Lebanon

A secret 1983 CIA intelligence report suggested that the US should encourage Saddam Hussein to attack Syria to secure Iraq’s oil pipeline Hafez al-Assad had closed Iraq’s oil pipeline and as a result had a ‘hammerlock’ on US interests in both Lebanon and in the Gulf The report by ex- CIA official Graham Fuller, said that America should consider ‘urging Iraq to take the war to Syria’, noting that Saddam was ‘fighting for his life’ in the Iran-Iraq war.

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A top Israeli military leader issued a warning to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Wednesday, saying any future war between the two enemies will unleash “devastating” damage on Lebanon. Yahoo News reports: Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, Israel’s deputy chief of staff, told foreign journalists that Hezbollah has developed capabilities that present “unprecedented” threats to Israel. Israel estimates the group has over 100,000 rockets and missiles in its arsenal. Golan said any future war will be “much harsher” than anything experienced in the past 20 years.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon or avoid travelling there, amid deteriorating political ties between Riyadh and Beirut. On Tuesday they called on “all citizens not to travel to Lebanon, for their safety, and asking citizens residing in Lebanon or visiting not to stay unless extremely necessary.” The move on Tuesday came after Riyadh halted $4bn in aid to Lebanese security forces in response to “hostile” positions linked to the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah.

Two weeks ago, the IAF assassinated infamous Lebanese militant Samir Kuntar.

Kuntar was held by Israel for nearly three decades in connection with his role in a 1979 raid that killed four people including a four-year-old girl. He returned to Lebanon in 2008 in a prisoner swap with Hezbollah, which he subsequently joined.

To the Israelis, Kuntar is evil incarnate - the very embodiment of terrorism. For many in Iran and Lebanon, he’s something of a folk hero. Here he is with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah: