Obama's Crushing ME Defeat in Lebanon

It seems another era when freedom was on the march in Lebanon. Who can forget the Cedar revolution, a thrilling historical moment for freedom lovers in the Middle East and across the world.

Here was the very visible result of the power of the force for good in the world. Obama is extinguishing our hegemony with frightening speed. The left hated Bush and his quest to spread political freedom. What exactly is it that they love?

It was a lifetime ago (not five short years) when Bush had Syria on the ropes and there were landmark demonstrations for freedom in Lebanon, Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. Then UN Ambassador John Bolton was pressing forward with the UN's investigation of Syria's involvement in the "potential linkages" of the murder of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri and 14 other assassinations of anti-Syrian Lebanese figures. The 14 cases included the murder of anti-Syrian newspaper boss and MP Gibran Tueni, which Lebanese lawmakers blamed on Damascus. The removal of Syria's stranglehold on Lebanon led to the Cedar revolution -- Lebanon had a shot at emerging from under the boot of Iranian/Syrian proxy of Hezb'allah's jihad.

Looking back on all those 2005 Atlas posts, they are all infused with the things the Obama adminstration is completely devoid of -- conviction, resolve and hope. Oh, the irony.
Pamela Geller

Iran and Syria to Back Hezbollah Coup in Lebanon

At a brief Saturday meeting in Damascus on his way from Tehran to New York, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad agreed with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that the two would support a Hezbullah coup against the Lebanese government, according to a report by DEBKA which has been picked up Lebanon's Naharnet. This is from the DEBKA link.

Hizballah called a general mobilization that same day and by Sunday had 5,000 armed men deployed in Beirut, ready to make good on its threat to seize power rather than let its leaders be indicted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) for the Hariri murder.

Hizballah went into action after learning that the indictments were on the way. Ahmadinejad and Assad were of one mind that they must not be delivered - even it meant helping their Lebanese Shiite surrogate to overthrow the Lebanese government. They discussed possible Israeli intervention to save Beirut from Hizballah domination and decided that the Jewish state Israel would not take this risk, any more than the Lebanese army would fight to defend the government.

Our Lebanese sources disclose that France's UN ambassador Gerard Araud passed word to his Lebanese contacts that Daniel Bellemare, the STL's chief prosecutor's decision to file charges against Hizballah was final.

The rest of the article discusses the Sayyed incident at Beirut Airport on Sunday, which I discussed here. Sayyed was one of four Lebanese generals who was arrested and held for four years on suspicion of being involved in the murder of then-Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, the father of current Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri.

I think that they're right about Israel not interfering to save Hariri's government. No one is going to risk IDF soldiers' lives for that. And I doubt that the Lebanese army can or will do anything either. UNIFIL? Don't make me laugh.

What could go wrong?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem