...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...from reporting on comments or statements made by the US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea. The ban itself can’t stop the ambassador from making statements, but if it had received the approval and support of the Lebanese government, mainly the Ministry of Information, it could’ve been used as a serious tool to target media and what is left of freedom of expression in Lebanon.The judge who issued the ban — Mohammad Mazeh — is based in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre — and is known for his connection to Hezbollah and Amal. His decision came against the backdrop of an interview the ambassador gave to Al Arabiya’s TV channel, al-Hadath, saying that Hezbollah is threatening Lebanon’s stability and preventing economic solutions. Mazeh reportedly issued the ban after receiving a complaint from a citizen who was concerned the ambassador’s comments were "insulting to the Lebanese people."
In a defiant step against this ruling, many Lebanese media outlets and TV channels continued to broadcast interviews with Shea, and the Minister of Information Manal Abdel-Samad did not approve the ruling, saying that she understands "judicial concern over foreign diplomats interfering in internal affairs, but that disputes with media must be resolved through proper legal channels."