Nasrallah to Islamist militants: Die or retreat

BEIRUT: During his second trip to the Bekaa Valley in less than a week, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah dared Islamist militants on the border to die of cold or retreat.

Islamist militants from ISIS and Nusra Front are “incapable of invading any Bekaa area because they are surrounded,” Nasrallah told a group of scholars on the eve of the holy month of Muharram.

Those jihadists have two options, he said, “to die of cold or leave in civilian clothes to Lebanon and Syria.”

Nasrallah’s remarks were published on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV website Tuesday.

Moreover, Nasrallah stressed, the Islamist militants “are incapable of invading any Bekaa area because they are surrounded.”

Muharram, the first month of the Islamic Calendar, begins in the evening of Oct. 24.

Nasrallah’s remarks were published on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV website Tuesday.

He warned the jihadists that Hezbollah “will not be conquered and we will not allow anyone to defeat us.”

Nasrallah assured the scholars that the security situation “is under control.”

“In the event of a security flaw, that doesn’t mean we have failed because the biggest countries in the world cannot claim to have security under control 100 percent.”

He said last week’s trip to the Bekaa Valley, where he interacted with Hezbollah cadres, was more reassurance-seeking.

Nasrallah pointed to the Oct. 6 border clash between Hezbollah fighters and Nusra militants that left at least two dozen combatants killed.

Hezbollah has acknowledged the deaths of eight fighters while security sources said at least 20 Hezbollah fighters were wounded in the clashes outside the Bekaa border village of Brital.

“It was a flaw in the details that was dealt with,” Nasrallah said of the deadly fighting around Brital.

The Hezbollah chief said he was briefed on the situation on the ground. “I walked around several kilometers between the positions, and I assure you that we are very strong on the ground, and our preparations are very advanced.”

“Every day that passes we grow more certain that our fight in Syria was for the sake of protecting Lebanon; and today, we are in the axis of resistance, we stand in a position of victory.”

“When the enemies’ plans fail it means you are winning, knowing that the battle is still long before the final victory,” Nasrallah said.

“We are in front of a golden opportunity to break the takfiri scheme.”

MPs expected to meet next week to extend Parliament’s mandate

BEIRUT: Lawmakers are expected to meet in a crucial legislative session next week to extend Parliament’s mandate for more than two years, overriding opposition from civil organizations, in a move designed to prevent the country from descending into deeper political malaise.

“The situation is headed toward an extension of Parliament’s term,” former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora told The Daily Star Monday.

However, Siniora, the head of the parliamentary Future bloc, said any new extension of Parliament’s mandate would be conditional on “commitment [by lawmakers] to hold parliamentary elections after a new president is elected.”

Siniora said he planned to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri in the next few days to agree on the extension draft proposal presented by Zahle MP Nicolas Fattoush and other draft laws to be debated by Parliament’s general assembly.

“The discussions [with Berri] will also cover political issues and security threats facing the country,” he said.

Fattoush’s draft proposal calls for the extension of Parliament’s term for two years and seven months to make it a full four-year mandate after lawmakers, citing security concerns, extended the House’s term for 17 months in May 2013.

Although some major blocs have publicly voiced reservations about the extension proposal, the majority of lawmakers are eventually expected to endorse the move.

The Lebanese Forces have not yet taken a final stance on the extension proposal. “We are in principle against the extension of Parliament’s term, but we are not campaigning against the extension,” LF MP Antoine Zahra told The Daily Star.

He said the LF lawmakers would attend the session to extend Parliament’s mandate, but the decision to support or oppose the extension would be taken by the party’s executive committee before the session.

Hezbollah has not yet taken a final decision on the extension of Parliament’s term. Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk last month reiterated that his ministry was not prepared to hold parliamentary elections, scheduled for Nov. 16, given the precarious security conditions, sending the strongest signal yet that the vote would be postponed and clearing the way for an extension of Parliament’s term.

Civil associations have been campaigning against a new extension of Parliament’s mandate.

The Civil Movement for Accountability – a coalition of NGOs and student associations – has been fighting against a second extension of Parliament’s term through an active civil society campaign. In their Oct. 1 protest, activists from the CMFA took to the streets once again carrying their usual signs addressed to members of Parliament: “We’re sick of you,” “Get out,” and “128 thieves.”

Meanwhile, Parliament is scheduled to meet Tuesday to elect heads, members and rapporteurs of 16 committees, as well as members of Parliament’s Secretariat, in line with the internal system.

There will be no change in the distribution of key posts and membership in the committees between March 8 and March 14 blocs, parliamentary sources said.

The Secretariat currently includes Berri, Deputy Speaker Farid Makari and MPs Zahra, Marwan Hamade, Ahmad Fatfat, Serge Torsarkissian and Michel Mussa.

Following the election of committees’ members and heads, Berri is expected to call Parliament’s Secretariat to meet to prepare the agenda of the next legislative session.

Fattoush’s draft proposal to extend Parliament’s mandate for two years and seven months tops the agenda, along with a draft law presented by the LF to amend the legal deadline to run in the elections and form a committee to supervise the elections.

