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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Lebanese President Urges Hezbollah To Leave Country

2014-05-18

[Ynet] Just two weeks before the end of his term, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... stresses need for peace and security without Hezbollah. Leb's President Michel Suleiman on Saturday urged Hezbollah to withdraw its forces from Syria to avoid future repercussions on the tiny Arab state that suffered through 15 years of its own civil war. Suleiman made his comments in the mountain village of Brih during a ceremony on reconciliation between the Druse and Christian community in the area that witnessed deadly sectarian violence during Leb's 1975-90 civil war. "I appeal for the return to Leb and to withdraw from neighboring arenas to avoid future repercussions on Leb," said Suleiman, a critic of Hezbollah backing Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now... 's forces. Hezbollah, which openly joined the battles in Syria last year, is not likely to abide by Suleiman's call. Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to keep his fighters in Syria as long as needed to shore up Assad's struggle against Syria's rebels. The Hezbollah fighters have been instrumental to Assad's success on the battlefield, and support from the Iranian-backed group appears to have tipped the balance into the government's favor - especially in areas on the border with Leb and near the Syrian capital of Damascus. Suleiman's comments came a week before his six-year term ends. Meanwhile in Syria, members of al-Qaeda breakaway group called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... beheaded a local rebel commander of a rival group, activists said. The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Ahrar al-Sham commander known as Abu al-Miqdam went missing four days ago. It said the man was found beheaded Friday in the central province of Hama. Many rebels referred to Abu al-Miqdam as the "tank sniper" for his role in firing rockets at Syrian army tanks, according to opposition websites. The Islamic State and rival Islamic groups including Ahrar al-Sham have been fighting each other in northern and eastern Syria since January. Activists say the internal fighting killed more than 6,000 people. Meanwhile, ...back at the dirigible, Jack stuck the cigar in his mouth, stepped onto the gantry, and asked Got a light, Mac? Von Schtinken stopped short, lowering the dagger and trying to control his features. If you light that thing, Herr Armschtröng, he pointed out, his voice tense, we all die!... United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... condemned a cut in water supplies in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo that he said has deprived at least 2.5 million people of access to potable water. In a statement released by his office late Friday, Ban noted that denying civilians essential supplies is a breach of international and humanitarian law. Rebels from the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front shut down the main water pumping station in Aleppo, Syria's largest city, nearly two weeks ago to punish civilians living on the government-controlled side of the divided metropolis, the Observatory's Rami Abdurrahman said. Abdurrahman, whose group collects information from activists inside Syria, said that the Nusra Front has tried to restart the water station, but that supplies are erratic and remain largely cut. "They don't have specialists to deal with the pumps, and they've damaged the station," Abdurrahman said. "They've tried to resume pumping. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The water comes and goes, but until now it's not flowing as usual." Some residents have resorted to drinking polluted well water distributed in buckets and plastic jerry cans.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hezbollah chief: Syria will supply 'game-changing' weapons

2013-05-10

[Washington Post] Syria will supply "game-changing" weapons to Hezbollah, the chief of the Lebanese militia said Thursday, just days after Israeli Arclight airstrikes on Damascus targeted what Israel said were shipments of advanced Iranian weapons possibly bound for the group. Any attempts to ship advanced Iranian missiles across Syria to Hezbollah in Leb would likely draw a new Israeli response, and Thursday's warning by Hezbollah chief Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, if more than rhetoric, could signal a further escalation.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hezbollah hints at possible Syria intervention

2013-04-30

The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah says Syrian rebels will not be able to defeat President Bashar Assad's regime, strongly suggesting his Iranian-backed militant group could intervene on the government's side if the need arises. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah says Damascus "has real friends in the region and the world who will not allow Syria to fall into the hands of America or Israel." Hezbollah and Iran are close allies of Assad. Nasrallah said Tuesday that now there are now no Iranian forces in Syria but added: "What do you imagine would happen in the future if things deteriorate in a way that requires the intervention of the forces of resistance in this battle?" Syria's opposition accuses Hezbollah of fighting alongside Syrian government troops trying to crush the 2-year-old Syrian uprising.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hezbollah-Backed Lebanese Shiites Fight In Syria

