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According to Lebanese security officials, a blast went off in a weapons depot in the southern Lebanon village of Tibnin. The depot was housed in an abandoned building and used in the 2006 war with Israel. According to the Voice of Lebanon radio, the explosions were heard shortly after 7 am south of the Litani River. There were mixed reports from Lebanese medias regarding the explosion. One report said the arms cache belonged to Hizbullah, while another said the blast was the result of leftover bombs from the Lebanon-Israel war three years ago this summer.

Azerbaijan media publish segments from hearing of 2 Lebanese, 4 locals accused of planning terror attack on Israeli embassy in capital city, Baku. According to indictment, suspects admit to being sent by Hezbollah, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and al-Qaeda Ynet Published: 07.09.09, 00:20 / Israel News

Group's ‘mainstream’ Islamist convention last weekend featured hate speech and Hezbollah Defense A top aide to President Barack Obama provided a keynote address at last weekend's 46th Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) national convention, a gathering that attracted thousands of people and also featured anti-Semitic, homophobic rhetoric and defense of the terrorist group Hezbollah. In her remarks, Senior Advisor for Public Engagement and International Affairs Valerie Jarrett noted she was the first White House official to address ISNA. She spoke in general terms about interfaith dialogue and cooperation. She praised her hosts for "the diversity of American organizations, and...

IPT News July 8, 2009 A top aide to President Barack Obama provided a keynote address at last weekend's 46th Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) national convention, a gathering that attracted thousands of people and also featured anti-Semitic, homophobic rhetoric and defense of the terrorist group Hezbollah. In her remarks, Senior Advisor for Public Engagement and International Affairs Valerie Jarrett noted she was the first White House official to address ISNA. She spoke in general terms about interfaith dialogue and cooperation. She praised her hosts for "the diversity of American organizations, and ideas that are represented and will be...

Before Lebanon’s parliamentary elections were over, the world was already turning its attention from Beirut to Tehran, where the presidential campaign was wrapping up. And as the unexpected post-election drama unfolded, ripples from Tehran spread across the globe, raising new questions about that country’s relations with the rest of the world, including Lebanon.

Ever since the failure to find WMDs in Iraq, the American public and the media have demanded a nearly unreachable standard of proof before indicting a foreign government. When someone calls Iran a state sponsor of terrorism, proof that they are “linked” to al-Qaeda is demanded. Once al-Qaeda’s refuge in Iran is offered as a counterpoint, proof that the regime knows of their presence and that the group isn’t merely working with “rogue elements” of the government, but the government as a whole, is required. Then, inevitably, the topic is diverted to Afghanistan and Pakistan, arguing that whatever base of...

In his new book Homeland Security, Assessing the First Five Years, former DHS secretary Michael Chertoff argues: Al-Qaeda and its network are our most serious immediate threat, they may not be our most serious long-term threat….[Hezbollah] has developed capabilities that Al-Qaeda can only dream of, including large quantities of missiles and highly sophisticated explosives. Chertoff’s statement is conventional wisdom among many terrorism experts. Shortly after 9/11 then Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage stated: Hezbollah may be the 'A-Team of Terrorists' and maybe al-Qaeda is actually the 'B' team." SNIPPET: "Has Hezbollah’s ability to launch an attack deteriorated, or is...

The young Islamic revolutionaries of the late 1970s are now middle aged, and do not wish to slaughter their neighbors. That is why the mullahs have imported killers from abroad: the five thousand or so Hezbollahis who, according to Der Spiegel, have been brought in from Lebanon and Syria. Dissidents on Twitter report clashes with security forces who do not speak Farsi, and there are even some rumors suggesting that Chavez has sent some of his toughs from Venezuela. Who knows?

A French comedian has canceled his participation in a festival in Lebanon next month because of concerns for his safety after Hezbollah's TV station claimed he served in the Israeli army. Al-Manar TV said Gad Elmaleh, who is of Moroccan-Jewish descent, was an avid supporter of Israel and showed a purported picture of him wearing an Israeli military uniform. The performer's agent denied the report's claims and said the photo was a fake. Lebanon and Israel technically remain in a state of war, and it is illegal for Lebanese to have contacts with the Jewish State. Israel and the Shiite...

