LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِAugust 13/2010

Bible Of the Day
The Good News According to Luke 13/10-17
13:10 He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. 13:11 Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and she was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up. 13:12 When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” 13:13 He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight, and glorified God.  13:14 The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!” 13:15 Therefore the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water? 13:16 Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” 13:17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were disappointed, and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. /Naharnet

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Hassan Nasrallah’s guide to memory loss/By: Michael Young/August 12/10
Nasrallah’s speech fails to meet high expectations/By:Natacha Yazbeck/August 12/10
Nasrallah has no smoking gun tying Israel to Hariri murder/By Avi Issacharoff & Amos Harel/August 12/10
If US cuts Lebanon Army aid, would Hezbollah's sponsor Iran step in?/By Nicholas Blanford/August 12/10
Washington Watch: Lebanon, friend or foe?/By: By D. BLOOMFIELD/August 12/10
On hold/US temporarily blocks aid for LAF/By: Matt Nash/ August 12/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 12/10
Ball Now In Hizbullah Court after Mirza Conveyed Bellemare's Request for Data/Naharnet
Asarta: No War in UNIFIL Area of Operations in Next Few Months/Naharnet
Qahwaji Denies U.S. Suspension of Aid to Lebanese Army/Naharnet
Hashem Criticizes U.S. Approach towards Lebanese Army's Armament: Israeli Maneuvers Aimed at Intimidation/Naharnet
Ahmadenijad: Hizbullah's Damning Evidence Exposes Zionist Enemy's Conspiracies/Naharnet
Saqr: Bellemare's Request to be Provided with Nasrallah's Evidence is a Highlight in the Investigation/Naharnet
Israeli Agent al-Saadi Sentenced to 20 Years in Jail/Naharnet
Experts from Bellemare's Office Following up on Investigations with Telecommunications Spies/Naharnet
US: Lebanon military aid conditional/Ynetnews
Murr slams conditional US military aid/Daily Star and AFP
Lebanon says aid to army must be unconditional/Reuters
Syria, Iran underline support for Lebanon against Israel/AFP
Israel Finds Rare 2200-Year-Old Gold Coin/NPR
Top US lawmaker seeks Pentagon briefing on Lebanon/AFP
Lebanese Army, UNIFIL must work ‘closely’ to maintain Blue Line calm/Daily Star
Nasrallah’s speech fails to meet high expectations/AFP
STL asks Hizbullah to share information, footage/Daily Star staff

Washington Watch: Lebanon, friend or foe?
By D. BLOOMFIELD
08/12/2010 00:59
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=184465
Before resuming arms shipments, Congress should demand evidence that LAF is part of the solution, not the problem.
US military assistance for Lebanon has been frozen by two powerful members of Congress while they and their colleagues try to figure out what they want in exchange for reopening the pipeline.
There’s no evidence so far that American-supplied arms were used in the unprovoked attack by Lebanese forces on Israeli soldiers working on their own side of the border last month, but the incident raises the question of whether we are arming – albeit disproportionately – two friends for war against each other. Or are we inadvertently arming a terrorist organization? The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) are no match for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF); in fact, they are not even a match for the better-armed and trained Hizbullah, which has vowed to join with the LAF in any conflict with Israel.
Hizbullah has massively rearmed since the 2006 war with Israel, acquiring more and longer-range missiles capable of hitting nearly all Israeli population centers.
Hizbullah has steadily expanded its political power as well, becoming the country’s dominant force. With its allies it holds a virtual veto in the cabinet and parliament, and can paralyze the government, as it did in 2008 to block an attempt to dismantle its telecommunications system.
Hizbullah’s biggest fear right now isn’t war with Israel but a Special International Tribunal implicating it in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others in February 2005. Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s leader, has warned that indictments of Hizbullah could spark another civil war. His latest ploy to deflect blame is to say Israel murdered Hariri in an attempt to incite anti-Syrian hostility in Lebanon.
Even many Lebanese who oppose Hizbullah are reluctant to see it accused of the murders, not because they believe it is innocent but because they fear it would provoke violence that would destroy the current economic boom their country is enjoying.
The assassination triggered the Cedar Revolution, the Syrian withdrawal and the formation of an independent government strongly backed by the United States. But American influence soon began to wane due to a lack of meaningful follow-through and distractions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Syrian political influence, however, has steadily resumed; its army has not yet returned, but Hizbullah represents the interests of Syria and Iran, which have made sure the terror group is well armed and trained.
UNIFIL, the United Nations force supposedly overseeing the ceasefire and preventing Hizbullah from rearming, has been a hopeless failure.
THE BUSH and Obama administrations have sent hundreds of millions of dollars in training and equipment to the LAF, but have paid scant attention to Lebanon even though it could too easily ignite another war much more lethal than the last one.
Many LAF officers and units are believed to be sympathetic if not actually loyal to Hizbullah. One such unit is believed responsible for the recent attack on Israeli soldiers.
Rep. Howard Berman (D-California), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), chair of the appropriations subcommittee that controls foreign aid spending, have placed holds on $100 million in US military aid in the pipeline for Lebanon, citing concerns over Hizbullah’s access to those weapons and its influence in the LAF.
Berman wants an “in-depth policy review” before resuming the aid, and Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) is expected to hold hearings next month in his Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East.
Rep. Eric Cantor, the second ranking Republican in the House, agrees. He wants aid blocked until the US can “certify” that the LAF is not cooperating with Hizbullah.
He said Washington has given Lebanon $720 million in military training and equipment since 2006, including assault rifles, missile launchers, grenade launchers and night-vision gear.
Before reopening the pipeline, lawmakers should demand some answers: – What is the level of Hizbullah influence in the LAF? – Can the LAF ever realistically guarantee the security and independence of a democratic Lebanon? – Can American weapons be kept out of the hands of Hizbullah? Lebanese President Michel Suleiman suggested Lebanon would go to “neighboring and friendly states” to get what it needed, implying Syria and Iran. Is that in America’s best interest? “It’s not a choice between good and bad but between bad and worse,” said a Congressional expert on the region. “If we stop selling arms – which are not top quality to begin with – they’ll have no trouble getting them elsewhere and we would lose important access and influence with the LAF. That would only enhance the role of Hizbullah, Syria and Iran and diminish opportunities for the LAF to play a stabilizing role in the country.”
– How can Washington help? The administration should seek to broker a series of quiet understandings between Israel and Lebanon that will stabilize the border, prevent future incidents and, if they do occur, make sure they don’t escalate. The US is the only player capable of filling that role – UNIFIL can’t, and the current Lebanese government won’t negotiate directly with Israel.
Before resuming arms shipments, Congress should demand evidence that the LAF is part of the solution, not the problem.
bloomfieldcolumn@gmail.com

