LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 30/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 6,17-29. Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias's own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you." He even swore (many things) to her, "I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom." She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the Baptist." The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request, "I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist." The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Lanspergius the Carthusian (1489-1539), religious, theologian
Sermon for the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, Opera omnia, vol.2, p.514f.
"Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness" (Mt 5,10)
The death of Christ stands at the head of an innumerable crowd of believers. Through this same Lord Jesus' power, and thanks to his goodness, the precious deaths of his martyrs and saints have given birth to a great multitude of christians. Indeed, never has the christian religion been wiped out by the persecution of tyrants or the indefensible murder of the innocent. Rather, it has drawn greater increase from them each time. We have an example of this in Saint John, who baptised Christ and whose holy martyrdom we celebrate today. That faithless king, Herod, true to his oath, wanted to wipe out completely the memory of John from men's minds. Yet not only was John not destroyed but men in their thousands, inflamed by his example, have welcomed death with joy for the sake of justice and truth... What Christian is there worthy of the name who does not venerate John today, he who baptised the Lord? All over the world Christians honor his memory, all generations proclaim him blessed and his virtues suffuse the Church with their perfume. John did not live for himself alone and he has not died for himself alone either.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Hezbollah kills Lebanese Army Officer W. Thomas Smith Jr. By W. Thomas Smith Jr. 30/08/08
Hizballah’s Attack On The Lebanese Army: An Accident Or A Message? By Andrew Cochran 30/08/08
The Region: A Middle East strategy for the West-Jerusalem Post 29/08/08
Report: Hezbollah's new missiles have range 'Israel can't fathom'-Ha'aretz 29/08/08
An Israel-Syria 'deal'?Washington Times 29/08/08
Three guys, a trailer, and Israel`s survival-By: By: Glick, Caroline 29/08/08
Bridging divides in Lebanon can have a positive effect region-wide- The Daily Star 29/08/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 29/08
Lebanon: Hizbullah likely behind the shooing of army helicopter-Al-Bawaba
Fingers Pointed at Hizbullah in Helicopter Attack ... No Comment from Group Yet -Naharnet
Hezbollah shot Lebanese army helicopter says report-Reuters UK
Hezbollah blamed for deadly Lebanon helicopter downing-AFP
Official accused of ties to militias-Chicago Tribune
Cabinet to Appoint Qahwaji Despite Jumblat Rejection -Naharnet
Geagea Condemns 'Dangerous' Attack on Army Helicopter -Naharnet
Lebanon Hands Over 3 Alleged Terrorists to Saudi Arabia-Naharnet
Gemayel Denounces Attack on Army Helicopter-Naharnet
Army Helicopter Attacked Over South Lebanon, Captain Killed-Naharnet
Army Contains Sectarian Clash in Akkar Village-Naharnet
Jumblat Warns Against Renewed Syrian Military Intervention in Lebanon-Naharnet
Souaid: Hizbullah Setting No-Fly Zones and Demarcating Borders with Lebanon-Naharnet
MP Butros Harb for Punishing Culprits in Ugly Attack on Army Helicopter-Naharnet
Sheikh Qabalan Accuses Israel in Chopper Attack-Naharnet
Abbas: Palestinians Back Lebanon Government and Law-Naharnet
Report: Suleiman in Washington on Sept. 25-Naharnet
US refuses to follow France's lead and talk with Syria-AFP
Playing the Russian card-Al-Ahram Weekly
Bridging divides in Lebanon can have a positive effect region-wide-Daily Star
UNICEF survey to assess effectiveness of social services-Daily Star
Druse women join pilgrimage into Syria for first time-Jerusalem Post
Russia and Syria renew old ties-GulfNews
Sarkozy is right on Syria-GulfNews
Abbas firmly opposes any plan to resettle Palestinians in Lebanon-AFP
Lebanese officer killed as helicopter comes under fire-AFP
US security officials fear Hizbullah's reach in Venezuela - report-Daily Star
Center seeks help studying emigration-Daily Star
Meltdown in the Arctic: Polar icecap shrinking at an alarming rate-Daily Star
UNIFIL vows to keep working to fulfill goals of Resolution 1701-Daily Star
Abu al-Gheit urges Lebanese to make haste in starting national dialogue-Daily Star
Cabinet to appoint new army commander Friday-Daily Star
US officials visit for talks on 'safeguarding' peace-Daily Star
Authorities seize cocaine at Beirut airport-Daily Star
Authorities seize cocaine at Beirut airport-Daily Star
UNICEF survey to assess effectiveness of social services-Daily Star
NGO hopes to integrate disabled citizens-Daily Star
Fresh efforts aim to secure right of women to pass on nationality-Daily Star

Lebanese officer killed as helicopter comes under fire
By The Daily Star and Agence France Presse (AFP)
Friday, August 29, 2008
BEIRUT: A Lebanese army officer was killed on Thursday when gunmen opened fire on a military helicopter flying over a village in a Hizbullah stronghold in the south of the country. An army official said the helicopter was conducting a training mission over the village of Sejoud when it came under fire and was forced to make an emergency landing, adding that several members of the crew were also wounded. A Lebanese army statement identified the dead officer as First Lieutenant Samer Hanna. The incident occurred in an area near the border with Israel, which was the scene of fierce fighting between Hizbullah fighters and Israeli forces before their withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. An AFP correspondent said the army had bolstered its presence in the Sejoud Hill area, which lies about 20 kilometers north of the Israeli border, and had set up roadblocks.
As part of the cease-fire deal that ended the devastating 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel, the army deployed in southern Lebanon along with a strengthened UN peacekeeping force. Suspicions about the helicopter shooting were immediately cast on Hizbullah.
"One theory is that the helicopter ... approached a zone considered [by Hizbullah] to be prohibited," said retired army general Elias Hanna, an expert in military strategy. "Another is that the Shiite movement wanted to send a message to the army ahead of the nomination of an army chief and discussions on a national defense strategy," he said. Internet sites linked to the parliamentary majority quoted Hizbullah sources as saying that some of the group's fighters had fired warning shots at the helicopter and had hit it by mistake. Contacted by AFP, Hizbullah denied having made any statement to this effect and refused to comment on the incident.
Meanwhile, well-informed sources told the Central News Agency on Thursday that Hizbullah was carrying out an investigation into the incident.
The sources said Hizbullah feared the incident might be aimed at creating rifts between the army and the resistance.
Meanwhile, Shiite spiritual leader Sheikh Abdel Amir Qabalan condemned the attack, saying it was the work of an Israeli agent who had infiltrated the area and fired on the helicopter to foment disorder."Targeting a Lebanese aircraft is an Israeli act," he said.
Also commenting on the attack, former President Amine Gemayel urged the army to be firm in its response.
Gemayel said that "some parties" were trying to create tension in the country in order to influence the appointment of a new army chief, which is expected to take place in a Cabinet session, scheduled for Friday.
Meanwhile, March 14 MP Butros Harb said on Thursday that he had received "disturbing" information about the objectives of the attack. He did not elaborate, but he urged the army to keep the public abreast of its investigations.
Former MP Fares Soueid, another March 14 politician, blamed Hizbullah for the attack, "which took place in an area that is known be a stronghold for Hizbullah."
"Is Hizbullah setting red lines for the Lebanese army? Is the army prohibited to enter some areas?" Soueid asked.
"We ask all these questions today and we wait for the outcome of the investigation."
Thursday's attack was the first in which the Lebanese army was targeted in South Lebanon since it deployed to the area in 2006.
Nine Lebanese soldiers and five civilians were killed in a bombing at a bus stop in the northern port city of Tripoli earlier this month in an attack thought to have been carried out by Sunni militants. The army has also suffered other attacks elsewhere since it fought a 15-week battle with militants of the Al-Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. - The Daily Star, with AFP

