by memri.org — On December 12, 2019, Morteza Ghorbani, a senior advisor in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), threatened that Iran could attack Israel from Lebanese soil. Responding to the Israeli foreign minister’s remark that an Israeli attack on Iran was “an option,” Ghorbani stated: “If the Zionist regime makes [even] the smallest mistake vis-à-vis Iran, we will level Tel Aviv to the ground, from Lebanon, without having to launch a single missile or any [other] device from Iran… God knows that if, one night, Iran’s leader [Ali Khamenei] will order a missile attack [on Israel], those Zionists will all surrender… Today, the hearts and spirits of the Yemeni, Syrian, Iraqi, Lebanese and Gazan peoples are with Iran.”[1] Ghorbani’s statement evoked outrage among many Lebanese officials. A conspicuous response was that of Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab, considered to be close to Hizbullah. He said that, if Ghorbani had indeed made the statement, it was very saddening and was an infringement of Lebanon’s sovereignty. Other officials said that Lebanon was not a no-man’s-land to be used by Iran, or a conduit for relaying IRGC threats to other countries. Describing the statement as a violation of Lebanon’s honor and dignity, some called to demand an explanation for Ghorbani’s statement from the Iranian ambassador and even to expel the ambassador.

Criticism of Ghorbani’s remarks was also expressed in Lebanese press articles, which condemned not only Ghorbani but also Lebanese officials, for failing to respond to such Iranian statements and allowing Iran to trample Lebanon’s sovereignty. In response to the uproar, IRGC spokesman Ramezan Sharif issued a denial, stating that Ghorbani’s remarks had been “distorted and misconstrued by the media.” Sharif added that “Ghorbani does not currently serve as an IRGC advisor but serves in other capacities in the armed forces.”[2] The following are excerpts from some of the Lebanese responses to Ghorbani’s statement.

Lebanese Officials: Ghorbani’s ‘Unacceptable’ Statement Is A Violation Of Lebanon’s Sovereignty; Lebanon Is Not A Conduit For Conveying IRGC Messages Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab tweeted on December 10: “Assuming Ghorbani… indeed made the statements attributed to him, they are very saddening and unacceptable, and are an infringement of the sovereignty of Lebanon, which has friendly relations with Iran. Lebanon’s independent decision-making must not be harmed in any way.”[3]

by AFP — BEIRUT: US Secretary Mike Pompeo said on Friday that the US supported the Lebanese people in their fight against government corruption and terrorist threats. Pompeo took to Twitter on Friday, where he posted: We stand with the people of #Lebanon to fight against corruption and terrorism. Today we designated two prominent Lebanese businessmen whose illicit financial activity supports Hizballah. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to counter the threat Hizballah poses.

On Friday, the US Treasury Department imposed new sanctions against two alleged Hezbollah money launderers and financiers, including a diamond trader who collected art. It accused Lebanon-based Nazem Said Ahmad, whose art collection includes works by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, and his companies of helping to launder large sums of money for the group. “Ahmad, who has a vast art collection, is one of Hezbollah’s top donors, generating funds through his longstanding ties to the ‘blood diamond’ trade,” it said. A second man based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Saleh Assi, was sanctioned for laundering money through Ahmad’s diamond business and supporting another alleged financier already under sanctions.

Pompeo’s comments came as the head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, warned that the formation of a new cabinet desperately needed to redress a tumbling economy could take time. Lebanon has been swept by unprecedented nationwide protests since October 17, demanding the complete overhaul of a political class deemed inept and corrupt. The government stepped down on October 29, but bitterly divided political parties have failed to agree on a new premier ever since. Hezbollah chief Nasrallah spoke ahead of parliamentary consultations to nominate a new prime minister on Monday. “The consultations are supposed to take place on Monday and we hope that whoever receives most votes will be designated to form a government,” he said in a televised address. “But the formation will be no easy feat,” he warned.

By SARAH EL DEEB , Associated Press — BEIRUT (AP) — The head of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said Friday the best emergency government to deal with the country’s worsening economic crisis is one that includes all political groups. Hassan Nasrallah’s comments indicated there was no resolution yet on who should head an emergency government, two months after Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned Oct 29. Protests erupted Oct. 17 over proposed new taxes and spiraled into calls for the entire political elite to step down. The protesters have also said they won’t accept Hariri as returning prime minister.

