Hezbollah’s homecoming: What happens when fighters return to Lebanon from a Middle Eastern mini-world war?

Article represents opinion of the author -Khazen.org not responsible of the content 

by MARK MACKINNON theglobeandmail.com- Between Syria’s civil war and Tehran’s escalating standoff with Israel, Lebanon’s ‘Party of God’ has been busy lately. Now, analysts say, the Iranian-backed militia’s members are coming home. Mark MacKinnon investigates what they’re returning to, and why Young Hezbollah supporters attend a rally in the southern suburbs of Beirut with a poster of Imad Mughniyah, one of the main founders of Hezbollah in the 1980s. Lebanese voters head to the polls for a parliamentary election on May 6. Standing on a hill overlooking Lebanon’s border with Israel, Talal Saad is telling his brother, visiting from Germany, tales of the last war between Israel and the Hezbollah militia − and the destruction that was wrought in the south of this country. The border is quiet now, and has been for most of the intervening 12 years. But few things in the Middle East feel permanent these days, as the multisided war in Syria grinds on and the risk of a major clash between Israel and Hezbollah’s main backer, Iran, grows larger.

The seven-year-old conflict in Syria has grown into something like a mini-world war in recent months, further dragging regional and global players into the fray at an alarming pace. The United States and its allies Britain, France and Saudi Arabia stand on one side of the conflict, seeking to isolate and perhaps topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran, both of which have forces on the ground to support Mr. al-Assad. There’s a separate, but related, conflict in the north of the country, pitting Turkey’s army against a Kurdish militia that it considers to be a “terrorist” group, while Turkey’s NATO allies the United States and France support the same Kurds in a fight that has pushed the Islamic State to the brink of defeat. But none of those dynamics is as flammable as the confrontation between Israel and Iran. And Tehran’s firmest ally in any fight with the Jewish state would be Hezbollah, the Shia militia − called “terrorist” by Canada and the United States − that is the dominant military and political force in Lebanon, a country with fading hopes of staying out of the fighting that surrounds it. Hezbollah is armed and funded by Iran, and for the past six years it has fought on the side of Mr. al-Assad’s forces, helping prevent the collapse of the regime. There are reports Hezbollah fighters have also been dispatched to help train pro-Iranian forces in Iraq and Yemen. Now, Lebanese analysts say, with the Syrian regime increasingly gaining control over the country, Hezbollah is starting to bring the bulk of its fighters home. The question hanging over Lebanon and the region is what Hezbollah intends to do with them next. In the valley below the road the two brothers paused on, Israel has begun erecting a concrete barrier between the Lebanese village of Kfar Kila and Metula, an Israeli town a shouting distance away. Eventually, the seven-metre-high wall is supposed to extend along the entire Israel-Lebanon frontier. Mr. Saad isn’t sure it will matter. “If there’s another war, it will happen whether this wall is here or not.” ‘I wouldn’t call it peaceful’

On Feb. 10, an Iranian drone that Israel says was armed with explosives was shot down over the Golan Heights, prompting an exchange of fire that saw Israeli fighter jets strike at the Syrian base the drone was launched from, while Syrian anti-aircraft defences shot down one of the attacking planes, which crashed just after it crossed back into Israeli airspace. On April 8, Israeli jets − this time operating from Lebanese airspace − struck again, attacking another Syrian airbase, known as T-4. Seven Iranians were among the dead. Israel, in a break with past practice, acknowledged it was behind the strike. “It was the first time we attacked live Iranian targets − both facilities and people,” an unnamed military source told The New York Times. Israel has signalled repeatedly that it will not allow Iran to continue building up its military infrastructure in Syria. The nightmare scenario for the Jewish state would be to see Iran take advantage of Syria’s civil war to replicate a Hezbollah-like force there, the same way it used the chaos of Lebanon’s wars in the 1980s to create the original. Assaf Orion, a retired Israeli brigadier-general, recently told The Globe and Mail that any effort to confront Iran in Syria would almost certainly involve Hezbollah and Lebanon as well. Iran has vowed vengeance for the strike on T-4. The country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Thursday the Islamic Republic was facing its enemies on “a large battlefield.” In words that will be taken as orders by the country’s military establishment, Ayatollah Khamenei added that “besides defending, we should have offensive plans against the enemy, too.”