Souaid: Hizbullah Setting No-Fly Zones and Demarcating Borders with Lebanon
Naharnet/March 14 coordinator Faris Souaid on Thursday criticized the attack on a Lebanese Army helicopter in south Lebanon and blamed it on Hizbullah.
"Is it the process of demarcating borders between the state of Lebanon and the Hizbullah state?" Souaid asked in reference to the attack on the military helicopter that was launched from a Hizbullah stronghold. "Did Hizbullah try to set a red line for the Lebanese Army on Lebanese territories?" he added.
"We ask all these questions today and we wait for the outcome of the investigation," Souaid added after receiving U.S. state department official in charge of Lebanon David Hale. He said the Lebanese Army should not be in a position to ask for permission to carry out any assignment on Lebanese territory.
Souaid made the remark in comment on the attack that targeted a Lebanese Army helicopter while on assignment in south Lebanon, which resulted in killing its pilot.
"I find it strange that the Lebanese Army is in a position to ask for permission if it wanted to carry out any assignment on Lebanese territory," he said.
"Do we now have no-fly zones like the off limits security zones?" he asked. "Is it true that the attack was carried out against the helicopter from a short distance while taking off and is it true that the officers were held and interrogated?" he added. Souaid reiterated support by the March 14 forces for the army and security forces. Beirut, 28 Aug 08, 19:03

MP Butros Harb for Punishing Culprits in Ugly Attack on Army Helicopter
Naharnet/MP Butros Harb denounced the "ugly attack" on a Lebanese Army helicopter that was flying over south Lebanon on Thursday and the killing of its pilot.
Harb, in a statement distributed by the state-run National News Agency (NNA), said the attack that was carried out north of the Litani River "fuels doubts and raises questions." He called for "speedy investigation in the attack, especially that preliminary information sparks concern and raises so many questions about the targets of this attack," he added. "Attacks against the Lebanese Army should not go unpunished," he stressed. Beirut, 28 Aug 08, 17:56

Sheikh Qabalan Accuses Israel in Chopper Attack
Naharnet/The Highest Shiite cleric in Lebanon on Thursday said an Israeli agent could have opened fire at a Lebanese Army helicopter, killing its captain.
Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan made the charge and urged the army command to launch "speedy and just investigation" into the attack.
He also called for "punishing whoever carried out this crime and whoever is behind it."Qabalan, who heads the Higher Shiite Islamic Council, also called for "wisdom" in tackling the attack. Beirut, 28 Aug 08, 17:23

Fingers Pointed at Hizbullah in Helicopter Attack ... No Comment from Group Yet
Naharnet/There was unanimity Friday that Hizbullah was behind the gunfire attack on a Lebanese army helicopter that killed an officer over Sojod hills in south Lebanon the day before with no response from the group yet. There were conflicting reports about the incident which took place around noon Thursday.
Among the worst reports was that the helicopter was attacked while it was still on ground and that the assailants, after killing 1st Lt. Samer Hanna, assaulted another officer. The semi-official report, however, said that the helicopter came under gunfire upon take off from a hilltop.
A Lebanese army communiqué, however, has said that a Lebanese army helicopter came under gunfire from unidentified "armed members" killing Hanna.
The daily As Safir gave another version on Friday. It cited poor coordination between Hizbullah and the Lebanese army regarding the helicopter overflight and the tension among Hizbullah ranks as a result of Israeli threats and intensified Israeli overflights over the past few days as reasons for the confusion that led to the helicopter shooting. An Nahar newspaper, on the other hand, quoted well-informed sources as saying that the helicopter was not shot down but was forced to make an emergency landing after it was hit by gunfire from gunmen and that the co-pilot landed the chopper at a rugged terrain between Sojod and Armati.
The Central News Agency (CNA), for its part, reported that the gunmen opened fire at the helicopter only 10 meters away, causing an emergency landing.
It added that three army helicopters dispatched to the area to assist the chopper that was hit were denied entry and that the crew was informed that no one can approach the area without Hizbullah permission. CNA quoted Hizbullah sources as saying the group knows nothing about the shooting.
Another report said that the helicopter came under fire as it flew over Sojod and that after making an emergency landing it came under gunfire, killing Hanna.
A different version of the story was put this way: After the helicopter landed in Sojod as part of a routine mission and as it attempted to take off again it came under gunfire, killing Hanna. Al Manar television, mouthpiece of Hizbullah, reported that a helicopter came under gunfire from "unidentified" gunmen.
A joint committee from the Lebanese army and Hizbullah opened an investigation into the incident. (AFP photo shows a general view of the area where the helicopter was shot) Beirut, 29 Aug 08, 09:16

Hezbollah blamed for deadly Lebanon helicopter downing
Naharnet/BEIRUT (AFP) — The finger of blame was being pointed at Lebanon's Shiite Muslim Hezbollah movement on Friday over the downing of an military helicopter that left an army officer dead. First Lieutenant Samer Hanna, 25, was killed when his helicopter was hit by gunfire on Thursday during a training mission in a region known as a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon. "The area where this distressing incident took place is, as everybody knows, under the control of the Resistance (Hezbollah)," said former prime minister Salim Hoss, who is considered close to the Hezbollah-led opposition.
"Hezbollah must explain and not justify what happened, because the death of a brilliant officer cannot be justified whatever the circumstances of the incident," Hoss said in a statement. The pro-opposition newspaper As-Safir also blamed Hezbollah, a powerful political movement and militia which is backed by Iran and Syria.
"It seems that poor advance coordination between the army and the Resistance about the helicopter's overflight as well as the state of mobilisation in Resistance ranks due to Israeli threats led to the confusion," it said. "Hezbollah militants thought it was an Israeli commando raid," the paper said, adding that when the fighters realised the mistake they immediately transported the lieutenant to the hospital.Hezbollah itself has yet to release a statement or comment on the matter.