Although Tuesday’s session is devoted to the selection of committees’ members and heads, the five-month-old presidential crisis will dominate the lawmakers’ discussions, the sources said.

Berri, who has called for a Parliament session on Oct. 29 to elect a president, was quoted by visitors as saying Sunday that there was nothing new in the issue of the presidential vote.

Parliament failed on Oct. 9 for the 13th time in the past five months to choose a successor to former President Michel Sleiman because of the a lack of a quorum.

In a bid to break the presidential deadlock, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri called on the March 8 and March 14 parties to reach consensus on a new president, after talks with Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in Rome last week. He also said a new extension of Parliament’s mandate was essential to prevent the country from entering the unknown.

Separately, LF leader Samir Geagea left for Saudi Arabia Monday, on an official visit for talks with senior Saudi officials, his media office said in a terse statement, which did not specify what officials he would meet, or what would be discussed.

Although Geagea is the March 14-backed candidate for the presidency, Hariri’s call for a consensus president suggested that the coalition was reconsidering its candidate. But Geagea has vowed not to drop his bid, saying that withdrawing his candidacy would create more problems than it would solve.

Meanwhile, commenting on the tension between the Future Movement and Hezbollah, Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas said rival political parties wanted to avoid a clash over controversial issues.

“I have sensed from all the parties their desire to avoid a clash over critical issues because the government is the last intact constitutional” authority, Derbas told a local radio station.

Stressing that the formation of a new government was not possible under the given circumstances, he said: “This is why differences must be kept within narrow limits.”

A war of words erupted over the weekend between the Future Movement and Hezbollah, as Lebanon faces mounting security threats from Islamist militants.

Machnouk implicitly criticized Hezbollah, blaming it for the failure of security plans in Lebanon, while accusing certain security institutions of being biased toward the party.

Hezbollah swiftly responded, rejecting talk about a “security balance,” a phrase uttered by Machnouk.

Lebanese face ‘imminent’ Ebola danger

BEIRUT: The health minister warned Monday that Lebanon faces an “imminent danger” posed by Ebola due to the country’s expat community in West Africa, and gave big private hospitals a three-week deadline to prepare quarantine units.

Wael Abu Faour pledged to build isolation chambers in the country’s major public hospitals and detailed for the first time tight measures imposed in air and seaports as well as surveillance of travelers from nations affected by the deadly virus.

But he also said hospitals and medical staff in Lebanon were ill-equipped and mostly untrained in the necessary protocols in handling suspected Ebola patients, promising to train health care workers.

“Lebanon, unfortunately, is more exposed than other nations, as we have very large Lebanese communities in infected countries, and these communities are made up of third generation immigrants and ... consist of large families,” Abu Faour said at a news conference at Lebanese University.

“It is not a choice – the safety of the Lebanese is at stake,” the health minister said after meeting dozens of hospital staff to discuss the measures.

Lebanon has not yet had any Ebola cases. A number of patients with preliminary symptoms similar to Ebola have been hospitalized but later found to be ill with malaria.

The highly contagious Ebola virus has killed more than 4,500 people in West Africa since December. Liberia and Sierra Leone, both of which have significant Lebanese communities, as well as Guinea have experienced widespread transmission of Ebola. Nigeria, which experienced localized outbreaks but was declared free of Ebola Monday, also has a large Lebanese community.

Most Lebanese families in the affected countries have already returned to Lebanon, though some businessmen continue to travel to and from the affected zones.

Abu Faour outlined a raft of travel, surveillance, training and medical measures that collectively form the country’s most serious effort yet of dealing with the potential fallout from the Ebola crisis.

Lebanese diplomatic missions in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea have introduced tougher visa restrictions including medical tests for non-citizens traveling to the country.

Abu Faour said airlines have agreed to distribute questionnaires to patients flying in from affected areas asking for information on possible symptoms, and those arriving at Rafik Hariri International Airport and the Beirut and Tripoli ports are undergoing temperature tests.

In addition, since Ebola symptoms can take up to 21 days to appear, individuals arriving from affected areas have to provide contact details to the Lebanese authorities and ministry staff will contact them on a regular basis to check for symptoms, Abu Faour said.

Individuals suspected of having Ebola can be taken to the airport isolation unit and from there to Rafik Hariri Hospital’s isolation chamber, which can hold two patients but will be soon be expanded, he said.

Abu Faour pledged to build isolation units in the coming days and weeks at the public hospitals of Nabatieh, Sidon, Tripoli, Dahr al-Basheq and Baalbek.

At the moment, the only hospital equipped to handle Ebola patients is Rafik Hariri Hospital. The AUB Medical Center is also in the process of preparing its own isolation unit.

Abu Faour also ordered that all private hospitals with over 100 beds prepare a quarantine unit to hold potential or suspected Ebola patients. There are 24 such hospitals throughout Lebanon.

Sleiman Haroon, the head of the Association of Private Hospitals, said the hospitals will need three weeks to have the new units in place. The heads of private hospitals are set to meet Wednesday with the health minister to coordinate the new plan.

“We hoped that we’d not be in this situation as hospitals, but we are forced to adapt,” Haroon told the gathering of health care staff.

