Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 11/12
USA Briefing On the Designation of Hezbollah for Supporting the Syrian Regime
U.S. Embassy warns citizens of possible attacks
Controversial Sidon preacher Sheikh Ahmad Assir holds Beirut rally in support of Syrian uprising
U.S. slaps sanctions on Hezbollah over Syria role
Hezbollah will not react after Samaha arrest
Lebanon's Leaders of rival political camps lock horns over Samaha arrest
Samaha Reportedly Told Investigators ‘This is what Bashar Wants
France Voices Concern over Samaha’s Alleged Confessions, Hopes Judiciary Will Reveal Truth
Four Lebanese-Canadians Run in Quebec Elections
Syrian Opposition Chief: Hizbullah Must Prepare for Post-Assad Era
Suleiman Meets Jumblat in al-Mukhtara after PSP Chief Rejects Electoral Law
Clashes Renew in Akroum-Beit Jaafar, Army Officer Reportedly Hurt
Samaha to be referred to military tribunal over ‘terror’ plot
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird Baird Meets Lebanese Opposition Leader
Canada Supports Lebanon’s Efforts to Deal with Effects of Syrian Crisis
Syria Rebels Capture Three State TV Journalists
Rebels vow to press Aleppo fight as ammo wanes
Netanyahu Tells U.N. Chief Not to Visit Iran

U.S. slaps sanctions on Hezbollah over Syria role
August 11, 2012/By Daily Star Staff/Agencies
WASHINGTON/BEIRUT: The U.S. slapped sanctions against Lebanon’s Hezbollah Friday over its alleged role in supporting the Syrian regime and said it feared the group may be planning imminent attacks in Europe and around the world.
The U.S. Treasury Department targeted Hezbollah for “training, advice and extensive logistical support to the government of Syria’s increasingly ruthless efforts to fight against the opposition.” It also blamed the group for coordinating Iranian assistance to the Syrian government.
A Hezbollah official contacted by The Daily Star Friday declined to comment on the issue.
Americans have been banned from doing business with Hezbollah since the U.S. declared it a foreign terrorist organization in the 1990s.
“Hezbollah’s extensive support to the Syrian government’s violent suppression of the Syrian people exposes the true nature of this terrorist organization and its destabilizing presence in the region,” the Treasury Department’s sanctions chief, David S. Cohen, said. Asked what the latest U.S. action against Hezbollah might accomplish, the State Department’s counterterrorism coordinator, Daniel Benjamin, said he hoped it would lead other countries to follow suit. “That would limit the amount of space for Hezbollah to operate in,” he said.
The move against Hezbollah came as part of new U.S. sanctions that mainly targeted Syria’s oil industry.
State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the penalties against state-run energy firm Sytrol come after it delivered $36 million worth of gasoline to Iran in April. Benjamin also warned Friday against possible attacks by Hezbollah in Europe and around the world.“Our assessment is that Hezbollah and Iran will both continue to maintain a heightened level of terrorist activity and operations in the near future,” said Daniel Benjamin, the U.S. State Department’s counter-terrorism coordinator.
“We are increasingly concerned about Hezbollah’s activities on a number of fronts, including its stepped up terrorist campaign around the world,” he said.
“We assess that Hezbollah could attack in Europe or elsewhere at any time with little or no warning,” he warned, in a conference call with reporters to announce new U.S. sanctions against Hezbollah, Iran and Syria. Benjamin warned that Hezbollah might step up violent action as international economic sanctions turn the screw on its backers in Iran and Western-backed Syrian rebels threaten to overthrow its sponsor in Damascus. “Hezbollah maintains a presence in Europe and its recent activities demonstrate that it is not constrained by concerns about collateral damage or political fallout that could result from conducting operations there,” he said. “Hezbollah believes there have been sustained Israeli and Western campaigns against the group and its primary backers Iran and Syria over the past several years and this perception is unlikely to change. Both remain determined to exact revenge against Israel and to respond forcefully to the Western-led pressure against Iran and Syria.
“More acts of terrorism by both Hezbollah and Iran are likely and they will continue to pose a serious threat for the foreseeable future. We have not detected any operational activity of the group in the U.S.,” he added. “But, that said, it’s a very ambitious group with global reach.”

U.S. Embassy warns citizens of possible attacks
August 11, 2012/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: The U.S. Embassy said Friday it had received reports of an increased possibility of attacks against its citizens in Lebanon. In a circular to U.S. citizens registered with the embassy, a statement said: “Possible threats include kidnapping, the potential for an upsurge in violence, the escalation of family or neighborhood disputes, as well as U.S. citizens being the targets of terrorist attacks in Lebanon.”The statement also encouraged U.S. citizens in Lebanon to “take additional security precautions.” It added that citizens should “assess their personal security, vary travel routes, exercise caution, take appropriate measures to ensure their safety, and report any suspicious or unusual activity immediately to authorities.” The embassy routinely sends out messages to its citizens, and Friday urged people to consult the U.S. State Department’s latest travel warning for Lebanon, issued in May.
Issued after the shooting of two sheikhs in northern Lebanon, that report said tensions in Lebanon remained high, and the “potential for protests, road closures, and other violent incidents remains. The U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens to continue to monitor news reports, avoid areas where disturbances are reported, and be vigilant about personal security.”
The May 28 briefing also warned, “U.S. citizens living and working in Lebanon should understand that they accept risks in remaining and should carefully consider those risks,” and urged other U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to the country.