Gemayel Denounces Attack on Army Helicopter
Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel denounced the attack on a Lebanese Army helicopter in south Lebanon on Thursday as "very serious" and urged the army command to be decisive. "I had repeatedly warned against such a serious development. Less than two weeks ago I warned that the situation in some southern areas is very serious, especially in the Jezzine region and its surroundings where there are security zones that we do not know who is in charge of," Gemayel said in a radio interview. "The message has been received and the Army Command should be decisive in handling this issue … the government also should take the needed measures and should be frank to the Lebanese people," he added. He said it is "the Lebanese people's right to be informed of the situation in the south and the people have the right to know the truth about the situation in the south, the Bekaa, the north and Beirut.""It is our right to know in which direction the nation is headed and who is responsible for its sovereignty and the people's security," Gemayel stressed. Beirut, 28 Aug 08, 21:28

Official accused of ties to militias
August 29, 2008 BAGHDAD — A senior official in Nouri al-Maliki's government was in custody Thursday, suspected of ties to Iranian-backed Shiite militias and plotting a June bombing, Iraqi authorities said.Ali al-Lami was arrested Wednesday as he left a plane arriving from Lebanon, according to Qaiser Watout, a member of a commission headed by Lami that is responsible for keeping Saddam Hussein loyalists out of government posts.
U.S. officials would not confirm the arrest.Oil deal: Iraq and China signed a $3 billion deal this week to develop a major Iraqi oil field, Iraq's first major commercial oil contract with a foreign company since 2003.

Geagea Condemns 'Dangerous' Attack on Army Helicopter
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday denounced the attack on a Lebanese Army helicopter in south Lebanon as "dangerous" but refused to rush to conclusions.Thursday's attack that resulted in the killing of 1st Lt. Samer Hanna was "dangerous and regrettable as it happened on Lebanese territory," Geagea said. The LF leader also urged an "immediate" investigation into the incident. He refused to rush to a conclusion about the incident even if "it was carried out by unknown gunmen." Beirut, 29 Aug 08, 12:42

Cabinet to Appoint Qahwaji Despite Jumblat Rejection
Naharnet/Consensus on a suitable commander for the Lebanese army has been reached despite rejection by Druze leader Walid Jumblat. The daily An Nahar said Friday that the cabinet will discuss the appointment of the new army commander in Friday's session. It quoted various sources as saying that consensus has been reached to appoint Brig. Gen. Jean Qahwaji as army commander. It said, however, that his appointment will likely take place despite Jumblat's objection.
It quoted Prime Minister Fouad Saniora as saying that security appointments will be discussed at Friday's cabinet session. Saniora, however, did not confirm whether the appointment of the army commander will take place at Friday's meeting, An Nahar said. Beirut, 29 Aug 08, 12:05

Lebanon Hands Over 3 Alleged Terrorists to Saudi Arabia
Naharnet/The Lebanese judiciary has handed over to Saudi Arabia three men for their alleged involvement in terrorist activities in the Kingdom, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported Friday. It quoted security sources as saying that the three men belong to the al-Qaida terror network and Fatah al-Islam group which fought bloody gunbattles with the Lebanese army at the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahar al-Bared last year.
The sources told the newspaper that Saudi authorities have sent a letter to Lebanon through diplomatic channels requesting it to hand over the alleged terrorists.
They said Saudi authorities pledged to return the men to Lebanon during a period of three weeks.
Al-Hayat said that a private jet with a Saudi security committee on board took the suspects to the kingdom. Beirut, 29 Aug 08, 09:35

Army Contains Sectarian Clash in Akkar Village
Naharnet/Army units moved in to contain clashes between rival gunmen in the northern village of Sheikh Lar on Thursday, security sources reported.
The sources said one person was wounded in the clash, but failed to identify him. The clash in the remote village of the Akkar Province broke out between gunmen from feuding sectarian communities due to differences over a local shrine. The clash coincided with mounting tension in north Lebanon between supporters of Hizbullah and partisans of the Mustaqbal Movement. Beirut, 28 Aug 08, 21:12

Jumblat Warns Against Renewed Syrian Military Intervention in Lebanon
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Thursday said clashes with the Alawite community could lead to renewed Syrian military intervention in Lebanon. Jumblat recalled that when some Christian villages were besieged in 1976, in the early stage of the civil war, "the Christians went to Damascus and asked for Syrian protection.""Why should we give the Syrians a pretext to intervene as they did in 1976?" Jumblat asked. "This could happen again with the Alawites. They feel they are a minority and they know they can be protected," he added. Lebanese leaders should work for defusing sectarian tension in the north "and everywhere," Jumblat advised. He criticized the "cancerous sectarian agitation."Jumblat urged Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri to defuse tensions among their partisans. "Dialogue is the only option," he concluded. Beirut, 28 Aug 08, 20:41

US security officials fear Hizbullah's reach in Venezuela - report
By The Daily Star
Friday, August 29, 2008
ABEIRUT: Fears run high that Venezuela could become a base of operations for Hizbullah, the Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday.
Western anti-terrorism officials say they are concerned Hizbullah may use Venezuela as a base of operations, according to the report. The daily quoted an unidentified United States government terrorism expert as saying that Hizbullah may try to take advantage of Venezuela's ties with Iran to move "people and things" into the Americas. As part of his anti-American foreign policy, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has established warm diplomatic relations with Iran and has traveled there several times. The paper said the US administration, Israel and other governments worry that Venezuela is emerging as a base for anti-US militant groups and spy services, including Hizbullah and its Iranian allies. "It's becoming a strategic partnership between Iran and Venezuela," the paper quoted one unidentified Western anti-terrorism official as saying. - The Daily Star

UNIFIL vows to keep working to fulfill goals of Resolution 1701
By Mohammed Zaatari -Daily Star staff
Friday, August 29, 2008
NAQOURA: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) will continue its work to ensure the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, spokeswoman Yasmina Bouzianne told a news conference on Thursday. Bouzianne was speaking after the Security Council voted unanimously late Wednesday to keep the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon for another year. In response to Israeli accusations of arms smuggling despite the presence of UNIFIL troops, the spokesperson said peacekeepers and the Lebanese army had found some ammunition south of the Litani River, which was confirmed as having only been used during the summer 2006 war with Israel. Bouzianne's statement comes after a UNIFIL rapid intervention unit conducted a military exercise with a Lebanese army artillery regiment on Wednesday, one kilometer south of the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura.
Soldiers shot 155 millimeters shells at targets in the Mediterranean Sea during the maneuver, which was the second of its kind.
Bouzianne confirmed that the peacekeeping forces would work to ensure peace and stability south of the Litani River toward the Blue Line, and to ensure the cessation of hostilities by both Lebanese and Israeli parties. "We are here to help the Lebanese government and to cooperate with the army for the implementation of Resolution 1701, which stipulates that there be no weapons in the area over which the UNIFIL is responsible except for those of the Lebanese army," she said.
Meanwhile, a UN report issued on Wednesday said the border between Lebanon and Syria remains porous and weapons smuggling remains active in the region. Progress over the last year aimed at tightening security on the border "has been insufficient" and "without a decisive impact on overall border security," read a report by the UN's Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team (LIBAT II).
"The overall situation renders Lebanon's borders as penetrable as was the case one year ago," said the report, presented to the Security Council. The document notes several weaknesses on the official border crossing points of Arida, Aboudieh, Kaa, Masnaa and Bokayaa. "The system for passenger control, checking of cargo and selection of vehicles and trucks for more thorough examination was on the whole inadequate" at those points, the report read. The authors urged the creation of a "multi-agency mobile force focusing on arms smuggling ... with the purpose of ensuring efficient arms seizures through its intelligence and rapid interception capabilities." It added that cooperation between Lebanese border agents and their Syrian counterparts "should be established, in particular at the operational level, making border security management a joint effort" in order to "prevent illegal cross-border activities," the report read.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for the formation of LIBAT I and II following the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in August 2006, which ended the 34-day summer 2006 war.
On August 14 Syria and Lebanon agreed to take formal steps to demarcate their borders as part of a string of decisions to normalize their relations for the first time in decades. Resolution 1701 strengthened the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, and charged it with helping Lebanon's army with establishing control over southern Lebanon upon the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The UN Security Council on Wednesday extended UNIFIL's mandate - which was set to expire at the end of August - for one year in a resolution adopted unanimously.
During a brief debate following its adoption, Israel's deputy permanent UN representative, Daniel Carmon, denounced the illegal flow of weapons on the Lebanese-Syrian border."The presence and massive redeployment of armed Hizbullah elements and their acquisition of capabilities, both north and south of the Litani River along with the continuous transfer of weapons from Iran and Syria to Hizbullah, are a blatant violation of Resolution 1701 and other relevant Security Council resolutions," he said.
Lebanese envoy Nawaf Salam said Lebanon's deployment of troops to the South was evidence of its compliance with the resolution. He accused Israel of violating its terms by refusing to disclose where cluster bombs were used and continuing to carry out overflights of Lebanon.
Lebanon had sent a letter to the UN Secretary General calling on the international community to pressure Israel to abide by resolution 1701, Information Minister Tarek Mitri said on Wednesday. Mitri said that the UN Security Council risked losing its credibility if it allowed Israel to continue violating resolution 1701.
"When we ask them to take full responsibilities, we mean it," Mitri said, after meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora at the Grand Serail.
Mitri said that he had spoken with Siniora about Israeli jets penetrating Lebanese airspace, in violation of UN Resolution 1701. - With AFP

