LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِAugust 25/2010

Bible Of the Day
Isaiah 40/19-31: “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. 40:19 “Speak comfortably to Jerusalem; and call out to her that her warfare is accomplished, that her  40:19 A workman has cast an image, and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts silver chains for it. 40:20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks a skillful workman to set up an engraved image for him that will not be moved. 40:21 Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard, yet? Haven’t you been told from the beginning? Haven’t you understood from the foundations of the earth? 40:22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in; 40:23 who brings princes to nothing; who makes the judges of the earth like meaningless. 40:24 They are planted scarcely. They are sown scarcely. Their stock has scarcely taken root in the ground. He merely blows on them, and they wither, and the whirlwind takes them away as stubble. 40:25 “To whom then will you liken me? Who is my equal?” says the Holy One. 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these, who brings out their army by number. He calls them all by name. by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power, Not one is lacking. 40:27 Why do you say, Jacob, and speak, Israel, “My way is hidden from Yahweh, and the justice due me is disregarded by my God?” 40:28 Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, The Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t faint. He isn’t weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 40:29 He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might. 40:30 Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall; 40:31 But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Strong message to Iran/By: Ron Ben-Yishai/August 24/10
Lebanon's Hezbollah Dilemma/By: Mark Silverberg/August 24/10 
The Barouk domino effect/Mona Alami/ August 24/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 24/10
Indictment in Hariri Murder to be Issued in December, European President/Naharnet
US to Use All Options to Stop Nuclear Iran, Israel in Favor of Strikes to Weaken Hizbullah, Hamas/Naharnet
Report: Paris Informed Riyadh that Tribunal Solution Lies in U.S./Naharnet
Hariri: We Will Always Remain Loyal to Our Allies/Naharnet
Al-Hajj Hassan: Authorities Thwart Attempt to Smuggle Spoiled Coffee to Syria Through Beirut Port/Naharnet
UN mission in Lebanon says 1 peacekeeper dead in traffic accident/CP
Feltman Aide in Beirut This Week to Assess Lebanon Stance on Israeli-Palestinian Talks/Naharnet
Nadim Gemayel: We Won't Accept STL Annulment Even If Hariri Accepts or Jumblat Forgives/Naharnet
Lebanon's Rahaf Abdullah, Rima Fakih Compete for Miss Universe Title/Daily Star
Mideast Sirens/Wall Street Journal
Sleiman denies knowledge of STL indictment date/Daily Star
Hariri: Some Circles Insisting on Crippling Available Pacification Chances/Naharnet
Hariri warns rhetoric against STL will not halt 'course of justice'/Daily Star
Jumblat Warns New Israeli-Palestinian Talks Will Lead to Naturalization of Refugees/Naharnet
Health centers to apply Canadian accreditation program/Daily Star
Juvenile convicted for attempting to aid Israel/Daily Star
UNIFIL Peacekeeper Killed, 2 Wounded in Road Accidentres/Naharnet
Mount Lebanon Municipality Head Missing/Naharnet
Report: Sadr Owns Real Estate in Beirut, Doesn't Want to be Nasrallah's Guest/Naharnet

Nadim Gemayel: We Won't Accept STL Annulment Even If Hariri Accepts or Jumblat Forgives
Naharnet/MP Nadim Gemayel on Monday noted that "the Special Tribunal for Lebanon does not concern only Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his family, or only (former) president Amin Gemayel and his family, or any of the martyrs' families in particular; and it does not concern the Sunnis, Maronites or the rest of sects, but it rather concerns anyone who yearns for a sovereign and free state, and it concerns those who had been martyred or those next in line if justice is not achieved." At a ceremony marking the 28th anniversary of the election of his slain father, Bashir Gemayel, as president of the republic, the young MP stressed that "without the STL, politically-motivated crimes in Lebanon would become permissible, and we are the ones who do not want the politicization of the tribunal." "The issue of the tribunal is imperative to the extent that even if Saad Hariri accepted, and he won't accept, or president Gemayel accepted, and he won't accept, or (Progressive Socialist Party leader MP) Walid Jumblat forgave and forgot, or pretended to forget, it would not be possible for us to accept that the STL be cancelled, because that would resemble the termination of Lebanon," Gemayel added. Furthermore, he called for investing capabilities within the framework of the State and embracing "our national and spiritual leaders whose main concern is the existence of Lebanon." Beirut, 23 Aug 10, 22:23

Feltman Aide in Beirut This Week to Assess Lebanon Stance on Israeli-Palestinian Talks
Naharnet/An aide to Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, is expected to arrive in Beirut this week on a 2-day visit during which he will meet with a number of officials as part of his tour of a number of countries in the region, the Central News Agency reported Monday. "The visit comes within the framework of exploring the prospects of Lebanon's stance and the viewpoints of its leaders regarding the relaunching of the Palestinian-Israel talks scheduled for September 2," CNA added. Feltman's aide Jack Wallace will inform Lebanese officials of the outcome of indirect Palestinian-Israeli talks that were held throughout the last months, in addition to the U.S. efforts that led to an agreement to resume direct negotiations between the two sides, the agency said. Beirut, 23 Aug 10, 20:33