2013-04-15

[IsraelTimes] Masked men in camouflage toting Kalashnikov rifles fan out through a dusty olive grove, part of a group of Hezbollah-backed fighters from Leb who are patrolling both sides of a mostly non-existent border stretch with Syria. The gunnies on the edge of the border village of al-Qasr say their mission is to protect Shiites on the Syrian side who claim their homes, villages and families have come under attack from Sunni rebels. Hezbollah chief Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, leader of many of Leb's Shiites and a staunch ally of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... , has said his group is supporting the cadres of fighters who call themselves Popular Committees It is confirmation that the powerful Lebanese Death Eater group is playing a growing role in the civil war just across the border..

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran Claims 'Dozens' Of Its Drones Have Spied On Israeli

2012-10-17

[Times of Israel] Israel rejects accuracy of statement made by anonymous Iranian A senior Iranian military official claimed Tuesday that Iranian-made surveillance drones have made dozens of apparently undetected flights into Israeli airspace from Leb in recent years to probe air defenses and collect reconnaissance data. An Israeli official rejected the account. The Iranian official declined to give further details on the purported missions or the capabilities of the drones, including whether they were similar to the unmanned aircraft launched last week by Leb's Hezbollah and downed by Israeli warplanes. It also was impossible to independently verify the claims from the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. The Iranian assertions appear to be part of the Islamic Theocratic Republic's widening strategy to boast about military advances -- including warships and longer-range drones -- that Tehran says could reorder the balance of power in the region as the West and its allies boost pressure over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Iran's leaders also seek to portray Israel as vulnerable to Tehran and its proxies. But an Israeli security official rejected the Iranian claims, saying last week's interception of a drone was the first time such an infiltration had occurred. He said Israel spotted the unmanned aircraft well before it entered Israeli airspace, determined it was not "dangerous" and then shot it down over uninhabited desert according to plan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because an Israeli military investigation is still under way. The Iranian official claimed drones made by the Islamic Theocratic Republic have made "dozens of flights over Israel" since the summer 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. He said Israeli defenses had been unable to detect the surveillance craft. "The one that was shot down last week was not the first and will not be the last to fly into Israeli airspace," the official said. Iran has often used its military moves to send messages to Israel and the US, which has key bases in Gulf Arab states such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Tehran last year sent warships into the Mediterranean Sea for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Last month, Iranian military leaders gave details of a new long-range drone and tested fired four anti-ship missiles just before U.S.-led naval drills in the Gulf. At the time, a senior Revolutionary Guard commander, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, also warned that US bases in the Gulf could face retaliatory strikes if Israel attacks Iran's nuclear sites. On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry front man Rahmin Mehmanparast described Iran's military developments, including drones and missiles capable of reaching Israel, as a safeguard against a possible Israeli attack on nuclear sites. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu last month urged the international community to set a "red line" on Iran's uranium enrichment, which the West and its allies fear could lead to the development of atomic weapons. Iran says its nuclear efforts are only for energy and research. "Basically, the possibility of a war breaking out increases when countries don't have the might to defend themselves. But when countries are powerful ... the possibility of aggression decreases," Mehmanparast told news hounds. A member of the Iranian parliament, Abbas Ali Mansouri, said the drone's flight also showed Hezbollah's growing battlefield capabilities as Tehran's main client militia. Hezbollah could take an even higher profile for Iran if Syrian rebels oust Bashir al-Assad's regime in Damascus ...The capital of Iran's Syrian satrapy... , another critical ally for the Islamic Theocratic Republic. "It's crucial that Hezbollah is able to gather remarkable intelligence from inside Israel," he said. At the United Nations ...When talk is your weapon it's hard to make yourself heard over the artillery... , Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosnor called Assad, Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, and Iran's diminutive President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad a "trio of terror." The Hezbollah drone flight took place a month after Iran unveiled a new long-range unmanned aircraft, which has been described by military officials as a key strategic addition to Iran's military capabilities with the ability to carry out reconnaissance missions or be armed with "bombs and missiles." The Shahed-129, or Witness-129, has a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) that can stay aloft for 24 hours, Iranian officials say. But it's unclear whether the new drone contains any elements of an U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel drone that went down in eastern Iran in December. Iran said it has recovered data from the American unmanned aircraft and claimed it was building its own replica. Iran frequently makes announcements about its strides in military technology, but it is virtually impossible to independently determine the actual capabilities or combat worthiness of the weapons Iran is producing.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Nasrallah: Tehran won't order Hezbollah strikes if Israel attacks

