by arabnews.com — Najia Houssari — BEIRUT: The Iranian national football team has visited Lebanon on several occasions to compete in the Asian qualifiers. But this week, the Iranian team arrived in a very different set of circumstances, playing Lebanon on Thursday amid a wave of political quarreling and accusations that Tehran is taking over the country and isolating it from its Arab surroundings. The match, which Iran won 2-1, had sparked a renewed sense of patriotism among the Lebanese for the World Cup 2022 qualifiers. The Lebanese goal, scored in the first half, put a smile on the faces of the Lebanese, who are drowning in misfortunes. But while the match sparked national pride among Lebanese supporters, many created fake social media accounts to support the Iranian team and the Wilayat Al-Faqih, the term used to describe the system of governance that Tehran has used since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Although most fans admit that the Lebanese team “lacks equipment, training, physical fitness, and overall readiness due to the financial, economic and institutional crises in Lebanon,” their hearts, as they said, are with the “Cedar men.” Even politicians encouraged the Lebanese national team.

Independent MP Fouad Makhzoumi wrote: “The hearts of all the Lebanese are with our national football team.” Activist Mounir Khater tweeted: “The vast majority of the Lebanese are united behind their national football team. The Lebanese love their country, except for a few whose minds have been plagued by ignorance, and the national concept has mixed with the sectarian concept.” The game took place at the Rafic Hariri Municipal Stadium in Sidon, southern Lebanon, but FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation ruled that fans were not allowed “for security reasons.” Sports experts regretted that this measure deprived the Lebanese team of its “motivation factor.” No television channel covered the game, with fans only able to watch it live on YouTube. FIFA consulted a private security company that had recently conducted an assessment of the security situation in Lebanon. “The report was based on the Tayouneh incident that took place in October,” said Hashem Haidar, head of the Lebanese Football Association.

by Al Jazeera – Beirut, Lebanon – Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has blasted Saudi Arabia for trying to stir instability in Lebanon amid a weeks-long diplomatic dispute between the latter and several Gulf countries. In a televised speech on Thursday, Nasrallah accused Saudi Arabia of violating Lebanese sovereignty and dismissed calls for the departure of embattled Information Minister George Kordahi. “Hezbollah supports the information minister’s position of not resigning,” Nasrallah said, adding that he also opposed the idea of Kordahi being sacked from his position. “Rejecting external dictates is one of the simplest manifestations of sovereignty.” The diplomatic crisis was sparked last month after video footage circulated online from an August interview in which Kordahi made critical remarks about the Saudi-led coalition’s war against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The former game show host said the Iran-aligned Houthis are “defending themselves … against an external aggression”, earning praise from Iran-backed Hezbollah. In response, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain recalled their envoys from Beirut and expelled their Lebanese ambassadors. Saudi Arabia, which considers Hezbollah a “terrorist” organisation, also banned all imports from Lebanon, accusing it of failing to take measures to “stop the export of the scourge of drugs”. Bahrain and the UAE have called on their citizens to leave the country, while Yemen’s internationally recognised government has also since recalled its envoy from Beirut. “[Hezbollah] made Lebanon an arena and a launching pad for implementing projects of countries that do not wish well for Lebanon and its brotherly people,” a Saudi statement issued on October 29 read.