Why Iran's Changed Forever Reuel Marc Gerecht: Whatever Happens In Tehran, There's No Going Back To Khomeini's Islamic Republic. Who's Who Iran's Election: Key Players A look at the most important figures in Iran's contested presidential election. Stories Candidate Withdraws Iran Fraud Complaint Intensified Crackdown Mutes Iran Protests (Weekly Standard) Reuel Marc Gerecht, a Weekly Standard contributing editor, is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The modern Middle East has had numerous "game-changing" moments, when history turned. Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Egypt in 1798, Muhammad Ali's conquest of the Nile Valley in 1805, and the...

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General, Sheikh Naim Qassem revealed on Thursday that US officials close to the Obama administration have reached out to Hezbollah and have sought to initiate a dialog with the terrorist organization. "Several US officials at different levels and more or less close to the administration have asked to speak with [us], but we have refused," he said. "It is useless to have any dialog with the Americans since they regard us as terrorists." The Washington Times on Wednesday revealed that the Obama administration had recently "sent a letter to [Iran's] supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khomenei, calling for...

Iran's growing influence in Latin America is a "potential risk" to the region, the newly-appointed head of the US Southern Command, General Douglas Fraser has warned. Fraser, who on Thursday takes charge of US military operations in 31 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, expressed "real concern" about the Islamic Republic's links with "extremist organizations" in the region. "The real concern is not a nation-to-nation interaction, it is the connection that Iran has with extremist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah and the potential risk that that could bring to this region," Fraser told journalists ahead of taking up the...

U.S. Federal Judge Richard M. Berman sentenced on Tuesday a New York resident who broadcast satellite television programming of the Hizbullah terrorist organization to more than a year in prison. Saleh Elahwal pleaded guilty to providing material support to the terrorist organization's Al Manar news network between September 2005 and August 2006. He was sentenced to a year and five months. Elahwal's sentencing comes two months after the main defendant, Javed Iqbal, was ordered by a federal judge in Manhattan to serve five years and nine months. Iqbal, dubbed by a prosecutor as “Hizbullah’s man in New York City," ran...

(IsraelNN.com) U.S. Federal Judge Richard M. Berman sentenced on Tuesday a New York resident who broadcast satellite television programming of the Hizbullah terrorist organization to more than a year in prison. Saleh Elahwal pleaded guilty to providing material support to the terrorist organization's Al Manar news network between September 2005 and August 2006. He was sentenced to a year and five months. Israel, the U.S., and many European countries define the Lebanese-based Hizbullah organization a terrorist organization, prohibiting any transaction with a terrorist organization. Elahwal's sentencing comes two months after the main defendant, Javed Iqbal, was ordered by a federal...

Editor's note: The following are firsthand accounts that were solicited by Journal assistant editorial features editor Bari Weiss. Some were translated from Farsi. Surnames have been omitted to protect the writers. Don't Accept This Coup By Kaveh from Tabriz Ahmadinejad has taken revenge on the students of Iran during these violent days. The regime's aim is to damage universities, since they are the first base of change, movement and protest. I live in the dorms at Tehran University. I was asleep when Basij militiamen entered my room early Monday morning, demolished everything and started beating us. A man with a...

I heard several disparate reports from around Tehran today that claimed the real instigators of the violence were arabic speaking goons imported from Lebanon and/or Syria. Any info?

A rare piece of good news recently came out of the Middle East: An American-backed (or, rather, Bush-backed) political coalition defeated Hezbollah and its allies in Lebanese parliamentary elections. And ever since, President Obama’s supporters have desperately made every stretch to credit him – and particularly his Cairo speech – for the victory, in an attempt to justify the less-than-impressive foreign policy route of his young administration.

Arab media: U.S. assistance helped uncover Israeli spy ring By Amos Harel, Haaretz Corre spondent Last update - 05:04 14/06/2009 www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1092561.html American training and technology enabled a breakthrough to crack the alleged Israeli spy ring in Lebanon, media in the Arab world reported. Over 20 suspects, including a high-ranking army official, have been charged with spying for Israel over many years, media reports say. Since 2006, the United States has supplied the Lebanese with $1 billion in assistance, including $410 million to improve the work of the Lebanese police and intelligence services. The value of American assistance can be seen...

We can draw many lessons from the Lebanese parliamentary elections Sunday, which saw the appointment of a new parliament reflecting almost precisely the same distribution of seats between the country’s two main political groupings as the previous parliament (68 seats for the Hariri-led March 14 movement, 57 seats for the Hizbollah-Michel Aoun-led March 8 group, and three independents). Here are my conclusions about what happened and what it means:

ONE OF THEIR TARGETS WAS THE GABALA RADAR STATION The Gabala radar station is evidently capable of detecting Iranian missile launches. The facility was built by the Soviets and is now leased back from Azerbaijan by Russia. There has been talk of US/Russian cooperation in operating the site for the purpose of monitoring Iranian actions, much to the chagrin of the mullahs.