Haroon said the new isolation chambers will present a technical challenge in addition to procuring equipment that will be needed to operate them, and will add to the financial burden of hospitals. In addition, hospitals will have to offer incentives to medical staff in order to entice them to work on patients with a highly contagious disease, and who may die.

Lebanese medical personnel will also need protection suits in case they have to treat Ebola patients. Some suits have been distributed to Lebanese hospitals following training regimens that were held with the Health Ministry in collaboration with the World Health Organization on handling the aftermath of chemical, radiological and biological attacks that occurred around the time of the chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

But Abu Faour said the biggest challenge is training medical staff in identifying and handling Ebola cases, many of whom lack the knowledge to receive such patients. Most emergency departments also do not have the facilities yet to isolate potential Ebola victims.

A recent ministry survey of health care workers that asked what they would do if confronted with an Ebola patient showed that most would not know how to handle the individual, and would opt to refer them to other hospitals.

In addition, Abu Faour said there is a lack of awareness among the public about the disease in general.

The ministry held a training session in Sidon Monday for medical staff in the south, and will hold another Tuesday for Beirut and Mount Lebanon. The government has also distributed 80 protective suits to health facilities around the country.

A key debate in Abu Faour’s meeting with hospital staff was over whether patients ought to be treated in various locales around the country or if they should be housed in a centralized facility. While using multiple hospitals is more convenient, it could spread the risk of infection over a wider geographical area, while a central location would have problems transferring patients who prefer to seek out nearby facilities.

Still, Abu Faour said the measures will only ameliorate the risk, saying Lebanon’s health infrastructure is not equipped to handle such a crisis.

Iran ready to send Lebanon arms to battle terrorists

BEIRUT: Military supplies “appropriate for ground battles against terrorists” are ready to be shipped from Iran to Lebanon, according to the Islamic Republic’s semiofficial Fars News Agency.

“What we are supplying to the Lebanese Army is a rapid reaction in response to a possible threat,” Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said Monday.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, with the aim of consolidating national authority and reinforcing security in Lebanon, is ready to supply the needs of the Lebanese Army, and share its experience with this country’s army for fighting terrorist and takfiri groups,” Dehghan said.

Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbel is currently in Tehran to discuss, among other things, possible Iranian military aid to the embattled Lebanese Army.

Moqbel said that Iran’s military support would play an important role in helping the country push back radical Islamist groups ensconced in the border regions.

According to Al-Manar TV, Moqbel visited multiple weapons productions facilities on his trip.

The Lebanese Army has been engaged in intermittent ground clashes with terrorist groups along the country’s eastern border for almost two months. More than a dozen soldiers were killed when militants affiliated with the Nusra Front and ISIS briefly took over the northeastern town of Arsal in early August.

In separate meetings Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Moqbel that that ignoring the extremist groups along Lebanon’s borders was “a big mistake,” according to the country’s state-run Press TV.

Iran has expressed a commitment to support both the army and the resistance group Hezbollah, which has sent significant assets to Syria to fight alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, as in the past, will stand by the Lebanese nation’s resistance and Army and is fully prepared for political, security and intelligence cooperation in order to counter extremist and terrorist groups,” Zarif said.

Moqbel is expected to return to Lebanon with Iranian military aid, according to Fars News Agency.

Earlier on his trip Moqbel met with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, who insisted that his country would stand by the people of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, who he said are all fighting terrorism.

Iran’s pledge of military aid has been a source of controversy in Lebanon since it was announced three weeks ago.

It is unclear whether Lebanon will actually accept the aid package, as several ministers affiliated March 14 have expressed concern that such a deal would breach U.N. sanctions against Tehran.

Iran’s former ambassador to Beirut, Ghazanfar Roknabadi, dismissed such concerns.

“They say the aid breaks sanctions, but it is just a gift and there is no money in return,” Roknabadi said, according to the Associated Press. Iran had initially suggested sending military aid to Lebanon several years ago, he added.

Since 2007, Iran has been barred from importing and exporting weapons by a United Nations embargo.

Iran ready to send Lebanon arms to battle terrorists

BEIRUT: Military supplies “appropriate for ground battles against terrorists” are ready to be shipped from Iran to Lebanon, according to the Islamic Republic’s semiofficial Fars News Agency.

“What we are supplying to the Lebanese Army is a rapid reaction in response to a possible threat,” Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said Monday.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, with the aim of consolidating national authority and reinforcing security in Lebanon, is ready to supply the needs of the Lebanese Army, and share its experience with this country’s army for fighting terrorist and takfiri groups,” Dehghan said.

Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbel is currently in Tehran to discuss, among other things, possible Iranian military aid to the embattled Lebanese Army.

Moqbel said that Iran’s military support would play an important role in helping the country push back radical Islamist groups ensconced in the border regions.

According to Al-Manar TV, Moqbel visited multiple weapons productions facilities on his trip.

The Lebanese Army has been engaged in intermittent ground clashes with terrorist groups along the country’s eastern border for almost two months. More than a dozen soldiers were killed when militants affiliated with the Nusra Front and ISIS briefly took over the northeastern town of Arsal in early August.

In separate meetings Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Moqbel that that ignoring the extremist groups along Lebanon’s borders was “a big mistake,” according to the country’s state-run Press TV.

Iran has expressed a commitment to support both the army and the resistance group Hezbollah, which has sent significant assets to Syria to fight alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, as in the past, will stand by the Lebanese nation’s resistance and Army and is fully prepared for political, security and intelligence cooperation in order to counter extremist and terrorist groups,” Zarif said.

Moqbel is expected to return to Lebanon with Iranian military aid, according to Fars News Agency.

Earlier on his trip Moqbel met with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, who insisted that his country would stand by the people of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, who he said are all fighting terrorism.

Iran’s pledge of military aid has been a source of controversy in Lebanon since it was announced three weeks ago.

It is unclear whether Lebanon will actually accept the aid package, as several ministers affiliated March 14 have expressed concern that such a deal would breach U.N. sanctions against Tehran.

Iran’s former ambassador to Beirut, Ghazanfar Roknabadi, dismissed such concerns.

“They say the aid breaks sanctions, but it is just a gift and there is no money in return,” Roknabadi said, according to the Associated Press. Iran had initially suggested sending military aid to Lebanon several years ago, he added.

Since 2007, Iran has been barred from importing and exporting weapons by a United Nations embargo.

No calm after storm for Dinnieh residents

TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The municipalities of Dinnieh worked to reopen villages’ streets by Monday, clearing roads of dirt, stones and even tree trunks that were swept away by floods during the weekend’s storm.

Estimates put the value of losses at more than LL10 billion.

The area’s residents condemned the complete absence of the Lebanese government’s support after what they called a “natural disaster,” with farmers, in particular, expressing their anger and frustration.

Sunday’s visit by Maj. Gen. Mohammad Khair, the head of the Higher Relief Committee, to affected places in the northern region of Akkar failed to make things any better. Khair toured the area with a team of engineers, assessing damage caused by the storm.

Residents are demanding compensation, but Khair announced that the damages had been overestimated and said the HRC would not cover personal losses.

“It’s out of question for the Higher Relief Committee to offer aid to clean houses, depots and stores from the mud that leaked into them, or pay for damaged furniture,” Khair said.

HRC will instead be working on fixing the conduits, passageways and roads that were blocked as a result of the storm, Khair said, adding that municipalities had to help contain the damages to people’s properties and lands.

Khair explained that everything related to public safety would be compensated for, but that any damages resulting from personal negligence would not.

“The committee will, as Prime Minister Tammam Salam said, help citizens to open closed roads, remove encroachments that are dangerous for buildings, restore walls, and rebuild bridges,” he said. “Anything else is out of question.”

Khair added that the body would announce Thursday the preliminary estimates of the damage inflicted on Akkar as a result of the heavy rain, which lashed the entire country Saturday and Sunday.

“The surveying of damage is underway, but I cannot make an appraisal right now. We need an additional 48 hours to make a preliminary estimate,” Khair told The Daily Star.

“There are bridges, houses along with water and electricity networks that were destroyed,” he said.

The mayor of Sir al-Dinnieh, Ahmad Alam, held a news conference on the subject tackling the damages caused by the floods in most of the villages in Dinnieh, as well as the losses inflicted on citizens’ properties and agricultural lands.

Alam also announced that a meeting would be held Wednesday for the Union of Dinnieh Municipalities, threatening that all 24 mayors in the area would resign if the government didn’t address the disaster’s effects in the area.

“Preliminary estimates put the value of losses at more than LL10 billion,” he told The Daily Star.

Dinnieh’s Water Authority repaired the major damages in the main pipelines from Nabeh al-Sekkar to Bqaa Sifrin after a number of failings affected the network.

The mayor of Bqaa Sifrin, Mounir Kange, called the head of the Water Authority in Dinnieh and highlighted the damages that had led to the town’s households being cut off from drinking water.

The company then worked to bring potable water back to the town.

Works are continuing to fix another water pipeline that goes from Nabeh al-Zahlan toward Taran. Repairs are expected to be completed by Tuesday at the latest.

Families of hostages have new ultimatum for government

BEIRUT: Families of the 27 Lebanese soldiers and policemen held by Islamist militants Monday threatened a “day of rage” if the government failed to show significant progress toward the release of the hostages within 48 hours.

Meanwhile, the head of the General Security, who is negotiating a deal to secure the release of the servicemen, held talks with senior Qatari officials over the case.

“We give the government and political figures 48 hours before we launch a ‘day of rage’ Wednesday,” said a statement on behalf of the hostages’ families.

The families also said they had boycotted meetings with political and military authorities “because no positive signs have emerged from the talks,” according to the statement, read by Nizam Mogheit, whose brother is among the kidnapped.

ISIS and the Nusra Front are holding 27 soldiers and policemen they captured during a five-day battle with the Lebanese Army in the northeastern town of Arsal in August.

Relatives of the servicemen set up tents near the Grand Serail in Downtown Beirut earlier this month to pressure the government to work on winning the freedom of their loved ones by exchanging them with Islamist prisoners held at Roumieh Prison. They had planned to escalate their protests last week, but postponed action after receiving assurances that positive news would emerge in the coming days.