2012-02-08

Iran will not ask Hezbollah to intervene in the event of an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, the leader of the militant group has told his followers. The Hezbollah chief also made the unusual acknowledgement that his group receives both material and financial aid from the Islamic Republic -- no secret to regional and world governments. In a speech delivered Tuesday evening by video link to throngs of supporters, a black-turbaned Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said Tehran will not ask Hezbollah for anything if Israel strikes Iran. He said, however, that Hezbollah would consider its options if such an attack occurs, ruling nothing out. The U.S. government labels Hezbollah a terrorist group. Recent reports about a potential Israeli military strike at Iran's nuclear facilities have spurred speculation that Lebanon-based Hezbollah could launch retaliatory attacks into Israeli territory. While acknowledging that his group receives aid and support from the Islamic Republic, something that Hezbollah has generally left opaque, Nasrallah denied that Hezbollah takes its marching orders from Tehran.  "Yes, we have been receiving moral and political support and financial aid in all its possible ways and available forms from the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1982," Nasrallah said, according to Lebanese media accounts, in a speech marking the birthday of the prophet Muhammad. Nasrallah was essentially confirming recent comments by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Iranian leader affirmed that Iran has assisted Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Palestinian group Hamas. In his address, Nasrallah also denied allegations of Hezbollah involvement in money-laundering and drug- smuggling to finance its activities. "We have sufficient money, weapons, ammunition and financial ability to carry out our duty," said Nasrallah.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hezbollah poised to ride out indictments

2011-07-03

[Dawn] In a country with a history of scores left unsettled, Hezbullies is in a strong position to ride out an indictment accusing a high-ranking member of one of the most dramatic political liquidations in the Middle East. The Shiite beturbanned goon group has spent the past year laying the groundwork for thwarting any move to implement the all-but-inevitable indictment in the 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It has warned to "cut off the hand" of anyone who tries to arrest its members and repeated cast doubt on tribunal's investigation. The work appears to have paid off. Since the Netherlands-based court released the indictments Thursday, there has been no real sign that Lebanese authorities are willing to arrest the four suspects, including Hezbullies beturbanned goon Mustafa Badreddine. To do so, they would have to directly confront the Iran- and Syria-backed beturbanned goon group that is firmly in control of the Lebanese state. Hezbullies leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah planned a speech Saturday to address the indictment. The most prominent of the four people named in the indictment is Badreddine, who appears to have a storied history of militancy. He is suspected of building the powerful bomb that blew up the US Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, killing 241 Americans, mostly Marines, according to a federal law enforcement official and a book "Jawbreaker," by Gary Berntsen, a former official who ran the Hezbullies task force at the CIA. He also is the brother-in-law of the late Hezbullies military commander Imad Mughniyeh and is suspected of involvement in the 1983 bombings of the US and French embassies in Kuwait that killed five people. Hezbullies has always had serious muscle, boasting a guerrilla force that is better armed and stronger than the national army. But the group has amassed unprecedented political clout in the government, having toppled the previous administration in January when then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's liquidation. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. -- the slain man's son -- refused to renounce the tribunal investigating his father's death. The new premier, Najib Mikati, was Hezbullies's pick for the post. He issued a vague promise Thursday that Leb would respect international resolutions as long as they did not threaten the civil peace. The ambiguous wording leaves ample room to brush aside the arrest warrants if street battles are looming. The Cabinet is packed with Hezbullies allies, so there is little enthusiasm within the current leadership to press forward with the case. And the indictments do indeed threaten to ignite fresh violence in Leb. In the six years since Hariri's death, the investigation has sharpened the country's sectarian divisions -- Rafik Hariri was one of Leb's most powerful Sunni leaders, while Hezbullies is a Shiite group. It has also heightened other intractable debates, including the question of the role of Hezbullies -- and its vast arsenal, which opponents want dismantled. Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... , a Hezbullies ally and leader of the tiny Druse sect, warned Friday that the indictments could lead to new civil strife in Leb and painted the case as a matter of justice versus stability. "As much as justice is important for the deaders and the maimed, so too civil peace and stability is the hoped-for future," said Jumblat, whose own father was a victim of a political liquidation in Leb and who was once an ardent supporter of the tribunal before switching alliances. "Civil peace is more important than anything else." He pointed to widespread fears that the case could further divide the country, which has been recovering from decades of bloodshed, including a 15-year civil war that ended in 1990 and more recent sectarian battles. The younger Hariri and his allies, now relegated to the opposition, and the international court will likely push for action against the four. But there is little they can do to force the government to do so. Lebanese authorities have until the end of July to serve the indictments on suspects or execute arrest warrants. If they fail, the court's recourse is to publish the indictment. Details in the indictment about the investigation into the killing -- so far kept under wraps -- might in theory prove embarrassing to Hezbullies, but the group is unlikely to be severely hurt by them. While Jumblat appeared to be offering a stark choice -- either turn a blind eye to a dastardly crime, or run the risk of chaos -- Hezbullies's leader has taken another tack. Nasrallah has worked tirelessly to convince the Lebanese that the tribunal is not fit to deliver justice. For more than a year, he has gone on a media offensive against the tribunal, taking nearly every opportunity to call it biased, politicized and a tool of archenemy Israel. He also said early on that he knew Hezbullies would be accused of the crime, a pre-emptive strike that dampened the impact of Thursday's indictment and bolstered his credentials as the man in charge in Leb.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hezbollah leader defends Hariri killing suspects