Less than three days after President Obama tried to woo Islamist forces with a major speech in Cairo, secular democratic forces in the Middle East won a dramatic victory in a crucial election in Lebanon. Two rival blocs faced off -- one pro-Iranian, one pro-Western.

Azerbaijan seen as new front in Mideast conflict Hezbollah fighters hold a ceremony in Lebanon for Imad Mughniyah after his assassination in 2008 in Syria. Hezbollah has blamed Israel for his killing and anti-terrorism officials say the alleged plot in Azerbaijan was in retaliation for Mughniyah's killing. Officials say they foiled a plot by Hezbollah and Iran to bomb the Israeli Embassy in revenge for the 2008 slaying of Imad Mughniyah. Anti-terrorism officials fear a new militant hub.

US allies defeat Hezbollah in Lebanon vote‎ - June 8, 2009 BEIRUT (AFP) — A pro-Western bloc inflicted a surprise defeat on Hezbollah and its allies at the ballot box in Lebanon, final results showed, as the winners ...

Hezbollah Extremists Lose Lebanon Vote - CBS News8 Jun 2009 ... Militants Fail To Erode Pro-Western Bloc's Majority In Parliamentary Elections, But Questions Of Gridlock Remain.

Hezbollah learns that power doesn't always come from the barrel of a gun, as the beleaguered Lebanese rise up and say that, for now, ballots still rule.Our worst fears were not realized in Sunday's parliamentary elections as the Lebanese people turned out in surprising numbers to say their capital is in Beirut and not Tehran. The Iranian-backed and financed Hezbollah (Party of God) was surprised and defeated by a turnout of 55%, the largest since the end of Lebanon's 1975-91 civil war. Democracy lives to fight another day.

The results of Sunday's Lebanese parliamentary elections were unexpected, with early results showing the pro-Western March 14 coalition scoring a landslide victory. The coalition has retained its majority by capturing anywhere between 68 to 70 seats of the 128-seat parliament. The Hezbollah-led opposition, which had been expected to take the majority, emerged with only 50 seats, although eight seats are still to be announced in the Metn region. Early results show that of these eight seats, only two were taken by March 14 coalition candidates - Michel al-Murr and Sami Gemayel - while the remaining six went to Hezbollah.

Mideast: Rockets launched from Lebanon once again strike northern Israel. It may be a warning. It may be an isolated incident. But one thing is certain: The target is Israel, but the launch point is Tehran.The three Katyushas that struck northern Israel on Thursday, one going through the roof of a nursing home, do not a second front make. Suspicions are that the attack was from a Hamas auxiliary using outdated rockets, hoping to provoke a response from an angry Israel. The attack, reminiscent of Hezbollah's massive barrage in 2006 using state-of-the-art missiles, still raises the question of where are...

Pro-Western Bloc Defeats Hezbollah in Lebanon Vote By MICHAEL SLACKMAN BEIRUT, Lebanon — An American-backed alliance appeared to retain control of the Lebanese Parliament on Sunday in a hotly contested election that had been billed as a showdown between Tehran and Washington for influence in the Middle East. Preliminary results reported on Lebanese television, showed the alliance, known as the March 14 coalition, had managed to preserve its majority in Parliament. If those results are confirmed, they would represent a significant and unexpected defeat for Hezbollah and its allies, Iran and Syria. Most polls had showed a tight race, but...

Chances are low that the United States would totally cut off military funding to Lebanon if Hezbollah and its allies win Sunday's election because both sides will want to avoid a confrontation, analysts said. But a victory by the militant Shi'ite group, viewed as a "terrorist organization" by Washington, and its allies could lead to a reduction in what has been burgeoning U.S. assistance to the Lebanese armed forces in recent years. Pollsters expect the "March 8" alliance that includes Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah to gain a slight edge in the election and to erase the governing Western-backed, anti-Syrian "March...

Lebanon's opposition conceded defeat against the March 14 coalition in pivotal polls Sunday after weeks of fierce campaigning. "We've lost the election," a senior opposition source, who declined to be identified, told Reuters. "We accept the result as the will of the people." "We'll go back to the way we were," the source added.

