Shibley Telhami, The Brookings Institution

The immediate reaction of Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the announced Iran nuclear deal was to continue his total rejection of the agreement, calling it a historic mistake.

This, despite the near consensus that, at this point, Congress is unlikely to be able to stop its implementation.

Given that the agreement was long in the making and expected, it’s hard to believe that Netanyahu’s reaction was not well rehearsed. Yet, it’s hard to understand what this posture can gain him strategically. What are Bibi’s options?

First, he could try to quickly shift gears to other aspects of Iranian behavior beyond the nuclear issue.

The problem is that the most troubling aspects for Israel (and ones that could draw American and international attention) have to do with Iranian support for Hamas and Hezbollah, which are not currently hot issues; Hezbollah is deeply entangled in Syria and on guard in Lebanon, and Hamas is still licking its wounds from last year’s brutal war.

Reuters, Beirut

The Iranian nuclear deal could help Lebanon overcome the obstacles that have for more than a year prevented the election of a president, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Wednesday. The presidency has been vacant since Michel Suleiman’s term expired in May 2014. Filling it requires a deal between rival politicians who are aligned with competing regional powers, Iran and Saudi Arabia.“This agreement could help create the climate that would help remove the complications facing the election of a president of the republic,” Berri, an ally of Iran, was quoted as saying in a statement circulated by his office.

By Babu Das Augustine,Banking Editor

Dubai: Iran’s nuclear deal with the West could be boon for business between the UAE and Iran, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF).

“Lebanon and the UAE would benefit from the economic rebound in Iran. Given Lebanon’s financial skills and regional ties, it could play an important role in the future financing and channelling of investment needed by the Iranian economy. More foreign companies could be based in Dubai to do business in Iran,” said Garbis Iradian, Chief Economist, Africa/Middle East of IIF.

BU DHABI — Military aid provided by Saudi Arabia and the United States has boosted the firepower of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) by about 30 to 40 percent in recent years, analysts said.

Over the past eight years Lebanon has received US military aid worth $1 billion, according to David Hale, the US ambassador to Lebanon.

"Almost every month orders are arriving to the Lebanese Armed Forces," said Riad Kahwaji, CEO of the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis.

Michael Karam

When the Egyptian actor Omar Sharif died on Friday, many Lebanese were quick to claim him as their own. In many ways they were right to do so, as the world’s media was big-hearted enough to recognise Sharif’s roots.

Born Michel Shalhoub, he grew up in a small Greek Catholic community from the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis, many of whose residents – my mother’s family included – came from the Bekaa Valley town of Zahleh in the 19th century. “They were our neighbours,” she said when I called, tongue firmly in cheek, to offer my condolences.

  BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam expressed readiness Monday to discuss the Cabinet’s decision-making formula at next week’s session to avert paralysis, calling on lawmakers to keep cool. "I will not facilitate the obstruction of the Cabinet… and we are all required to calm dawn," Salam said after meeting with a delegation from the Committee […]

  The Lebanese army contained on Monday a family dispute in the northern district of Akkar that left several people dead and wounded, the state-run National News Agency and Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) reported. NNA said that Ahmed Hamza was killed and his brother Shaalan and three others were injured when the dispute on […]