2 Wounded, Dozen Houses Damaged in Armed Clashes
Naharnet/Two people were wounded in armed clashes between two rival clans in the Baalbek neighborhood of Sharawneh, local media reported Thursday. They said the late Wednesday dispute pitted the Jaafar family against Zoaiter's which soon developed into exchanges of machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades. The gunbattle, which lasted for more than one hour, broke out after Shawqi Zoaiter's house was hit by two RPGs. The Zoaiter's miraculously escaped unharmed. A fire broke out in the house due to the rocket attack, but ongoing fighting made it difficult for firefighters to reach the place. At least a dozen houses were riddled in bullets and RPGs. Beirut, 12 Aug 10, 09:27

Jaafar, Zoaiter Clans Clash with RPGs in Sharawneh
Naharnet/Disputes between the clans of Jaafar and Zoaiter in the Baalbek neighborhood of Sharawneh developed into an exchange of machinegun fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
The clashes, which lasted for more than one hour on Wednesday, involved the targeting of Shawqi Zoaiter's house with two rockets, as the family members miraculously escaped unharmed.
At once the neighborhood's residents took the initiative of putting out the resulting fire as the clashes made it extremely difficult for the firefighting vehicles to reach the place.
Tens of houses were also battered by bullets. However, only material damage was recorded. The clashes also led to a total blackout in Sharawneh and a major part of Baalbek's neighborhoods. Beirut, 11 Aug 10, 21:50

Hariri Meets Saudi King, Discusses Nasrallah
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri made several external calls with world leaders following Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's press conference in which he showed aerial footage that he said implicates Israel in the 2005 assassination of his father, ex-PM Rafik Hariri. As-Safir newspaper said these contacts serve to reinforce internal unity and justice at the same time. In this context, As-Safir pointed to some reports which said Hariri met with Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh on Wednesday after holding talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Saturday. Beirut, 12 Aug 10, 07:22

Asarta: No War in UNIFIL Area of Operations in Next Few Months
Naharnet/Commander of the U.N. peacekeepers in south Lebanon Maj. Gen. Alberto Asarta said no war will take in UNIFIL's area of operations in the near future. "The situation in UNIFIL's area of operations and along the Blue Line is normal and very quiet," Asarta said in remarks published Thursday by Al-Mustaqbal newspaper. "No war will take place in this region in the next few months," he stressed, pointing out that both Lebanon and Israel have reaffirmed their commitment to Resolution 1701. Beirut, 12 Aug 10, 08:37

3 Experts from Bellemare's Office Following up on Investigations with Telecommunications Spies
Naharnet/The Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper reported Thursday that three experts from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon General Prosecutor's office are following up on investigations conducted with spies discovered in Lebanon's telecommunications sector. It said that the experts are seeking to find out if the spies manipulated telephone data connected to the investigation in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. The three experts will start their mission with spy suspects Charbel Qazzi, Tareq Rabaa, and Milad Eid. Beirut, 12 Aug 10,

Ball Now In Hizbullah Court after Mirza Conveyed Bellemare's Request for Data
Naharnet/A request by Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare demanding Lebanese authorities to provide all the information in possession of Hizbullah has reportedly made its way to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat said Thursday it learned that Bellemare's office on Wednesday sent a written request to State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza in line with an agreement signed between the Justice Ministry and the STL Prosecutor. It cited well-informed sources as saying that Mirza, in turn, passed on the request to Nasrallah via Wafiq Safa, Head of Hizbullah's Coordination and Liaison Committee. The sources said Hizbullah promised to give Bellemare an answer "later."
A senior Hizbullah source, meanwhile, told Al-Liwaa newspaper that Bellemare's request for data "will not change our perspective and lack of confidence in the performance of the International Tribunal and the investigating committee." "This request includes the video material that was shown on television during the press conference, as well any other material that would be of assistance to the Office of the Prosecutor in unveiling the truth," Bellemare's press release said. The Office of the Prosecutor also invited Nasrallah "to use his authority to facilitate its investigation." "Away from the spotlight, the Office of the Prosecutor is pursuing its investigation according to the highest standards of international justice, in a neutral and objective way. The Office of the Prosecutor is led by the evidence and nothing else," said the press release. The Office of the Prosecutor said it has "the sole responsibility for the investigation and acts independently," stressing that "nobody can influence its direction." "As such, it must pursue all possible leads," added Bellemare's request. Beirut, 12 Aug 10,

Qahwaji Denies U.S. Suspension of Aid to Lebanese Army
Naharnet/Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji denied on Thursday that the U.S. administration had taken the decision to freeze its aid to the Lebanese army. He said: "Reports on this matter were only ideas proposed by some pro-Zionist lobby congressmen, which is what U.S. Special Middle East Peace Envoy's Assistant Frederic Hof affirmed to me during his recent visit.""The Lebanese army is committed to the implementation of U.N. resolution 1701 and cooperating with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon," said the army commander.
Addressing the recent clash at Adeisseh between the Lebanese army and Israel, Qahwaji said: "The clash was a result of Israel's ignoring of UNIFIL's role in monitoring the disputes points along the Blue Line.""All the Lebanese army did was defend its land and location, and it did not provoke the Israeli army that in turn refused to allow the international troops to settle the dispute," he stressed. Regarding the media leaks targeting the army, Qahwaji urged the media to be objective in reporting the news. Beirut, 12 Aug 10,

Saqr: Bellemare's Request to be Provided with Nasrallah's Evidence is a Highlight in the Investigation
Naharnet/MP Oqab Saqr stated Thursday that Special Tribunal for Lebanon General Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare's request to be provided with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's evidence in former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination is a "highlight" in the investigation. "The evidence Nasrallah presented should be taken into consideration and given enough time and effort to remove all doubt and ease suspicions," he told Voice of Lebanon. Furthermore, he stressed that Bellemare's request grants the international investigation great credibility and proves that the investigation does not overlook any piece of evidence. Beirut, 12 Aug 10, 11:01