The good news is the Hezbollah led March 8th coalition lost the the Lebanese Election, it may also be that the bad news is the fact that the Hezbollah led March 8th coalition lost the the Lebanese Election. First the good news the Hezbollah coalition lost and at the very least, it is a loss of face for Syria and Iran...The bad news is also that Hezbollah lead March 8th coalition lost the the Lebanese Election. As Barry Rubin warned two weeks ago, a Hezbollah victory might have been the worst thing for the terrorist group because it might have...

BEIRUT (Reuters) - An anti-Syrian coalition, known as "March 14," defeated the "March 8" alliance composed of Hezbollah and its allies in Lebanon's parliamentary election on Sunday, politicians on both sides said. Following is reaction from Lebanese politicians: HEZBOLLAH MP, HASSAN FADLALLAH We consider that Lebanon is ruled by partnership and whatever the results of the elections are, we cannot change the standing delicate balances or repeat the experiences of the past which led to catastrophes on Lebanon and showed the inability of one party monopolizing power. Whoever wants political stability, the preservation of national unity and the resurrection of...

Jun 7, 2009 BEIRUT – Lebanese streamed to their hometowns on the Mediterranean coast and high in the mountains Sunday to vote in a crucial election that could unseat a pro-Western government and install one dominated by the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.

SNIPPET: "As the Hizballah-led March 8 coalition campaigns ahead of Lebanon's June 7 elections, the group has been forced to contend with the unexpected exposure of its covert terrorist activities both at home and abroad." SNIPPET: "Far from being the Israeli conspiracy that Nasrallah alleges, information about Hizballah's continued terrorist activities abroad come from a wide array of highly credible international sources -- from Belgian, Argentine, Egyptian, and Azeri prosecutors to Yemeni, U.S., and UN officials, to the international team investigating the Hariri assassination from their headquarters in The Hague. Whether its coalition wins an outright majority or merely solidifies...

LONDON — Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict would end the justification for Hizbullah's military presence in Lebanon. "That is why President Obama is making great efforts in this direction," Petraeus said. The U.S. general said weapons from Iran continued to flow through Syria to Hizbullah in Lebanon. He said the U.S. focus was on the shipment of Iranian long-range rockets sent to Hizbullah. "There is no doubt that Iran is the source," Petraeus said.

Hizbullah's No. 2 leader, confident of victory in Lebanese weekend elections, said Tuesday the Iranian-backed group would invite its pro-Western opponents to join a national unity government if it wins. Sheik Naim Kassem rejected accusations that a government of Hizbullah and its allies would try to implement an Iranian-style Islamic state. In an interview with The Associated Press, he shrugged off warnings about boycotts and insisted Western nations are willing to talk to the new government irrespective of who wins. But the unity government proposal shows Shi'ite Hizbullah's concern that if it tries to govern Lebanon outright, it could risk...

Dr. Avi Naiman, who produced these films with his own money, is the Executive Director of IDEAS, Israel Documentaries for Education And Scholarship. IDEAS is a non-profit organization devoted to educating the public about the State of Israel through documentaries and informational material about Israel. Their goal is to reach the general public who knows little about Israel beyond conflict and religious extremism, by creating eye-catching video clips on Israel's vibrancy, modernity, freedoms, and contributions to the world. The two films described below are available for watching in their entirety. Film #1. Under Fire: Personal Stories from the Scorched Summer...

Azerbaijan is accusing Hizbullah and Iran of planning to attack the Israeli Embassy in the capital Baku to avenge the Feb. 2008 assassination of the Shiite group's military chief Imad Mughniyeh, the Arabic daily aSharq al-Awsat reported Sunday. The report comes with the start of a closed-trial of four Lebanese and four Azeri nationals who were detained last year on charges related to terrorism, espionage and other crimes, the paper added. According to authorities in Baku, the cell members were deatined over a year ago after intercepting calls between "local armed men and two members of Hizbullah." They said police...

The job of a vice president was once to attend foreign funerals. Joe Biden was in Beirut on Friday to show support in advance of an election that may see the death of a Western democracy. While we've been fighting for democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Arab world's oldest and most dynamic multicultural democracy, Lebanon, has been dying a slow and painful death. A neighbor to Israel, the Switzerland of the Middle East has been sucked into a conflict it would have preferred to have avoided.

The Russian parliament and media refer to him merely as a “Russian businessman.” But to much of the rest of the world, Viktor Bout is known as the “Merchant of Death,” the most notorious member of the dark fraternity of global weapons traffickers who arm terrorist organizations, as well as the tyrannical regimes and brutal warlords and militias responsible for horrendous genocidal slaughters over the past two decades. Since his March 2008 arrest in Bangkok, Thailand, in an elaborate U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sting, Viktor Bout has been in Bangkok’s Klong Prem Special Prison awaiting trial. The U.S. Department of...