BEIRUT: Lebanon's Cabinet is due to meet on Friday evening to appoint a new commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Daily Star/News reports on Thursday said that the new army chief would be appointed from a list of eight ranking officers.
The list was reportedly prepared by Defense Minister Elias Murr. The eight officers, according to news reports, are brigadier generals George Massaad, Jean Qahwaji, George Khoury, Atef Najem, Antoine Krayyem, Ibrahim Kanaan, Nabil Shedid, and Charles Shikhani. Meanwhile, Murr discussed with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir on Wednesday the issue of appointing a new army chief following recent remarks by Sfeir, who called for the appointment of a "neutral" army commander. Sfeir was quoted by Al-Mustaqbal newspaper Thursday as saying he did not propose any names for the post of army chief.
"All the names are the same for me ... I have no preferences," he said. "The next army chief should be patriotic and independent ... he should stand at one distance from all political parties," he added.
Meanwhile, US Undersecretary of State for Near East Affairs David Hale visited Speaker Nabih Berri at his residence in Beirut Thursday, accompanied by US Ambassador Michele Sison and other US officials. Hale, who arrived in Beirut on Tuesday and met a number of Lebanese officials, including President Michel Sleiman, told reporters that his meeting with Berri was "fruitful." "It is seven years since my last visit to Lebanon ... I am glad to meet Speaker Berri after all this time," Hale said, adding that he had discussed with Berri bilateral relations between Lebanon and the US.
"The speaker also informed me about the latest developments regarding the upcoming national dialogue and the electoral law ... I am happy to see things moving toward consensus in Lebanon," Hale added. Asked about Israel's recent threats to attack Lebanon should Hizbullah lead the government, Hale said he was not authorized to speak for Israel. The issue of such threats was raised during Hale's meeting with Sleiman on Wednesday.
Sleiman reportedly told Hale and his accompanying delegation that Israel had no right to threaten Lebanon. The Israeli threats were issued by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his Environment Minister Gideon Ezra. Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah responded to the Israeli statements by threatening to destroy Israel should it attack Lebanon. Hale also met on Thursday with Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt and a number of March 14 politicians.
Earlier on Thursday, Sleiman met separately with Berri and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora at the presidential palace.
Berri and Siniora made no comments after the meetings. In a separate development, French President Nicholas Sarkozy said on Wednesday that France was ready to sponsor indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. Sarkozy's remarks came as he told French ambassadors at a gathering in Paris that he was willing to visit Syria on September 3.Syria and Israel are holding Turkish-sponsored peace talks.

US officials visit for talks on 'safeguarding' peace
By The Daily Star -Friday, August 29, 2008
BEIRUT: The United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict Michael Vickers, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Affairs Mary Beth Long, and the Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy for the US Central Command Major General Robert R. Allardice visited Lebanon on Wednesday, according to a US Embassy statement. Accompanied by US Ambassador Michele Sison, the delegation met with President Michel Sleiman, Acting Lebanese Army Commander Major General Shawki al-Masri, and the Defense Minister Elias Murr. The discussions focused on the continued assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces so it can "maintain peace and stability, and safeguard the Lebanese people," the US Embassy said. Sleiman said in a statement Wednesday that he raised the issue of increasing Israeli threats

EDITORIAL: An Israel-Syria 'deal'?
Friday, August 29, 2008
The government of Syrian strongman Bashar Assad wants to sell the West on the notion that it may be ready to hold peace talks with Israel. Damascus tells visiting Western journalists that Syria has received private assurances from Turkish mediators that Israel will return the Golan Heights to Syria (the same region from which Syrian soldiers used for close to 19 years to shell Israeli farmers in the valley below) as part of an overall peace agreement. The Syrians and the French have yet to provide real substance on two very critical questions that could destroy any deal:
1) How will Israel protect its civilian population if such harassment resumes after the territory is returned to Syria?; and 2) How will Israel be protected from a Syrian attempt to carry out a surprise attack like one that began the 1973 Yom Kippur War - this time from locations much closer to Israeli population centers?
According to David Ignatius, a columnist for The Washington Post who thinks the idea has merit, Syria is not interested in ending its ties with Iran. Instead, it seeks to "broaden" its foreign relationships and become less dependent on Tehran. Syrian officials tell him that Mr. Assad has an important card to play in negotiations: putting pressure on Hamas to "restrain" attacks in Gaza and the West Bank, which would address a major U.S. concern. That concern, of course, is Syrian support for Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups. The Syrians haven't explained what they mean by "restraint." Does it mean that they should try to keep terrorist attacks below some particular threshold? Does that mean limiting the number of rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel in some quantifiable way? The Syrians provide little useful information on these questions.
What exactly will Syria do to "restrain" Hezbollah? This matter has become very important - particularly in view of the warning that the Israeli government just issued: Hezbollah wants to kidnap Israeli tourists. Damascus has been silent on this issue as well. But it has been open about its insistence that the United States not worry about Mr. Assad's trip to Moscow last week to discuss arms sales and military cooperation. The visit was supposedly necessary, Damascus says, because Mr. Assad feels that Syria needs Russian "protection" in the event of a war between Iran and Israel.
Maybe there is a geopolitical sea change taking place in Damascus. If so, the Assad government has thus far hidden it very skillfully. In March 2000, President Clinton put the prestige of his office on the line in the hope that Mr. Assad's father was ready to make a peace agreement with Israel. Hafez Assad showed by his actions that he was not, and then proceeded to sabotage Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's efforts to withdraw from southern Lebanon. We shouldn't be deluded again.