UNIFIL Peacekeeper Killed, 2 Wounded in Road Accident
Naharnet/One UNIFIL peacekeeper died and two others were wounded Tuesday in a road traffic accident involving an Armored Personnel Carrier on a routine patrol in Borj Qalaweih in south Lebanon, UNIFIL military spokesperson Lt. Col. Naresh Bhatt said. He said no other vehicle was involved in the accident. The circumstances of the accident, however, were under investigation, Bhatt added. Beirut, 24 Aug 10, 10:25

Indictment in Hariri Murder to be Issued in December, European President
Naharnet/The Special Tribunal for Lebanon will issue indictment in the case of former Premier Rafik Hariri's murder in December, according to a European head of state.
An-Nahar newspaper on Tuesday quoted the unnamed European President as saying that he has obtained information that the charge sheet for those involved in Hariri's assassination will be issued in December. "There is plenty of time to take a position on that (STL) resolution, which my country along with other major countries will support," the head of state told An-Nahar, denying any knowledge as to who the charge sheet will name. Beirut, 24 Aug 10, 07:35

US to Use All Options to Stop Nuclear Iran, Israel in Favor of Strikes to Weaken Hizbullah, Hamas
Naharnet/Pentagon and U.S. government officials have uncovered an understanding between Washington and Tel Aviv that commits Israel not to undertake any unilateral military action against Iran in return for a U.S. pledge to abandon the policy of accepting a nuclear Iran and deal with Tehran as a nuclear military power, pan-Arab Al-Hayat newspaper said in a report published Tuesday.
It quoted a senior Pentagon official as saying that Washington "finds it very difficult to live with a regime such as that in Iran, equipped with the capacity to produce nuclear weapons."
The official's remarks came during a closed-door security conference recently held in Washington. It was attended by military officials as well as U.S. and world experts.
This reflects a radical change in the course of U.S. policy which has shown willingness to accept a nuclear Iran as part of a deal to prevent Tehran from using its nuclear capability to threaten or blackmail the West or its neighbors, wrote Riad Qahwaji, a researcher on strategic affairs.
He said Israel had adamantly opposed this policy and stressed that Iran must not have any capacity to enrich or produce uranium "so as not to have the ability to transform its nuclear program for military purposes whenever it wants." Therefore, the report said, Washington's and the West's fundamental conditions today to negotiate with Iran focus on stripping Tehran of the ability to produce or enrich uranium, a move strongly rejected by Iran. In the corridors of Washington and other European capitals and Israel, war scenarios are being discussed "as if war is inevitable," Qahwaji noted, "despite opposition by quite a few military officials and politicians in the U.S. and the West due to the uncertainties of war, which could be catastrophic for the region and U.S. interests." Despite disagreement on several points in the scenarios of war, the report goes on to say, many experts and officials still agree on other points, including the idea of provoking war by attempting to inspect a ship in the Gulf waters or provoke Hizbullah into a gunbattle in Lebanon.
The main point of disagreement between U.S. and Israeli officials and experts in the scenarios of war relates to how to deal with Iran's allies -- namely Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas.
While Israeli leaders are in favor of preemptive strikes to weaken Hizbullah and Hamas and perhaps Syria before attacking Iran, U.S. officials and experts prefer crushing the top of the pyramid – Iran -- and deal a heavy military blow to the Persian Gulf nation in the hope of shaking its ability to move and to sow fear among its allies who will recognize the fact that war is real and that the future of their presence is at stake if they choose to support Tehran. Many U.S. officials believe that the current policy of openness toward Syria will bear fruit through weakening the strategic alliance with Iran. Israel, however, considers such a policy is doomed to fail and continues to prepare for a possible future confrontation in the Golan Heights, the report said.. The rapid pace for arms program reflects fear in Arab Gulf states that an imminent war is on the doors, it concluded. Beirut, 24 Aug 10, 12:15

Report: Paris Informed Riyadh that Tribunal Solution Lies in U.S.
Naharnet/Paris has reportedly informed Saudi Arabia that a solution to the indictment that would be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon lies in the U.S. As Safir daily said Tuesday that Saudi King Abdullah sent Intelligence Chief Prince Muqrin to Paris for talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Muqrin carried with him a royal message asking Paris to use its influence to find a solution to the indictment issue, As Safir said. However, the newspaper reported that French authorities informed the envoy that the decision to find such a solution lied in Washington. Saudi envoys have visited the U.S. for the same purpose, As Safir said. It quoted a high-ranking Lebanese source as saying that Abdullah was making efforts to consolidate stability in Lebanon and stressed that civil strife was a red line. Beirut, 24 Aug 10, 08:13

Hariri: We Will Always Remain Loyal to Our Allies
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri urged less talk more work and vowed never to abandon his allies. Hariri hailed his father, former PM Rafik Hariri who was assassinated in a massive Beirut bombing in 2005. "We will continue in his footsteps and will never abandon our commitment to the historic role of the Capital," Hariri said during an Iftar in honor of Beiruti families.
"We will serve Beirut and its people, from our position as representatives of the Capital in the Parliament, our position as head of the Future Movement as well as the son of Rafik Hariri," he told guests in Qoreitem. "Words will not cancel the truth, and whatever these campaigns and the words of threat increase they will not be able to stop the path of justice," Hariri stressed.
"Today, we are facing big challenges … Don't you think that the Lebanese citizen is suffering the most from the electricity problem? This means that the solution would be by talking to each other and not by burning tires. There are several issues that should be tackled and this government is the government of the people's priorities. These priorities are electricity, water, roads, traffic congestion, medication, agriculture, and others. He called for less talk and more work "in order to achieve success." "On this occasion, I salute Mrs. Solange Gemayel who is with us today, in the anniversary of the assassination of President Bashir Gemayel, and we will always remain loyal to our allies who stood with us during all this period, especially the Phalange Party which witnessed the martyrdom of many of its members, particularly Pierre Amin Gemayel who was a brother and a friend to me," Hariri concluded. Beirut, 24 Aug 10, 06:38

Al-Hajj Hassan: Authorities Thwart Attempt to Smuggle Spoiled Coffee to Syria Through Beirut Port
Naharnet/Agriculture Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan unveiled on Tuesday that Lebanese authorities thwarted an attempt to smuggle spoiled coffee into Syria through Lebanon.
He said during a press conference that Lebanese authorities through coordination between the Lebanese and Syrian agriculture ministries were able to stop the shipment. The shipment was due to enter Lebanon through Beirut port for later transit smuggling into Syria after it was rejected entry at Latakia port in the neighboring country, the minister told reporters. He said the shipment was still docking at Jdeidet Yabous adding that several people were involved in its import and export process although the country of origin was not known.
Beirut, 24 Aug 10, 12:51

Dead Cows Float Off Lebanese Shores
Naharnet/Dead cows were seen floating off the shore of Kfar Abida-Madfoun in Batroun on Tuesday, the National News Agency reported. NNA said that the number of cows seen off the Lebanese coast since one week has reached to seven, including three of them off Casino du Liban in Jounieh. Environmental protection organizations issued a statement warning against such a "phenomenon," and calling for an investigation by the environment and agriculture ministries. Beirut, 24 Aug 10, 11:33

Report: Sadr Owns Real Estate in Beirut, Doesn't Want to be Nasrallah's Guest
Naharnet/Radical Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr hopes to return to Najaf but is planning to move from Iran to Lebanon after he was frustrated over pressure from Tehran to accept a second term for incumbent Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, Iraqi sources confirmed to pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat. The sources said that Sadr has offices and real estate in Beirut. "They are ready to welcome him whenever he decides," they told the newspaper. They even said that Sadr has a house in Beirut, without specifying whether it was a private villa or an apartment. The cleric visits Beirut from time to time away from the media spotlight, the sources told Asharq al-Awsat. They ruled out that Sadr would be Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's guest or reside in southern Lebanon. Sadr has made it clear to the Iranian leadership that there was no turning back from his decision to oppose Maliki's second term in office.
Former Iraqi Premier Iyad Allawi and Maliki have been locked in a tussle over who has the right to form the next government. Talks on working together began after Maliki failed to overcome resistance among many of his Shiite allies to his ambitions for a second term. Beirut, 24 Aug 10, 11:10

Jumblat Warns New Israeli-Palestinian Talks Will Lead to Naturalization of Refugees
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat noted that "Israel has achieved its goal of reaching direct negotiations" with the Palestinians that are scheduled to kick off on September 2, adding that "it will seek through these talks to impose the concept of the Jewish nature of the state" of Israel. In his weekly editorial to be published Tuesday by his party's mouthpiece al-Anbaa newspaper, Jumblat added that "this scheme will lead to disastrous results because it will finish off the Palestinian Cause and the Palestinian refugees' right of return, in addition to the naturalization of Palestinians in Lebanon." Jumblat called for achieving "maximum benefit from the Syrian-Saudi axis in terms of steadfastness, solidarity and stability in order to prevent civil strife in Lebanon through the clear differentiation between the indictment and its elements of sabotage on the one side and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on the other, in addition to the need to keep it away from politicization and manipulation." The Druze leader noted that "the never-ending talking about the Resistance's arms raises more than a question mark, because it is important to benefit from these weapons to the maximum level, regardless of the fact that they come from Iran, Syria or other countries." Jumblat called for equipping the army in an adequate manner "in order to reach an advanced stage of objective integration similar to that materialized during the Adeisseh incident." "The skeptical voices today are the same suspicious voices throughout history, they were and they will always be. In the past, they had voiced rejection to Palestinian arms and the fortification of the South, and they imposed on the army a creed that was contrary to the status-quo back then, through rejecting to identify the enemy, which led the country to disasters. "And today they are rejecting the Resistance's arms," Jumblat added. Beirut, 23 Aug 10, 19:00