Hezbollah will not react after Samaha arrest
August 11, 2012/By Mirella Hodeib/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: Hezbollah will not resort to retaliatory action after the arrest of its close ally, former minister and MP Michel Samaha, out of keenness to conserve stability in the country in light of the bloodshed in Syria, politicians and analysts said Friday.“It is highly unlikely that Hezbollah will rock the boat,” said Randa Slim, scholar at the Middle East Institute. “They will adopt a wait-and-see attitude until solid evidence emerges.”
She added that Hezbollah and its leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah were very clear about not messing with the current stability in the country. “[Hezbollah is thinking] if the price is going to be Michel Samaha then let it be,” said the analyst.
Pro-Hezbollah political and military analyst and former Brig. Gen. Amin Hoteit agrees. He argued that the wisest conduct was to wait until the “circumstances that led to the arrest are revealed.”
“Resorting to the street is demagogical and only contributes to reinforcing lawlessness,” Hoteit said.
A close adviser and friend to embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad, Samaha was arrested by the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch Thursday on suspicion of being involved in a plot to carry out terrorist attacks in north Lebanon upon orders from Syrian officials.
Slim said that Hezbollah will most likely allow the judicial investigation to take its full course, adding that the party will gradually distance itself from Samaha.
“In the end, Hezbollah does not want to be seen as supporting someone who is accused of plotting to kill other Lebanese.”
The three-time minister and former Metn lawmaker began his eventful political career as part of the Kataeb Party in the late 1960s before making a U-turn in 1985 when he endorsed the Syria-brokered Tripartite Agreement to end the Civil War in Lebanon between the Lebanese Forces of the late Elie Hobeika, the Amal Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party.
Samaha’s durable ties to the Assad regime were coupled with equally strong ties to the French intelligence services, earning him a French Legion d’Honneur (Order of Merit). He is said to have attended since 1990 almost all the meetings between French officials and the late Syrian President Hafez Assad, and later on his son Bashar.
In parallel to his work as an adviser to Bashar Assad and his close aide Bouthaina Shaaban, Samaha has reinvented himself in recent years as a political and strategic analyst, actively lobbying in favor of the Syria-Iran axis and of Hezbollah.
However, Hezbollah’s vigilant stance with regard to the arrest has kept many wondering.
“I was literally shocked when I heard the news about Michel’s arrest and the accusations made against him,” said Karim Pakradouni, the former head of the Kataeb Party and Samaha’s close friend. “But in such circumstances and in light of such accusations one needs to be very prudent.”
Slim said that Hezbollah has been informed of the arrest, adding that the mere fact that the party let it happen “is highly revealing.”
Slim’s reading echoes the stance of the March 14 alliance with regard to the arrest.
March 14 sources privately argue that Hezbollah is opposed to attempts by the Syrian regime and its proxies in Lebanon to destabilize the country.
Head of the International-Lebanese Committee for United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559, Toni Nissi is unequivocal in claiming that Hezbollah stood behind Samaha’s arrest, adding that the party will not back the politician even if he is charged of operating upon the orders of the Assad regime.
“Unlike Assad who seeks to create instability in Lebanon to secure his regime’s survival, both Iran’s and Hezbollah’s strategic interests lie in stability and peace,” said Nissi.
Slim concurs, saying that both the March 8 and the March 14 camps sought to avoid the scenario of violence. “One common opinion between the two camps is that they want to avoid the unrest in Syria spilling over to Lebanon.”
Nissi said that the Islamic Republic would like to help the Syrian government against its adversaries in Syria “by maybe sending mercenaries [there] but not through creating instability in Lebanon.”
“Any instability in Lebanon, any Shiite-Sunni conflict in Lebanon is against the interests of Hezbollah,” Nissi added.
Although he disagrees with the theory that stipulates that Hezbollah and the Information Branch have coordinated Samaha’s arrest due to the long-standing rivalry between the two, Hoteit maintains that the arrest was another attempt to drag Hezbollah into an internal fight that will eventually degenerate into Sunni-Shiite strife.
“Hezbollah is well aware of the United States’ scheme to drag it into an internal war,” said Hoteit.
“Hezbollah has so far moved away from any violent reactions regarding attempts to force it to use its weapons on the internal scene, but I can’t tell how long this will last.”
According to Pakradouni, who defended Samaha by saying he “has never used arms,” the arrest was definitely a “signal or message” to Syria and the group he belongs to in Lebanon.
“This is definitely a moral blow to Samaha and the March 8 group,” said the veteran politician. “But neither March 8 nor Syria will be destabilized by this new development. I think they are strong enough to overcome it.”While Slim ruled out the assumption that Samaha’s arrest was a message to the Syrian regime, saying it was strictly tied to the internal dynamics of the country, Hoteit contends that it was directly tied to weakening Lebanon’s Christian population. But a source closely following up on the case told The Daily Star that the arrest was aimed at gradually disposing of all the figures that tie Lebanon to the struggling Syrian leadership. “They cannot take it out on Hezbollah or [Marada Movement leader] Sleiman Franjieh, for example, who enjoy wide popular backing,” said the source. “They chose the weakest link, Michel Samaha, a Catholic Christian who has little if any backing among his community.” – With additional reporting by Van Meguerditchian

Leaders of rival political camps lock horns over Samaha arrest
August 11, 2012 /The Daily Star/BEIRUT: Politicians and religious figures from rival March 14 and March 8 political camps expressed opposing reactions Friday to Thursday’s arrest of former Information Minister Michel Samaha by the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch. Mustafa Hamdan, an ex-security chief of former President Emile Lahoud, who was detained for four years between 2005 and 2009 on suspicions of being involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, said that accusations against Samaha mean the crisis in Syria has now moved to Lebanon.
“I call on the national forces to be ready and get prepared, because the attack in Syria [against the regime] has also started in Lebanon today,” said Hamdan.
Speaking after his meeting with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun Friday, Hamdan said that Samaha’s allies will prepare a proper response to his detention.
“We know how and when the proper response will take place,” he said.
A unit from the ISF Information Branch raided Samaha’s residence in Khanshara-Jwar in Metn Thursday morning, detaining the former minister and transferring him to the ISF headquarters in Beirut for interrogation. Hamdan described Samaha’s detention as a “kidnapping,” saying that the abduction of 11 Lebanese pilgrims in Syria and that of Samaha have the same intention but were carried out by different individuals. “The kidnapper of the 11 pilgrims in Syria is Abu Ibrahim, and in Lebanon the kidnapper is Wissam al-Hasan, [head of the Information Branch],” he said.
FPM officials also criticized the way in which Samaha was detained and said the Information Branch of the ISF is politicized and does not have the legitimacy to carry out such interrogations.
“The leaks to the media on the case of the former minister’s detention were modified, and the security unit that is carrying out the investigation is politicized and not comfortable,” FPM official and Culture Minister Gaby Layyoun said in an interview.
Bishop Issam Darwish of the Archbishopric in Zahle also denounced the way Samaha was detained Thursday.
“It does not suit for a security force whose legitimacy is in doubt to act in this barbaric way with an individual that served Lebanon for a long time in different posts,” said Darwish.
Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel said that the timing of Samaha’s arrest came as a shock to all Lebanese.
“If the accusations are proven against him, it means Syria wants to the situation in Lebanon to explode,” he said. He also criticized the probe leaks to the media, saying that such leaks would only harm the investigation. March 14 officials hailed what they called “an achievement” by the ISF for thwarting the alleged plots in which Samaha is suspected of being involvement.

Samaha to be referred to military tribunal over ‘terror’ plot
August 11, 2012 01/By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Former Cabinet minister Michel Samaha is expected to be referred to a military tribunal Saturday following hard evidence, including incriminating video footage, of the pro-President Bashar Assad official’s alleged involvement in a plot to carry out terrorist attacks, a senior security official said Friday.
“Unless the 48-hour precautionary detention is renewed for another 48 hours for further interrogation, Samaha will be referred to a military tribunal Saturday,” the official told The Daily Star.
“The case against Samaha constitutes a clear and irrefutable condemnation following his confessions to his involvement in the transportation of explosives from Syria to Lebanon for use in terrorist attacks in areas in the north,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
A military judge is expected to further interrogate Samaha following his reported confessions that he was involved in the terror plot and that he had transported explosives in his car from Syria to Lebanon for this purpose, a judicial source told The Daily Star.
If the accusations are confirmed by a military court, Samaha would be formally charged with plotting to carry out terrorist attacks, possession of arms and explosives, and exposing the state security to danger – a move that would lead to putting him on trial, the source said. Samaha would face a prison sentence ranging from three years to life if convicted of terror charges, the source added.
A pro-Syrian regime official, Samaha was arrested by the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch Thursday on suspicion of being involved in a plot to carry out bomb attacks in Lebanon in collaboration with the Syrian regime. Samaha – a longtime ally and friend of Assad, two-time minister and former MP – was taken from his summer residence in Metn’s Khanshara-Jwar to ISF headquarters in Beirut for questioning. Another police unit stormed his residence in Ashrafieh.
Acting State Prosecutor Samir Hammoud, who ordered the operations, told The Daily Star that Samaha’s case was part of a wider probe into security threats facing the country.
Hammoud briefed Prime Minister Najib Mikati on the outcome of the preliminary investigation with Samaha. Mikati urged Hammoud to carry on with the investigation in order “to uncover the truth and achieve justice in this case,” the state-run National News Agency reported.
Mikati also met with ISF Director General Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi who briefed him on the role of security forces in arresting Samaha and the circumstances that led to his detention, the NNA said. Mikati praised the ISF’s work, saying that “the current stage required intensified efforts by security forces to maintain security and protect stability.”
Samaha’s case has jolted the already-divided political landscape in Lebanon at a time when rival factions are sharply split over the 17-month uprising in Syria. While the opposition March 14 parties strongly support the armed rebellion’s aim to topple Assad, the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance backs the regime.
Samaha’s arrest and his reported confessions of the terror plot have apparently thrown the pro-Syrian regime March 8 parties into disarray, reflecting their confusion on how to deal with this highly sensitive issue. Except for a statement by Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad in which he said the party would not keep silent over Samaha’s arrest, none of the other major March 8 parties have so far come out in support of the former minist
Security sources said that police surveillance of Samaha was crucial in exposing the pro-Assad figure’s alleged involvement in the terror plot.
“This is what Bashar [Assad] wants,” security sources quoted Samaha as saying in a video shot by a Lebanese undercover agent for the ISF’s Information Branch. He was referring to bomb attacks meant to be carried out in north Lebanon.
According to the sources, Samaha, 64, can be seen in the video and heard saying that Syrian Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk had handed him the bombs, in addition to cash to be distributed to would-be perpetrators of the attacks in Lebanon.
When interrogators screened the video in his presence, Samaha promptly admitted to being the man on film, the sources said.
The man who shot the video, a member of the Kfouri family, was flown out of the country just before Samaha’s arrest over fears for his safety, the sources added.
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said in comments to several media outlets that Samaha admitted to his involvement in a “specific security case, but the issue remains undisclosed.”
“The final word in this case is left to the judiciary. [The results] of the investigation will be sent to the judiciary in order for the investigating judge to fully read it before issuing his decision either to release Samaha or arrest him,” Charbel told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.
Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi agreed that the probe is top secret and that “no one knows what is inside.” He warned that authorities will open an investigation to find out who was behind the “leaks.”
Security sources Thursday told The Daily Star that Samaha had admitted he was involved in the plot to carry out bomb attacks and that he had personally transferred a number of explosives from Syria to Lebanon.
The sources added that “highly effective” bombs ready to explode by remote control had earlier been found in various areas of Lebanon.
The same sources told The Daily Star Friday that after police collected evidence for the case and just before the bombs were set to explode, Hammoud issued the order to detain Samaha.
The ISF Information Branch seized $170,000 from Samaha’s residence, the sources added. They said security was beefed up around Hammoud’s house in Moseitbeh, Beirut, following Samaha’s arrest, as was for his official escort. Further information about the would-be attacks indicated that the planting and the timing of the bombs were designed to coincide with a visit to the northern region of Akkar by Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai. When asked to comment by The Daily Star, Rai declined, but Bkirki issued a statement saying that the patriarch’s visit to Tripoli and Akkar was scheduled for Aug. 13-16.
Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea expressed hope that President Michel Sleiman and Mikati would prevent any intervention by anyone in the ongoing investigation with Samaha in order “to maintain what is left of the state’s prestige and the Lebanese confidence in their country.”
“In the framework of the ongoing delicate and serious investigation into the case of plotting terrorist attacks in north Lebanon, we draw attention [to the fact] that it is the first time a hand has been put directly on an attempt of this magnitude to plan security incidents which, had they been successful, would have hit the Lebanese in the heart,” Geagea told the Central News Agency. He was apparently commenting on media reports that Assad had contacted a number of senior Lebanese officials demanding their intervention to secure Samaha’s release.

Rebels vow to press Aleppo fight as ammo wanes
August 11, 2012/Agencies
BEIRUT: Syrian rebels were running low on ammunition Friday but vowed to hit back at government forces trying to consolidate their control over Aleppo, the country’s largest city that has be a deadly battleground for more than two weeks.
The seemingly intractable, 17-month-old conflict in Syria has defied all international attempts to calm the bloodshed. But rebels and activists said Friday they have had enough of diplomacy and appealed to the international community to send weapons.
“The warplanes and helicopters are killing us, they’re up there in the sky 15 hours a day,” said Mohammad al-Hasan, an activist in Aleppo’s main rebel stronghold of Salaheddine.
“It’s warplanes against Kalashnikovs, tanks fighting against rifles,” he said. “I don’t know how long this situation can be sustained.”
But rebel commander Abu Jamil, in Salaheddine said he was preparing for a new attack, after rebels were pushed back by Syrian troops Thursday.
“I have about 60 men positioned strategically at the front line and we are preparing a new attack today [Friday],” he told Reuters.
As Syrian soldiers bombarded rebel positions in Aleppo from the ground and air, diplomats said former Algerian Foreign Affairs Minister and longtime U.N. official Lakhdar Brahimi has emerged as a strong candidate to replace Kofi Annan as peace envoy to Syria.
Annan announced his resignation last week, ending a frustrating six-month effort that failed to achieve even a temporary cease-fire as the country descended into civil war.
Activists say some 20,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
In his first public statement on Syria, Brahimi urged world leaders to overcome their differences on a 17-month-old conflict that is descending deeper into full-scale civil war.
“The U.N. Security Council and regional states must unite to ensure that a political transition can take place as soon as possible,” Brahimi said in a statement published on the website of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders committed to peace and human rights.
The relentless violence triggered a fresh wave of civilians streaming across the border into neighboring Turkey Friday. Turkish officials said more than 1,500 Syrians arrived over the past 24 hours, increasing the number of refugees in
The regime has been trying to drive rebels out of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, for more than two weeks. The state news agency claimed Wednesday that President Bashar Assad’s forces had regained control of the Salaheddine neighborhood, the main rebel area in Aleppo. But activists said rebels were still putting up a fight there Friday.
Aleppo holds great symbolic and strategic importance. Some 40 kilometers from the Turkish border, it has been a pillar of regime support during the uprising against the Assad regime.
An opposition victory there would allow easier access for weapons and fighters from Turkey, where many rebels are based.
An Aleppo-based activist said government forces were shelling rebel-controlled areas in the southwestern part of Aleppo and in the northeast. Towns and villages in Aleppo suburbs were “at the mercy” of fighter jets and helicopters strafing the area, he said.
“Soon there will be nothing left to destroy in Aleppo ... The regime is using air power without shame,” he said, asking that his name not be used out of fear for his personal safety.
Protesters across many parts of the country rallied after midday prayers Friday, urging the international community to arm the opposition fighters.
“Give us anti-aircraft guns. Where is your conscience?” read a small poster held by a protester in the village of Kfar Zeita in the central Hama province.
However, there has been deep reluctance to openly arm the fighters, out of fears that it could escalate the violence and because the rebel Free Syrian Army is not a unified group. Many rebel groups operate largely independently of each other.
The U.S. imposed new sanctions on Syria and its allies Friday as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headed to Turkey to compare notes on Syria with its NATO partner following a string of dramatic swings in Assad’s push to crush the rebellion.
Clinton is due to fly from the small West African state of Benin to Istanbul, where she will meet Saturday with Turkey’s prime minister and foreign minister and hold talks with Syrians who have recently joined the growing exodus of refugees fleeing the violence.
Washington sees Turkey, one of Damascus’ harshest critics, as the key player both in supporting Syria’s opposition and in planning for what U.S. officials say is the inevitable collapse of the Assad government following the bloodshed. U.S. officials are particularly interested in Turkey’s analysis of the political forces emerging as Syria spirals into chaos – hoping that together they can puzzle out the complex patchwork of rebel groups jockeying for position.
Clinton and other U.S. officials have in recent weeks cited rebel gains on the battlefield and the defection of senior Syrian military and political figures as signs that Assad’s rule is crumbling.
They have also highlighted rebel claims to control a “corridor” from Aleppo to the Turkish border as a potential future opposition safe haven, which could present the United States and its allies with a policy predicament on whether to defend it against government attack.
U.S. officials have so far ruled out direct military support for Syria’s rebels, who are already believed to be getting weapons from U.S. allies in the Gulf.
But President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing measures to help Assad’s armed opponents, and U.S. officials say the United States is already collaborating with a secret command center operated by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar near the Syrian border to help direct vital military and communications support to rebel fighters.
Britain’s government said Friday it was giving an extra 5 million pounds ($7.8 million) worth of aid – but no weapons – to Syria’s opposition. Foreign Secretary William Hague said the funds would pay for items including satellite phones, power generators and medical kits. Britain has previously given 1.4 million pounds worth of nonlethal support to Syria’s opposition.

