Free Republic

Ahead of direct talks with Israel in Washington, a Lebanese official emphasized that "Iran will not be allowed to intervene and regain control of the situation in the country" • Amid fears of a flare-up: Security forces in Beirut on high alert, security around diplomatic missions increased • Hezbollah Secretary-General: "Cancel the negotiation meeting – this is humiliation" In the shadow of preparations for the direct talks that will open tomorrow (Tuesday) between Israel and Lebanon in Washington, and in parallel with the escalation on the ground, Hezbollah fears that "we are on our way to hell." Amid concerns about...

The relations between Russia and the Shiite's religious leadership in Lebanon started to develop in the beginning of the seventies. The spiritual leader of the Lebanese Shia community, Imam Moussa Al-Sadr, visited Moscow in 1972 and asked Soviet authorities to issue humanitarian aid to his people. At the same time cooperation between the Marxist factions of the PLO that were active in Lebanon and Soviet military intelligence – GRU, intensified greatly. Several soviet officers (speaking fluent Arabic) even visited Palestinian terrorist training camps in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon between 1972-1975. Using their connections in PLO they managed to establish...