Sleiman denies knowledge of STL indictment date
By Nafez Qawas /Daily Star correspondent
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=118539#axzz0xTsAfq7q
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman has denied that an indictment by the UN-backed tribunal investigating former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s murder is expected soon.
“No one has yet informed me officially or unofficially of the date of issuance of the indictment by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon [STL],” Sleiman said before a visiting delegation from the Lebanese Journalists Union on Monday. Sleiman also emphasized the need to preserve political calm to allow the implementation of several impending projects through the state’s constitutional institutions. Western media have said the STL’s indictment would accuse Hizbullah members of involvement in Hariri’s murder while Israeli officials warned against attempts by Hizbullah to instigate strife in Lebanon after the indictment is made public. Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who is to discuss the issue in a speech on Tuesday, has condemned the STL as an Israeli project and stressed his party’s refusal to cooperate with the court. Analysts fear renewed Sunni-Shiite strife similar to the May 7, 2008, incidents if circulating rumors about the indictment prove to be correct. On May 7, 2008, pro-opposition gunmen overran Sunni-majority west Beirut neighborhoods after bloody clashes with pro-government militants following the Cabinet’s decision to dismantle Hizbullah’s telecommunications network. Nasrallah made it clear in a recent news conference that his party would not accept an indictment against any of its members. The clashes ended with the Doha Accord that led to the election of Sleiman as a consensus president and the formation of a national unity Cabinet that granted opposition groups veto power. The Saudi monarch and the Syrian president who sponsored the accord along with Qatar stressed a need to commit to the accord to preserve stability during a July meeting with Sleiman. On Monday, Sleiman emphasised the need to continue the implementation of the Taif Accord that ended Lebanon’s 15-year Civil War in 1989 under the sponsorship of Damascus and Riyadh.
In the same speech Sleiman also said the Higher Defense Council would discuss plans to equip the Lebanese Army after Israel launched a diplomatic campaign to halt Western military aid after a recent cross border clash between the army and Israeli troops, in which two Lebanese soldiers, a journalist and a high-ranking Israeli officer were killed.
Sleiman is scheduled to head Lebanon’s delegation to the UN General Assembly meeting on September 21 accompanied by Hariri, where both officials are expected to seek international support for Lebanon amid rising regional challenges. The president will meet on the sidelines of the conference with US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the Central News Agency reported on Monday. Discussions will tackle the regional developments amid the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks on September 2.
Sleiman’s trip will be followed by a visit to Mexico and later to Switzerland to participate in a summit on October 23 where he is expected to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Hariri warns rhetoric against STL will not halt 'course of justice'
Premier refuses to get dragged into domestic disputes
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=118538#axzz0xTrogQwZ
By Elias Sakr
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed Monday that provocative rhetoric aimed against the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) investigating his father’s murder would not halt the course of justice.
“Statements will not abolish the truth and regardless of the extent of provocative rhetoric and threats, the course of justice will not stop,” he said during an iftar at his Qoreitem residence.
“When we examine the magnitude of campaigns that were launched against the STL and the number of media talk shows and programs as well as speeches being made, we almost think that [Rafik Hariri’s]’s case is over but the truth is that the case still lives … like it was yesterday,” Hariri added.
Hizbullah officials and the party’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah have dismissed the STL as an Israeli project and stress their refusal to cooperate with the UN-backed court.
Tensions over the UN probe rose following Western reports that the STL’s indictment would accuse rogue Hizbullah members of involvement in former Premier Rafik Hariri’s murder.
However, Hariri reiterated that he would not get involved in domestic debates over the STL with any party as he called on his political foes to commit to a calm rhetoric.
“I will continue to insist that regardless of the high pitched rhetoric aimed against this home or martyr Premier Rafik Hariri or former Premier Fouad Siniora or the STL, I will not be dragged to any dispute with any individual over these issues,” Hariri said, adding that the “provocative and threatening rhetoric” that had been adopted since 2005 failed to resolve disputed issues which were only solved through dialogue.
“For weeks, we have been stressing the need to commit to calm and to stop resorting to misinformation but unfortunately our calls were not heeded,” Hariri said.
The premier added that political bickering would prevent the Cabinet from addressing the Lebanese people basic needs and from implementing reforms to the country’s infrastructure including the water, electricity and transportation sectors.
On Sunday, Hariri held separate talks with Nasrallah’s political aide Hussein Khalil and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt.
Commenting on his talks with Hariri, Jumblatt said the meeting was “positive and excellent” and stressed the premier’s emphasis on dialogue to preserve political calm in line with the Saudi-Syrian rapprochement. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz and Syrian President Bashar Assad held a tripartite summit with President Michel Sleiman during a visit to Lebanon last month aimed at easing mounting tensions over the STL. On another note, Hariri headed a meeting of the Future Movement’s politburo Monday during which administrative appointments were made to the movement’s regional branches as well as its different educational, industrial, economic and sports sectors.

Juvenile convicted for attempting to aid Israel
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, August 24, 2010
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=118534#axzz0xTr33oND
BEIRUT: The military tribunal headed by Brigadier Nizar Khalil convicted a juvenile for trying to provide Israeli authorities with information about an Israeli pilot who went missing in Lebanon. Ali Dabbous was accused of contacting Israeli intelligence services to offer information about Ron Arad who disappeared in Lebanon shortly after his jet was shot down in Lebanese airspace in 1986. The military tribunal also postponed an Israeli espionage case implicating the suspects Haitham Zaher, Hussein Mousa, Ahmad Abdullah, Jaafar Halawi and Wassim Moussa. The five are suspected to have provided the Israeli authorities with information on civil and military Syrian and Lebanese sites along with party officials to facilitate Israeli aggressive acts. – The Daily Star