Controversial Sidon preacher Sheikh Ahmad Assir holds Beirut rally in support of Syrian uprising
August 10, 2012/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: Controversial Sidon preacher Sheikh Ahmad Assir held a rally in Beirut's al-Tariq al-Jadideh neighborhood in support of the Syrian uprising, pledging undying loyalty to the rebels, according to the National News Agency (NNA).
"May God protect you ... We will remain with you until the end of our lives," he said in a speech delivered at Imam Ali mosque in Beirut's al-Tariq al-Jadideh neighborhood following Friday prayers.
Addressing hundreds of people who responded to his call to assemble at the mosque, Assir also said that “the Syrian-Iranian project has nothing to do with resistance,” depicting it as an “assassination project.”Assir also touched on the recent detention of Michel Samaha, who was taken into custody Thursday over a plot to carry out bomb attacks in Lebanon. He hailed the Internal Security Forces (ISF) for its action. “The ISF has offered us a precious gift in the last two days, one that makes us hold our heads high,” Assir said.
He also stressed that the belief that the Syrian regime was conciliatory toward the Christians of Syria and Lebanon had proven to be false. He added that the Syrian regime has harmed Christians in Lebanon and pointed out that several prominent members of the Syrian opposition are Christian.
Assir also claimed that, “The criminal Iranian project has always tricked the region,” and accused Iran of being behind the assassinations in Lebanon, including that of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and attempted assassinations, such as that which recently targeted MP Butros Harb. Last week, Assir’s supporters ended a month long sit-in that had raised political tensions in the city. Assir and his followers, who closed Sidon’s highway for over a month in protest at Hezbollah’s arms, dismantled the tents they had erected after securing token concessions from government officials.
The sit-in had sparked protests by the city’s businessmen and political figures, who complained that the preacher was adversely affecting the local economy.
Friday marked the second time Assir took to Beirut’s streets. The first time was earlier this year in a demonstration in Downtown Beirut to rally support for the Syrian opposition against President Bashar Assad’s regime.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird Baird Meets Lebanese Opposition Leader
August 10, 2012 - Beirut, Lebanon - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today met with Fouad Siniora, the leader of the March 14 opposition in the Lebanese parliament, to discuss political and security developments in Lebanon and elsewhere in the region, particularly in Syria.
In recent weeks, Lebanon has been subject to a spillover of violence across its border with Syria. Baird conveyed his support for a secure Syrian border and discussed Canada's commitment to finding a diplomatic solution in Syria.

Canada Supports Lebanon’s Efforts to Deal with Effects of Syrian Crisis
August 10, 2012 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today made the following statement:
“Today I had the pleasure of meeting Prime Minister Najib Mikati and, later, the parliamentary leader of the March 14 opposition, Fouad Siniora. I expressed to both of them Canada’s sincere gratitude for the role Lebanon has played in hosting Syrians seeking asylum from the violence that is ravaging their homeland.
“Canada supports Lebanon’s efforts to deal with the effects of what is happening next door in Syria. Lebanon is an important and valued partner in the Middle East region, and we recommit ourselves to work closely together to deal with this crisis and its ripple effects.
“We share a deep concern over the risk posed to Syria’s neighbours by the Assad regime’s stockpile of chemical weapons. It is now more important than ever that the international community act decisively and in unison to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis before instability and chaos spread throughout the region.”

Iran and the Broken Syrian Branch
Hassan Haidar/Al Hayat
Thursday 09 August 2012
The round of visits made by Kamenei’s representative at the Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, to Iran’s direct circles of influence in the region, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, as well as the stern statements that have accompanied them, indicate that a cornered Tehran has begun to “counterattack” on the issue of Syria, in the form of threatening to broaden the confrontation between the regime and the opposition, and to move it to a regional framework in order to force the world to negotiate with it over ensuring its “interests” after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.
Certainly those in power in Iran know that the regime in Damascus is nearing its end and that a new Syria will emerge in the not-so-distant future. This is why they must save what can be saved of the “Axis of Resistance”, of which the Palestinian branch has split off and the Syrian branch is broken, no longer able to play the role required of it, nor support the other branches.
Tehran has also coupled officially announcing its entrance into the Syrian war with threats directed at NATO’s Turkey that its turn would come if Assad falls, and that the war would move to its soil and to its constituents. Tehran sent its Foreign Minister to Ankara to hold it responsible for the fate of Iranian hostages, under the pretext of asking for its help to have them released. This in turn prompted a clear response from Turkey, holding Iran responsible for an essential part of the crimes committed by Assad’s regime because of its unlimited support for him.
Such escalation by Iran is aimed at neutralizing the Turks in the battle of Aleppo, where the Syrian regime’s army began its land assault the moment Jalili left the country, and at dissuading them from establishing safe zones for the protection of Syrian refugees, whose numbers are increasing daily – safe zones that could later turn into no-fly zones and pave the way for direct Western intervention.
The confrontation between Iran and Turkey began when the Syrian army turned over areas in the north of Syria bordering Turkey to Kurdish parties well known for their enmity towards Ankara. The latter responded by mobilizing its troops and asserting that it would not allow a hostile entity to be established at its border. It sent its Foreign Minister to Iraqi Kurdistan to inform officials there that any Turkish intervention in Northern Syria would not be directed against the Kurdish people, but rather against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK – Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê) and its allies.
In Baghdad, where Tehran saved Nouri Al-Maliki’s government by forcing its ally Muqtada Al-Sadr to withdraw from the campaign led by the opposition to remove him, and where the Iranians have asked for facilitating the passage of their convoys to Syria and for Iraq to increase its oil and financial assistance to Damascus, their purpose is also to pressure Turkey, after its relations with Iraq have grown tense and the latter officially complained about Davutoğlu visiting Kurdistan without going through official diplomatic channels.
And in Lebanon, the “land of the Resistance” and Jalili’s first destination, where Hezbollah controls the government and directs its policies in support of Damascus, pressure on Turkey is increasing by implicating it in the issue of Shiite Lebanese citizens who were kidnapped in Syria, and threatening to kidnap Turkish citizens and soldiers from the UN force (UNIFIL). It was noteworthy that the Secretary-General of Hezbollah adopted, after meeting with Jalili, a “moderate” language on some of the issues of the Lebanese interior. It is a kind of “moderation” which the Lebanese know by experience will not last long – one that Hezbollah will not run out of pretexts to back out of, and one that may well represent nothing more than cover for escalation of some kind.
Iran’s fragile “prop” for its broken Syrian branch will not last long. It could lead in the best of cases to prolonging the longevity of the regime in Damascus slightly, but it will not succeed to keep it alive, especially as the “health” of Iran itself is the object of serious doubts.