اعتَرى القضاءَ اللبنانيَّ ما اعتَرى لبنان: اعتداءٌ مزدَوجُ المصْدَر مِن خارجِ السلكِ القضائيِّ ومن داخِله. ونَشأَ تواطؤٌ بين المصْدَرين حيث قُضاةٌ مُسيَّسون وطائفيّون وفاسِدون يَعمَلون لمصلحةِ المصدَرِ الخارجيّ، ويُنفّذون من الداخلِ أوامرَه، بل مؤامرَته على القضاءِ اللبنانيّ. والخطورةُ هنا مثلَّثةٌ: الأولى أنَّ الّذين يقومون بهذه الـمَهمّةِ ليسوا قضاةً صِغارًا في محكمةٍ ريفيّةٍ، إنّما قضاةٌ كبارٌ يَشغَلون مناصبَ رفيعةً في تراتبيّةِ السلطةِ القضائيّة. والثانيةُ أنّهم يَدرُون ماذا يَفعلون، ويَرتكِبون فِعْلتَهم عن سابقِ تصوّرٍ وتصميم، ما يَجعلُ فِعْلتَهم مزدوجةً: فسادٌ وخِيانة. والثالثةُ أنَّ الانقسامَ في القضاء، وبخاصّةٍ على مستوى مجلسِ القضاءِ الأعلى والنياباتِ العامّة، يأخذُ طابَعًا طائفيًّا ومذهبيًّا يُعطِّلُ عملَ القضاءِ على غرارِ تَعطيلِ عملِ مجلسِ الوزراء. هل يريدون أن يصبحَ القضاءُ أيضًا فِدراليًّا؟

صارت أمراضُ القضاءِ اللبنانيِّ مُـجَسَّمًا عن أمراضِ دولةِ لبنان: كانتوناتٌ مذهبيّةٌ. مَسٌّ باستقلاليّتِه من دون حَسْم. ازدواجيّةُ القرار. مخالفاتٌ من دونِ تأديب. تَمرّدٌ من دونِ إقصاء. ولاءٌ لقِوى خارجَ السلكِ القضائي. تَعدّي قضاةٍ على صلاحيّاتِ زملائِهم. تلاسُنٌ يَفيضُ وقاحةً وحِقدًا. إبْدالُ الـمِطرقةِ بالقَدَم. قضاةٌ ضِدَّ قضاة. محكمةٌ ضِدَّ محكمة. مرؤوسٌ ضِدَّ رؤسائِه. خطوطُ تماسٍ بين المرجِعيّاتِ القضائيّةِ ووزارةِ العدل. وجفاءٌ بين القضاءِ والسلطةِ الحاكِمة، إلخ…

صباح الخير، آسف ان اقول متشائماً للمرة الاولى : “يشهد لبنان تغيّراً خطيراً ليس فقط في الديمغرافيا بل في كل نواحي الحياة الاجتماعية والسياسية  وفي كل امر . عقارب الساعة لن تعود الى الوراء وعلينا انقاذ ما تبقّى…لكي يبقى … ونبقى “

By Bassam Zaazaa – arabnews.com — DUBAI: Iran’s national football team have faced ridicule over the large amount of luggage they were carrying shortly after arriving in Beirut for their Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifier match against Lebanon. The team landed at Beirut International Airport on Monday for the match on Thursday. Soon after touching down, images quickly spread on social media of Iranian players, administrators and coaching pushing airport trollies stacks with three or four large travel bags each. The photos were accompanied by a barrage of comments ridiculing the players. Some even suggested the team could be smuggling drones and military equipment to the Iran-backed militia of Hezbollah. Activists, bloggers and media and public figures joined in the frenzy.

One cynical Twitter user posted images in response of opened bags with cash inside and a comment saying the money was being smuggled to Hezbollah. Others tweeted that since Hezbollah controls Lebanon’s borders and airports, the players may have dodged security checks to smuggle military equipment into the country. In a reflection of Lebanon’s political divides, some social media users tweeted their support for the Iranian team and apologized for what they described by “politically motivated tweets.” Some boasted that as Shia Muslims that they would cheer for Iran against their own country during the match at the Rafik Hariri Stadium in Saida. Lebanon are riding high in third place in their World Cup qualifier group after a thrilling 3-2 victory over Syria in October. Iran are the group’s leaders. Renowned Lebanese playwriter and actor, Ziad Itani, criticized the social media campaign against the Iranians and described it as “shameful and disguised” racism. “It is a sports mission accustomed to their special food and training equipment, so there is no need for what happened … we don’t want our national team to face the same,” he said.