Health centers to apply Canadian accreditation program
By The Daily Star
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=118535#axzz0xTrFKtSA
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
BEIRUT: The Public Health Ministry announced in a statement on Monday that it would lay down an accreditation program for preliminary health care based on international Canadian accreditation standards. Performance standards for preliminary health care in Lebanon were established based on which medical centers will be rated in accordance with the international Canadian rating. The statement added that Lebanon would be the first state adopting such a system. According to the statement, a Canadian delegation has visited Lebanon for the second time, where it carried out a training program for some centers of the national preliminary health-care network that will start implementing the accreditation program. The training program was attended by 38 individuals with different specialties who will implement the program and the required self-evaluation. This will be followed by a visit by Canadian experts to assess the achievements of the medical centers and give them a suitable rating. – The Daily Star

The Barouk domino effect
Mona Alami, August 23, 2010
Now Lebanon/
A masked Lebanese secret service officer shows on May 11, 2009 a wireless internet router found with arrested Lebanese nationals accused of spying for Israel. (AFP photo/Joseph Barrak)
In 2006, a ship cut silently through the Mediterranean on a moonless night before docking at a small Lebanese port. On board were a microwave dish and a Fiber Airport produced by Ceragon, an Israeli company specializing in wireless telecom and the delivery of voice and data services. One month later, a technician traveling under a fake name installed the equipment on top of the Barouk Mountain, one of Lebanon’s highest peaks.
For three years, the dish emitted radio frequencies connecting Lebanese internet users to Israel. Most users of this particular network were oblivious as to who to thank for their excellent internet connection. Rumor has it that the Lebanese presidential palace and Ministry of Defense, as well as the personal houses of the head of the army and other top-ranking military officials, were connected unknowingly to Israel, with which Lebanon is still technically at war. According to telecom experts speaking to NOW Lebanon on condition of anonymity, the breach was due in part to the reliance of Lebanese national agencies on rudimentary firewall systems.
While talk of the Barouk scandal was quickly hushed due to the seeming unwitting involvement of top politicians from both sides of the political spectrum, it was, nonetheless, a major event in Lebanon’s intelligence war against Israel.
Around the same time as Barouk’s discovery came the arrest of retired General Adib Alam of the Lebanese security services. Alam, together with his wife Hayat Saloumi and nephew Joseph Alam, were apprehended for spying for Israel. “Like in a domino game, his arrest led to the downfall of other spies, who were all managed by one handler,” said an army intelligence officer who spoke to NOW Lebanon on condition of anonymity as he is not allowed to talk to the press. Throughout 2009, networks of around 150 spies were discovered and disbanded by Lebanese authorities.
Lebanese telecom and intelligence experts had many questions about the Barouk station and the arrested spies. One factor clouding our understanding of the spy networks is that the only information available comes from the army intelligence, the institution that made the arrests.
Typically espionage networks operate in layers and consist of no more than two to three agents. Three different layers of agents seem to have been unveiled in the spy sweep, with each different group handled by an officer who in turn was communicating with a “big boss,” said the intelligence officer. “Agents located at the bottom level of the hierarchy were unaware of the existence of other teams of agents,” he added.
Spy cells also work in isolation from other cells and their “handlers,” who are sometimes operative in the same geographical area, said Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis, an American Political Science professor who specializes in intelligence and espionage at King College and is also senior editor of intelNews.org. These groups often include members of the same family. “They tend to be ‘handled’ by a field officer, usually posing as a diplomat, and in rare cases by a non-official-cover intelligence officer, who is generally not connected with a foreign consulate or embassy,” he told NOW Lebanon. Agents are usually trained in espionage tradecraft - as in the case of Alam, who used a communications device hidden in a mini bar - and make contact with the cell leader regularly.
Some of these cells were sleeper cells, while others were active for a long time, investigations showed. Some were rather established, as in the case of the Bekaa Valley spy cell, which was deeply rooted in the area and had been operational for 20 years, as well as the networks around Nabatiyeh resident Marwan Faqih and retired Lebanese Internal Security Forces official Mahmoud Qassem Rafeh, who had been actively collaborating with Israeli intelligence since 1995 and 1993, respectively. Some others, like the network built around Lebanese Army Colonel Gazwan Shahin, had been active mostly since the 2006 July War, according to Fitsanakis.
“In some cases we discovered that agents were recruited while following routine trainings in the course of their jobs outside Lebanon. They were often hired by other Arab nationals, operating for Israel. Once they had collaborated on one project they could not recant their cooperation with the enemy,” the officer said. Others had established contact with Israeli intelligence after a stay in Israeli prison during the civil war years, or had grown up in the occupied South.
There are several factors behind Lebanon’s success in apprehending and breaking up the spy rings. In the wake of the July War, a specialized counter-espionage unit was created within the ISF that relied on the appointment of highly-trained officers, who had been coached by American or European intelligence services. They made use of certain forms of electronic surveillance equipment supplied by these same countries for the monitoring of underground groups considered terrorist organizations. “Such equipment was not originally intended to be used against Israeli intelligence networks operating in Lebanon,” Fitsanakis underscored.
Lebanese intelligence services also initiated a program of cautious cooperation with Hezbollah’s intelligence forces. The amalgamated counterintelligence forces put to use tips provided by the security services of several cooperating nations, including Iran, Syria and possibly Russia, Fitsanakis said. “As far as we can discern, the security coordination between the Lebanese government and Hezbollah concerns strictly defensive counterintelligence… and is confined to the exchange of selective snippets of information gathered from informants or through communications intercepts,” he added. This was confirmed by the army intelligence officer, who admits that some of the arrests were made following tips provided by Hezbollah.
Bilal Saab, a research analyst specializing in counterterrorism at the Saban Center, says another reason for the intelligence services’ success in breaking up the spy networks was unprecedented cooperation between agencies. “Lebanese security agencies have been able to cooperate among themselves and operate under fewer constraints,” he said.
The Lebanese intelligence officer, however, denies any real coordination between the intelligence branches of the Internal Security Forces and that of the army on issues such as intelligence sharing and threat assessments. “There has always been a rivalry between the army intelligence services and the ISF, and cooperation is still limited,” he said.
Regardless of what accounts for Lebanon’s success in thwarting Israeli infiltration, the sheer number of spies who were arrested over the last year is, without a doubt, extraordinary. “There are very few parallels in recent intelligence history,” Fitsanakis said.
Much time will pass before the precise extent of the damage inflicted on Israeli espionage networks in Lebanon can be evaluated. “I would nonetheless classify the developments in Lebanon as a resounding blow to Israeli intelligence-gathering operations, ones which may have long-reaching ramifications for Israeli intelligence gathering in Syria, and even Iran,” Fitsanakis added.