2011-07-03

[Dawn] Hezbullies's leader has defended the men indicted in the murder of a former prime minister of Leb as "brothers" with an "honorable history." Sheik Hassan Nasrallah spoke Saturday for the first time since the indictment was announced Thursday. A high-ranking Hezbullies bad turban and three others were accused in the 2005 liquidation of Rafik Hariri. The suggestion that the group was involved in the crime threatens to plunge this Arab nation on Israel's northern border into a new and violent crisis. The Shia bad turban Hezbullies denies any role in the killing and vows never to turn over any of its members. The case has further polarized Leb's rival factions.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Nasrallah stands firm behind Syria

2011-05-26

Well behind Syria... BEIRUT — The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group stood firmly behind his allies in Syria on Wednesday in his first comments on the country’s uprising, saying that toppling the Damascus regime would serve only U.S. and Israeli interests. Hezbollah has much to lose if Syrian President Bashar Assad is deposed. Besides receiving money from Syria, Hezbollah also is believed to receive Iranian weapons shipments through the country. And Nastie hides in Damascus... “Overthrowing the regime in Syria is in the American and Israeli interest,” Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech marking “Liberation Day,” which celebrates the withdrawal of the Israeli army from southern Lebanon in 2000 after 18 years of occupation. “They want to overthrow the regime and replace it with a moderate regime.” Thanks for the confession that the current regime in Damascus isn't 'moderate'... While praising uprisings that toppled longtime dictators in Egypt and Tunisia, Nasrallah urged the Syrian people to “protect their country” and give a chance for the Syrian leadership to implement reforms. Yeah, you rubes should defend Pencilneck to the last drops of your blood... “We are worried about what is being plotted for the regime in Syria and the Syrian people,” Nasrallah said, echoing Assad’s claims that the events in Syria were a foreign conspiracy aimed at weakening the country’s leadership. “We should all cooperate so that Syria may emerge strong and immune,” he said. “President Bashar Assad believes in reform and is serious and ready to go a long way toward reforms, but in a calm and responsible manner,” he said. "It'll take time. Maybe a hundred years. That's calm and responsible!" Nasrallah also lashed out at President Barack Obama for a speech he gave to the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC on Wednesday and said Obama and Israel have the same goals. Nasrallah said Obama and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu have dealt a “mortal blow” to the peace process. He said the only way to liberate Israeli-occupied Arab land was through armed resistance, and referred to possible future marches toward Israeli borders. By someone else. But he'll eat a goat in their honor...

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Lebanese rally against Hezbollah in 'day of rage'

2011-01-26

[Arab News] Thousands of Sunnis waved flags and burned tires Tuesday in a "day of rage" to protest gains by the Shiite thug group Hezbullies, which is on the brink of controlling Leb's next government. The Iranian-backed group -- considered a terrorist organization by Washington -- secured support in parliament Monday to name its own candidate, former premier Najib Mikati, for the next prime minister. The thug group's Western-backed opponents maintain that having an Iranian proxy in control of Leb's government would be disastrous and lead to international isolation. Hezbullies's Sunni rivals held protests in different parts of Leb, mainly in the northern city of Tripoli, the capital Beirut and the main highway linking the capital with the southern port city of Sidon. The largest gathering was in Tripoli, where thousands of people converged at a major square calling on Mikati not to accept the post and shouting slogans backing caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Mikati urged calm Tuesday and said he wanted to represent all of Leb. "This is a democratic process," he told news hounds. "I want to rescue my country." Hezbullies brought down Hariri's Western-backed government on Jan. 12 when he refused the group's demand to cease cooperation with a UN-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 liquidation of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Hezbullies, which denies any role in the killing, is widely expected to be indicted. The group can now either form its own government, leaving Hariri and his allies to become the opposition, or it can try to persuade Hariri to join a national unity government. In a speech Sunday night, Hezbullies leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said he favored a unity government. Hariri said Monday he will not join a government headed by a Hezbullies-backed candidate. Hariri's coalition issued a statement last week saying Hezbullies is trying to turn Leb into an "Iranian base" and was using intimidation to get its way. Hezbullies has emphasized that the group brought down Leb's government democratically and without resorting to violence. The United States, which has poured in $720 million in military aid since 2006, has tried to move Leb firmly into a Western sphere and end the influence of Hezbullies, Syria and Iran. State Department front man P.J. Crowley warned Monday that continuing US support for Leb would be "problematic" if Hezbullies takes a dominant role in the government, though he declined to say what the US would do if Hezbullies's candidate becomes prime minister.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hariri Told UN Investigators He Believed Assad was 'Personally' Involved in his Father's Assassination

2011-01-18

[An Nahar] Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri has told U.N. Sherlocks that he believed Syria's hereditary President Bashar Pencilneck Assad ... who used to be referred to in the Egyptian press as the boy president ... was "personally" involved is his father's liquidation. As Hizubllah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah spoke late Sunday, Al-Jadid television station aired what it said was leaked testimony from the tribunal. In one of the tapes dating to 2007, Hariri is heard telling a U.N. investigator that he believed Assad was personally involved in his father's murder. He also describes Assad as an "idiot" -- a revelation that comes at a sensitive time when Hariri has been trying to repair his relations with Syria. Hariri's office acknowledged the tapes are authentic but said they were taken out of context. The Special Tribunal for Leb on Monday filed the first indictment Monday in the liquidation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, touching off a process many fear could ignite new bloodshed nearly six years after the massive truck bombing along Beirut's waterfront. The contents of the draft indictment were not revealed and may not become public for weeks as Belgian judge Daniel Fransen decides whether there is enough evidence for a trial. The indictment, confirmed by the international court's headquarters in The Hague, is the latest turn in a deepening political crisis in Leb, where Hizbullah toppled the government last week in a dispute over the tribunal. The court is widely expected to accuse members of Hizbullah of being involved in the killing, something Hizbullah has insisted it will not accept. The Iran- and Syria-sponsored group fiercely denies any role in the killing and says the tribunal, jointly funded by U.N. member states and Leb, is a conspiracy by Israel and the United States. Many fear the crisis could lead to street protests and the kind of violence that has bedeviled Leb, a tiny nation of 4 million people for years, including a devastating 1975-1990 civil war and sectarian battles between Sunnis and Shiites in 2008. Hariri -- the son of the slain leader -- has refused Hizbullah's demands to renounce the court, prompting 11 Hizbullah ministers and their allies to resign on Wednesday. The move brought down the unity government and further polarized the country's rival factions: Hizbullah with its patrons in Syria and Iran on one side, and Hariri's Western-backed bloc on the other, with support by the U.S. and Soddy Arabia. The U.S. has called Hizbullah's walkout a transparent effort to subvert justice. On Monday, Foreign Minister Ali Shami cautioned the U.S. to stop meddling in Leb. He summoned American Ambassador Maura Connelly to explain her weekend meeting with Nicolas Fattouch, a key undecided politician, as politicians scramble to form a government. After Monday's meeting with Shami, Connelly's office denied any interference. "She explained to the foreign minister that the United States Embassy has regular contact with personalities from across Leb's political spectrum as part of its diplomatic mission," an embassy front man said. "The United States does not interfere in Leb's internal political matters. The shape and composition of the government is, of course, a Lebanese matter." The Foreign Ministry's admonishment came as leaders from Turkey, Qatar and Syria met in Damascus to discuss the crisis. Leb had planned to hold its own talks starting Monday, but postponed them for a week as the regional leaders tackle the crisis. Lengthy negotiations lie ahead between Leb's factions as they attempt to build a new government. According to Leb's power-sharing system, the president must be a Christian Maronite, the prime minister a Sunni and the parliament speaker a Shiite. Each faith makes up about a third of Leb's population of 4 million. Hariri, a Sunni, is staying on as a caretaker prime minister as a new government is formed. Hizbullah leader on Sunday defended the decision to bring down Leb's government, saying his movement did so without resorting to violence. The speech by Sheik Hassan Nasrallah -- who commands an arsenal that far outweighs that of the national army -- appeared aimed at reducing tensions at a time when many Lebanese fear another outbreak of civil conflict. In an earlier speech, Nasrallah said the group "will cut off the hand" of anyone who tries to arrest any of its members. After Rafik Hariri's liquidation, suspicion immediately fell on neighboring Syria, since Hariri had been seeking to weaken its domination of the country. Syria has denied having any role in the murder, but the killing galvanized opposition to Damascus and led to huge street demonstrations helped end Syria's 29-year military presence. Since then, speculation has grown that Hizbullah will be indicted. Though the tribunal has not yet named any individuals or countries as suspects, Nasrallah has announced that he expects members of his group to be indicted. A May 2008 report by Germany's Der Spiegel magazine said the court will indict Hezbullies members based mainly on the analysis of mobile phone calls in the run-up to Hariri's liquidation. One of the suspects made the mistake of calling his girlfriend with one of the phones, revealing his identity. The report also linked the explosives and the truck used in the attack to the Shiite krazed killer group.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hezbollah Boycotts Lebanese Talks over UN Tribunal

2010-11-05

[Asharq al-Aswat] Hezbullies and its allies boycotted the latest round of Leb's national dialogue on Thursday because of tensions surrounding a U.N. tribunal's investigation of the 2005 liquidation of a former prime minister. Many fear there could be violence in coming months if the U.N. court probing the truck bombing that killed Rafik Hariri and 22 others indicts members of the beturbanned goon Hezbullies, a Shiite force that accuses the tribunal of bias. Hezbullies's ally Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... said the boycott was to protest the government's refusal to tackle the issue of witnesses accused of giving false information to mislead the investigation. Seven out of 19 leaders were absent from Thursday's talks, which are part of a series of regular meetings held by Leb's political factions. Hezbullies shares power in a fragile unity government with a Western-backed coalition led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri -- the son of the slain former leader. The bombing that killed Rafik Hariri along Beirut's Mediterranean waterfront on Feb. 14, 2005 was one of the most dramatic political liquidations the Mideast has seen. A billionaire businessman, Hariri was Leb's most prominent politician after the 15-year civil war ended in 1990. The tribunal has not yet indicted anyone in the liquidation, but Hezbullies leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah says he expects members of his movement to be named. That has raised fears of violence between the heavily armed Shiite guerrilla force and Hariri's mainly Sunni allies.

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