by middleeastmonitor.com — The Kuwaiti government has suspended all visas for Lebanese nationals until further notice, local newspaper Al-Qabas said today, as part of the ongoing dispute between the Gulf and Beirut. The newspaper quoted sources who said the decision excludes those who have residency in Kuwait, noting that the decision applies to the issuance […]

طلاب يطردون السفير الاسرائيلي من جامعة بريطانية في حين ان تصرفاتنا وترددنا ادّوا الى طرد بعض سفرائنا من الدول الشقيقة ورحيل بعض سفرائهم من لبنان .. لاجل من ؟ وتنفيذاً لاي سياسة خارجية نفعل ذلك؟

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad meets with United Arab Emirates Foreign minister, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad meets with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister

BEIRUT (Reuters) -The United Arab Emirates foreign minister met President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, a sign of improving ties between Assad and a U.S.-allied Arab state that once supported rebels trying to overthrow him. Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed is the most senior Emirati dignitary to visit Syria in the decade since the eruption of a civil war in which several Arab states backed mainly Sunni Muslim insurgents against Assad. Washington, which opposes efforts to normalise ties with Assad or rehabilitate him until progress is made towards a political solution to the conflict, said it was concerned about the move by its ally the UAE.

The foreign minister led a delegation of senior Emirati officials that discussed bilateral relations and cooperation in a meeting with Syrian counterparts, a statement by the Syrian presidency said. The participants discussed exploring “new horizons for this cooperation, especially in vital sectors in order to strengthen investment partnerships in these sectors”, the statement said. Sheikh Abdullah underlined in his meeting with Assad “UAE’s keenness on the security, stability and unity of Syria,” UAE’s state news agency WAM said. He also stressed the “UAE’s support for all efforts made to end the Syrian crisis, consolidate stability in the country, and meet the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people,” WAM reported.

by english.alaraby.co.uk —  — Lebanese comedian Hussein Kaouk has fallen prey to an online harassment campaign on Saturday and Sunday, led by Hezbollah-affiliated media outlets. In response, the comedian’s fans posted hundreds of his videos on Twitter, promoting his work under the Arabic hashtag “Hussein Kaouk”. The social media storm against Kaouk picked up over […]

by Najia Houssari arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Lebanese banks are quietly letting employees go as they seek to close branches and reduce operational costs amid the collapse of the local currency, the Lebanese pound. It comes after the country’s central bank tightened regulations against commercial banks. While some are downsizing domestically, other banks are opting to sell assets abroad. The number of branches estimated to have closed ranges between 300 and 400 out of a total 1,100. Employees and contractors have been the first to feel the effects of the decisions. George Al-Hajj, president of the Federation of Syndicates of Bank Employees, said that 2021 has been “very hard” for bank employees in Lebanon, adding: “Although no statistics have been conducted to show the exact number of laid-off employees, their number does not exceed 4,500.” But more bank workers are expected to be dismissed in the near future. “We are in the middle of the storm, and the crisis will persist until Lebanon reaches an agreement with the International Monetary Fund on the restructuring process of the banking sector,” said Al-Hajj.

The number of employees of the banking sector in 2018 was estimated to be about 26,000, working for 61 banks. Since 2019, the sector has lost more than 17 percent of its workforce. Dr. Jassem Ajaka, an economic and strategic expert, warned that “up to 50 percent of bank employees will be laid off.” He told Arab News: “After the deterioration of the economic situation and the suspension of banking activities due to the decision to block financial transfers, the banking sector is no longer making profits. “Banks are not charities, and the reality is hard for everyone.” “The banking sector’s employees constitute a very important share of the middle class in Lebanon and eradicating this group from the economy will further harm Lebanese society.” Al-Hajj said: “In 2019, the federation saw this crisis coming and urged banks seeking to fire employees to inform the Ministry of Labor of their intentions. Some banks did, but others did not, and thus we do not know the exact number of laid-off employees.” He added: “The banks’ excuses for mass lay-offs were many: Sometimes it was because the bank was applying an early retirement system, sometimes it was a resignation at a request from the administration, and other times it was the termination of contracts due to economic reasons.”