Qatar is mediating a deal to secure the release of the captured servicemen. Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, the director general of the General Security, flew to Doha Sunday to follow up on negotiations.

“Things were stalled and suddenly we received a call [from the Qataris] requesting he [Ibrahim] head to Doha,” a General Security source said. “I hope there will be positive developments soon.”

The source said that Ibrahim was holding meetings with “very senior” political and security Qatari officials, expecting that he would remain in Qatar for few more days.

Ibrahim mediated the release of 11 Lebanese pilgrims who were snatched by Syrian rebels in the Azaz district of Aleppo in May 2012.

Two of them were release later in the same year and the remaining nine were freed in October 2013.

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Security bodies must unite to face jihadists

Lebanon’s security agencies must unite to confront multiple security crises facing the country, especially following the targeted killing of soldiers and a recent plot to assassinate General Security head Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, security sources told The Daily Star.

Despite deep political divisions affecting the country, the security agencies have recently boosted coordination among various branches with the establishment of a joint operations room, which has already yielded positive results and increased agents’ readiness to respond to threats.

A high-ranking security source described the overall situation as “extremely sensitive” but added there was “no need to panic.”

“We will confront these takfiri attacks on various fronts using a number of special methods. We are up to the challenge,” the source said. “The security apparatus will make every effort to protect the peace and has already achieved impressive achievements that spared Lebanon from imminent threats in the past.”

Specifically, the Army and security bodies are waging a war against externally supported armed groups that seek to encourage extremism in order to create an incubator for their ideology, as part of their plan to change the face of the Arab world.

Increased vigilance and cooperation led to the arrest of four Syrian men suspected of plotting to assassinate Ibrahim. Investigations eventually led the authorities to a large cache of weapons and explosives near the south Lebanon village of Kawthariyat al-Siyyad, where Ibrahim’s family home is located. The cell allegedly planned to assassinate Ibrahim when he visited his then ailing mother. They reportedly entered the country from Shebaa in the south.

Questioning of the four suspects involved in the plot to take Ibrahim’s life led investigators to the cache, as well as two other suspects who were in the area and had adopted elaborate disguises. They all eventually admitted the whereabouts and source of the weapons.

However, Lebanon’s security remains precarious.

Reports indicate that armed groups have great ambitions for Lebanon. These groups seek to attract more fighters to their cause in order to take Damascus and topple the Syrian regime.

The security agencies have not revealed their next step in their ongoing efforts to keep the peace and prevent the killing of more Lebanese soldiers and security officials, but sources said that initial information indicated the presence of extremist groups in north Lebanon with ties to the Nusra Front and ISIS. These groups have created a list of targets in its campaign against the Lebanese Army in an effort to put it on the defensive and create a security vacuum.

These extremist groups are reportedly trying to identify the sectarian affiliation of soldiers, despite accusing the entire Army of apostasy. Security agencies are on high alert, especially given the professional nature of soldier assassinations in the north.

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Iran military ready to ship equipment to Lebanon

TEHRAN: Iran's defense minister said his country is ready to ship defensive materials to Lebanon to aid its army in the fight against extremists on Monday, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

The report quoted Gen. Hossein Dehghan, speaking at a joint briefing with visiting Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbel, as saying the shipment would help thwart extremists who plan to commit "inhuman crimes" in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.

"We will provide an Iranian-made consignment of defensive items to the Lebanese army for their use in fighting the group and other terrorist groups," Dehghan said. The Lebanese troops have been fighting militants from ISIS and the Nusra Front since fighting spilled into the Mediterranean country from neighboring Syria.

Dehghan did not elaborate on the contents of the shipment but said it was a gift intended for "swift action against a possible threat." The United Nations imposed an arms embargo on Iran in 2007, banning it from importing and exporting weapons.

"The aid mainly includes items for ground forces - for confronting terrorist currents," he said, adding that Iran was also ready to provide training to the Lebanese army.

The shipment now awaits approval from Lebanon, Dehghan said, a country he described as having a "special position" in Iran's foreign policy. Iran backs Lebanon's Hezbollah, now fighting alongside forces of key Iran ally President Bashar Assad against the extremists in Syria.

Iran's former ambassador to Beirut, Ghazanfar Roknabadi, said the U.S. and some groups in Lebanon are worried about the aid because they are concerned it could be used against Israel.

"They say the aid breaks sanctions, but it is just a gift and there is no money in return," said Roknabadi, adding that Iran had proposed gifting the aid years ago.

Iran, a major weapons manufacturer in the region, has in the past said it exported military products to scores of countries, although it has never revealed details.

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My partner, Ari Weinzweig, and I never subscribed to the conservative economic theory of Milton Friedman, that “the business of business is business.” To us, the right to conduct business is earned by being a good corporate citizen — by producing products and delivering services responsibly, hiring responsibly, generating profits responsibly, and finally, sharing profits with those who help produce them and with the wider community from which the revenues are drawn.

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Family of kidnapped brothers block Bekaa road

BEIRUT: Members of the Hujeiri family blocked Taalbaya’s road Monday to demand the release of two relatives abducted from their home Saturday.