Three guys, a trailer, and Israel`s survival
By: Glick, Caroline -Jerusalem Post
Friday, August 29, 2008 -
The Olmert-Livni-Barak government is apparently maneuvering to stand down on Iran, and they'd like the US to be blamed for their timidity. A careful reading of a bizarre article in Sunday's edition of Ha'aretz brings this point home clearly.
The report details Israel's recent agreement with the US to deploy the X-Band high powered early warning radar system in Israel. The system will be manned by a team of three US military personnel from a trailer somewhere in the Negev.
The US's willingness to deploy the system is largely the consequence of ardent lobbying efforts by US Congressman Mark Kirk. Kirk's successful push for the deployment of the X-Band system in Israel is a great boon for the country's defensive capabilities. The X-Band system can detect incoming missiles from 500-600 miles. Currently, Israel's early warning system is only able to detect missiles from 100 miles out. The earlier detection capacity means that in the event of an Iranian attack, Israel's Arrow missiles will be able to intercept and destroy incoming missiles before they reach Israeli territory and so even their debris will fall outside the country.
BUT ACCORDING to unnamed Israeli "defense officials" who spoke with Ha'aretz, the price that Israel will be forced to pay for this increased defensive capacity is prohibitive. Those "defense officials" claim that the US forced Israel to agree that in exchange for the X-Band system, Israel will not attack Iran either preemptively or retroactively without US permission, because were Israel to attack Iran, the three American guys and their trailer could become a target for an Iranian missile.
If Ha'aretz and the "defense officials" are right, then that means that Defense Minister Ehud Barak - who concluded the deal with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates during his visit to Washington last month - agreed to concede Israel's right to take whatever action it
deems necessary to prevent its national destruction. Barak conceded Israel's right to prevent its own annihilation in exchange for three guys and a trailer and the capacity to live with a greater sense of security under Iranian nuclear threat. This sense of security will last for as long as Iran doesn't develop satellite-based warheads or for as long as Iran doesn't prove the X-Band radar or the Arrow 3 missiles incapable of actually intercepting incoming nuclear warheads.
Since Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and all their colleagues in the government have been silent on the deal, it can be assumed that they back Barak's move. So again, acting on the authority of the entire Kadima-Labor-Shas government, according to "defense officials," and Ha'aretz, Barak just agreed to give up Israel's right to attack Iran's nuclear installations. And the Americans made him do it.
THE HA'ARETZ report did not include any mention of attempts to verify the "defense officials" claims with the Americans. And in a telephone interview with The Jerusalem Post on Sunday night, Kirk vociferously denied their allegations.
"There is no quid pro quo," he said.
"You mean that the US did not say that in exchange for deploying the X-Band system Israel needs to receive US permission to attack Iran?"
"No, the US made no such demand," Kirk said.
"The basic idea is that a US ally getting nuked is a bad thing. The X-Band system increases the likelihood that such an attack would fail," he continued.
Moreover, far from sending a message that the US would work to block an Israeli preemptive attack against Iran, Kirk argued that the deployment of the X-Band system manned by a US crew "will send a message to Iran, that Israel has powerful political support from its ally against any Iranian threat."
Kirk also argued that the US will support a decision by Israel's government to attack Iran. As he put it, "If the Israeli government makes the difficult decision [that it must launch a preemptive attack against Iran], that is when Israel will need its allies the most. And that is when the US will be called in to show what it means to have us as an ally."
So if Kirk - the US official most responsible for the X-Band deal - flatly denies that the US is using the X-Band deployment to prevent Israel from attacking Iran, what were those unidentified "defense officials" who spoke with Ha'aretz trying to achieve by making false allegations against the US? And why did Ha'aretz's reporters not bother to call Kirk or the Pentagon to verify their amazing claims?
SADLY, THE answer is clear. Those "defense officials" were carrying out what has become standard practice for Israeli leftists over the past 15 years. They were working to demoralize the Israeli public into believing that it is inevitable that we cannot defeat our enemies or take any effective military steps to protect ourselves from their aggression.
For its part, in its unquestioning reporting of the story, Ha'aretz was doing what the Israeli media - led by Ha'aretz - has been doing since 1993. It was helping leftist politicians demoralize the public into believing that we have no option of defeating our enemies and must therefore simply try to appease them as best we can, hunker down behind high walls and shields, and hope someone else will defend us.
Since the Rabin-Peres government reversed what had been Israeli policy since 1967 and in 1993 decided to embrace the PLO - a terrorist organization dedicated to the destruction of the country - as a peace partner, every single leftist government has claimed that Israel has no ability to defend itself. In 1993, the government embraced the radical Left's unsubstantiated claim that it was Israel's fault the Palestinians wanted to destroy us. And two years after the IDF ended the Palestinian uprising, the government also claimed that the IDF couldn't protect us from Palestinian terror and that Yasser Arafat would do a better job of defending us than our own army.
The media supported their absurd claims and demonized their critics as warmongers, extremists and enemies of peace.
Then there was Barak's disastrous unilateral withdrawal of IDF forces from south Lebanon in May 2000. Barak embraced the factitious claims of the radical anti-Zionist Left that the only reason Hizbullah was attacking Israel was because IDF forces were deployed in south Lebanon. Like the radical Left, Barak promised that once Israel withdrew, Hizbullah would disband its army and become just another peaceful political party in Lebanon.
The media, for their part lobbied obsessively for the withdrawal. All withdrawal opponents were demonized as warmongers, extremists and enemies of peace.
THEN THERE was the Palestinian terror war which began in September 2000. For a year and a half, as the Israeli casualty count mounted daily, the Sharon-Peres government told us that we had no military option to defeat the terrorists. The US would abandon us if we attacked the Palestinian Authority and anyway, the IDF was no match for terror cells.
The media for their part pushed the narrative of Israeli helplessness. All proponents of military victory were demonized as warmongers, extremists and enemies of peace
Despite the IDF's successful defeat of terror forces in Judea and Samaria during and subsequent to Operation Defense Shield in April 2002, it took the leftist politicians and their media flacks no time to reinstate their narrative of Israeli powerlessness. Within weeks of the defeat of the terror forces in Judea and Samaria, the Labor Party, the media and later former prime minister Ariel Sharon argued that Israel could do nothing to defend against Gazan terror and therefore, should simply withdraw its forces and civilians from the Gaza Strip.
And again, those who pointed out that Israel had never really tried to defeat the terror networks in Gaza were silenced. Those who warned that Gaza would become the new south Lebanon were demonized as warmongers and extremists and enemies of peace.
Hizbullah's offensive against Israel in July 2006 was an unwelcome development for the Olmert-Livni-Peretz government and the media. It was the war their opponents had warned would come as a result of ill-conceived Israeli withdrawals. They wanted that war to go away as quickly as possible.
Refusing to fight the war with any determination, they told the public that we had no interest in winning. We didn't want to get bogged down again the Lebanese "mud," they said. There was no "military solution," they pronounced. The US, they lied, opposed an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon. Only the UN and the Hizbullah-dominated Lebanese military could defend Israel, they claimed.
So they sued for a cease-fire, which as their critics warned, paved the way for Hizbullah's takeover of Lebanon. And the media praised their wisdom and silenced their critics by castigating the latter as warmongers, extremists and enemies of peace.
THIS THEN is the historical backdrop against which the government's current attempt to demoralize the public into believing that it is futile to attempt an attack on Iran's nuclear installations is being carried out. But there is a qualitative difference between the government's newest attempt to wriggle out of its responsibility to defend the country and its previous derelictions of duty.
This is the first time that the threat the government seeks to ignore is actually capable of annihilating the country. By claiming again here that the US will abandon us if we attack, the government is telling us that we have no choice other than to live in a world where a regime openly committed to destroying our country and our people has the means to carry out their designs. And in its unquestioning parroting of the government's line, the media is collaborating with this unacceptable state of affairs.
If there was ever a situation requiring the public to take to the streets, this is it.
Since Israel's founding, there has been an unspoken social compact between the public and our government. We all understand that existential threats have to be defeated. We don't discuss these things. We simply trust our governments to protect us.
The Ha'aretz report signals that the current government is breaching this compact by preparing its case for inaction. This situation simply cannot be allowed to stand. And given that we are now in elections season, a public outcry today has the capacity to force our media to cover this story and so compel our politicians to either fulfill their part of the bargain or step down.
While the US is happy to augment our defensive capacity, the Pentagon has been clear that it will not attack Israel's enemies for us. That is our job. And we the Israeli public must compel our leaders to do their job.
**Originally published in The Jerusalem Post.