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Lebanese President Slams Continued Israeli Aggression

by aawsat.com -- President Michel Aoun has reiterated that “Lebanon will never be an aggressive country, but we refuse any aggression on our land.” Aoun made his statement on Friday during talks with United States Central Command head Gen. Joseph Votel, who visited Baabda Palace. Discussions focused on military cooperation with Lebanon as well as regional security developments and US military assistance to the country. The meeting was attended by both a Lebanese and American delegation that included US Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard. They also discussed ongoing Israeli violations of Lebanon’s air, maritime and land borders, condemned by Aoun. The president said a tripartite meeting between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by the United Nations peacekeeping mission, is expected to be held next month to “end Israeli violations of Lebanon’s international border.” Votel reiterated his country’s support to the Lebanese army and security forces, and stressed the consolidation of cooperation between the two sides.

Lebanese aid worker gunned down in Yemen

Khazen.org offers prayers to the family of Hanna Lahoud. 

by alaraby.co.uk-- A Lebanese aid worker has been shot dead in the war-torn southern Yemeni city of Taiz, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced Saturday. Hanna Lahoud, who was in charge of prisoners' affairs in Yemen, was gunned down while travelling to a prison in the city. His car came under attack from unknown gunmen. "I'm shocked, outraged and profoundly saddened by the killing of my colleague and friend Hanna Lahoud," tweeted Robert Mardini, Middle East director for the International Committee of the Red Cross. "We @ICRC condemn this senseless act in the strongest possible terms," he wrote. "My thoughts go out to Hanna's wife and family in #Lebanon." Lahoud died of his wounds in hospital, while his colleagues in the same car were unharmed, the Red Cross said in a statement. The aid worker was killed by multiple gunshots to the heart, according to a hospital source who spoke on condition of anonymity. The attack took place in the Zabab district of Taiz, completely shattering the back window of the car, an AFP photographer at the scene said. Most of Taiz is controlled by pro-government forces loyal to Saudi-based Yemen President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Houthi rebels control most of the surrounding area. "He saved hundreds of lives as a volunteer for the Lebanese Red Cross. He made silly jokes. He had a wonderful voice... He also beat cancer 2 years ago. Today an idiot took his life," tweeted ICRC regional spokeswoman Marie Claire Feghali. Around 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen since a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in March 2015, to aid the government after Houthi rebels took over much of the country. The United Nations said the conflict has triggered the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with over 22 million people dependent on aid and 8.4 million on the verge of famine.

Lebanese Parties Race to Lure in Expatriates Ahead of Polls

Beirut - Youssef Diab  -- aawsat.com  -- Lebanese expatriates have become a main target in the campaigns for the May 6 parliamentary elections as political parties are eager to lure them to vote for their lists in exchange for covering the cost of flights to Beirut. Although some parties have refused to admit it, others have announced to resorting to such offers on a limited scale. Lebanese sources said not all candidates have the financial ability to buy plane tickets to Beirut so that expats vote for their lists. "Only certain parties have enough money to offer expatriates a vacation in Lebanon at their own expense in exchange for receiving their vote,” the sources said. An official from the electoral campaign of Al-Mustaqbal said “the Movement was prone to meet the requests of some expatriates, especially those residing in Gulf states, who were willing to come (to Lebanon) in return for free tickets.” However, the process came to a halt three weeks ago, said the official.

Some expats told Asharq Al-Awsat that “thousands of Lebanese emigrants had received direct phone calls from some parties offering them tickets to travel to Lebanon before Election Day.” However, the offer stands for a couple and not their children. “Flights to Lebanon, especially from Gulf States, are already booked due to the high number of people traveling to Lebanon before the elections,” the sources said. Progressive Socialist Party spokesman Rami al-Rayyes told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday that his party was coordinating with expats, including those who had registered their names to vote for the first time at polling stations abroad on April 27 and April 29, in addition to those who did not want to travel to Lebanon to cast their ballots. “The majority of PSP supporters living abroad are eager to participate in the elections. We are studying all options,” Rayyes said, adding that the issue of expats’ flight costs to Lebanon is under discussion.