While the kidnappers have yet to be identified, relatives of Mustapha Hujeiri, 32, and Khaled Hujeiri, 23, have accused the Hamieh family of being behind the crime.

Four SUVs with tinted windows arrived at the family’s residence Saturday, kidnapped them, and drove them towards Zahleh.

The kidnapped men’s sister told LBCI TV that the gunmen claimed to be from a state security agency, but when asked to show their badges or arrest warrants, they responded by threatening to shoot her.

The Bekaa Valley is a hotbed of abductions, which are usually carried out for financial reasons in the lawless region. But the family suspects sectarian motives with this incident.

The sister told LBCI that after ISIS beheaded soldier Mohammad Hamieh last month, the family received a phone call from an unknown caller saying there was a plan to kidnap one of the two brothers.

Hujeiri is a prominent family in Arsal, where fundamentalist groups ISIS and Nusra Front clashed with Army troops for five days in August. Some accuse the Hujeiris of collaborating with jihadists.

About 27 soldiers and policemen are still held hostage by the two groups, after three had been executed and seven released.

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Another Lebanese soldier joins jihadists

BEIRUT: A Lebanese soldier announced Monday that he has joined the Nusra Front, citing the Army’s alleged persecution of Sunnis as the motive behind his decision, in the fifth such defection to jihadist groups this month.

In a video posted to a Nusra-affiliated Twitter account, the renegade soldier identified himself as Omar Khaled Shamtieh from the Army’s Second Artillery Brigade. He said he had been stationed at the Army’s checkpoint in Madfoun, in north Lebanon.

“I announce joining the ranks of the Nusra Front and deserting the Army because the Lebanese Army has become a tool in the hands of Hezbollah and because the Army discriminates among its soldiers on a sectarian and religious basis,” Shamtieh said.

He charged that Shiite and Christian personnel were treated with favoritism whereas their Sunni counterpart were humiliated and oppressed.

“Another reason for quitting the Army is the latter’s ill-treatment of Sunni people at checkpoints, especially if they wear a beard and are from Tripoli,” Shamtieh said, accusing soldiers of arresting Sunni youth unjustly.

Shamtieh cited an Army raid in the area of Baddawi, north of Tripoli, in which a person he identified as Mahmoud al-Maneh was beaten and arrested unjustly, as the incident that prompted him to desert.

“If they (the Army) do not stop raiding and persecuting Sunni youths, they should expect more defections from this treacherous Army,” he said, calling on his Sunni comrades to follow suit and join the ranks of the jihadi fighters.

“We should close shoulders with the mujahedin who are standing up against the party of the Vilayat-e Faqih,” Shamtieh said in reference to Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

Last week Abdul-Monem Mahmoud Khaled appeared in a video announcing his defection to ISIS.

Before that, ISIS released a video showing a soldier named Abdul-Qader Akoumi also announcing his defection to the group.

A similar video released by Nusra Front before that claimed that Mohammad Antar, a soldier from Fnaydeq, north Lebanon, had joined the group’s ranks.

And before that, soldier Abdallah Shehadeh from Tripoli also reportedly joined Nusra.

Jumblatt demands immediate closure of Naameh dump

BEIRUT: The waste dump in Naameh presents a public health danger and must be shut immediately, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt said Monday.

“It is time for the Lebanese state to make a clear decision to close the Naameh landfill,” Jumblatt wrote in his weekly column for Al-Anbaa newspaper. “It has become a horrible reality for public health and the environment, and a painful one for the residents of nearby villages.”

Originally opened in 1997 with a plan to stuff it with garbage for six years, the landfill still remains open after 17 years, and has exceeded its original capacity five-fold, frustrating the residents of the area with its odors and gas emissions.

“It is illogical to place the all the burden on one region,” Jumblatt said, suggesting that each region takes care of its own waste.

The Naameh dump receives up to 3,000 tons of garbage per day from Beirut and Mount Lebanon, according to studies.

Jumblatt suggested that personal interests were behind the government's delays in addressing the issue.

Is the failure of the government to reach a solution “related to some personal interests or deals?,” he asked. “Or is due to other unknown reasons?”

He also said he would reveal some scandalous details about secret deals between parties involved in the landfill should the government fail to act soon.

But Jumblatt acknowledged that it was unlikely the landfill would be closed within a scheduled deadline of January 17, 2015, and said he will only accept the extension of this deadline if an alternative plan is announced.

The PSP chief proposed the construction of environmentally sound waste treatment facilities, or to spread the garbage dumped in Naameh over other areas such as Karantina. The Sidon experience, in which the landfill was closed and a new project is being built on top of the buried waste, should be a good example for possible solutions in Naameh, he added.

Naameh residents earlier this year staged several protests, preventing garbage trucks from entering the landfill, and demanding its permanent closure.

Their protest prompted Sukleen, the waste management company, to stop collecting garbage in Beirut and Mount Lebanon for several days, causing huge piles of waste on the streets.

The January protest ended after the police intervened to reopen the landfill.

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Salam meets ministerial committee over Syrian refugees

BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam Monday convened a ministerial committee to discuss the influx of Syrian refugees which has put a strain on Lebanon's resources and raised fears over security threats.