LIC on the Lebanese-Americans and the McCain campaign
Thursday, August 28, 2008 10:40 PM
The Lebanese Information Center
LIC Release regarding Lebanese-Americans and the McCain campaignAugust 26, 2008 The Lebanese Information Center in the US welcomes the recognition of the Lebanese-American effort in the McCain presidential campaign. Lebanese-Americans are proud to notice that their group is one of seven ethnic coalitions active in the presidential campaign. (See http://lebaneseamericans.johnmccain.com/Site.aspx)
Lebanese-Americans constitute around 60% of all immigrants from the Arab World and number almost 2 million people in the US. They hold prominent positions in the government and the private sectors and are well-known achievers in the American society at large.
Several Lebanese-American organizations and renowned individuals started early their involvement in the McCain campaign. Lebanese-Americans participated in events, donated in fundraisers, and organized grassroots efforts in support of Senator McCain.
Campaign Officials, acknowledging the potential of the Lebanese-American voters, organized the Lebanese-Americans' efforts by creating athe Lebanese-American Coalition (LAC), scheduling meetings and conferences for the different members, and launching a dedicated website for this group ose Lebanese.
The LIC in the US, and many other Lebanese-American groups as well, are proud to have as Honorary Chairs for the LAC such prominent Lebanese-American figures like Congressmen Darrel Issa and Charles Boustany, Senator John Sununu, Secretary Spencer Abraham and Governor Mitch Daniels.
Lebanese-American community leaders were welcome at the campaign headquarters on many occasions. Some had the chance to spend time with the Senator during his campaign stops in Ohio, Florida, Washington DC and elsewhere. His assertive words in support of a free, sovereign and democratic Lebanon have resonated well with all. His strong positions opposing Syrian hegemony and Iranian interference in Lebanon are comforting to those concerned about the future of Lebanon and aware of its importance towards stability and peace in the Middle East region.
Once more, Lebanese-Americans have shown to be key elements in the American political life, and the LIC is pleased to note that the concerted effort of these Lebanese-Americans is bearing fruit.

Report: Hezbollah's new missiles have range 'Israel can't fathom'
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Hezbollah is armed with Iranian-supplied advanced missiles capable of reaching targets deep into Israel, according to a report in Friday editions of the London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Quds al-Arabi. The report quotes senior Arab sources who claim that the Shi'ite group in Lebanon plans to use the missiles in the event Israel decides to attack Iranian nuclear facilities, or if the United States launches an offensive that has the potential to ignite a regional war.
The sources added that the new missiles have a range that Israel "cannot even fathom," and that the new arms are the "surprise" that Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah spoke of in his recent statements to the public. The report says the missiles are armed with a precision-guided mechanism that increases their accuracy. A spate of media reports in recent months have indicated that Hezbollah has stockpiled new arms, including anti-aircraft systems, that it has deployed in the mountainous regions of Lebanon. Israel has repeatedly warned that positioning these missile batteries in Lebanon would be viewed as "a step that tilts the balance." Officials in Jerusalem say this would justify a preemptive strike on these weapons systems.
Iranian defense experts are also reportedly in Lebanon in an effort to assist Hezbollah in developing anti-aircraft capabilities.