Consultations between President Michel Aoun and parliamentary blocs to name a new premier were expected Monday. They were postponed once before over disagreements on naming a new premier. Nasrallah’s comments were also a rejection of a proposition put forward by political ally Gebran Bassil, who called for a government made up of experts and said he won’t take part in one headed by Hariri. Bassil said Thursday a government picked by Hariri, according to his conditions, would be destined to fail. Hariri had said he wants a government without political groups, made up of technocrats alone. “The patriotic duty calls for everyone to take responsibility, to take part and for all to offer concessions,” Nasrallah said in an 70-minute speech in which he characterized the situation in Lebanon as dire. “How can a government from one group deal with a crisis of this nature?” He said any “salvation government would have to take unpopular measures,” and can’t afford to engage in disagreements with other political parties.

by theguardian.com — Julian Borger in Washington — US intelligence agencies will be given a month to make a formal declaration on whether the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was responsible for the murder of the Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi. The annual military spending bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), was passed by a large majority in the House of Representatives on Wednesday and is expected to be approved by the Senate next week before being signed into law by Donald Trump. In negotiations before the NDAA’s passage, sections stipulating that Khashoggi’s murderers be subject to punitive measures were stripped from the bill, on the insistence of the White House – as were clauses that would have cut US support for the Saudi war in Yemen.

According to the New York Times, the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, took a leading role in negotiations on behalf of the White House, and was insistent that the punitive clauses on Saudi Arabia should be removed. But the final version of the bill retained language requiring the director of national intelligence (DNI) to present a formal determination within 30 days on who was responsible for the murder and dismemberment of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October last year. In April, the US barred entry to 16 Saudis for their role in the murder plot, including one of the crown prince’s closest aides, Saud al-Qahtani. This week, the state department added the former Saudi consul general in Istanbul, Mohammed al-Otaibi.

Asharq Al-Awsat — The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) will not join a new government under the terms insisted on by caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri, but it will not obstruct the formation of a new cabinet, its leader Gebran Bassil, who is Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, said on Thursday. Bassil called for the formation of a […]

The Daily Star — BEIRUT: Future Movement MP Hadi Hobeish filed a lawsuit against Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Ghada Aoun Thursday as the latter filed a complaint against the lawmaker for defamation and threatening her. Aoun submitted her complaint to the Cassation Public Prosecution, calling for the lawmaker’s arrest, trial and questioning. Her complaint was accompanied by […]

by Tom Rogan — washingtonexaminer.com — With telling embarrassment, Iran is rowing back comments made by an adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The problem? The adviser inadvertently admitted that Iran values Lebanon only as its puppet. Speaking on Monday, retired Gen. Morteza Qorbani told an Iranian news outlet that Iran did not […]

by By CLAIRE PARKER – AP —PARIS (AP) — Lebanon cannot expect to receive international aid for its battered economy until a new government undertakes serious reforms, diplomats decided at a closed-door meeting in Paris on Wednesday. The international group, led by France and the United Nations, met to discuss conditions for helping ease turmoil in Lebanon, which is facing its worst financial crisis in decades and political uncertainty amid an ongoing protest movement. Lebanese businesses and households are growing increasingly desperate as cash supplies there have dwindled. Representatives from several countries, including the United States, and international financial institutions agreed on a set of principles Lebanon must meet before it can expect to receive foreign cash.

U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker said attendees agreed to give technical advice to Lebanese institutions but they won’t provide the bailout that caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri requested. Hariri had called on Saudi Arabia, France, Turkey, the United States, China, and Egypt to send funds to help Lebanon finance imports. “There’s no aid package; there is no bailout,” Schenker told The Associated Press. “Lebanon is not being saved from its financial mess.” Schenker said the group is considering sending some humanitarian aid to Lebanon to alleviate residents’ suffering, though it was unclear when or how much. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in closing remarks that the group supports protesters who have taken to the streets since Oct. 17 to call for an end to corruption and the overhaul of the Lebanese political system. “The Lebanese have mobilized for many weeks to demand reforms. They must be heard,” he said. Le Drian called the “institutional void” that has existed since Hariri resigned as prime minister on Oct. 29 “worrying.”