The meeting at the Grand Serail in downtown Beirut was attended by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas and Labor Minister Sejaan Azzi.

No statements were made following the meeting.

The number of Syrian refugees entering Lebanon has declined dramatically in recent weeks as the government inched closer toward drafting new policies for its borders.

According to Derbas, Lebanon is now denying access to Syrians unable to present an exigent “humanitarian” reason for entering the country.

“Lebanon has not totally closed its borders to refugees,” Derbas said in remarks Sunday. “We are still receiving humanitarian cases, but other reasons for refuge are not being accepted.”

The government, however, has not yet established formal guidelines for what constitutes a humanitarian case.

A governmental source, speaking to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity, has said that the criteria were not on the table at present.

“We do hope that sometime soon this will be clarified.” The source said that in the coming days the government would make “some concrete decisions and adopt some policies” regarding the entry of Syrian refugees.

Lebanon has been struggling to cope with more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees within its borders, who now comprise more than 20 percent of the population. The government contends that many refugees in Lebanon are so-called economic migrants who are not fleeing violence but rather looking for work. Spurred to action when the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon surpassed 1 million, the government said in May that it would only accept Syrians fleeing active fighting, and that those commuting between Lebanon and Syria would lose their refugee status.

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Future-Hezbollah verbal sparring raises stakes

BEIRUT: A war of words erupted over the weekend between the Future Movement and Hezbollah, signaling a major political escalation as the country faced mounting security threats from Islamist militants.

Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk’s diatribe against Hezbollah, blaming it for the failure of security plans in Lebanon and the Shiite party’s swift response to the leading Future figure also threatened to throw the already divided government into further disarray. The government, ridden by internal divisions, has failed to cope with political, economic and security challenges facing the country.

The escalating rhetoric between the two sides comes against the backdrop of long-brewing tensions between the Future Movement and Hezbollah, caused mainly by the Shiite party’s military intervention in Syria on the side of President Bashar Assad’s forces. Hezbollah’s role in Syria has increased political and sectarian tensions in the country.

However, a senior Hezbollah official said he did not see the fate of the government in jeopardy following Machnouk’s campaign against the party. “I don’t see the Cabinet’s fate threatened as a result of Machnouk’s statement. We call for preserving the Cabinet and solidarity among its members because this will be in the interest of security and stability,” Mohammad Afif, head of Hezbollah’s media office, told The Daily Star.

Implicitly referring to Hezbollah, Machnouk said “partisan immunity” has led to the failure of the security plan in Lebanon, adding that security forces have primarily targeted members of his Sunni community.

“We won’t accept that we be turned into Lebanese Sahwa leaders similar to the Iraqi Sahwas specialized in imposing security on one part of the Lebanese, while the other part enjoys ‘partisan immunity,’” he said during a memorial service Saturday in honor of the late Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan, the Internal Security Forces Information Branch head who was killed in a Beirut car bomb two years ago.

The Sahwa is a network of Sunni tribal fighters in Iraq that were allied with the U.S. to combat Al-Qaida.

The security plan has been turned into a project that holds perpetrators of one community accountable while neglecting the others, Machnouk said, hinting that the plan’s implementation predominantly targets the Sunni community and turns a blind eye to Hezbollah-dominated areas.

He added that a certain security institution was biased in favor of Hezbollah, in a veiled reference to the Army Intelligence. According to Machnouk, discrimination practiced by the security forces has been a major factor in “increasing the feelings of injustice and frustration, which in turn also increases extremism.”

In a clear reference to Hezbollah, Machnouk said: “A Lebanese group that believes that its capabilities are greater than Lebanon, but it cannot deny that the hefty price of those capabilities must be paid by all the Lebanese,” adding that investigators were “on the verge of discovering the truth behind Hasan’s assassination.”

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Fneish, one of the two Hezbollah ministers in the Cabinet, indirectly hit back at Machnouk, rejecting the talk about “security balance.”

“What does the talk about security balance mean? Does it mean that areas that do not witness support for takfiri and terrorist groups and do not witness attacks on the Army and security forces should be put on equal footing with groups that practice such terrorist acts?” Fneish said during a student graduation ceremony in the southern city of Nabatieh.

He said Hezbollah had never barred security forces from pursuing any criminal or attacker in areas where the party enjoys wide support.

Referring to Machnouk’s statement on “partisan immunity,” Fneish said: “Do we understand from this statement that it is a justification to find a safe passage to some terrorist groups that attacked the Army and are threatening security on a daily basis in the northern capital of Tripoli?”

Hezbollah MP Hasan Fadlallah also implicitly lashed out at Machnouk. “Those who want the state to shoulder its [security] responsibilities must first stop the political fire and sectarian incitement against the Army and the state’s institutions,” he said at a memorial ceremony in the southern village of Haddatha.

Fadallah said Hezbollah was keen on preserving the government, but warned that raising internal divisions and differences would harm everyone. “One of the duties of this government is to protect the state institutions and the country’s security,” he added.

Hezbollah came under fire by several prominent March 14 figures, including Justice Minister Asraf Rifi last week, who claimed that the party was implicated in the attacks on Army positions in Tripoli. Hezbollah has rejected the charges.

