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Hariri to Kuwait: Will cooperate over security

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Federica Marsi| The Daily Star - BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri Sunday vowed to cooperate closely with Kuwait after relations were strained when a alleged Hezbollah-linked terror cell was discovered in 2015. The pledge was made during a meeting with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah during the premier’s official one-day visit to the Gulf state to address the issue of the so-called Abdali cell. “We clearly said that we condemn what happened regarding [the] Abdali cell and that Lebanon is prepared to cooperate, with all its agencies, to end the issue,” Hariri said after the meeting, according to a statement issued by his office. In the summer of 2015, Kuwaiti security services raided farmhouses in the town of Al-Abdali, near the Iraqi border, uncovering the largest-ever weapons cache discovered in the country. Kuwait charged 25 nationals – all of them Shiites – and one Iranian with spying for Iran and for Hezbollah. In January 2016, a Kuwaiti court found 23 of the 26 guilty of various crimes. Two were sentenced to death, including the Iranian, in absentia. The others were fined or received jail terms between five years and life, while three were acquitted.

In January, Kuwait’s highest court overturned the death sentence imposed by a lower tribunal against one of the men, reducing it to life, it also reduced the life sentence for another man to 15 years in prison and sentenced several others previously judged “not guilty” to 10 years. Twelve of the Kuwaiti nationals convicted in absentia were arrested Saturday on charges of spying for Iran and Hezbollah. Two other Kuwaitis and one Iranian national remain at large. In July, Kuwait expelled 15 diplomats for alleged links to the cell. “There is a great Kuwaiti resentment toward [this matter] and they are right about it, and we in Lebanon will cooperate on the issue,” Hariri said.

Following a meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabagh, Hariri said he was hopeful this resentment would not translate into measures against Lebanon, but said the issue had to be addressed “clearly and boldly” in order to prevent further strains between the two countries. President Michel Aoun also pledged to follow up on the issue. “The Kuwaiti people, state and emir always treated Lebanon and the Lebanese as they treat the Kuwaitis. I hope that the relations will improve,” Hariri said. The diplomatic strain recently led to speculation that Gulf Cooperation Council countries could implement a blockade against Lebanon, similar to that against Qatar, with dire repercussions for economic stability.

Lebanon's Hezbollah says U.S. can't hurt it, dismisses sanctions

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Hezbollah fighters are seen in Jroud Arsal

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah on Sunday dismissed the prospect of tougher U.S. sanctions against his group, which is backed by Iran, and said the U.S. administration had no way to harm it. "The American administration, with all available and possible means, will not be able to damage the strength of the resistance," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address to mark the anniversary of the end of Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel. Nasrallah said Lebanon was being subjected to intimidation and threats over Hezbollah - which is part of the Beirut government but classified as a terrorist group by Washington - and alleged that Lebanese officials had been told that Israel could launch a war. European and American officials had warned them "during diplomatic meetings and international visits ... if you don't do this, Israel will launch a war on Lebanon, and if Hezbollah doesn't do this, Israel will launch a war on Lebanon", Nasrallah said. He did not spell out what had been asked of Lebanon or Hezbollah. Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, a well armed Shi'ite movement, have risen this year. Nasrallah has played down the prospect of a war while simultaneously warning Israel against a conflict. Trump last month called Hezbollah a "menace" to the Lebanese people and to the entire region during a news conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. U.S. lawmakers last month introduced legislation seeking to increase sanctions on Hezbollah by further restricting its ability to raise money and recruit and by increasing pressure on banks that do business with it, though it was not clear when or if it would come to a vote. Officials in Lebanon have raised concerns that any widening of the U.S. sanctions could damage their banking industry. Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Kevin Liffey

Kuwait arrests 12 in Iran spy case

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Saudi Gazette - KUWAIT CITY — Authorities on Saturday arrested 12 convicted members of a "terrorist cell" with ties to Iran and Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah after a weeks-long manhunt. The Interior Ministry said the 12 had been captured in different areas across Kuwait. They had been on the run since their sentencing last month, while two other convicted Kuwaitis remained at large. "The Interior Ministry announces that security services have arrested in different regions 12 people sentenced in the so-called Al-Abdali cell," a statement from the ministry and carried by the state news agency KUNA said. Authorities are still searching for two others convicted in the same case and still on the run, the statement added. The Supreme Court in June overturned an acquittal by an appeals court and convicted 21 of forming a "terrorist cell" with ties to Iran and Hezbollah.

The cell had planned to launch attacks across the Gulf state, according to the court verdict. Kuwait has protested to Lebanon over the alleged training of the so-called "Abdali Cell" by Hezbollah, which has ministers in the Beirut government. Last month, authorities expelled 15 Iranian diplomats and shut down the military, cultural and trade missions of the Iranian embassy over Tehran's backing of the "terrorist cell". Iran said the allegation is baseless. On Friday, Lebanese Foreign

Minister Jebran Bassil telephoned his Kuwaiti counterpart Sabah Al-Khaled to follow up on the Al-Abdali terrorist cell, the members of which had received training from Hezbollah. Bassil and his counterpart discussed the official complaint that Kuwait had filed against the party’s involvement in the cell, reported Lebanon’s National News Agency. NNA said that Bassil had in recent weeks carried out a number of contacts with Kuwaiti officials in order to tackle the development and its repercussions. Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had denied that his group had any cells operating in Kuwait. “Hezbollah did not form cells in Kuwait and it does not have any cells or members there,” he said during his recent televised appearance. He stressed Lebanon’s “great keenness on having the best ties” with the Gulf country. — Agencies

Hezbollah steers Lebanon closer to Syria, straining efforts to stay neutral

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Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri holds a cabinet meeting at the governmental palace in Beirut, Lebanon August 9, 2017. Picture taken August 9, 2017. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS

By Lisa Barrington BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah and its allies are pressing the Lebanese state to normalize relations with President Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria, testing Lebanon's policy of "dissociation" from the Syrian conflict and igniting a political row. Calls for closer ties with the Syrian government, including on refugee returns and military operations on the Lebanon-Syria border, come as Assad regains control of more territory from insurgents and seeks to recover his international standing. The Lebanese policy of "dissociation", agreed in 2012, has aimed to keep the deeply divided state out of regional conflicts such as Syria even as Iran-backed Hezbollah became heavily involved there, sending fighters to help Assad, who is also allied to Iran. The policy has helped rival groups to coexist in governments bringing together Hezbollah, classified as a terrorist group by the United States, with politicians allied to Iran's foe Saudi Arabia, underpinning a degree of political entente amid the regional turmoil.

While Lebanon never severed diplomatic or trade ties with Syria, the government has avoided dealing with the Syrian government in an official capacity and the collapse of the policy would be a boost a political boost to Assad. It would also underline Iran's ascendancy in Lebanon, where the role of Saudi Arabia has diminished in recent years when it has focused on confronting Tehran in the Gulf instead. Assad's powerful Lebanese Shi'ite allies want the government to cooperate with Syria on issues such as the fight against jihadists at their shared border and securing the return of the 1.5 million Syrians currently taking refuge in Lebanon. "Everybody recognizes (the dissociation policy) as a farce to some extent, but at least it contained the conflict and prevented Lebanon from being dragged even further into what is going on in Syria," said Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut. "(A normalization of relations) would be viewed as a victory, if using sectarian terms, of Shi'ites versus the Sunnis and will just inflame tensions even more."

Britain reiterates support to Lebanese army

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BEIRUT, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The British Charge d'Affaires in Lebanon Ben Wastnage emphasized Friday that the Lebanese army is the "sole legitimate defender of Lebanon" and reiterated British support for the military institution. According to a press release by Prime Minister Saad Hariri's office, Wastange said "I reaffirmed the British support to the Lebanese Armed Forces as the sole legitimate defender of Lebanon, which successfully and highhandedly repelled an invasion by Daesh in 2014, and is a cornerstone of Lebanese sovereignty." "In particular, I welcomed the convening of the Higher Defense Committee and the Prime Minister's backing for the Lebanese Armed Forces Commander," the British diplomat added.

Hariri, Richard launch Diaspora ID program

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Daily Star.com.lb - Federica Marsi - BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri raised the importance of renewing ties between the country and the Lebanese diaspora, at the launch of a new virtual network of entrepreneurs, businesspeople and creative minds Thursday. Diaspora ID – designed by the private company Netways and financed by a $1 million grant from USAID – seeks to virtually connect Lebanese entrepreneurs outside and inside the country, thus spawning mutually beneficial business relationships. “Diaspora ID has created an unimaginable opportunity for Lebanese at home and abroad. Its possibilities are endless,” Prime Minister Hariri said at the launch event held Thursday at the Grand Serail. “It has created a new IT solution and used cutting-edge artificial intelligence to capitalize on the enormous potential of the Lebanese diaspora to contribute to employment and economic growth in Lebanon,” Hariri added.

A video presentation of the project showed a world map of connected dots, representing Lebanese expats, located geographically with a pin containing the platform’s symbol – a bird with spread wings. No part of the world lacked its fair share of pins, each labeled with a Lebanese name. The Lebanese diaspora is estimated to be in the range of 14 million people – several times larger than the Lebanese population of the country. According to Hariri, many expats maintain an emotional bond with their native country and would be eager to give back to it and contribute to its development. “I am here today because I believe in your power, the power of today’s innovators and the power of Lebanon’s diaspora,” he said.

Engineer and Netways Managing Partner Rola Mousa conceived of the platform as a way to give back after having lived for a long time outside of the country. “I had a dream to provide the Lebanese with a similar opportunity,” she said at the launch event Thursday. As Mousa explained, the platform will serve several functions. By listing their companies on the platform, users inside and outside Lebanon can describe their services and their needs and be matched to users with a complementary profile. The platform will also provide users abroad with information on the history of their ancestral villages in Lebanon. “This will serve particularly medium and small companies, which represent 93 percent of businesses in Lebanon,” Mousa said.

She echoed Hariri, saying that many Lebanese nationals living outside the country share her eagerness to contribute to their homeland. Consequently, Diaspora ID also provides the opportunity for skilled individuals in a variety of sectors to offer virtual training to similar businesses in Lebanon that might be in need guidance and expert advice. “This is what I call ‘brain circulation,’” Mousa said, adding that the transfer of knowledge facilitated by the platform will give the Lebanese diaspora an easy and quick way to contribute to Lebanon’s development.

Lebanese army pounds IS posts on border with Syria

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BEIRUT, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese army has shelled the posts of the Islamic State group (IS) on the outskirts of the eastern border towns of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek, the Army Orientation Directorate said in a statement on Thursday. "Army units have pounded with heavy artillery, missile launchers and helicopters, several posts of terrorist in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa. Several injuries were reported among their ranks," the Army's communique said. The move comes as the army gears up for a long-awaited assault to dislodge hundreds of IS militants from a remote corner near Syrian border, seeking to end a years-long threat posed to neighboring towns and villages by the extremists. Car bombs made in the area and sent to other parts of the country, including Beirut's southern suburbs, have killed scores of citizens. The planned operation follows a six-day military offensive by Hezbollah that forced al-Qaida-linked fighters to flee the area on the outskirts of the border town of Arsal, along with thousands of civilians.