The Region: A Middle East strategy for the West
By BARRY RUBIN -Jerusalem Post
The great battle during our younger years was between communism and democratic liberalism. Its contemporary equivalent is Arab nationalism versus Islamism.
That implies some extremely important, often misunderstood conclusions: First, regrettable but true, democracy isn't in the running. The problem is not just that cynical rulers mislead the masses through demagoguery - though that's true - it's that the masses embrace extremist world views.
Even in Iraq or Lebanon, what exists is not democracy but merely elections regulating the precise balance among ethno-religious blocs. Instead of lobbying, they use violence as a means of persuasion and leverage, violence periodically breaking into civil war.
Other countries are dictatorships, though the degree of repression varies. Kuwait, a sort of monarchical semi-democracy, is the exception proving the rule. There, pro-democratic liberal forces do poorly against dynasty-controlled Islamists and tribal foes.
The Palestinian political scene provides another example. Remember, Fatah accepted Hamas's victory at the polls. Only after an agreement made a coalition government possible did Hamas stage a coup.
There is nothing theoretical about this. Is democracy possible in the Arabic-speaking world? Why not, once one discounts all the existing political, ideological, social and organizational forces?
Will it come eventually? Probably, if "eventually" is long enough.
In terms of practical politics and strategy, however, these two questions are irrelevant. Democracy isn't on the agenda.
JUST TO provide guidelines, and remembering that every country differs, I'd suggest roughly 60-70% of the Arabic-speaking world is still Arab nationalist, 20%-30% is Islamist and 10% pro-moderate democracy. Numbers and definitions are subject to challenge, but the basic proportions seem right.
Two hybrid regimes exist. Libya follows dictator Muammar Gaddafi's bizarre mentality. More important is Syria, where the regime is Arab nationalist but its international policy and domestic propaganda are largely Islamist. It backs Iraqi, Lebanese and Palestinian Islamist terrorists, and is deeply committed to the Iranian alliance.
NOT ALL Islamists are the same or allied, but all are extremely dangerous. Iran and Syria, which can subvert whole countries and sponsor large political organizations, are far more dangerous than al-Qaida.
The notion of helping groups like the Muslim Brotherhood become more powerful or seize control of countries is insane. It is more likely to ensure decades of bloodshed, the deaths of many thousands of people in internal strife and foreign warfare, and the destruction of Western interests.
The two contending forces are both local. The West is an outside factor whose intervention - either through force or concessions - won't decide this contest generally, and certainly isn't going to transform either side. The West can, however, do some critical things if it knows how to distinguish between friends, enemies and interests:
* Help one side against the other where appropriate. The people to help are the Arab nationalists. As a group, at least with Saddam Hussein gone from Iraq, they are less internationally aggressive and less internally repressive than the revolutionary, enthusiastic and ideologically idealistic Islamists.
They have also absorbed some lessons from the past half-century about their own limits and Western power. Their people suffer because they're incapable of transforming these societies for the better; their subjects benefit because they don't seek to transform these societies and govern every detail of their lives.
* Don't romanticize Arab nationalist regimes. They're incompetent, corrupt, anti-democratic and unreliable. We know their failings are one significant reason the Islamists have grown but, frankly, there's nothing we can do about it. There's no third alternative. The Bush administration tried and failed miserably. Ironically, a genuinely moderate government, the Lebanese "March 14" coalition, didn't receive serious Western support and inevitably fell to Hizbullah pressure and Iranian-Syrian subversion.
Arab nationalist regimes will do as little as possible to combat the Islamists internationally, appease the other side quickly if they think it's winning, and play anti-American, anti-Western and anti-Israel cards.
* Show Arab nationalist regimes that the West won't let them get away with anything nasty, and show the Islamists it won't let them get away with anything at all. Any concession made to the Islamist side - including Syria - sends a signal to regimes, radical Islamist groups and the people that the Islamists are winning and everyone better join or appease them.
* Trying to obtain Israel-Palestinian or Arab-Israeli peace is a useless strategy, distracting from real issues. It isn't going to happen; Islamists would use any such peace to portray those signing it as traitors; and even many Arab nationalists would denounce it to raise their credibility as tough, unyielding fighters. Violence and unrest would increase, not lessen.
Similarly, the main reason to oppose Iranian nuclear weapons is not because they would threaten Israel - though that's important - but because they endanger Western interests by swinging the balance wildly in favor of the Islamists.

If you want a good analogy, think of how the US and Britain had to ally with Joseph Stalin's USSR during World War II (though they were too trusting of him) and with a variety of dictators during the Cold War (without countenancing their systems or practices, which didn't happen often enough but more so than many think today).
In short, the priority is not to be nice to Hamas, Hizbullah, Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood or Syria, but rather to work with - critically and sometimes pressuring - the governments of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, the smaller Gulf states, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, and with democratic forces in Lebanon. This group also includes Fatah's Palestinian Authority, but that already receives far more money and diplomatic support than it needs or deserves.
It should be made to work for these benefits rather than contribute so much to the problems.
**The writer is director of the Global Research in International Affairs Center at IDC Herzliya and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal.

Hizballah’s Attack On The Lebanese Army: An Accident Or A Message?
By Andrew Cochran
Phillip Smyth is the the CT Blog's Assistant Newslinks Editor and a contributor to the Aramaic Democratic Organization. He has visited Lebanon, interviewied anti-Hezbollah NGOs and Hezbollah supporters, and maintains regular contact with sources there. He wrote the following about the downing on Thursday of a Lebanese Army helicopter by Hizballah forces.
The hills of Iqlim al-Tuffah are known for their apple orchards, in addition to being an off-limits Hizballah base. The area had been targeted by the Israelis for surgical and reprisal attacks against Hizballah since Israel and the SLA patrolled the Security Zone. The peaceful noon time on Thursday was interrupted by anti-aircraft fire. A helicopter was forced to land in the village of Sojod. Only, this time, the helicopter was not Israeli, nor did it belong to the UNIFIL forces based in southern Lebanon, this was a Lebanese army UH-1 Iroquois (commonly known as the Huey). The helicopter attack also killed one, First Lieutenant Samer Hanna, in addition to other casualties. Nevertheless, the full story of this incident is marred with speculation, rumors and many unnerving facts.
Many in the media insinuated that the attack may have something to do with “Sunni Islamist militants from the north [read: Tripoli]”. The New York Times stated, “The Lebanese Army has come under attack several times this summer, including in a bombing this month that left nine soldiers and several civilians dead.” As with the NYT, the AFP, made sure the Sunni Islamists would be placed at the end of the article stating, "Nine Lebanese soldiers and five civilians were killed in a bombing at a bus stop in the northern port city of Tripoli earlier this month in an attack thought to have targeted the army. The army has also suffered other attacks since it fought a 15-week battle with militants of the Al-Qaeda inspired Fatah al-Islam in the Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. In December the head of the army's military operations, General Francois el-Hajj, was killed in a massive bomb attack and just over a month later Major Wissam Eid, a top intelligence officer, was killed in similar circumstances.”
In fact, the last attack in the south by suspected Sunni Islamists was in June, 2007, killing 6 Spanish peacekeepers in a UNIFIL convoy. While Hizballah was the obvious cause of the latest attack, and even Hizballah militiamen said that they, “thought that there was an Israeli landing attempt (under way) and opened fire in the direction of the helicopter, hitting it.” The major press still insinuated that a group like Fatah al Islam could be behind the attack. When the attack was first reported, Hizballah initially denied it had anything to do with the attack, but this would later be disproved.
The Israeli daily Ha‘aretz reported that, “ Hezbollah downed a Lebanese Army helicopter on Thursday in what Israeli officials believe was a case of mistaken identity: The Shi'ite militiamen apparently thought they were firing at an Israeli chopper.” Even with the assumption that Hizballah made a mistake, Ha’aretz further disproves this theory when they said, “The helicopter was apparently flying at low altitude.” Just a cursory look at the paint schemes of a Lebanese UH-1 (usually painted a dark green with a very visible red, green and white Lebanese air force roundel) versus Israeli models (normally painted an olive green with a golden V, and recognizable roundel featuring the Star of David or a desert, green and brown camouflage), shows that the Hizballah militiamen operating the anti-aircraft gun(s) were either extremely incompetent or had some idea that they were targeting a Lebanese helicopter.
Needless to say, Hizballah, especially in a strategic region 12 miles from Israel, doesn’t normally employ incompetents to man its newly installed anti-aircraft fixtures. This was quite obvious considering Hizballah’s quick reaction to campers (they were kidnapped and held) who stumbled onto Hizballah’s new anti-aircraft facilities on Mt. Sannine. Furthermore, any Hizballah fighter could logically assume that Israel wouldn’t launch an incursion into a Hizballah stronghold such as Iqlim al-Tuffah in a single Huey helicopter. The Arabic daily As Safir, “cited poor coordination between Hizbullah and the Lebanese army regarding the helicopter overflight and the tension among Hizbullah ranks as a result of Israeli threats and intensified Israeli overflights over the past few days as reasons for the confusion that led to the helicopter shooting.” Nevertheless, Naharnet reported that a “semi-official report” stated that, “the helicopter came under gunfire upon take off from a hilltop.”
The Hizballah and allies responded with a mixture of whitewashing the incident, ignoring it, and even tried to shift blame onto the Israelis. According to the International Herald Tribune, “Sheik Abdul-Amir Kabalan, urged the army to investigate swiftly and suggested that a collaborator with Israel may have fired on the aircraft.” Kabalan is close with Harakat Amal, the other major Shia party in Lebanon, which in turn is allied to Hizballah. NOW Lebanon reported that according to “inside sources,” “Hezbollah fighters shot at the military helicopter because it crossed red lines that Hezbollah had warned the Defense Ministry and army command' not to cross” OTV, the Free Patriotic Movement’s mouthpiece (the FPM is Hizballah’s key Christian ally), did not even offer a story on their website regarding the incident. Instead OTV only featured the story as a small link reading, (Google Translation) “General Michel Aoun visited the Metropolitan of Mount Lebanon for the Roman Orthodox George Khader and discussed with him the latest developments in the death of First Lieutenant Samir Hanna result of the fall of the Lebanese Army helicopter. After exposure to a shooting in the south, the UN Security Council extended an additional year of peacekeeping forces in south Lebanon.”
Note: there is no mention of Hizballah, OTV’s politics page is also devoid of any mention abut the helicopter and the controversy surrounding it. Hizballah’s TV organ, Al Manar was little different. In their article they used the Lebanese army’s neutral language in describing the attack, “The Lebanese army said in a statement that one of its helicopters came under gunmen fire while undertaking a training mission over the Iqlim Al-Toffah region in south Lebanon.”
In Lebanon, rumors spread very quickly. However, with reports saying that the helicopter was attacked while it was still on ground and that the assailants, after killing 1st Lt. Samer Hanna, assaulted another officer,” this could have been a targeted attack Former general Elias Hanna told the AFP that, “the Shiite movement wanted to send a message to the army ahead of the nomination of an army chief and discussions on a national defence strategy.” Toni Nissi, Lebanese leader of the International Lebanese Committee for U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 told me that, “no one is allowed to fly over a Hizballah base.” Adding, “[Hizballah is] not happy with the nomination of the chief of the army.”
On the macro level, the dead pilot of the helicopter, Samer Hanna, came from the village of Tannourine. This is the same village that March 14th legislator, and former candidate for the Lebanese presidency, Boutros Harb came from and represents. Harb was noted as saying Hizballah controlled a, “mini-state inside the state”, and also stating “Whenever we have a state and government ready to fight for the country’s independence, at that moment Hezbollah will not have a pretext to continue having their arms and we’ll invite them to be part of the institutions of the state.” A contact whose family is close to Hanna’s, told me that Hanna’s political background was, “with the March 14th Coalition.” If this was a targeted operation, they surely struck a cord with the March 14th Coalition regarding Hizballah’s arms, and at the very least with MP Harb.
Whether this was a legitimate accident, or a deliberate attack, Hizballah has deliberately or inadvertently made a clear message to the March 14th leadership.
1. Hizballah does not like who will become the new army commander.
2. Hizballah rules the south of Lebanon, and army encroachment will not be permitted.
3. Hizballah, not the Lebanese state, will dictate any future relationship with the army.
August 29, 2008 11:08