A Devastating Regional War Is Not Farfetched
Raghida Dergam, New York/Al Hayat
Friday 10 August 2012
The increase in armed extremism among the ranks of the Syrian opposition could represent an incentive for qualitatively new stances by all players and influential parties in Syria, as well as another opportunity for international and regional forces to correct mistaken courses of action and rectify the drift towards excess within the United States.
The discussion has begun over the role President Barack Obama must play now to avoid regretting the help extended to Muslim extremism inside Syria and globally as a de facto situation - through negligence and not as a deliberate policy.
In China, there has been some concern about the consequences of the country’s strategic alliance with Russia in Syria. This alliance has made procrastination a policy, which has led to militarizing the Syrian opposition and has allowed armed Muslim extremism to be strengthened inside Syria and globally.
Russia has begun to realize, without admitting it, that its fears of Islamists rising to power have become a nightmare, after political and diplomatic efforts have failed and after it prevented itself from playing the role of sponsor of the political solution and of what would follow it in Syria after the fall of the regime. Russia has crucially contributed to feeding armed extremism after it let down the Syrian civilian opposition. Russia must therefore fear the nightmare which it has produced, and which poses a threat to it on its home soil.
In turn, the Islamic Republic of Iran may also be concerned with the change that has taken place in the balance of power on the field inside Syria, and has begun to take into account regional and domestic considerations, faced with the possibility of the civil war in Syria developing into sectarian wars in the region.
Meanwhile, the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, do not want Syria to turn into a platform for the Al-Qaeda network and similar groups, no matter how much support they provide to the armed opposition. Indeed, Riyadh has been at war with Al-Qaeda for quite some time. Recall that Saudi Arabia had successfully combated Islamic terrorism on its home soil. Saudi Arabia has been second to none except the U.S. when it comes to mobilizing its capabilities to combat terrorism and strike blows at Al-Qaeda.
All these factors converge with the United States, China, Russia, Iran and the GCC countries, as well as among the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) and Turkey, and they must clear a path for an ineluctable new approach in the Syrian crisis. Such an approach requires reining in armed extremism by strengthening the forces of moderation at the expense of Islamist forces. In parallel, the various sides must work together towards a serious transitional process in Syria, on the basis of putting an end to the Baath regime; President Bashar Al-Assad leaving power; and beginning to make preparations for the post-conflict phase, with a vital role to be played by the United Nations.
What is happening in Syria today is indeed a proxy war to a great extent. Yet this does not negate the fact that the Syrians themselves are the ones waging this war, regardless of the number of foreign fighters who have entered it so far, for ends unrelated to the future of the Syrian people. Nonetheless, the Afghanization of Syria has today become a reality, in terms of proxy wars and of Syria turning into an arena for revenge for the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who imagines himself to be the leader of a superpower during the Cold War era.
But the “Afghanization” of Syria is not the “Talibanization” of Syria – and there is a big difference. To be sure, there are in Syria neither a Taliban nor a Mullah Omar. Syria will not be ruled by the likes of the Taliban because its people will not allow it. If Islamic extremism, which takes up terrorism as a doctrine, has entered it, then it will at the end of the day leave it stronger and spread to other places – perhaps to Russia or in neighboring countries. In such a case, Moscow would have no one to blame but itself.
Perhaps it is these issues that thinking in Russia is revolving around, and perhaps this will lead to reconsidering and allow for rectification. The door may not be completely closed to Russia, if it were to modify its stances. Furthermore, it is perhaps not too late if several factors were to intensify, among them the stances taken by Iran, China, the GCC and the United States.
The Obama Administration currently adopts a policy of encouraging support for the opposition with military capabilities, after the third dual veto by Russia and China at the Security Council led to excluding the latter from the Syrian issue Obama Administration thus replaced the policy of gaining the approval of Russia and China with a policy of working outside of the framework of the Security Council.
Today, there are many voices giving the Obama Administration advice about whether it should “lead from behind”, as President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Leslie Gelb, wrote in the Daily Beast, or take a leading “seat at the table”, as former US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad wrote.
Zalmay Khalilzad suggested the formation of a “coalition of the relevant”, which would include alongside the United States the countries of the GCC, as well as Turkey, Jordan, Britain and France. Such a coalition would have, as one of the main points on its agenda, the prevention of extremism from taking over Syria, by strengthening elements of moderation, modernity and secularism. He suggests that Obama appoint an American special envoy to ensure the stability of the transitional period in Syria, in order to avoid the chaos and revenge seen in Iraq– which is known to Khalilzad, as he represented his country there during that period.
The United Nations and the League of Arab States are looking for an envoy to replace Kofi Annan, who was brought down by the Russian-Chinese veto. Annan handed in his resignation last week. The new envoy will have different tasks and different powers to negotiate with determination and resolve, not on the basis of a conviction here or a compromise there, constantly shifting the relationship. Ban Ki-moon and his team are looking for someone with the ability to take on tasks of managing the transitional period after the conflict, alongside the ability to encourage moderation and modernity. The task of the new envoy will resemble that taken on by the former Ambassador and Foreign Minister of Algeria, veteran diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, in post-Taliban Afghanistan. The difference is that the United Nations, the United States and the Arab countries concerned do not want to “Talibanize” Syria, and are thus making preparations for a transitional roadmap from “Afghanization” to a transitional government, elections and a new constitution. What matters most is for the new envoy not to seek to become the architect of international relations, but rather focus all efforts on Syria.
The accumulation of Russian demands from the United States within the framework of its position in Europe and the Middle East has perhaps led it to lose the important assets it once held. It stands today, in effect, in a confrontation with NATO and with the GCC. China may not wish to be party to such a confrontation, regardless of how much its relationship with Russia is one of strategic alliance. Indeed, such an alliance serves the interests of both countries as long as it is restricted to the Security Council. But China does not wish to take part in a new cold war that would fail in any case, in view of the nature of the alliance and the side with which it is held, in inflaming public opinion and armed Muslim extremism.
Today, as the Security Council became unconnected to the issue of Syria, China and Russia squandered their most important instrument for influencing diplomacy and the new regional order. So far, China has only been held accountable for its third veto to a small extent, because it has taken the backseat compared to Russia, and because it has not entered as a party on the field, supplying the regime in Damascus with weapons. It has tried to appear less biased towards the regime than Moscow and has clung to the principle that interfering in a country’s internal affairs is unacceptable.
The fact of the matter is that both China and Russia have used the Security Council to serve their own interests and within the formula of trade-offs between the two of them, not within the framework of the duties and responsibilities of countries that hold veto powers. Certainly, the history of the United States is rife with numerous example of similar conduct, but this does not spare one of responsibility, nor of being held to account.
One of the justifications for the stance taken by China – as well as Russia – is the fear that the rise of Islamists to power after the “Arab Awakening” would reflect on Muslim minorities inside China and on the five Muslim republics that surround Russia, alongside Chechnya. Yet the stances taken by both countries at the Security Council have crucially contributed to strengthening Islamic extremism, and have led to cold and lukewarm relations with the countries of the GCC – oil-rich countries with strategic locations.
Correcting one’s course is possible now through a bargain with the West and the Arabs, based on supporting moderation and heading off armed extremism. But once again, this is only possible through peaceful change in Damascus and starting a process of political transition from the current regime to a new one. China may wish for this in view of the situation on the field and within the framework of the regional and international balance of power. It is time for China to make a qualitative move on the chessboard, not by breaking off its strategic alliance with Russia, but rather by making use of its influence with Vladimir Putin to modify his stances, as well as by taking a determined stance with the regime in Damascus.
This would require of China, as well as Russia, to uproot their fear of the contagion of the “Arab Awakening” reaching their home soil – and this is no simple matter, unless they reach the conclusion that the contagion of Islamic extremism reaching their neighborhood represents an even worse outcome.
The Islamic Republic of Iran may also consider that it is in its best interests to reconsider its policies and its actions in Syria. Perhaps it too will reach the conclusion that hysteria is not a sensible policy and that the Iranian tradition is caution and wisdom. Perhaps it will decide that it would be better to block the path of Sunni extremism collectively through regional understandings with major powers in the Arab region, by which Tehran would put a stop to its policy of regional hegemony, remove itself from between the teeth of the siege and the isolating sanctions imposed on it, and take its natural place in the region in accordance with its size and its standing within its borders. There are encouraging indications of this, but they only represent a small step that has not yet dispelled doubts.
Anything else will lead to multiple wars in the region that would reach beyond Syria. Lebanon is exposed to the possibility of a military operation on Lebanese soil carried out by Israel to do away with Hezbollah’s infrastructure, if a war between the latter and Israel were to erupt. Tehran may not consider this to be in its best interests, and some implicit messages indicate a certain willingness to reconsider.
If on the other hand Tehran were to persist in its policies, as is the case with Russia, China and the regime in Damascus, then getting dragged into a destructive regional war is no unlikely matter. Today, there still looms on the horizon the hope of rectification, even if the time is at the eleventh hour, and before it is too late.