by aawsat.com —Asharq Al-Awsat received the draft statement that will be issued by the meeting of the International Group in Support of Lebanon, which will be held in Paris later on Wednesday. According to the statement, representatives from China, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the European Union, the International Monetary Fund, the Arab League and the World Bank participated in the meeting, in addition to a Lebanese delegation. Members of the international community recognize that Lebanon is facing a crisis that puts it on the brink of an economic collapse and greater destabilization, the statement read.

by naharnet.com —Speaking after the meeting, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said any international financial support for Lebanon hinges on the formation of what he called a “reformist government.” “The only standard should be this government’s effectiveness in terms of the reforms awaited by the people. Only this approach will allow all the participants in this meeting and others to mobilize in order to offer Lebanon all the support it needs,” Le Drian said. The secretary general of the Lebanese Foreign Ministry Hani Chemaitelly, who represented Lebanon at the meeting along with other mid-level officials, meanwhile told LBCI television that the atmosphere at the meeting was positive and that the ISG “sent a clear message on being committed to helping and embracing Lebanon.” The TV network for its part reported that Chemaitelly held bilateral talks in Paris with Le Drian, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker, director of the Middle East and North Africa department at the French foreign ministry, Christophe Farnaud, and his counterpart at the French foreign ministry. The ISG was created in 2013 by then U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help Lebanon deal with the fallout of the war in neighboring Syria. It gathers agencies of the U.N., the European Union, Arab League, United States, China, France, Germany, Russia, Italy and Britain.

by diplomatie.gouv.fr —1. A meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG), jointly chaired by France and the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, was held in Paris on December 11th. China, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the European Union, the International Monetary Fund, the League of Arab States, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation took part in the meeting. Representatives of the Lebanese authorities also attended the discussions.

2. Lebanon has been left without a government for more than six weeks since Saad Hariri resigned on October 29th. The Group considers that preserving Lebanon’s stability, unity, security, sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity requires the urgent formation of an effective and credible government capable to meet the aspirations expressed by all the Lebanese that will have the capacity and credibility to deliver the necessary substantive policy package of economic reforms, and that will be committed to dissociate the country from regional tensions and crisis. It is urgent for the new government to be in place as quickly as possible.

by aawsat.com — French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday urged the Lebanese to form a new government swiftly or risk a financial crisis worsening and threatening the country’s stability. “(They should) form a government quickly because any delay will continue to worsen the situation,” Le Drian told a news conference. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said stability in Lebanon was “very, very important” to the kingdom. Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said he would not “pre-judge” a conference planned this week in Paris to support Lebanon, which is facing its worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. “I’ll wait for the results of the conference.” The Lebanese people and the political system need to find a way forward that guarantees its stability and sovereignty, he told a news conference following a Gulf Arab summit in Riyadh in response to a question regarding aid to Lebanon.

Ghinwa Obeid| The Daily Star BEIRUT: All eyes are on Wednesday’s meeting in Paris that will gather an international support group to tackle the situation in Lebanon at a time when the country is facing worsening economic and a political stalemate. The one-day conference, which mainly aims to push Lebanon to form a new government, is co-chaired by France and the United Nations. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian Tuesday urged the Lebanese to form a new government swiftly or risk a worsening financial crisis and threatening the country’s stability. “[They should] form a government quickly because any delay will continue to worsen the situation,” Le Drian was quoted as saying by Reuters. According to the draft of a concluding statement from the conference published by local radio station Voice of Lebanon (93.3), the participating countries will stress that maintaining Lebanon’s stability will require a quick government formation. In light of the difficult economic situation and the liquidity issue facing the country, the attendees are also expected to push Lebanon to adopt a series of reforms that would restore financial stability, fix long-standing issues in the Lebanese economic system and combat corruption.

Last year, France hosted the CEDRE meet for Lebanon, where donors pledged over $11 billion in grants and soft loans to boost the country’s flagging economy and finance key infrastructure projects. The ISGL brings together the United Nations, the governments of China, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, along with the European Union and the Arab League. Lebanon’s delegation to the conference headed to France Tuesday and, according to a source close to the delegation, it includes Foreign Ministry Director General Hani Chemaitelly, Finance Ministry Director-General Alain Bifani, Hazar Caracalla, an economic adviser to caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and Central Bank representative Raja Abou Asli. The source said he expects the conference to be “a declaration of good intentions with recommendations.” Local media also reported that the first session of the conference would be closed and would not include the Lebanese delegation, which will join the attendees in the second session to present their take on the situation.