Hashem Criticizes U.S. Approach towards Lebanese Army's Armament: Israeli Maneuvers Aimed at Intimidation
Naharnet/MP Qassem Hashem criticized on Thursday the American administration's recent position towards the Lebanese army in its suggestion to suspend its military aid to it.
He told the daily Asharq al-Awsat that since the U.S. is Israel's "complete partner in the region" and therefore it would not provide the Lebanese army sufficiently for a confrontation with the Jewish state. Addressing Israel's recent military maneuvers, the MP said that they are aimed at intimidating Lebanon, "especially after the Israelis experienced the Lebanese army's readiness in confronting any assault." He also criticized the United Nations interim Force in Lebanon that "never had the ability to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions or put an end to Israel's ongoing violations against Lebanon." Beirut, 12 Aug 10,

OTV Hits Back at Murr: To Have Aoun as Our Master is a Great Medal
Naharnet/OTV, a television network affiliated with MP Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, on Wednesday snapped back at Defense Minister Elias Murr over his press conference the same day. OTV started its evening news bulletin by announcing that "the station received many phone calls following the remarks of Defense Minister Elias Murr during his press conference, and his attack on Head of Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun." "These phone calls demanded a strong and harsh response to Murr, who described Aoun as OTV's master, but a phone call from General Aoun himself, who interfered for the first time as OTV's master … advised us to be far above and to disregard any reaction," OTV added.
"If Michel Aoun is our master, that is a great medal … on our colleague's chest." Beirut, 11 Aug 10,

Ahmadenijad: Hizbullah's Damning Evidence Exposes Zionist Enemy's Conspiracies
Naharnet/Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad stressed Thursday that Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's "very damning evidence has exposed all of the Zionist enemy's conspiracies."He said that Israel aims to create disputes through an assassination, which it then tries to pin on another side. "Syria was first targeted and then after lack of proof, Hizbullah was being accused" of assassinating former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, said the Iranian president. Beirut, 12 Aug 10, 12:48

Top U.S. Lawmaker Seeks Pentagon Briefing on Lebanon
Naharnet/Amid rising U.S.-Lebanon tensions, a top U.S. lawmaker asked the Pentagon in a letter released Wednesday for assurances that military aid from Washington is not indirectly helping Hizbullah. House Armed Services Committee chairman Ike Skelton, a Democratic White House ally, wrote Defense Secretary Robert Gates seeking a formal briefing on Lebanon, including "measures we have in place" to safeguard military aid. Skelton said a deadly clash between Lebanese and Israeli forces along the countries' shared border "has me concerned that our policy with Lebanon may be counter-productive." "I am concerned that the training and equipment we have provided the LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) for the purposes of counter-terror may in fact be used by the LAF against the Israelis," said the lawmaker. "I am also concerned of reports that the LAF is collaborating with Hizbullah and that Hizbullah is, as a result, an indirect recipient of our aid," Skelton said in the letter, which was released by his committee. His comments came after another senior Democratic lawmaker, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman, said he would freeze 100 million dollars in military aid to Lebanon after the clash, which left four dead. Berman, in a statement, said he could not be sure the Lebanese armed forces were not working with Hizbullah, which Washington lists as a "terrorist organization." The Israel-Lebanon border has been tense since the exchange of fire on August 3 that killed two Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist and a senior Israeli officer. The standoff was sparked when Israeli troops tried to cut down a tree on the border, prompting Lebanese soldiers to open fire.(AFP) Beirut, 11 Aug 10,

On hold
US temporarily blocks aid for LAF
Matt Nash, August 12, 2010
Now Lebanon
President Michel Sleiman with the Lebanese Armed Forces visiting Aadaiseh. The US is withholding aid money for the LAF pending more information on the recent clash between it and the IDF and on the ties between the LAF and Hezbollah. (AFP photo/Ali Dia)
A day before the first exchange of fire in decades between the Lebanese Armed Forces and Israel Defense Forces across the countries’ UN-delineated border, US Congressman Howard Berman placed a hold on $100 million in American aid for the Lebanese army because of concerns “about reported Hezbollah influence on the LAF,” he said in a statement.
Berman did not publically announce that hold until this Monday, the same day fellow House Democrat Nita Lowey said that she too would place a hold on the aid as “US assistance is intended to enhance our safety and that of our allies,” according to press reports.
The US gives the most of any foreign county in materiel aid to the under-equipped LAF, which spends some 80 percent of its own budget on salaries and wages, according to a 2009 report. Losing it would be detrimental to the LAF, said Riad Kahwaji, CEO of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, particularly now as President Michel Sleiman is dedicated to fulfilling the government’s commitment to bolstering the army.
However, the hold may soon be lifted, as State Department spokesman Philip Crowley, during a daily press briefing Wednesday, reiterated that “We continue to believe that investing… in Lebanon’s military serves as a stabilizing influence and expands and strengthens Lebanon’s sovereignty.”
Crowley said, “We’ve had meetings with [Capitol] Hill leaders to go over this issue in the last 24 hours or so, and we think that as we work through this everyone will see that the program that we have in place for Lebanon is – should be continued to be supported.”
Representative Lowey, chair of the State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations – key in exercising Congress’s “power of the purse” – wants to receive more information about the “attack on Israeli soldiers and basically be assured that any assistance coming from the government and US taxpayers is… helping to counter terrorist groups like Hezbollah,” a Democratic aide familiar with the situation told NOW Lebanon.
David Schenker, an analyst with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who was also an aide to former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as the US began pouring money into the LAF in 2006, said he thinks Congress has questions on the Obama administration’s policy toward Lebanon.
“The administration will want to be seen as responsive to congressional concerns so this doesn’t become a big issue,” he said. “They might send [former US Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffery] Feltman to the Hill for testimony” to clarify the administration’s Lebanon policy, allay concerns and get the aid flowing again, Schenker said.
The Democratic aide said the military assistance now on hold is part of the 2010 US budget approved by Congress earlier this year, but, as is common with foreign aid in general, Lowey’s committee only recently received a detailed outline of how the aid to the LAF will be spent, which she was reviewing. Her concerns arose after the border clash.
A copy of that outline, obtained by NOW Lebanon from a different source, shows that the money is part of the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) aid the US doles out each year. Lebanon, according to the outline, is slated to receive $10 million for the sustainment and repair of current systems; $14 million for the acquisition of air, ground and naval systems; $36 million for personal equipment, weapons and ammunition; and $40 million for close air support.
The holds placed on this aid by Lowey and Berman – who was not available for comment, a spokesman from the House committee he chairs told NOW Lebanon – have no legal basis, meaning the Obama administration can ignore them and send the aid anyway. However, to keep a good relationship with Congress, the administration is unlikely to do that before reassuring it.Following the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon in 2005, the US saw an opportunity for influence and began pouring aid money into the LAF.
A review of past US budgets revealed that between 2000 and 2005, America gave exactly $0 in equipment aid to the LAF but sent $3.7 million in 2006 and increased FMF spending ever since. In training (IMET) and equipment, the US has spent over $500 million aiding the LAF since 2006.
The rationale behind the increase in US aid was to “help the LAF bolster the government of Lebanon’s ability to exert control over its territory and reduce the operational space of militias such as Hezbollah,” according to a 2007 report by the Congressional Research Service, a policy Crowley’s statement suggests the Obama administration is keen to continue.
Following the deadly August 3 firefight, Israeli officials called on the US and other governments to halt aid to the LAF and began arguing that the line between the Lebanese army and Hezbollah is now “blurred” – the same rationale Congressman Berman gave for the hold on aid he placed the day before the shootout (though he did not publically announce the hold until August 9). Before the US holds were officially announced, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon said his country was willing to step in and aid the LAF, something the US, and many Lebanese, would certainly not want, Schenker said. Should the US hold not be lifted soon, regional security analyst Kahwaji said that Lebanon may “start going east [for aid], and east covers many countries: Russia to India to China, including Iran.”In his conversations with Lebanese military and government officials, he said he was told that Lebanon “will not hesitate to seek another source” for aid.