Briefing On the Designation of Hezbollah for Supporting the Syrian Regime
US Department Of State
Special Briefing
Daniel Benjamin
Coordinator, Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism
David Cohen, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
Via Teleconference
Washington, DC
August 10, 2012

MR. SULLIVAN: Hello, everyone. This is John Sullivan. I’m the spokesman over at the Treasury Department. Today we’re going to discuss the designation of Hezbollah for their support to the Assad regime in Syria. On the line today I have Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen from the Treasury Department as well as Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, the Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Department of State.This call will be on the record and there is no embargo for the information on this call. With that, I will turn it over to Under Secretary Cohen to begin, then we’ll move to Ambassador Benjamin, and then we will open it up for a question-and-answer session.

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: Thanks, John. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us on the call today. Today the Treasury Department designated the terrorist group Hezbollah for providing support to the Government of Syria. This action highlights Hezbollah’s activities within Syria as well as its integral role in the continued violence being carried out by the Assad regime against the Syrian population.

While today’s actions are focused on Hezbollah’s continuing support of the Syrian regime, it is certainly not the first time that Treasury or the United States has publicly exposed the violent acts of this terrorist organization. Hezbollah has been designated as a Global Terrorist by the United States since 1995 for a long history of terrorist attacks against American citizens and officials, including the bombing of the U.S. Embassy and Marine barracks in Lebanon during the 1980s.

Before al-Qaida’s attack on the U.S. on September 11, 2001, Hezbollah was responsible for killing more Americans in terrorist attacks than any other terrorist group. Hezbollah started out carrying out bombings and kidnappings in Lebanon but quickly expanded its violent campaign on to a global stage, carrying out and supporting terrorist attacks in South America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and various countries in the Middle East. More recently we have seen the group’s plotting disrupted in Azerbaijan, Egypt, Thailand, and Cyprus.

Hezbollah and its leader Hassan Nasrallah have for years painted their organization as a social and political party as well as a resistance movement; however, their activities and statements clearly paint a different picture. Hezbollah has consistently used terrorist operations to attack civilians. Hezbollah’s members have engaged in criminal behavior, including profiting from the narcotics money-laundering scheme of the Lebanese Canadian Bank, which we exposed last year.

And now Hezbollah is actively providing support to the Assad regime as it carries out its bloody campaign against the Syrian people. As the wave of revolt has spread across the Middle East, Hezbollah leadership has publicly supported some protests where it suited their needs, and in other cases, such as in Syria, it has actively supported the violent crackdown being carried out by the Syrian dictatorship.

For years the Assad regime provided safe haven to Hezbollah training camps and routed weapons and money, in many cases, from Iran to Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon. Hezbollah is now repaying its debt to Assad by providing training, advice, and extensive logistical support to the Government of Syria.

Since the start of the unrest in Syria in early 2011, Hezbollah has directly trained Syrian Government personnel inside Syria and has facilitated the training of Syrian forces by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qods Force. Hezbollah has also played a substantial role in efforts to expel Syrian opposition forces from areas within Syria.

We have previously taken a number of actions that have exposed Iran’s involvement in the Assad regime’s violent crackdown on the Syrian people, including by designating the IRGC Qods Force and its commander, Ghasem Soleimani, as well as Iran’s law enforcement forces and its Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

As the Assad regime continues to crack under international pressure and the continued success of the Syrian opposition, the Treasury Department and the entire U.S. Government will continue to work to expose the activities of Hezbollah and Iran and whoever else is responsible for assisting the Syrian regime in its campaign of violence against the Syrian population.

With that, I’ll turn it over to my colleague, Ambassador Daniel Benjamin from the State Department.

AMBASSADOR BENJAMIN: Thank you very much, David. Let me just pick up where David left off and talk a bit more about Hezbollah today. We are increasingly concerned about Hezbollah’s activities on a number of fronts, including their stepped-up terrorist campaign around the world, their members and supporters’ growing involvement in large-scale international criminal activity, and their critical and ongoing support for the Assad regime.

At a time when the international community is rallying in opposition to the Assad regime, Hezbollah remains one of the embattled regime’s few close partners. As this designation highlights, and as David Cohen has outlined, Hezbollah and their Iranian allies have been providing a range of critical support for the Assad regime, including training, advice, and logistical assistance as the regime continues its brutal crackdown against the Syrian people.

These continuing close ties in this time of crisis reflect the longstanding and deep relationship between Hezbollah and Syria. Hezbollah’s actions in Syria underscore its fears of a Syria without the Assad regime and the impact that this would have on the group’s capabilities and its strength over the long term.

As the designation notes, Hezbollah’s support has been coordinated with Iran’s IRGC Qods force. This is no surprise, given the close partnership between Hezbollah and Tehran, a relationship that was developed over several decades. Hezbollah and the Iranian leadership share a worldview and a strategic vision, and are seeking to exploit the current unrest in the region to their advantage. This approach has at times increased sectarian tensions and conflict throughout the region and it has served as a further destabilizing force in this time of great change.

Hezbollah’s activities in recent months have hardly been limited to Syria, however. And like Iran, Hezbollah has also engaged in a stepped-up terrorist campaign around the world. Earlier this year, Hezbollah was preparing to attack what we believe were Israeli tourists in Thailand, according to press reports. We assess that Hezbollah remains interested in attacks in Thailand, as it has a history of returning to locations where its previously attempted operations failed or were thwarted. The Hezbollah operative detained in Thailand, who was carrying a Swedish passport when arrested by Thai officials, reportedly provided officials the address of a warehouse located outside the city where Thai police seized several thousand kilograms of explosives and bomb-making material.

Hezbollah may also have been plotting attacks in other European countries. In January 2012, Bulgarian security services investigated an alleged Hezbollah plot to attack Israeli or Jewish interests in Bulgaria, according to press reports. Press reports on the arrest of a Hezbollah member in Cyprus in July 2012 suggest the group was preparing other attacks in Southern Europe. In Bulgaria, as you all know, a bus carrying Israeli tourists was attacked, killing five Israelis and the Bulgarian bus driver. And we are working to assess the facts and with our partners to discover who was responsible. And although the investigation continues, and we are not in a position to make a statement about responsibility, the attack does resemble Hezbollah’s plotting earlier this year.

Hezbollah maintains a presence in Europe, and its recent activities demonstrate that it is not constrained by concerns about collateral damage or political fallout that could result from conducting operations there. Our assessment is that Hezbollah and Iran will both continue to maintain a heightened level of terrorist activity in operations in the near future, and we assess that Hezbollah could attack in Europe or elsewhere at any time with little or no warning.

Hezbollah believes that there have been sustained Israeli and Western campaigns against the group and its primary backers, Iran and Syria, over the past several years. And this perception is likely – is unlikely to change, excuse me. Both remain determined to exact revenge against Israel and to respond forcefully to the Western-led pressure against Iran and Syria. This suggests that more acts of terrorism by both Hezbollah and Iran are likely, and that they will continue to pose a serious threat for the foreseeable future.

Hezbollah members and supporters have also been increasingly involved in criminal activity. The USG has uncovered a massive Hezbollah-related scheme to launder the proceeds of narcotic trafficking and other crimes through Lebanese financial institutions, as Under Secretary Cohen mentioned. And on December 15th of last year, the U.S. attorney filed a civil complaint seeking the forfeiture of over $480 million from several entities, including the Lebanese-Canadian bank, for their role in facilitating this scheme.

Let me just conclude by saying that we have been regularly speaking to our partners about Hezbollah in recent months, outlining for them the range of illicit and destabilizing activities that the group is involved in and encouraging them to take a broad series of steps to counter this threat.

Hezbollah’s actions in Syria which we are highlighting today are particularly egregious, extending and prolonging this deadly conflict and bringing further instability to this fragile part of the world. And we would urge other governments to follow the U.S. designation here today with similar action of their own, sending a strong message to Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran that the international community condemns their unacceptable behavior.

I should note that there will be another Administration action – I believe it’s already on the State Department website – later today, but we’re going to focus here on the Hezbollah designation, and I encourage you to contact State Public Affairs about that one.

And with that, why don’t we turn it over for question-and-answer?

MR. SULLIVAN: Yes, just to echo what Ambassador Benjamin just said, we’ll open it up for questions right now. The operator will give you instructions on how to do that. But please, again, this press call is about the designation of Hezbollah today for providing support to the Assad regime in Syria. Please limit your questions to that.

OPERATOR: If you would like to ask a question, please press *1. Be sure to un-mute your phone and record your name clearly when prompted. To withdraw your request, you may press *2. Once again, to ask a question, you may press *1 on your touchtone phone.

Our first question comes from Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy.

QUESTION: Thank you, gentlemen, for doing the call, and thank you for your service. I’d like to ask you: Since Hezbollah was already designated, and now we’re designating them for an additional reason, does that bring any additional punitive consequences to the group? Does it actually increase the pressure on them in any practical ways? If so, what are those ways?

And Ambassador Benjamin, you mentioned that you’re hoping other countries will follow suit. Do you have any indication that any of these countries, especially the EU, will follow suit and designate Hezbollah? Do we have any reason to believe that’s going to happen? Thank you.

AMBASSADOR BENJAMIN: Hi, Josh. I’ll take that one. It’s Dan Benjamin again. It’s always hard to predict if there’s going to be any near-term enforcement action on our own part, but I think that we have a responsibility – there’s been a lot of discussion about Hezbollah involvement in Syria. Here we have the U.S. Government going on the record and describing it, and I think that that is very important in its own right.

Additionally, we feel that there needs to be a broader discussion in the international community about the activities of this group. It has portrayed itself, as David Cohen said, as a political party, as a resistance group, so on and so forth. It certainly doesn’t look to us like it’s sympathizing with the people of Syria. We have many partners in the international community who share the revulsion about what is going on in Syria. We believe that if they are presented with this information – and we will, of course, be following up diplomatically – that they may want to take additional measures.

And over the long term, that will limit the amount of space that Hezbollah has to operate. It will put the group in a more difficult situation, and, I think, will make them think long and hard before they continue this campaign in which the Syrian people are being brutalized. So we do see very concrete benefits coming from this designation. Whether they will be in the area of financial sanctions or not remains to be seen, but in terms of casting a bright light on what the group is doing, I think that’s vitally important.

QUESTION: Okay. So there’s no actual additional punitive measures?

AMBASSADOR BENJAMIN: So, well – David.

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: Yeah. Josh, as I think you know, when we designate under any of our IEEPA authorities, including the executive order that we’re acting under today, the legal effect is that it freezes the assets of the party being designated and prohibits any U.S. person from transacting with the designee.

QUESTION: But they’re already frozen, right?

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: Josh, let me finish. The – Hezbollah has previously been designated. It is already a legal obligation for any U.S. person to freeze their assets and to refrain from any transactions with Hezbollah. But the purpose of our designations, whether it’s the Hezbollah action today or any of our other designations under our authorities, is not solely focused on the immediate financial impact, but as Ambassador Benjamin just expressed, to expose the activity of the party that is being designated for the conduct that has led to the designation.

And so the designation of Hezbollah today and the information that underlies that designation that is part of our release today serves the very, very important purpose of making clear to parties around the world – both domestically and internationally – the true nature of Hezbollah’s activities. So that is the purpose of today’s action.

QUESTION: Okay. Thank you.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Hisham Melhem of Al Arabiya.

MR. SULLIVAN: Go ahead, Hisham. Are you on the line?

QUESTION: Can you hear me?

MR. SULLIVAN: Yeah.

QUESTION: Okay.

OPERATOR: Go ahead and ask your question.

QUESTION: Okay. You said that Hezbollah also has played a substantial role in efforts to expel senior opposition forces from areas within Syria. Are you saying essentially that Hezbollah is in the field fighting with the Syrian Government forces against Syrian opposition forces on Syrian soil?

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: I think what we’re saying is what we put forth in the paper itself, that Hezbollah is actively working to expel those forces. It is providing operational support to the Syrian Government in Syria.

QUESTION: Do you know whether there were Hezbollah casualties? We’ve seen from reports in Lebanon that there are suspicions that there were Hezbollah casualties fell in Syria. Can you substantiate that?

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: I think we’ve seen those reports as well, but I don’t have anything to add to that.

QUESTION: Okay. Thanks.

OPERATOR: Our next question is from Emile Baroody of Al Mayadeen TV.

QUESTION: Yes. Thank you for doing this call. A very quick question. Is the U.S. Government considering similar sanctions on organizations or countries, encouraging also violence in Syria by providing weapons to other parties in Syria against U.S. policy on avoiding militarization of the Syrian conflict?

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: Well, we do not comment, as a rule, on any future designation actions we may be contemplating. But I will say that we – the action that we’re taking today is based on an executive order that permits us to impose sanctions on the Government of Syria and those supporting the Government of Syria. The executive order has been used today with respect to Hezbollah support to the Government of Syria in its violent crackdown. We’ve used it in the past, as I noted, to impose sanctions on a variety of Iranian entities and officials who have been supporting the Syrian Government’s crackdown. And we have – we will continue to look for appropriate targets under this executive order who are supporting the Government of Syria.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

OPERATOR: Our next question is from Eli Lake of Newsweek.

QUESTION: Hi. Thanks so much for doing this. So it’s really kind of three questions, but they’re quick. Can you provide any more detail on the kind of support – I know it’s sort of asked before – that Hezbollah is providing to Syria? And also, how do you avoid the problem of some European counterterrorism types say, which is that Hezbollah is so important in the Lebanese Government right now, so how do you target Hezbollah without ruining any U.S. diplomatic relations with Lebanon?

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: So I’ll take the first part of that and Ambassador Benjamin can take the second part. The – and the first part of it’s pretty easy, because I really can’t give you any greater detail than what we’ve put forward in the press release and in my statement this afternoon about the activities of Hezbollah in Syria. But as we note, it is a range of activity, including logistical support, operational support, to the Syrian Government in its violent crackdown.

AMBASSADOR BENJAMIN: Yeah. And as for the second part, our view is that the repression of the Assad regime is intolerable, that we believe that there is a very high priority in exposing the support that Hezbollah has given to that group. I think that there will be other commentators who might say that Hezbollah is in an embarrassed position in Lebanon because of this activity, and we have never shied away, I think, from telling the truth about Hezbollah and we weren’t going to now.

OPERATOR: Our next question is from Rick Gladstone of New York Times.

QUESTION: Hi, I also have two questions folded into one, which I’ll address to both of you. Thanks very much. How long have you known about what you say is Hezbollah’s logistical and operational support for the Assad regime and its repression? And why are you – why is it – why are you releasing this information now if you’ve known about it for a while? I guess my first question is how long have you known about it?

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: Well, I think those are actually the same question. Look, we take action when we have sufficient evidence to support the action that we’re taking. And as we note, Hezbollah has been providing this support to the Syrian Government really from the outset of the uprising, but I think it’s fair to say that the extent and degree of Hezbollah’s support has increased over time as the Syrian Government has also increased its violence against the Syrian people over time. But we are acting today because we have the facts and the – to support the action.

OPERATOR: Our next question is from Rachelle Younglai at Reuters.

QUESTION: Hi. Do you know whether Hezbollah still has any assets under U.S. jurisdiction? And if so, can you quantify them anyway?

