Lebanon

Lebanon's army is trying to do what Israel failed to accomplish in its 1982 invasion of that nation. That is to drive the PLO guerrillas and terrorists out of southern Lebanon. But the motives are different. Israel wanted to stop raids from across the border, and punish those who commit them. The Lebanese government of President Elias Hrawi wants to reclaim Lebanon's soil, end the fragmentation that ensued from the 1975 civil war and restore Lebanese sovereignty.That should provide no problem for Israel, which never had a problem with a Lebanon that was truly independent.

Titillation over David Petraeus and political posturing over Susan Rice aside, here is the most important unasked question: Why did we foster regime change in Libya and Egypt that gave the Muslim Brotherhood control in the latter and produced a gaggle of Islamic militias in the former? Earlier, we forced elections in Lebanon and Palestine that gave Hezbollah control in Lebanon and Hamas the Gaza Strip. Again, why? Replacing the Mubarak government has left the border between Gaza and Egypt more open for weapons deliveries to Hamas, which produced the latest conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

The moment of truth for Lebanon has come. Two days ago, Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare sent a draft indictment over the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to his colleague, Daniel Fransen, the STL pre-trial judge. Mr. Fransen's job now is to review it and decide whether or not to confirm it; this may take up to 10 weeks. Members of Hezbollah, the Lebanese politico-militant group, and possibly Syrian individuals, will be accused of the crime, but what remains a complete mystery is the nature of the STL's indictment and the manner with which it will be viewed and received by the Lebanese people.

While reading G. Jefferson Price's column ("For Israel, it's different this time," Nov. 20), I was reminded of the quip "learned nothing, forgot nothing" describing a reactionary French royal family. Mr. Price displays the same distorted views toward Israel he showed 35 years ago when he was The Sun's Middle East correspondent, intervening events not budging his attitudes. According to Mr. Price, Israel "acts with impunity" against Palestinian Arabs and Lebanon. Unmentioned are thousands of Israeli casualties, two Arab uprisings, withdrawals from Gaza, Lebanon and major portions of the West Bank.

The plumes of black smoke rising this week from a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon and the sound of gunfire are eerily reminiscent of the country's decades-old civil war and the ethnic fault lines that kept it going for 15 years. The difference now is that Lebanon's military is fighting to rout a new band of extremists, clearly well armed and reportedly influenced by al-Qaida. The government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora is asserting itself - as it must to protect this fledgling democracy.

The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which rocked Lebanon more than a year ago, remains a potent force in the country's politics. The Lebanese government recently endorsed a special international court to try Mr. Hariri's suspected killers, despite protests by politicians backed by the powerful Islamic militant group Hezbollah. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, an ally of Mr. Hariri who is struggling to hold on, has been battling with Hezbollah over its efforts to control the government.

Washington. -- A decade ago 241 U.S. Marines were killed in Lebanon by a lone terrorist driving a truck loaded with explosives. The attack compelled a humiliating withdrawal of American ''peace-keeping'' forces that had been placed in militarily indefensible positions in Lebanon, and which had come to be seen as taking sides in a fierce civil war in a country where the United States had no vital security interests.Our disastrous experience in Lebanon should stand as a warning to those who are now calling for direct U.S. military intervention against continuing Serbian aggression in old Yugoslavia.

Forty Lebanese members of parliament belonging to the pro-Western, anti-Syria March 14 majority bloc reside in Tower 3 at Beirut's Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel. With plush couches, stereos and flat-screen TVs, the two-bedroom units at the Phoenicia are swank. But the lawmakers aren't guests; they're prisoners. To get into the Phoenicia, you have to traverse no fewer than three security checkpoints, pass through a metal detector and show ID. Armed escorts from Lebanon's Internal Security Forces accompany guests to their rooms.

Paris. -- The power of the weak lies in their capacity to endure the punishment of the strong, to the strong's frustration. On Israel's Lebanon front something approaching a half-million of the weak now are being driven northward from their homes, from a region which Israel now intends to make into what soldiers call dead ground.This is retaliation for the provocations of the weak. These are not insignificant provocations. They have consisted of seven dead Israeli soldiers in recent days, and constant insecurity in the Israeli settlements near the border with Lebanon, subjected to random rocket fire and the occasional and suicidal terrorist raid.

