Conflict Blotter

 As I’ve written before, Lebanon is the most logical next target for global jihad in the Middle East. Here’s Nic Blanford’s latest:
Fatah al-Islam, which violently burst onto Lebanon’s turbulent political scene, triggered the worst internal violence since the 1975-19 civil war. But even though its leader, Shaker al-Absi, is dead and almost all his militants […]

[Read more →]

I wonder if the Lebanese or the Syrians for that matter know they’ve sent buddy bears to Israel, where they’re on display in Midan Safra in front of the Jerusalem municipality.

The Lebanese buddy bear

The Syrians have sent a buddy bear also.

[Read more →]

Washington Institute fellow Andrew Exum is just back from a trip to Lebanon and has written up his own take on Hezbollah’s doings north of the Litani. Andrew is a former Army Ranger platoon leader and incorporates his knowledge of military tactics into his analysis. I’ve pulled out a few passages below, but the whole […]

[Read more →]

Have a look at this rather bizarre clip starring notorious Hamas TV children’s character Nahool the bee. The clip ultimately arrives at a rather commendable end with a message about being kind to animals, although one might question the means used to deliver the message.
In any case, I mention this only because it’s my second […]

[Read more →]

I’m going to try to flesh out as best I can a limited picture of what I think Hezbollah is up to north of the Litani in southern Lebanon. Much of this was first reported by Nic Blanford back in February, but to my dismay, has not been followed up anywhere since then, although BBC […]

[Read more →]

My experience with Hezbollah this week has left an unpleasant taste in my mouth. I had heard this from other journalist friends who have recently returned from Lebanon, but discovered it for myself this week: their interaction with the press borders on fascist. In southern Lebanon it is very difficult to find people of any […]

[Read more →]

A pro-Lebanese army propaganda video denounces Fatah al-Islam as terrorists and defilers of Islam.
As the Lebanese Army’s battle with Fatah al-Islam militants in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp winds to a close, there is much chatter here about the long term ramifications of the over two-month long siege.
The initial take on the […]

[Read more →]

I’ve been in Beirut since Monday and this afternoon went to the Dahiya, the city’s Shiite southern suburbs, where Lebanese families are flocking to an exhibition called the House of Spiders (Beit al Ankaboot), an elaborate commemoration of Hezbollah’s fight against Israel last summer. Love ‘em or hate ‘em the Hezb puts on a […]

[Read more →]