by middleeasteye.net -- US President Donald Trump has renewed a 13-year national emergency order over the political situation in Lebanon, citing Iran's "ongoing" weapons transfers to Hezbollah. The order ensures the legal grounds for the US president to levy sanctions and "to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States" due to Hezbollah's presence in Lebanon, a statement released by the White House on Wednesday said. The administration said "certain persons" - alluding to members of Hezbollah and its allies - were seeking to undermine the Lebanese government. Lebanon has been dealing with several crises during the past year, from the coronavirus pandemic to a plummeting economy and recent skirmishes with the Israeli army on its southern border. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, is a major political party in Lebanon and consolidated its influence in the state's affairs in 2018 after winning, along with its allies, a small majority in national elections. The US designated Hezbollah a "foreign terrorist group" in 1997.

Despite Hezbollah's growing influence within the Lebanese government, the White House's order alleged "certain persons" were deliberately working to "break down" the rule of law in Lebanon "through politically motivated violence and intimidation". "Certain ongoing activities, such as Iran's continuing arms transfers to Hizballah - which include increasingly sophisticated weapons systems - serve to undermine Lebanese sovereignty, contribute to political and economic instability in the region, and continue to constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to [US] national security and foreign policy," the White House said. Washington is particularly concerned by those allegedly seeking to "reassert Syrian control or contribute to Syrian interference in Lebanon", the order said. The annual move, entitled "Continuation of National Emergency with Respect to Lebanon", has been renewed every year since it was declared by former President George W Bush in 2007. Bush's order said the United States would freeze the property and assets of anyone trying to undermine Lebanon’s democratically elected government.

By RAY HANANIA -- arabnews.com -- CHICAGO: Texas Senator Ted Cruz is pushing new legislation that would deny US funding to any nation that provides sanctuary or support to the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, which serves as a military proxy for Iran. Now before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senate Bill 3691 was introduced by Cruz, a Republican, in May. It will receive a hearing before it is sent to the full Senate, where it is expected to be approved. The legislation specifically targets Lebanon’s government, of which Hezbollah is a part. In conjunction with the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act, the bill would prohibit the US government from assisting any Lebanese government of which Hezbollah is a part, over which it exercises undue influence, or in which “a ministry, agency, or instrumentality of that government is effectively controlled by Hezbollah.”

To become law, the bill would have to also be passed by the US House before being sent to President Donald Trump, a critic of Hezbollah, for his signature. Hezbollah was designated a terrorist organization by the US in 1995. The directive does not distinguish between Hezbollah’s military arm and its political leadership. In 2013, Hezbollah’s militia was designated a terrorist organization by the EU after the group was accused of blowing up an Israeli tour bus in Bulgaria. Hezbollah remains a powerful force in Lebanon, where it has received the backing of Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab. Together with its Christian political ally, the Free Patriotic Movement headed by Lebanese President Michel Aoun’s son-in-law Gebran Bassil, Hezbollah remains one of Lebanon’s most potent political organizations.

by Press Release: Euro-Med Monitor -- The Lebanese security and judicial authorities continue to suppress public freedoms and restrict freedom of publication, especially with regard to publishing information and records about politicians or influential figures, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said. The Directorate General of Operation and Maintenance of the Lebanese Ministry of Communications decided to block www.shinmimlam.com website which facilitates the publication of data that is available on the Lebanese Ministry of Justice website and that is available for the public to view in the commercial registry. The decision to block the website was issued by the interim relief judge of Beirut on June 16th, although the information displayed on the website does not reveal personal data of lawyers but provides existing information. “What raises concern the most is that the appeal to block the website came from the Beirut Bar Association, which is supposed to be the first defense line for public freedoms, and a main supporter for enhancing transparency and accountability,” said Tariq Hajjar, Euro-Med Monitor’s legal advisor. “The Association’s behavior is fundamentally inconsistent with the principles and ethics that govern its work,” he added, warning of the dangerous repercussions of the decision on the transparency and integrity of its work.

by AFP -- FAQRA: Amid designer sunglasses, champagne buckets and luxury cars, Lebanon’s economic crisis is not immediately obvious in Faqra. Digging into a salad at an exclusive country club in the Lebanese mountains, Zeina El-Khalil was glad to be there for the summer. “The atmosphere in Beirut has become heavy and depressing. Reality is everywhere. But here we feel like we’re in another country,” she said. Lebanon is mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, with the downturn sparking soaring inflation and plunging almost half the country’s population into poverty. For the wealthy, trips abroad were off as banks blocked dollar withdrawals or transfers and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) complicated international travel. But some of Lebanon’s wealthiest families have escaped to the Faqra Club, perched 1,600 meters (5,250 feet) above the Mediterranean. “Usually we spend our holidays abroad, but this year we can’t travel for financial reasons and COVID-19,” said El-Khalil.

Nestled in a mountain resort town famous for its ski slopes, the Faqra Club is an oasis of luxury in an otherwise collapsing country. Its motto, according to the official website, is “Life at the top.” Expensive cars pack the parking lot, while club members shuffle between its many facilities, including stables, a tennis court and a 9D movie theater. Around a long swimming pool, bronzed bodies sprawl on sofas and sun loungers, sipping cocktails, as music blasts in the background. “Life must go on,” said Sara, a 26-year-old lawyer. “We won’t stay trapped in the house.” Sealed off from the woes plaguing the rest of the country, the Faqra Club has become a magnet for those looking to do brisk business.