Lebanon's Hezbollah Dilemma
Mark Silverberg
http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=3554
With each passing day, it is becoming increasing difficult to determine where Hezbollah control of Lebanon ends and where Lebanese government control begins. The terrorist organization now dictates Iranian decrees to Lebanese officials and institutions, manipulates their activities, and greatly influences the country's decision-making processes through infiltration, intimidation, and terrorism. No decision can be made by the Lebanese government or any of its institutions including the Lebanese Armed Forces without Hezbollah's approval.
The deadly clash in early August along the Lebanon-Israel border that left a senior IDF officer dead and another seriously wounded highlighted the problem, and has raised questions about future U.S. government funding of advanced weaponry and equipment for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) - a policy which, until now, has represented the cornerstone of U.S. efforts to stabilize that country. Evidence indicates that the LAF sniper (a Shiite) was closely associated with Hezbollah (a Shiite terrorist organization), and many in Congress fear that such associations between the LAF and Hezbollah go far deeper than meets the eye.
Hezbollah’s influence has gradually seeped into state institutions especially the Lebanese army. The LAF’s profound weaknesses and the level of penetration by Hezbollah is one of the main reasons why the LAF seeks to avoid a confrontation. There is a very real danger that, in such an eventuality, the LAF’s Shiite contingent (estimated at approximately a third of LAF army officers and sixty percent of its rank and file soldiers) would desert and join the terrorist group leading to another Lebanese civil war.
The last time Hezbollah openly challenged the authority of the government in May 2008, the LAF stood aside while Hezbollah took over Beirut in 24 hours after the Lebanese government moved to shut down the organization's telecommunications network. The LAF also performed poorly in its battles with Fatah al-Islam in the Palestinian refugee camp Nahr el Bared that same year.
Of concern to members of Congress is the knowledge that the LAF not only provides Hezbollah with intelligence information gathered through the use of U.S. and French high-tech signals equipment (as noted below), but has high-ranking LAF officers closely associated with Hezbollah. According to STRATFOR analyst Reva Bhalla, this is by design. Hezbollah discharges a portion of its recruits after they serve two years in its military wing, and then enlists them in the LAF. This has allowed Hezbollah to control both the composition of the LAF's ranking officers and influence its specific operations. Given Hezbollah’s increasing numbers in the 58,000-strong Lebanese army, a natural bond has developed between Shiites in the LAF and their co-religionists in Hezbollah. Debka reports that shortly after the attack, a group of Iranian intelligence and commando officers toured the border area with LAF escorts that included heads of the 9th battalion, the same LAF military unit that was responsible for the August confrontation.
In 2006, the U.S. launched what has now become a $720M military assistance program for the LAF. It was introduced at a time when Lebanon was deeply divided between a Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led parliamentary opposition. The aid has included the provision of a wide variety of weapons and weapons systems, specialized training using cutting-edge technology through the use of marksmanship simulators, and sophisticated signal-detection equipment that was to have allowed the LAF to identify, decipher and trace Hezbollah’s encrypted communications.
In fact, this equipment and the intelligence information gathered through its use is being directed against Israel not Hezbollah. In April 2009, according to the Los Angeles Times, the chief of Lebanon's U.S.-backed Internal Security Forces warned Hezbollah security chief Wafiq Safa that two trusted, mid-ranking Hezbollah commanders were working as informants for Israeli military intelligence. They were never heard from again. This sharing of supposedly top-secret military intelligence information with Hezbollah eventually decimated Israel’s intelligence network in Lebanon. According to STRATFOR, Safa has significantly increased his authority over all Shiite officers in the LAF, maintains close contact with the LAF command, has a say in all appointments, promotions and deployments of Shiite officers, and has arranged to be regularly informed of army movements and plans by LAF commanders.
The U.S. had hoped that bolstering the capabilities of the LAF would lead to tightened Lebanese control of its border with Syria to prevent arms smuggling, stabilize the region, improve the LAF’s counter-terrorism capabilities in dealing with Hezbollah, and generally strengthen the Lebanese state at Hezbollah’s expense. But it ignored the fact that many of the members and commanders of the LAF share Hezbollah’s agenda and its dedication to Israel's destruction. Caroline Glick reminds us that “during the 2006 war, the LAF provided Hezbollah commanders with targeting data for their missiles and rockets……..and announced on its official Web site that it would award pensions to families of Hezbollah fighters killed in the war.” Moreover, the LAF has done nothing to block Hezbollah from remilitarizing and reasserting control over southern Lebanon.
For U.S. military strategists, it was not meant to be that way. When a pro-American coalition won Lebanon’s parliamentary elections in June 2009, conventional wisdom had it that Hezbollah, having been defeated at the polls, would lose its appeal given that a U.S.-backed government would rule Lebanon. In fact, the opposite occurred. In November 2009, the U.S.-backed Sunni leader Saad Hariri was chosen as prime minister only after he agreed to share power with Hezbollah and its allies. The deal resulted in Hariri’s government having no influence over Hezbollah’s militia and its weapons buildup along the Israeli or Syrian borders. The group has amassed an arsenal of 40,000 rockets, four times what it had during the 2006 war. In effect, Hezbollah has now become the country’s dominant military and political force holding the key to both Lebanese domestic and external stability.
What was overlooked in the decision to provide this multi-million dollar military aid package to the LAF was that the Lebanese and U.S. have differing perceptions on the nature of the threats confronting Lebanon. While both are hostile to al Qaeda-sponsored groups, Lebanon maintains that its primary antagonist and enemy is Israel. In its annual report on worldwide terrorism, the State Department confirms that the Lebanese government “continues to recognize Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, as a legitimate resistance group and political party”. The U.S., however, sees Hezbollah and the influence of Iran and neighboring Syria over Lebanese affairs as the biggest obstacles to a pro-Western and stable Lebanon.
It is this difference in perception of “the enemy” that concerns members of Congress who have oversight on the allocation of funds to the Lebanese Army, and who have grown increasingly unhappy with the military assistance program to Lebanon. What the U.S. did not contemplate was that the divisions that once defined Lebanese politics four years ago are no longer valid today. Former political enemies now work in close association with one another, and that association has enhanced the power, influence and prestige of Hezbollah and its master Iran throughout Lebanon – at the expense of U.S. and Israeli interests.
The international community cannot plead ignorance in the face of incontrovertible evidence of Lebanon’s growing status as a Syrian and Iranian vassal state. Both the U.S. and France need to reassess their military aid to what has become an arm of the Iranian-Syrian axis. Hezbollah continues to serve as the dominant military power in Lebanon and as such determines whether peace or war will prevail on the Israeli border.
In the Second Lebanon War, Israel only fought Hezbollah and directed its attention to Hezbollah military infrastructures. Lebanese military infrastructures were consciously avoided. As a result, while Haifa residents lived in bomb shelters, Beirut residents went to the beach. Should these provocations continue, they will lead to a much more destructive war – one that will be very different from previous wars in one major respect. It will be a war between Israel and Lebanon and the Lebanese targets that Israel consciously avoided will become legitimate enemy targets and subject to destruction.
**This article was originally published by the Hudson Institute (NY) at www.hudson-ny.org