TG-149 May 27, 2009 Treasury Targets Hizballah Network in Africa SNIPPET: "WASHINGTON- The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated Kassim Tajideen and Abd Al Menhem Qubaysi, two Africa-based supporters of the Hizballah terrorist organization, under E.O. 13224. E.O. 13224 targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism by freezing any assets the designees have under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with them. "We will continue to take steps to protect the financial system from the threat posed by Hizballah and those who support it," said Under Secretary for Terrorism...

The Obama administration moved Wednesday to impose financial sanctions on two men accused of providing financial support to the Hezbollah terror group. The Treasury Department's action covers Kassim Tajideen, who operates a network of businesses in Lebanon and Africa, and Abd al Menhem Qubaysi, whose base of operation is Cote d' Ivoire in Western Africa. Any bank accounts of other financial assets found in the United States that belong to the men must be frozen. Americans also are prohibited from doing business with them.

Omri Ceren’s headline says it all: Obama’s Top NSA And CIA Picks: Harsh On Israel, Sympathetic To Iran And Hezbollah. Well that was totally unpredictable wasn’t it?General James L. Jones is widely rumored to be Obama’s preferred candidate to be White House National Security Adviser... Jones prepared a report on Israel’s policies in the territories... The World Tribune said it “blasted Israel’s role� for “hampering the movement of PA forces, blocking plans for weapons shipments and technology to the Palestinians and resisting coordination.� ... Obama said this about Jones: “Let me tell you who I associate with... If I’m interested...

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told a Knesset committee meeting Tuesday that Hezbollah has more rockets than before the Second Lebanon War and is boosting it's power in South Lebanon ahead of the country's upcoming elections. "Hezbollah is secretly bolstering its power south of the Litani River, but UNIFIL's presence is making that task more difficult. Today it has more rockets and long-range ammunition than it did before the Second Lebanon War." Ashkenazi warned Hezbollah is still looking to avenge the killing of one of its senior militants Imad Mughniyeh, saying "Hezbollah has been intimidated and restrained,...

May 26, 2009 On May 24, 2009, Egyptian security forces announced that they had arrested seven members of a terror cell [1] which, according to the confession of one of its members, had carried out the February 22, 2009 attack in Khan Al-Khalili. According to the announcement, the cell had ties to Al-Qaeda and to the Gaza salafi group Jaysh Al-Islam. [2] One of the captured terrorists, a Belgian national, confessed that he was supposed to travel to Belgium, make contact with Al-Qaeda operatives, and accompany them to France in order to prepare attacks there. The cell was also supposed...

Venezuela and Bolivia are supplying Iran with uranium for its nuclear program, according to a secret Israeli government report obtained Monday by The Associated Press. The two South American countries are known to have close ties with Iran, but this is the first allegation that they are involved in the development of Iran's nuclear program, considered a strategic threat by Israel.

The United Nations special tribunal investigating the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri has reached surprising new conclusions -- and it is keeping them secret. According to information obtained by SPIEGEL, investigators now believe Hezbollah was behind the Hariri murder. It was an act of virtually Shakespearean dimensions, a family tragedy involving murder and suicide, contrived and real tears -- and a good deal of big-time politics. On February 14, 2005, Valentine's Day, at 12:56 p.m., a massive bomb exploded in front of the Hotel St. Georges in Beirut, just as the motorcade of former Prime Minister Rafik...

Vice President Joe Biden is in Beirut today, hoping to boost the Lebanese moderates’ chances of holding off Hezbollah’s drive to seize power in the upcoming elections there. Best of luck, Joe. Of course, it’s an open question whether Biden’s appearance will help or hurt the American-backed coalition led by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, which opposes Hezbollah. Despite disclaimers of neutrality, Biden stated clearly that future American aid to the government would be affected by the elections’ outcome.

Cradle to Grave: Hezbollah Children In the debates during and after the recent war in Lebanon, supporters of Hezbollah have tried to represent it as a deliverer of social welfare and not as a terrorist organization. Let us leave aside the question as to why a social welfare organization would be armed to the teeth and dwell for a moment in order to consider the claim itself and its theoretical/political implications. The utopia of the social welfare state has been phrased for a more than a century in terms of providing benefits to its client-citizens "from cradle to grave." In...

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