Hezbollah kills Lebanese Army Officer W. Thomas Smith Jr.
28 Aug 2008
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Hezbollah has “brazenly attacked the Lebanese Army” – in its Thursday shooting-attack on an army helicopter, killing 1st Lt. Samer Hanna and wounding several others – so say the leaders of Lebanon’s pro-democracy movement.
Hours after the shooting, Tom Harb, secretary general of The International Lebanese Committee for UN Security Council Resolution 1559 (which calls for the disarming of Hezbollah), tells me:
“This is tantamount to a declaration of war by Hezbollah, and if they will attack the Lebanese Army, they will surely have no qualms about attacking the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).”
Harb has just sent a letter to the UN stating such.
Hezbollah – a Shiia terrorist group with expansive ambitions both at home in Lebanon and abroad – is heavily funded and equipped by Iran and operationally supported by both Iran and Syria.
As we have reported, the group has strengthened its strategic positions across Lebanon in recent months. And in recent weeks, Hezbollah’s combat training and military posturing has increased in regions of the country far beyond its traditionally recognized southern defenses (below the Litani River) and Al Dahiyeh (Hezbollah’s south Beirut stronghold near the airport).
The doomed helicopter was in fact shot down over a rugged stretch of terrain in south Lebanon where sources have been informing us for weeks that Hezbollah and Pasdaran (Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) fighters have been conducting small-unit military exercises.
This is not the first time Hezbollah has attacked the Lebanese government. But it is one of the boldest attacks to date against the army.
In May, Hezbollah – which has been able to skirt UN demands to disarm by threatening Lebanon’s leaders and claiming to be a legitimate “resistance” force – turned its weapons on the Lebanese government and citizenry following government decisions to both fire a Hezbollah-linked airport security chief and shut down the terrorist group’s private telecommunications system (linking Hezbollah with Teheran and Damascus). In the end, Hezbollah won, was granted veto power over government decisions, and ultimately positioned as an “official” wing of the Lebanese Defense apparatus.
Simply put, Hezbollah has increased its leverage over the legitimate army. Hezbollah has infiltrated the officer corps of the army. But the army and police dare not go where Hezbollah does not permit, which is what the army apparently did today.
“The helicopter was brought down ‘because it crossed red lines that Hezbollah had warned the Defense Ministry and army command’ not to cross,” sources told the Lebanese media. “…sources also said that the Resistance [Hezbollah] considered the region very sensitive, and Hezbollah leaders have already stressed the importance of the location because it contained the Resistance’s telecommunications apparatus.”
Harb says, if Pres. Michel Sleiman, the pro-Syrian former commanding-general of the Lebanese armed forces, does not respond to this attack, “he will demonstrate that he is not only yielding to terrorists, but he is perhaps collaborating with Iran and Syria.”
But none of us are holding our breath. Sleiman, who I spent more than two hours with in a one-on-one conversation (not including private conversations with his chief of intelligence and several of his generals) last fall, became agitated whenever I brought up the issue of Hezbollah. “Why do you want to talk about Hezbollah?” he snapped at me.
Following Thursday’s attack, Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan, deputy president of the Higher Islamic Shiia Council, began propagating the typical spin, blaming the attack on Israeli “infiltrators.” And Hezbollah has since reportedly said they were only firing warning shots.
All of this comes on the heels of published remarks by Italian Army Major General Claudio Graziano, senior commander of UNIFIL. Speaking to the Jerusalem Post on Aug. 15, Graziano said that “excellent cooperation” existed between UNIFIL and Hezbollah militiamen, and that “apart from UN troops, Lebanese soldiers and [local] hunters, no one is armed south of the Litani River.”
— Visit W. Thomas Smith Jr. online at uswriter.com.
“W. Thomas Smith Jr. provides some of the best commentary and expert analysis available.”