JERUSALEM -- Guerrillas in southern Lebanon killed three Israeli soldiers and a pro-Israeli militiaman in overnight ambushes, and Israeli warplanes struck back yesterday by bombing two Shiite Muslim villages.An Israeli patrol was hit near the town of Jezzin in what Israeli officials described as a well-planned ambush. The attackers were identified as part of Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed organization that is believed to hold several Western hostages in Lebanon.In retaliation for the Jezzin ambush, in which two officers and a sergeant died, Israeli jets hit the nearby hamlet of Toumat Neeha with 10 missiles, reports from Lebanon said.

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s recent column ("The Obama doctrine: Passivity where leadership is needed," Oct. 14) continues to present a flawed ideological position on the Middle East when a heterodox view is in order. We entered the Middle East and North Africa for only one reason: oil. We lost the oil reserves by 1980. Over the last 40 years every administration and Congress has careened from one costly political and military debacle to another in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Folks, if you bought some Seltzer brand Lebanon bologna (it kinda looks like salami) please check the label to see if your package was affected by the recall announced Tuesday. Palmyra Bologna Company of Pennsylvania is recalling 23,000 pounds of Lebanon bologna due to a high risk of E. coli contamination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The fermented semi-dry sausage was sent to distributors in California, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

The moment of truth for Lebanon has come. Two days ago, Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare sent a draft indictment over the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to his colleague, Daniel Fransen, the STL pre-trial judge. Mr. Fransen's job now is to review it and decide whether or not to confirm it; this may take up to 10 weeks. Members of Hezbollah, the Lebanese politico-militant group, and possibly Syrian individuals, will be accused of the crime, but what remains a complete mystery is the nature of the STL's indictment and the manner with which it will be viewed and received by the Lebanese people.

Junior BJ Smith ( Overlea) banked in a 65-foot shot at the buzzer, completing Widener's rally from a 16-point second-half deficit for a 71-70 Commonwealth Conference victory over visiting Lebanon Valley on Saturday. Smith made a 3-pointer from the left corner with 2.3 seconds to bring the Pride (9-6, 4-1) to within two, then Sam Diaz missed the front end of a one-and-one that could have iced the game for the Dutchmen (9-6, 1-4). Senior Jarrell Nelson grabbed the rebound and gave the ball on the right side to Smith, who made the buzzer-beater, giving Widener its first lead since 8-7 with 14:24 left in the first half.

Could this be the beginning of the end of Hezbollah? For the first time since its official emergence in 1985, Lebanon's powerful Shiite "Party of God" is feeling nervous about its future as an autonomous and untouchable politico-military organization. It is not a potential war with Israel that is making Hezbollah anxious, though it is doing everything it can to prevent one from happening. Instead, what deeply worries Hezbollah is a string of events that could unfold at home following an expected indictment of the group — or at least rogue elements within it — by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)

Michael Jarboe scored a career-high 17 points, including a career-best five 3-pointers and the go-ahead free throws with 2:37 to play, to help host McDaniel to a 67-62 victory over Lebanon Valley in a nonconference game. The Green Terror (5-2) used a 16-4 run late in the game to overcome a 56-51 deficit with 4:46 to play en route to its largest offensive output of the season. Miguel Jones (North County) also had 17 points. Zach Kebetz led the Flying Dutchmen (5-4) with 14 points off the bench.

JERUSALEM -- The Israeli government made clear yesterday that it has no intention of withdrawing from its security zone in southern Lebanon, even as the Lebanese army consolidates its control over Palestinians in the area.The Lebanese government is reported to have asked U.S. representatives for help in prompting the Israelis to leave as part of an effort to take control of the whole country.In Jerusalem, officials said the Israeli presence was not necessarily permanent but set terms suggesting that their army is unlikely to leave Lebanon for a long time.

On October 11, 2009, BISHOP JOHNIE ROBERT RAWLINGS, SR., loving husband of Mrs. Hattie G. Rawlings. On Thursday, friends may call Vaughn C. Greene Funeral Services (EAST), 4905 York Road, where the family will receive friends from 4 to 8 PM. On Friday, services will be held at New Lebanon Calvary Baptist Church, 501 N. Milton Avenue, where the family will receive friends from 10 to 10:30 AM with services to follow. Inquiries to 410-433-7500.

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Iran's supreme leader warned government opponents Monday to end a campaign of civil disobedience while defiant reformists proposed a nationwide referendum to resolve the ongoing dispute over the country's recent presidential election. Meanwhile, the elite Revolutionary Guard sought to consolidate its power by moving to take control of the oil industry and by meddling in the higher education curriculum. The moves show that neither supporters of opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi nor the camp backing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are backing down five weeks after an election marred by allegations of vote fraud.