Strong message to Iran
By: Ron Ben-Yishai
Op-ed: Appointment of offensive-minded Galant as army chief sends clear Israeli message
Published: 08.23.10, 00:41 / Israel Opinion
Major-General Yoav Galant’s most prominent characteristic as a military man is his tendency to choose offense over other combat approaches. This was true on the tactical level, when Galant commanded the Flotilla 13 Navy commando unit, and it was also manifested through his strategic approach to resolving problems stemming from Hamas’ rule in Gaza
Had it been up to him, Operation Cast Lead would have been launched a year to a year and a half earlier. He wouldn’t have waited until December 2009.
Galant also attempted to convince Defense Minister Barak, Chief of Staff Ashkenazi, and his colleagues at General Staff Headquarters to implement an operational plan that was much broader and more ambitious than the one carried out in Operation Cast Lead. His plan was supposed to not only put an end to the rocket barrages directed at southern Israel, but also to terminate Hamas’ rule in Gaza.
Yet Galant’s proposals were rejected, by the defense minister among others, and the plan that was used in the operation was relatively “thin” and limited in scope.
Barak took notice of Galant precisely because of the latter’s offensive approach. The defense minister’s decision to recommend that the government appoint the quiet, introverted general as the 20th chief of staff in IDF history conveys a clear, sharp message: The State of Israel does not intend to remain idle and wait to be attacked by rockets, missiles, and possibly unconventional weapons.
Should one of these strategic threats be realized, or be close to realization, the IDF will be utilized in an offensive, decisive manner and in full force in order to thwart or minimize the threat. This message is aimed not only for the IDF and for Israel’s citizens, but also for states such as Syria and Iran, for Hezbollah, and for the US Administration and European states as well.
Ashkenazi’s antithesis
The above approach is also accepted by the Ashkenazi-led current General Staff headquarters. The difference between Ashkenazi and Galant has to do with the decision-making process, and mostly with the willingness to take risks. Because of these differences, which culminated in bitter disputes between the two, Ashkenazi and Galant became rivals.
Galant is almost the antithesis of the cautious approach that characterizes Ashkenazi and made the current army chief so popular not only among the Israeli public, but in Washington as well. Barak, who often repeats the mantra “all options are on the table” in the Iranian context, making pilgrimages to see Ashkenazi in the hopes of finding a listening ear for the pleas to put off an Iran strike. We can assume this phenomenon will not repeat itself with Galant at the helm.
As to Galant’s skill as a military man, it appears nobody disputes the fact that he’s a suitable, fitting army chief appointment. Indeed, he only led one regional command and did not serve as deputy chief of staff, yet he has been credited with dozens of successful operations, which he led at various levels – including the successfully management of the Gaza war in his role as Southern Command chief.
Galant the person is a level-headed, restrained, and stubborn man. He is the strong, silent type of natural leader. His relatively old age, 52, also adds to his sense of authority. He is very rarely heard raising his voice or laughing out loud. However, those who don’t like him include many people who claim that he uses his authority to sow fear among objectors, that he’s arrogant, and that he comes up with creative ways to handle and neutralize his rivals.
In short, Galant – just like Ashkenazi – will be the kind of army chief that even major-generals would be scared to disagree with, not to mention disobey.