Google wants to replace texting

by   Ben Gilbert - business insider - Google is making a major change to the way Android handles text messages, and it's a direct attempt to stay competitive with Apple's iMessage dominance. Google's Messages app — the standard text-messaging app on Android — will become "Chat," according to The Verge. With that change comes the ability to send prettier photos, longer messages, and lots of other "rich" interactivity. As it is now, Android uses standard SMS text messaging, which is limited to a certain number of characters, and multimedia (photos, video) is highly compressed (it looks bad). With Google Chat, Android text messaging will become much more like Apple's beloved iMessage. All these new features in Android text messaging are due to the adoption of RCS, or rich communications services, a new standard for text messaging. In short, the RCS standard operates on data networks (like Apple's iMessage) instead of phone networks (like traditional SMS text messaging). Moreover, Google has a bunch of big phone makers signed on to RCS — from Samsung to LG to Huawei and HTC. If someone on a Pixel sends a message to a Samsung Galaxy S9, for instance, they can share "RCS" messages — theoretically, anyway, as Samsung is one of the companies that's signed on. And if you try sending a message and the other person's phone doesn't support RCS? They'll receive it as a standard SMS message (similarly to iMessages showing up for Android users as SMS messages). For now, Apple isn't signed on to support RCS messaging: No, the iPhone will not support these messages. At least not for now. Also of note: RCS messages aren't as secure as iMessages; there's no "end to end" encryption, which prevents communications from being intercepted by third parties.

Cardinal Bechara el Rai warns against ‘new drums of war’ in Syria

By Catholic News Service. 

BEIRUT — Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai appealed to world leaders to stop the war in Syria and to work for comprehensive peace through diplomatic means. "As the great powers are beating the drums of a new war against Syria, we regret the absence of a language of peace from the mouths of senior officials in our world today," said Cardinal Rai, patriarch of Maronite Catholics, in an address April 12 directed to the international community. In reference to the stance of world leaders toward Syria, the cardinal said, "Most tragically, their hearts are devoid of the slightest human emotion toward the millions of innocent Syrians who have been forced to flee their land under the fire of war, its crimes, destruction, terror and violence." "We appeal to the conscience of the great powers and the international community to work to end the war and to bring about a just, comprehensive and lasting peace through political and diplomatic means — not military," Cardinal Rai stressed. "The people of the Middle East are entitled to live in peace and tranquility. The declaration of war is very weak," he said, adding that peacebuilding is the ultimate in heroism. "Among the great powers, you will remember that we all know how to start wars, but we do not know how they end." Noting that Lebanon has hosted more than 1.1 million refugees, or nearly half of its population, "at a time when most European countries have closed their doors," Cardinal Rai continued: "We ask today, did these countries which are beating the drums of war bear a fraction of the hardship due to the displacement of the Syrian population?"

Cardinal Rai's appeal came amid threats of military retaliation against Syria over the alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians in the Ghouta region. On April 13, the United States, France and the United Kingdom launched missiles on Syria, targeting sites intended to weaken the nation's chemical weapons capability. In response, Pope Francis criticized a failure to find nonviolent means of bringing peace to Syria and other parts of the world and appealed to world leaders to work for justice and peace. "I am deeply disturbed by the current world situation, in which, despite the instruments available to international community, it struggles to agree on joint action in favor of peace in Syria and other regions of the world," he said after praying the "Regina Coeli" with people gathered in St. Peter's Square April 15. "While I unceasingly pray for peace and invite all people of good will to keep doing the same, I appeal once again to all political leaders so that justice and peace may prevail," he said. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow telephoned Pope Francis after the missile attack, he told reporters April 15 at his residence outside of Moscow. "We shared the common concern about the situation in Syria, and we talked about how Christians should influence this situation to stop violence, war and so many tragic victims as we have seen in these days," he said, according to AsiaNews.

The patriarchate launched an initiative to unite Christian leaders from the East and West to promote peace and prevent a humanitarian crisis in Syria, said Father Aleksandr Volkov, spokesman for the Russian patriarchate. Other patriarchs taking part included Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X of Antioch and all the East, according to Patriarch Kirill. "Each of them has expressed a willingness to continue consultations to find a way to stop the bloodshed," he added. The Syrian Catholic and Orthodox patriarchs of Syria also publicly condemned the "brutal aggression" of the U.S.-led allied missile attack and called upon all churches in the countries that participated to likewise condemn the attack and urge their governments to work toward international peace.