For his part, MP Walid Jumblatt said the Army needed absolute political backing to restore security in the country. “Before the tanks and airplanes, the Army needs political immunity,” Jumblatt said after meeting with a group of Arab tribal leaders in Khaldeh as part of his attempts to reach out to different communities. “Let us stand in one position behind the Army, which is engaged in a very harsh battle.”

Turf Shifts In Culture Wars As Support For Gay Marriage Rises

i i

People hold signs, including some reading "America is ready for marriage," at a same-sex marriage victory celebration on October 6 in Salt Lake City, Utah. America may be ready, but Republicans aren't: Rising popular support for same-sex marriage is posing a problem for GOP. George Frey/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption George Frey/Getty Images

People hold signs, including some reading "America is ready for marriage," at a same-sex marriage victory celebration on October 6 in Salt Lake City, Utah. America may be ready, but Republicans aren't: Rising popular support for same-sex marriage is posing a problem for GOP.

George Frey/Getty Images

When social norms change, sometimes they change so fast it's hard to keep up.

Only 10 years ago, ballot initiatives opposing gay marriage were helping Republicans win elections. But two weeks ago, when the Supreme Court effectively cleared the way for legal same-sex marriage, the response from Republican leaders was deafening silence.

In Red States, Many See Courts Eroding Their Values Dec. 23, 2004

They were so quiet some wondered whether the culture wars had finally ended with a Republican defeat.

Gary Bauer, a longtime social conservative activist, thinks that's nonsense.

"The idea that the culture wars are over is absurd," he says. "A war over the culture and the meaning of American liberty will continue to be a major factor in the American public debate."

Other social conservative leaders agree with Bauer. Former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said if the Republicans don't fight against gay marriage, he'd become an independent. Senator Ted Cruz promised to introduce a constitutional amendment allowing states to ban gay marriage.

But those views are in the minority. While polls show opinion on some social issues, like abortion, are relatively stable, public opinion on gay marriage has changed — and changed fast.

Democratic Party Embraces 'Values' Debate Oct. 19, 2006

A majority of Americans now accept gay marriage, says Peter Levine, a political scientist at Tufts University. He calls that "a profound generational change."

"In the long run everyone's going to be for gay marriage," he says, "but in the short term Republicans have a problem, which translates into a problem of perceived intolerance."

Conservative views on social issues, including gay marriage, are often called the third leg of the Republican stool, alongside small government and strong defense. So the party will have to adapt without alienating an important part of its voting coalition, says Ari Fleischer, former Bush White House press secretary.

"For Republicans, the challenge is if they take the issue uniquely as gay marriage head-on, many Republicans aren't going to want to change, who are older voters," Fleischer says. "Younger Republicans are willing to change on that issue — they already have changed."

The problem for the GOP is that right now there aren't enough young Republicans. Young people vote overwhelmingly for Democrats in national elections, and social issues are one of the main reasons.

Calling For An End To The Culture Wars Feb. 3, 2009

Kirsten Kukowski is the press secretary for the Republican National Committee, which is trying to help Republican candidates bridge the gap between the party's base and changing public attitudes.

"For a long time we came across as maybe not as sensitive and not as compassionate on these issues," she says. "And I think a couple of years ago — right after the 2010 presidential election — for people in the RNC specifically, our strategists, a lot of our pollsters and a lot of the people around us in these campaigns, we sat down at the table and said, 'How do we change how we talk to voters?' "

Republicans are already changing. This year, most Republican candidates in tight races barely mention social issues on the stump. Others have moved to the center, disavowing their previous support for "personhood" amendments which would give constitutional rights to embryos. A handful of Republican senate candidates have joined Planned Parenthood in supporting the idea of over-the-counter birth control.

In addition to RNC operatives, conservative intellectuals are also grappling with this problem. Henry Olsen is with the Ethics & Public Policy Center.

"There's a group of us who are basically conservative but think that mainstream conservatism needs to rethink some of its strategic approaches and policy emphases," he says. "And we've been called reformicons, and we're fine with that."

Olsen and his fellow reformicons say social issues like gay marriage have to be navigated carefully — very carefully.

Evangelicals' New Chief Says Days Of Moral Majority Over Aug. 30, 2013

"No Republican candidate can be nominated that openly supports same-sex marriage. That doesn't mean that you need to talk about it in a way that implies disapproval or condemnation of gay and lesbian people. It certainly does not mean that you have to deny certain sorts of federal benefits that presumably could be extended to people without the formal extension of marriage," he says. "That sort of thing is the rhetoric of compassion and inclusion that a Republican candidate to win the presidency ought to pursue."

Gay marriage is where opinion is changing the fastest, but the public is also evolving on other issues, like immigration and climate change. The RNC's Kirsten Kukowski says the party will debate all of this in the 2016 primary campaign.

"We're going to have a very interesting conversation in the next couple of months," she says. "And having been here through the last presidential [election] and then through the midterms, this is going to be a very important conversation for Americans to have, and for us to have as a party."

It's clear where the public is going on issues like gay marriage — but not so clear where the Republican Party will end up.