Direct talks, yes, but with state-building too
Hussein Ibish, August 24, 2010
The resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in early September offers significant opportunities and pitfalls for all parties.
For the Obama administration, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s announcement of the talks represents the culmination of almost a year of intensive diplomacy. Whether or not the United States has a backup plan if talks founder is entirely unclear. The administration’s assumption appears to be that direct talks will generate their own dynamics; but if they don’t, it’s not evident what the next American step will be.
Nonetheless, the administration deserves credit for having revived diplomacy, which was interrupted for several years, under inauspicious circumstances. In a rare, extremely significant joint display of support for these efforts, the American Task Force on Palestine issued a statement welcoming negotiations in conjunction with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, an umbrella group that represents a range of mainstream Jewish-American organizations, including the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, B’nai B’rith, Hadassah, the Union for Reform Judaism, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, among others. The statement endorsed a two-state solution and urged the parties to show courage, flexibility and persistence.
Crucially, Clinton indicated that the United States was pursuing a multi-track policy. She stressed the need to “to help Palestinians build the institutions of their future state, an effort which must continue during the negotiations.” Washington has understood that diplomacy must be augmented with state-building in the West Bank, for political and strategic reasons, and that this is not merely an economic development project, but also an indispensable component in the quest to end the conflict.
It is also a sign of American recognition of a point Palestinians have been implicitly making for a year now: that early progress in top-level diplomacy is unlikely given the political weaknesses of leaderships on both sides and the enormous differences between them on aspects of a final-status agreement, especially the future of Jerusalem. Therefore, constructing the framework of a Palestinian state at this juncture might be as significant, if not actually more so, than what can be achieved at the bargaining table, at least initially.
For the Palestinians, the Quartet statement was essential to making the return to negotiations politically palatable. In particular, the Quartet’s reference to a one-year timeline recognizes Palestinian concerns that talks should not be open-ended. The statement affirms that talks “can” be concluded within a year, but not that they “should” or “must” be. It is an aspirational sentiment rather than a set deadline, but acknowledges legitimate Palestinian concerns.
Palestinians have received other assurances and guarantees both verbally and in writing, but these have not been made public. However, it does not appear that they have yet secured an effective enforcement mechanism that can hold the parties accountable for fulfilling their commitments. This has been an important Palestinian position, and will undoubtedly be a prerequisite for success as talks continue. It is probably the single most important role the US can play at this stage, but implementing it will mean overcoming significant Israeli resistance.
As for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the achievement of direct talks without any public preconditions – notwithstanding the obvious private commitments that have been made to Washington on a number of issues, including settlements – represents both an important victory and, potentially, a very dangerous development.
Until now, Netanyahu has been generally able to triangulate between the demands of his right-wing coalition partners and Washington’s expectations based on American national interests. If the Palestinians play their cards right, such maneuvering should become more difficult to sustain, and it would appear that the PLO position on final-status conditions is much closer to the American one than is the Israeli position. This is a new and unusual development, although it does not undermine the special relationship between Israel and the United States.
There is a consensus in Washington that it is essential, not optional, for the US to help achieve an end to the conflict, therefore to also end the Israeli occupation. This potentially provides the Palestinians with crucial leverage over Israel. However, to take advantage of this, the Palestinians must convince the Americans that they are strategic and political partners, willing to take politically costly decisions in the interests of reaching common objectives.
While major progress at the early stages of negotiation is extremely unlikely, so is a spectacular meltdown, as neither party wants to be perceived as having sabotaged the negotiations. The ability to assign blame for failure is probably the single biggest card that the US possesses, though it will be highly reluctant to use it, especially against Israel. However, it should be enough to keep the balls in the air for now, allowing state-building in the West Bank to steadily improve the strategic landscape in which negotiations take place, while also laying the groundwork for a successful peace agreement.
**Hussein Ibish is a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine and blogs at www.ibishblog.com