Police track down murder suspect
August 12, 2010 /The National News Agency (NNA) reported on Thursday that police arrested a Syrian man, identified by his initials N.T., on suspicion of killing a woman in the southern town of Hariss on Wednesday. However, police said that the man confessed to breaking and entering and stabbing the victim, adding, “The man was arrested after he was caught with the murder weapon.”-NOW Lebanon

US: Lebanon military aid conditional
Ynetnews/Following US decision to suspend military aid to Lebanon, State Department spokesman says, 'Conditions placed on any military assistance that we give to any country in the world in terms of how the weapons will be used'; adds US hopes to "strengthen relationship' with Lebanon once matter is settled
Yitzhak Benhorin Published: 08.12.10, 00:21 / Israel News
WASHINGTON – US State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley on Wednesday said the American military aid to Lebanon has conditions and added that "there are conditions placed on any military assistance that we give to any country in the world in terms of how the weapons will be used".
His remarks came following a US House Foreign Affairs Committee decision Monday to place on hold $100 million in aid to Lebanon's military until the matter is looked into.
Snub
Lebanon: US can keep aid, give it to Israel / AFP
Spiteful response: Lebanon's defense minister slams American decision to halt military aid to Beirut following deadly border skirmish with Israel; 'Let them keep their money or give it to Israel,' he says 
Crowley hinted that the US wants to continue assisting Lebanon, but only after it receives satisfactory clarifications.
The State Department spokesman said the US sets conditions for the transfer of military aid to every country, including Israel and Lebanon. He said conditions are given to "any country in the world in terms of how the weapons will be used. And we do have regular inspections to make sure that the assistance that we provide to Lebanon or other countries is in concert with our defense agreements."
He added that the US has an interest in continuing to provide Lebanon with military aid, once the questions that have been raised following last week's deadly border skirmish with Israel are answered. "We think that the nature of our training programs, the nature of the equipment that we do provide, you know, to Lebanon is in our interest, it's in Lebanon's interest. And this is a relationship that we hope to strengthen," he said. "But we'll continue to answer the questions that have been raised because of this recent incident."
The halt of military aid refers to the $100 million in the 2010 budget, which has already been partially realized, and $100 million, in the 2011 budget. Meanwhile, Iran has rushed to offer support to the Lebanese army following the US decision. Iran's ambassador to Lebanon met Lebanese army chief Jean Kahwaji on Monday and said Tehran was ready to "cooperate with the Lebanese army in any area that would help the military in performing its national role in defending Lebanon". Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is also expected to visit Beirut next month.

Hassan Nasrallah’s guide to memory loss
By Michael Young
Commentary by
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Marvel at the contempt Hizbullah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, must feel for us all, that he would expect us to believe his presentation last Monday telling us that Israel was behind the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister. But that contempt may also in some ways be justified, because far too many Lebanese actually believed him, even as they observe the rapid erosion of their slender sovereignty with lethargy.
Do we Lebanese deserve independence? You have to wonder. Israel has killed many people in Lebanon, and will doubtless kill many more, but we would only be abasing ourselves by abruptly reinterpreting the Hariri assassination in the light that Nasrallah chose to shine on the crime. We would have to believe that Syria did not threaten Hariri in 2004, was untroubled by Resolution 1559, for which it held Hariri partly responsible, did not control Lebanese security in 2005, and did not appoint or approve all senior officials in the security and intelligence agencies. We would have to disregard that these agencies tried to cover up the scene of the assassination, that Hizbullah sought to stifle the emancipation movement by organizing an intimidating demonstration on March 8, 2005, to defend Syria’s presence in Lebanon, and that virtually all of those assassinated after Hariri (not to mention Marwan Hamadeh, who barely escaped assassination before) were critical of Syria.
And, of course, we would have to forget that Hizbullah and its Amal allies twice left the government because it was preparing measures to establish the tribunal – the second time kicking off an 18-month Downtown sit-in to bring down Fouad Siniora’s government.
Nasrallah now offers an explanation for this: the tribunal was politicized. Yet that was not the excuse Hizbullah and Amal used in 2006 when they withdrew their ministers. At the time, their beef was that Siniora and March 14 had undermined governmental procedure by not consulting properly with them. But we can conveniently forget that, too, as well as Syrian President Bashar Assad’s warning issued to the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, at a meeting in Damascus on April 24, 2007. According to a detailed account leaked to the French daily Le Monde, Assad told Ban that approval of the tribunal under Chapter VII authority “might easily cause a conflict that would degenerate into civil war, provoking divisions between Sunnis and Shiites from the Mediterranean to the Caspian Sea.”
Perhaps Nasrallah had not yet shared his information about Israel with the Syrian president, who, with amazing prescience, found himself echoing revelations about a Shiite connection in the Hariri assassination more than two years before Der Spiegel made a similar reference – one that Nasrallah now sees as proof of an Israeli plot.
It would take an awful lot of forgetting to buy into Nasrallah’s theory, but that is precisely what the secretary general is demanding. He wants Lebanon, above all its prime minister, to forget the overwhelming evidence from the past and bury the Hariri tribunal for good. Let’s just blame Israel, Nasrallah is telling us, so that we can all live in amnesic harmony.
The politics of this message are complicated enough. Prime Minister Saad Hariri is not about to surrender so useful a card as a possible accusation against Hizbullah. From the moment he visited Damascus last December and shook Assad’s hand, Hariri confirmed he was willing to negotiate over the tribunal. That is precisely what Nasrallah seeks to avoid, and his Power Point display was designed to push Hariri into a corner, shift the terms of the debate on the tribunal, and force an end to Lebanese cooperation with the institution.
However, beyond the politics, what does the maneuvering over the tribunal tell us about ourselves as Lebanese? In a system and society committed to the rule of law and justice, Nasrallah’s spectacle would have been impossible, as would have been Hariri’s visit to Damascus and the conflicting statements of Walid Jumblatt about the tribunal (which still holds his affidavit). A system and society committed to the rule of law and justice would not have allowed the second UN commissioner, Serge Brammertz, to waste two years doing next to nothing and conceal this in a battery of evasive reports. Such a system would not have allowed his successor, Daniel Bellemare, to inform us even less about his progress, even though we Lebanese pay a substantial share of the prosecutor’s salary.
In other words, we Lebanese never deserved the tribunal, and I suspect even less the sovereignty and rule of law it was supposed to bolster. Lost in our conspiracy theories and factionalism, we are willing to believe everything ridiculous and reject anything backed up by hard facts. There are those, and they are not few nor are they all Hizbullah followers, who honestly believe Nasrallah made a compelling case this week. When gullibility descends into stupidity, it’s time to admit that Lebanon merits no better than to be run by an armed militia or an autocratic foreign power. Here is Assad again during his encounter with Ban, offering up this assessment of Lebanese society: “In Lebanon, divisions and confessionalism have been deeply anchored for more than 300 years. Lebanese society is very fragile. [The country’s] most peaceful years were when Syrian forces were present. From 1976 to 2005 Lebanon was stable, whereas now there is great instability.” If the Lebanese can stomach such disparagement – in fact if they can embrace the man who made that statement – then Assad may have been right to hark back approvingly to the years of Syrian military rule. We’re on the eve of a Syrian comeback, and the Lebanese seem blithely unaware of what this means, so busy are they following the pied pipers who have taken the measure of our society’s foolishness.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR and author of “The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle” (Simon & Schuster).

US: Lebanon military aid conditional
Ynetnews/Following US decision to suspend military aid to Lebanon, State Department spokesman says, 'Conditions placed on any military assistance that we give to any country in the world in terms of how the weapons will be used'; adds US hopes to "strengthen relationship' with Lebanon once matter is settled
Yitzhak Benhorin Published: 08.12.10, 00:21 / Israel News
WASHINGTON – US State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley on Wednesday said the American military aid to Lebanon has conditions and added that "there are conditions placed on any military assistance that we give to any country in the world in terms of how the weapons will be used".
His remarks came following a US House Foreign Affairs Committee decision Monday to place on hold $100 million in aid to Lebanon's military until the matter is looked into.
Snub
Lebanon: US can keep aid, give it to Israel / AFP
Spiteful response: Lebanon's defense minister slams American decision to halt military aid to Beirut following deadly border skirmish with Israel; 'Let them keep their money or give it to Israel,' he says
Crowley hinted that the US wants to continue assisting Lebanon, but only after it receives satisfactory clarifications.
The State Department spokesman said the US sets conditions for the transfer of military aid to every country, including Israel and Lebanon.
He said conditions are given to "any country in the world in terms of how the weapons will be used. And we do have regular inspections to make sure that the assistance that we provide to Lebanon or other countries is in concert with our defense agreements." He added that the US has an interest in continuing to provide Lebanon with military aid, once the questions that have been raised following last week's deadly border skirmish with Israel are answered. "We think that the nature of our training programs, the nature of the equipment that we do provide, you know, to Lebanon is in our interest, it's in Lebanon's interest. And this is a relationship that we hope to strengthen," he said.
"But we'll continue to answer the questions that have been raised because of this recent incident." The halt of military aid refers to the $100 million in the 2010 budget, which has already been partially realized, and $100 million, in the 2011 budget. Meanwhile, Iran has rushed to offer support to the Lebanese army following the US decision.
Iran's ambassador to Lebanon met Lebanese army chief Jean Kahwaji on Monday and said Tehran was ready to "cooperate with the Lebanese army in any area that would help the military in performing its national role in defending Lebanon".
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is also expected to visit Beirut next month.

Army, UNIFIL must work ‘closely’ to maintain Blue Line calm
leaders have persuaded israel not to take ‘revenge’ – reports
By Patrick Galey /Daily Star staff
Thursday, August 12, 2010
BEIRUT: The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon said Wednesday that calm had returned to the Blue Line following last week’s deadly gun battle, but refrained from commenting on the UN court which some say risks inflicting fresh civil strife on the country.
Michael Williams, following a meeting with Minister of Administrative Reform Mohammad Fneish, issued a statement in which he reiterated the UN’s support for the Lebanese Army.
“I discussed the very important role that the Lebanese Army has played in the south, which is now being reinforced with an extra brigade,” Williams said, adding that the Army and the UN’s Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) – tasked with maintaining calm in south Lebanon – “must work together very, very closely” to avoid future bloodshed.
Fighting between Lebanese and Israeli Army troops last Tuesday killed four and erupted when the latter tried to carry out maintenance work, trimming a tree on the Lebanese side of a technical fence. Two Lebanese soldiers and a journalist, as well as a senior Israeli officer, died in the clash, which highlighted the fractious nature of life along the Blue Line – the Israeli boundary of military withdrawal from Lebanon.
“We discussed today [UN Security Council Resolution] 1701 and the situation in the south, the tragedy last week in which sadly lives were lost,” Williams told reporters. “I expressed the hope, and I think the minister agreed that calm has been restored in the south. “We have to work hard, all of us, UNIFIL, myself, the Lebanese government, but the Israelis also to prevent incidents like this [from] happening in the future,” he added. The clash prompted the freezing of $100 million in US military aid to Lebanon, with Washington expressing concern over the possibility of its weapons and training expertise ending up with Hizbullah, which had no active involvement in last week’s violence.
Pan-Arab daily Ash-Sharq al-Awsat reported Wednesday that French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was informed of Israel’s intention to seek retribution following last week’s altercation. The paper quoted anonymous security sources as saying Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barack warned Kouchner that “Israel intends to punish the Lebanese Army and take revenge for the death of a senior [Israeli] Army officer.”
It added that several international leaders, including French President Nicholas Sarkozy and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had joined several Arab officials in restraining Israel and preventing “the push towards and open battle.” Williams was questioned over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), the UN’s investigation into the death of five-time Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated by a car bomb in 2005. The tribunal has been a source of fierce conjecture, with Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah publicly accusing Israel of a hand in Hariri’s killing, after indicating that prosecutors sought to indict his own party members in the investigation.
“The press in Lebanon does a fantastic job but always there is intense speculation before events happen,” Williams said, pointedly referring to the Lebanese media swarm currently engulfing the STL. “Most of the time I wait until the events happen,” he continued. “So far the tribunal has taken very few decisions … so I have to wait to see what outcomes there will be.”

Murr slams ‘conditional’ US military aid
By The Daily Star and Agence France Presse (AFP)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
BEIRUT: Defense Minister Elias Murr on Wednesday lashed out at a US decision to halt aid to the Lebanese Army in the wake of a deadly border clash with Israel, protesting that aid was being made conditional.
“That person who said in Congress, I will stop aid to the army, he is free to do so … Anyone who wants to help the army without restrictions or conditions is welcome,” Murr said.
“This person wants to make military aid conditional on not protecting [Lebanon’s] land, people and borders against Israeli aggression. Let them keep their money or give it to Israel. We will confront [Israel] with the capabilities we have.”
Israel complained to the US and France about funds to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) after a skirmish killed two Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist, and a senior Israeli officer, in the worst border violence since the 2006 Israeli war against Lebanon.
The standoff was sparked when Israeli troops tried to cut down a tree which Lebanese officials said was on the Lebanese side of the fence.
US Congressman Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Monday he had placed on hold $100 million in aid to Lebanon’s military.
Murr spoke to a news conference he held at the Defense Ministry in Yarzeh to comment on recent media leakages implicating a number of Lebanese Army officials in espionage for Israel.
Prior to the conference, the minister chaired a meeting for the military council to discuss the matter.
Murr lashed out on journalist Hassan Oleiq over his article that was published in Al-Akhbar newspaper Wednesday.
Oleiq claimed that army commander General Jean Kahwaji had informed Murr about a decision to arrest retired Brigadier Ghassan Jid on suspicion of spying for Israel, but Murr asked Kahwaji to wait some time before detaining Jid who fled Lebanon the following day.
Murr said Kahwaji had informed him about Jid a few days after the latter’s departure, noting that Army Command had issued a statement confirming this.
In a news conference on Monday, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that Jid had been present in the area one day before former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated.
“The first agent to Israel is [the person] who wrote this article,” said Murr, in reference to Oleiq, adding that the journalist would be summoned by the Intelligence Directorate based on a request by the General Prosecutor’s office to determine whether any party stood behind the Al-Akhbar journalist.
Reports on Wednesday said Oleiq had been summoned by the Defense Ministry for investigations. Later, the Lebanese Army Command said that Oleiq’s article was fabricated, adding the command would “not be embarrassed” to launch legal proceedings against any party seeking “a fabricated scoop.” Asked whether the ministry would accept military aid from Iran, Murr said the price and quality of arms was important, not which state offered weapons. – The Daily Star, with AFP and Reuters