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: I can’t comment on whether there are any Hezbollah assets under U.S. jurisdiction. As noted before, to the extent that they are here, they should have already been frozen, and anyone who has Hezbollah assets in their possession is required to report those to OFAC. But beyond that, I can’t comment.

OPERATOR: Our next question is from Brad Klapper of AP.

QUESTION: Yes, Dan, you said you hope that other countries would follow suit after looking at the information that you’ve laid out here. But you don’t really provide too much evidence; you just kind of lay out claims that we’ve heard before. The fact that they’re – you say they’re assisting or abetting or facilitating training, these aren’t new. Where is the evidence for this?

AMBASSADOR BENJAMIN: Well, first of all, what goes on in the discussions between governments may very well go beyond what is provided here to the public. That’s the first thing. The second thing is that the United States is standing by these charges. This is not a matter of idle speculation or press reports. This is based on a great deal of information gathering that we have done and we’ve synthesized and we’ve put it together in an authoritative document, and we believe that it will be taken seriously by many around the world.

OPERATOR: Our next question is from Margaret Brennan of CBS News.

QUESTION: Hi. Thanks for doing this. A follow-up on that. In terms of the description “facilitated training and directly training Syrian forces,” what does that actually mean? Are you seeing camps? Are you seeing, like, a regional concentration? Are you seeing a direct delivery of folks across the border? Can you give us some idea of what you’re actually seeing in terms of active engagement by Hezbollah in Syria?

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: Go ahead, Dan.

AMBASSADOR BENJAMIN: Well, I was just going to say, look, we’re obviously very sensitive here to issues of sources and methods and we’re not going to divulge anything that shouldn’t be divulged.

I think it’s safe to say that Hezbollah is playing a critical role in advising the Syrian Government and training its personnel in how to prosecute a counter insurgency. And so at this point, we’re just not going to have any more details on that to provide. But suffice it to say that we are satisfied by our assessment that the group is playing an absolutely integral role in helping the Assad regime try to put down this popular movement for a better day in Syria. And we find it reprehensible and think it ought to be discussed and showcased in public.

QUESTION: That sounds interchangeable with how Iran’s role has been described to us in the past, in terms of advising on cleanup tactics, that sort of thing.

AMBASSADOR BENJAMIN: Well, as we said at the outset, they share a world view and they’re both helping in critical ways, and they often coordinate their activities together as well. So I don’t think it actually should come as any surprise that we find Iran and Hezbollah doing a lot of the same things. I will say that I think that Hezbollah has an awful lot of experience in this kind of activity that surpasses what the Iranians have, and therefore the Iranians find them to be a very, very useful proxy force.

OPERATOR: Our next question is from Adam Entous of Wall Street Journal.

QUESTION: Yeah. Thank you very much. A question for both of you, maybe. Did Assad specifically ask Hezbollah to get involved? Is there any intelligence on that or whether the Iranians asked Hezbollah to jump in more so? We know that Hezbollah has had operational links with Syria for a long time, so how is actually this different from the involvement in the past? And is there any evidence to suggest that Hezbollah, in providing this assistance, is expecting anything in return? There’s been a lot of concern about Syrian WMD. I was hoping you guys could address those.

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: Well, I think your question sort of highlights what the answer is going to be. We can’t, obviously, talk about intelligence that may speak to whether Assad asked for Hezbollah to come in or not. But it is – it’s certainly true that there is a longstanding relationship between the Assad regime and Hezbollah. Hezbollah has benefitted greatly from its access to Syria for training camps and the like over the years, and as well as it being an important conduit for its support from Iran.

So the fact that you have Hezbollah providing the type of support that it’s providing now to the Syrian Government alongside the Qods Force and the law enforcement forces from Iran and the MOIS as well is no surprise really, given the combined interests that those entities have in trying to prop up the Assad regime. But who asked whom to jump in to the fight there against the people of Syria is something that I can’t comment on directly.

QUESTION: As for the pursuit of maybe WMD – and maybe you can address the issue – I mean, our reporting from the region is more that Hezbollah has been sort of holding back; they have a lot more capabilities that they could be providing and they seem to not be providing that. Maybe that’s a reflection of their domestic Lebanese ambitions, that they don’t want to get too entangled in neighboring Syria. Is that what you’re seeing here? I think the surprise of many is that Hezbollah is not doing more.

AMBASSADOR BENJAMIN: Doing more in the sense of providing WMD?

QUESTION: No. Sorry. Providing --

AMBASSADOR BENJAMIN: I’m not sure what your question --

QUESTION: Providing support to the Syrian Government. I mean, Hezbollah has – could do – could be much more involved than they have been.

AMBASSADOR BENJAMIN: I’m not sure we would necessarily agree with that assessment. They are deeply involved. And if you watch Hassan Nasrallah’s speeches of late, I don't think that they’re being coy about their support for Syria. And anything on the relationship between Hezbollah and Syria regarding WMD would be either speculative or entirely irresponsible, so I don't think we should go there.

OPERATOR: Our next question is from Karen DeYoung of Washington Post.

QUESTION: Hi. I pressed this a long time ago and wanted to ask what everybody else has asked, which is can’t you be more specific about this? Has it increased recently, or have you just gotten the specifics recently? Are people being trained in Lebanon or in Syria? Anything else you can tell us in terms of details?

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: So I think as you know, we’ve been asked this question. I think we have put out as much detail as we are able to put out with respect to Hezbollah’s activity in Syria. But I would urge you to look carefully at what’s in the material that we release today. I think it answers some of the questions you have there about where this activity is occurring and what the nature of the activity is.

QUESTION: Okay.

MR. SULLIVAN: We have time for one more question.

OPERATOR: Thank you. Our final question comes from Claudia Rosett of Forbes.com.

QUESTION: Thank you so much for this. I have two quick questions. One is: Who is underwriting the stepped up training that you’re describing. I mean, on the nitty-gritty level, who is paying for the coffee breaks and the lodging, et cetera? Is that Syria? Iran? Something else? And second, you mentioned that your assessment is Hezbollah could strike at any time in Europe or elsewhere. Does elsewhere include the continental United States? Thank you.

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: Why don’t I take the first and Ambassador Benjamin can take the second. Hezbollah has, for years, been supported financially to a lavish extent by the Iranians, and I think our assessment is the Iranians continue to provide substantial financial support to Hezbollah. That being said, I think it’s also the case that Hezbollah supplements its income through other activities including, as I noted, involvement in your garden variety criminal activity, including narcotics trafficking. And we, in the action we took about a year and a half ago now against the Lebanese Canadian Bank, noted the linkage between Hezbollah and the activity – the money-laundering activity that was central to that action.

So Hezbollah receives funding, and as I noted, from Iran to a very great extent but also is an organization that has demonstrated a willingness to engage in criminal activity to add to its coffers.

QUESTION: In other words, this is not coming out of Asma al-Assad’s pocket-money. This is being bankrolled by the Iranians, by Hezbollah itself. This is a gift to the regime of Assad.

UNDER SECRETARY COHEN: So I don’t – I can’t comment, like, specifically on the – this camp or that camp that Hezbollah has in Syria today on precisely where the money is coming from for those activities. But broadly speaking, Hezbollah’s financial support comes from Iran and from their own criminal activity.

AMBASSADOR BENJAMIN: And if I can just quickly answer the question about the geographical areas of Hezbollah operational activity, we have not detected any operational activity of the group in the United States. It’s certainly been the subject of law enforcement actions in the past for primarily fundraising and illicit activities relating to that, but we do not have any information on any operational targeting or anything like that in the U.S. But that said, it’s a very ambitious group with global reach. So why don’t I just leave it at that, and thank you for your time.

MR. SULLIVAN: All right, everyone. Thank you for your time today. That concludes our call.



PRN: 2012/1292


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