [Nasrallah's Ashoura] speech [...] and tell me that it is not one of the most blatant and unashamed examples of sectarian incitement they’ve heard coming out of the mouth of a Lebanese politician in recent memory

I leave you with this thought. If Samir Geagea were to give a speech calling Nasrallah a modern-day Judas Iscariot, or if Saad Hariri wrote a tweet accusing the Shi`a of being heretical Uthman-killers and Aisha-slanderers, how quickly do you think the March 8th media outlets would be down their throats, calling them bloody-minded sectarian feudal warlords?

Excellent question.. (PS: makes sure you check Elias’ translations of the relevant parts of Nasrallah’s Ashoura speech in his post)

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Hezbollah – “like the Gambinos on steroids”

- A web of intrigue -

Leave everything you’re doing and read this 5-page report in the New York Times on Hezbollah’s finances, the role the Lebanese Canadian Bank played and the global criminal network that kept the wheels turning for the “party of god”.

The report is full of little details that make it a must-read. If you can’t read it now, at least add it to Instapaper or Readability.

Also: The Amazingly Complex Scheme Involving the Lebanese Canadian Bank.

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Asking Them to Jump into The Fire?

Tony Badran has an interesting take on Sayyed Nasrallah’s Ashoura speech. In his view, the speech serves to prepare a reluctant flock for a confrontation with Israel over Iran’s weapons:

The overriding motif of the address was the perseverance of the faithful regardless of the hardships they must face and the sacrifices they must make. Nasrallah made it amply clear that what was expected of the believers was nothing short of self-sacrifice. To drive the point home, he referenced a story from Shia tradition about how the faithful—men, women and children—willingly jumped into a pit of fire rather than renounce their Imam.

And why did he make a surprise appearance in person?

The purpose behind that was to bind himself, Hezbollah and the Shia community in one fate [...] “I have chosen to be among you today for a few minutes … so the whole world can hear and we can renew our pledge,”

Sounds about right to me. When I first saw the title: “Jumping into the Fire”, I thought Tony was talking about something else. I thought the article was about how Nasrallah was going all in with the Syrian regime, but then again everything is connected in the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis.

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❊ Is the Region on a War Footing? The Context for Sayyed Nasrallah’s Speech

Today, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made a rare public appearance. One of the things he said was:

I address our enemies when I say that the Resistance is here to stay; day after day our troops are growing, our arms are developing and they are being constantly renewed

This can of course be dismissed as regular jaw jaw designed for local political consumption, but is it? As I look at the region, I see many signs that things aren’t quite right. A war between Iran and the west could very well be looming.

Consider the following points:

  1. November 8: The IAEA releases a damning report on Iranian nuclear weapons that surprises and alarms western powers and pushes the British foreign minister to issue threats
  2. November 14: A Big blast targets a missile depot in Tehran and is seen as a major setback to Iran’s Missile program.
  3. November 16: Israeli leaks news of a secret plan for attacking Iran, as the war drums in Israel get louder and louder.
  4. November 29: Iranian demonstrators storm British embassy in Tehran with the apparent support of the state.
  5. December 3: Israeli Prime Minister announces that sometimes leader have to make big, unpopular decisions. While he spoke, Syria tested a SCUD B missile.
  6. December 5: Iran captured an American surveillance drone with top American secrets in it.
  7. December 6: The Telegraph reports that Iran is now on high military alert and is expecting and preparing for an attack.

And I haven’t even started with the implications of the Syrian revolution, the success of which could be a major strategic setback for Iran and Hezbollah. It is against this backdrop that we have to read Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s speech.

Am I worried? Yes. Should you cancel your Christmas vacations in Lebanon? Not yet, but some caution can go a long way.

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CIA Officials Admit That Hezbollah Damaged Operations in Lebanon

I was initially a skeptic of Hezbollah’s boasts, but CIA sources have confirmed that they were dealt a real blow in Lebanon:

The CIA’s operations in Lebanon have been badly damaged after Hezbollah identified and captured a number of U.S. spies recently, current and former U.S. officials told The Associated Press [...] the damage to the agency’s spy network in Lebanon has been greater than usual, several former and current U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about security matters.

Read the whole thing. A lot of fascinating details about intelligence operations in Lebanon.

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Hezbollah as Non-Malignant Tumor

Qifa Nabki gives a funny spin to what PM Mikati meant when he said Hezbollah was a tumor:

For what it’s worth, I didn’t mean you were a tumor tumor, like one of those “you’ve-got-six-months-to-live” tumors. I really did mean that you were a non-malignant tumor, and there’s a big difference between the two. You see, non-malignant tumors are totally not a big deal. I personally have no problem with them, whatsoever. They are absolutely fine in my book. Fact, some of my best friends are non-malignant tumors. Ha ha! I kid.

Jokes aside, calling Hezbollah a non-malignant Tumor is a perfect metaphor for Mr. Miqati’s “centrist” political posture. He covers his Sunni Tripoli base (by using the word tumor), without completely angering Hezbollah. It’s impressive how much creative energy the PM dedicates to being everything to everyone.