Nasrallah’s speech fails to meet high expectations
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 /analysis
Natacha Yazbeck
BEIRUT: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s “evidence” implicating Israel in the murder of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has failed to sway his political rivals and left analysts divided over its impact. “The press conference is likely part and parcel of a strategy of self-defense,” Mustafa Alloush, a former MP and member of the Future Movement, founded by Hariri, told AFP on Tuesday.
“If the aim is to convince us of Israel’s guilt, then this evidence should be placed in the hands of the relevant authorities and jurisdiction.”
At a Monday night press conference, Nasrallah produced several undated clips of aerial views of various areas in Lebanon, including the site of the Hariri assassination in mainly Sunni west Beirut several years prior to the murder. Nasrallah, who has accused Israel of the February 14, 2005, bombing which killed Hariri and 22 others, said the footage was intercepted from unmanned Israeli MK surveillance drones. He conceded the images were not conclusive proof but noted that his party – which is believed constantly under surveillance by its arch-foe Israel – had no offices, positions or presence in the areas surveyed. Hariri’s allies initially blamed Syria for his killing but Damascus has consistently denied the allegations. Syria nonetheless withdrew its troops from Lebanon under international pressure in April 2005, ending a 29-year presence. Nasrallah last month said he was aware the UN-backed tribunal on the Hariri murder, which is expected to issue an indictment this year, would indict members of his Syrian- and Iranian-backed party, slamming it as an Israeli project.
But his highly anticipated address Monday failed to live up to the expectations of the Lebanese and was at best received as circumstantial evidence – and a show of counter-espionage prowess. “No one took the evidence seriously or considered it objective,” said Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut.
“Nasrallah was simply addressing his public,” Khashan told AFP. “He promised solid proof but instead offered new elements to support his rebuttal of the tribunal’s credibility and request they start anew.” Asaad Abu Khalil, a political science professor at California State University at Stanislaus, said the event was “a great political show” that aimed to sway Arab public opinion. “The expectations were high for the speech: in Lebanon, Hizbullah’s enemies did not want anything less than pictures of Israelis pulling the triggers on Hariri. That was not provided,” Abu Khalil wrote on his “Angry Arab” blog. “Hizbullah did something entirely different in this press conference: it recaptured Arab political opinion … with images, and visual effects and background music and graphics.”
But Fadia Kiwan, who heads the political science department at Saint Joseph University, said Nasrallah’s revelation was “extremely dangerous.”
“There is no conclusive evidence on the involvement of Israel but [Nasrallah presented] relevant arguments that make it inevitable that this hypothesis be seriously examined,” she told AFP.
Nasrallah’s statements have raised fears of a replay of the events of May 2008, when 100 people were killed in a week of fighting sparked by a government crackdown on the party’s private communications network. The government later repealed its decision.
The Hizbullah leader on Monday said he was willing to cooperate with the Lebanese government on the Hariri murder and present the Cabinet, which includes two Hizbullah ministers, with his findings. He refused to specify what measures Hizbullah would take should the UN tribunal implicate the Shiite party. But a high-ranking government official, who requested his name be withheld, told AFP on Tuesday that he did not expect Hizbullah to take any drastic measures. “The indictment will be issued by an international body so even withdrawing from the government would be a very artificial, contrived step that would cause problems here in Lebanon without presenting any corroboration of the evidence presented yesterday,” the official said. “Turning the table on the Lebanese government would seem to me taking Lebanon hostage and saying ‘I’m threatening the international community that my own country will be paying the price,’” he added. “I don’t expect that.” Israel on Tuesday dismissed Hizbullah’s claims of their guilt as “ridiculous.”

STL asks Hizbullah to share information, footage
Bellemare insists all submitted data will be ‘thoroughly assessed’
By Patrick Galey /Daily Star staff
Thursday, August 12, 2010
BEIRUT: The UN probe into who killed former Premier Rafik Hariri will seek data from Hizbullah, following the disclosure of video footage the party claimed implemented Israel in the crime, the court’s prosecutor declared on Wednesday. Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said that he wanted information from Hizbullah Secretary Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who in a Monday news conference unveiled “proof” that Israel murdered Hariri, as part of ongoing Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) investigations. “I invite anyone who has relevant information to submit it to my office. Indeed, I welcome any information that can bring us closer to the truth,” Bellemare said. “I can assure those who bring this information that it will be thoroughly assessed.”
Speculation over who was responsible for the death of the five-time prime minister, who was assassinated when his motorcade was decimated by a Beirut car bomb in 2005, has gone into overdrive recently, following a series of revelations by Nasrallah, who previously claimed the court was seeking to indict Hizbullah members.
On Monday, Nasrallah screened video clips, purportedly of Israeli MK surveillance drone footage infiltrated by Hizbullah intelligence which showed the route Hariri took on February 14, 2005, moments before he and 22 others were killed. The footage was undated. “In line with its mandate, the Office of the Prosecutor has requested the Lebanese authorities to provide all the information in possession of Nasrallah,” said a statement issued by Bellemare’s bureau. “This request includes the video material that was shown on television … as well as any other material that would be of assistance … in unveiling the truth.” Bellemare also asked Nasrallah “to use his authority” in aiding the STL’s operations. Nasrallah has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the court’s work, last month labeling it an “Israeli project.”
Reaction to the claims has varied, with some opponents questioning the timing of the Nasrallah’s announcement and others suggesting the “evidence” sought to provide a smokescreen for party members under investigation by the STL. Israel slammed the revelations, dismissing them as “ridiculous.” Nevertheless, Bellemare made the decision to ask for Hizbullah’s information amid intense speculation that assertions from the party would delay pending indictments.
“The Office of the Prosecutor has been given the mandate to identify and prosecute those responsible for the attack,” Bellemare’s office said. “It has sole responsibility for the investigation and acts independently,” the statemnet said. “Nobody can influence its direction. As such, it must pursue all possible leads,” the statement added. The STL has been dogged by accusations of politicization since its inception and, in spite of Tribunal president Antonio Cassese’s disclosure to The Daily Star in May, suggesting indictments would materialize by the year’s end, the court has yet to bring evidence against any individual or party.
Hizbullah’s name has been associated with Hariri’s death since the publication of a controversial Der Spiegel article in 2009, which implicated the party. The death of Hariri was widely blamed at the time on Syria, which, in response to public opinion, withdrew from Lebanon after 29 years of military presence. Damascus denies the charge.
Hizbullah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc met on Wednesday in the wake of Bellemare’s announcement and urged the STL not to “[ignore] the proof presented by Nasrallah if it really wanted to reach the truth in the assassination of Hariri.” “Therefore the bloc asks everyone concerned to examine hard and responsibly, the theory of accusing Israel of this crime and to continue studying Nasrallah’s evidence without stubbornness or politicization,” the statement added.
The bloc also repeated its previous calls for severe punishment to be dealt to false witnesses, such as Zuheir Siddiq, a former witness who later recanted his testimony.
For its part, March 14 issued a response to Bellemare’s decision, voicing its confidence in the STL conducting itself with the “highest levels of professionalism and integrity.”
“Justice is one of the main foundations of peace and stability and achieving justice should remain a rule untouched by personal and political benefits, no matter what party,” said a bloc statement. “This is why the Lebanese asked for the STL. This is why they hang on to this tribunal and its full authorities and its role based on international justice standards.” In spite of several high-profile resignations from the international probe, Bellemare’s office statement refused to be viewed as politically compromised. “Away from the spotlight, the Office of the Prosecutor is pursuing its investigation according to the highest standards of international justice, in a neutral and objective way,” the STL statement said. “The Office … is led by the evidence and nothing else.”

MESS Report/Nasrallah has no smoking gun tying Israel to Hariri murder
The Lebanese are great fans of conspiracy theories, and Monday's speech by the Hezbollah leader was aimed straight at that fetish.
By Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel /Haaretz
The Lebanese are great fans of conspiracy theories, and Monday's speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was aimed straight at that fetish.
Nasrallah tried to prove that his organization had nothing to do with the 2005 murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, despite impending indictments in an international court. Instead, he conveniently pointed his finger at Israel.
In his speech, he dwelt on two incidents from the past: Hariri's murder, and a disastrous 1997 raid on Ansariya by Israeli naval commandos.
The common denominator, according to Nasrallah, is that both exemplify Israel's dangerous, subversive activity on Lebanese soil (and underscore why Hezbollah is needed to defend the homeland ). And in both cases, he said, Hezbollah's technological capabilities enabled it to learn the truth.
The speech received widespread and often enthusiastic coverage in the Arab world, especially from Al Jazeera. But in Lebanon itself, it met with some skepticism: Mohammad Kabbara, a member of parliament from the anti-Syria March 14 faction, said it would convince no one but its authors. And Amin Gemayel, a Christian leader, said it contained no proof, and Nasrallah ought to share all his information.
Nasrallah showed intercepted photographs from Israeli drones taken near Hariri's house and that of his brother, along with documentation of intensive Israel Air Force activity on the day of the murder, as if all this were a smoking gun. It wasn't particularly convincing, but that is less important than Al Jazeera's enthusiastic adoption of it.
In the Arab world today, Al Jazeera's support is as good as a court verdict, and is likely to be seen by many Arabs as proof positive of Israel's guilt.
This solution is also convenient for many Lebanese, as Hezbollah's indictment for the murder could lead the country into another civil war - as Nasrallah himself has repeatedly hinted.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the murdered man's son, is between a rock and a hard place. On one side, Syria, Iran and Hezbollah are pressing him to ignore the international inquiry's findings.
On the other is the United States, which is already furious over last week's killing by Lebanese soldiers of an Israeli soldier inside Israel.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Congress froze military aid to Lebanon, in a clear signal to Beirut that it had best not get carried away by its renewed love affair with Syria.
With regard to the naval commando disaster, it is true that for many years, Israel dismissed Hezbollah's Iranian-assisted intelligence gathering capabilities.
The fact that Hezbollah was tracking the information broadcast by Israeli drones was fully grasped only a few years after this incident.
Thanks for the hat tip
Moving on to another issue, I suppose we ought to thank Nasrallah for the plug he gave our reporting in his speech on Monday. Nevertheless, as politicians like to say, it was taken out of context. Nasrallah quoted a report that Haaretz published in May 2009, shortly after the German magazine Der Spiegel first revealed that an international inquiry suspected Hezbollah operatives of involvement in Hariri's murder.
The Haaretz report said that in late 2001, a paper submitted to the head of Military Intelligence had speculated that Hezbollah might assassinate Hariri. Shortly after the murder, an MI document defined as a "minority opinion" argued that Hezbollah was behind the killing, contrary to the prevailing assumption at the time that Syria was the guilty party.
Nasrallah tried to use this report to bolster his claim that Israel not only killed Hariri, but had planned from the start to cast the blame on his peace-loving organization.
This is sheer nonsense: The MI documents reflected a contrarian view that was far from the prevailing wisdom at that time.
Moreover, why would Israel embark on a complex and enormously risky attempt to kill Hariri - who at the time was the most moderate candidate for Lebanon's presidency and the darling of both the U.S. and France - solely in the hope of being able to somehow incriminate Hezbollah at some future date?

If US cuts Lebanon Army aid, would Hezbollah's sponsor Iran step in?
By Nicholas Blanford
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/0811/If-US-cuts-Lebanon-Army-aid-would-Hezbollah-s-sponsor-Iran-step-in
August 11/2010
Iran, a key supporter of Hezbollah, offered to underwrite the Lebanese Army after a top US congressman said Monday he had blocked $100 million in military aid. But some doubt it would substantially fill the void.After Rep. Howard Berman (D) of California, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Monday that he had blocked $100 million in military assistance to Lebanon, Iran volunteered yesterday to make up the difference – raising concern that Tehran could increase its influence with Israel's neighbor to the north.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said Tuesday that Iran's statements “are expressly the reason why we believe that continuing support to the Lebanese government and the Lebanese military is in our interest.”With Washington’s sway in Lebanon on the decline since a high point of 2005, the Lebanese Army is seen as one of the last remaining levers available to the US to check the growing influence of local power-broker Syria and regional power Iran – both of which support Hezbollah, the militant Shiite organization that Israel considers a threat.
The US government has tried to strike a balance between supporting the Lebanese Army – mainly through the provision of low-tech logistical equipment and training – while not undermining the security interests of its ally Israel and angering Congress.
“At the end of the day, US military assistance [to Lebanon] is stuck between an Israeli rock and a Hezbollah hard place,” says Aram Nerguizian, a defense and security expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
US funding aimed at undercutting Hezbollah
Representative Berman moved to block the aid after a deadly clash along the Israel-Lebanon border this week raised concerns about the 'Hezbollah-ization' of the Lebanese Army. But the US hopes that strengthening the Lebanese Army will undermine Hezbollah’s argument for retaining its armed wing as a defense against Israel, which has invaded the country three times in the past 32 years. Hezbollah asserts that the Army, an underfunded, poorly trained, and ill-equipped force of some 55,000 troops, stands no chance against its Israeli counterpart, the most powerful military in the Middle East. Only Hezbollah’s brand of hybrid warfare – blending irregular and conventional tactics and weaponry – can defend Lebanon against the possibility of future Israeli aggression, the party’s leaders say.
Why Iran may be bluffing
Still, even if the US military assistance program were to end, some doubt that Iran would step into the gap. One retired Lebanese Army general said that it was in the interest of Hezbollah, and therefore Iran, not to provide too much support to the Army. “If the Army is allowed to grow strong and capable of defending Lebanon, there would be no need for Hezbollah,” the general said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. Mara Karlin, a defense analyst at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, says that there is “no indication” that any other party would replace the US in substance. “The Iranians, for example, have made assertions in the past on disbursing aid, but have not delivered,” she says. Ultimately, Ms. Karlin adds, the US military aid program should continue, but expectations should not be raised too high.
“It may be unsatisfying to members of Congress and the [Obama] administration, but a capable [Lebanese Army] serving as a presence throughout Lebanese territory is really the best one can hope for at this stage, given domestic and regional circumstances.”