LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 18/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations
Everyone Who Sins is a Slave of Sin
John 08/31-37: "So Jesus said to those who believed in him, “If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples;  you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “We are the descendants of Abraham,” they answered, “and we have never been anybody's slaves. What do you mean, then, by saying, ‘You will be free’?” Jesus said to them, “I am telling you the truth: everyone who sins is a slave of sin.  A slave does not belong to a family permanently, but a son belongs there forever.  If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free.  I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are trying to kill me, because you will not accept my teaching!

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 17-18/17
Hariri's Future on Uncertain Path/Agence France Presse/Associated Press/Naharnet/November 17/17
The patriarch’s visit to Riyadh: Challenges and consequences/Fahad Suleiman Shoqiran/Al Arabiya/November 17/17
Lebanese Sunni politician warns of Arab sanctions over Hezbollah/Ellen Francis/Reuters/November 17/17
Saudi Arabia’s prince is doing damage control/By David Ignatius/The Washington Post/November 16/17
Israeli Military Chief Gives Unprecedented Interview to Saudi Media: 'Ready to Share Intel on Iran'/Amos Harel/Haaretz/November 17/17
The Usual Suspects and a New Method/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/November 17/17
How Houthis Control Yemen/How Houthis Control Yemen/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/November 17/17
From Journalist to Hostage/Sonia Kennebeck/The New York Times/November 17/17
Iranian Officials, Press: Trump Didn't Dare To Designate IRGC As Terror Organization/MEMRI/November 17/17
Germany: Spike in Stabbings/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/November 17/17

Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on November 17-18/17
Hariri Leaves Riyadh for Paris
Jubeir Says Hizbullah Holding Lebanon Hostage, Must 'Disarm'
Bassil Calls for 'Isolating Conspirators', Slams 'Political Attack' on Lebanon
Hariri's Future on Uncertain Path
Lavrov Warns against Foreign Interference in Lebanon
Can France's Macron Bring Lebanon Back from the Brink?
Mashnouq Says Elections on Time, Situation is Stable
Report: Lebanon Prepares for Arab League Meeting, Bassil 'Likely' to Head Delegation
Lebanon Developments Since Hariri's Resignation
Lebanon PM Hariri's Paris Trip: A Waystation, or Exile?
Al-Khalifa: Self-denial does not exist in Lebanese politics
Bassil Warns Turmoil Could Spark New Refugee Wave
Lebanon Prime Minister Hariri 'Caught in Regional Feuds'
The patriarch’s visit to Riyadh: Challenges and consequences
Lebanese Sunni politician warns of Arab sanctions over Hezbollah
Saudi Arabia’s prince is doing damage control

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 17-18/17
Iraq Forces Retake Last IS-Held Town in Country
Qatar Compares Saudi Behavior in Lebanon to Gulf Crisis
Iran Says 'Biased' French Policy Stoking Mideast Crises
Saudi Arabia issues protest note over German foreign minister’s comments
Sultan bin Suhaim: We are the founders of Qatar, we will cleanse it
Gargash: Arab consensus needed to confront Iran’s influence
China’s Xi offers support for Saudi Arabia amid regional uncertainty

Latest Lebanese Related News published on November 17-18/17
Hariri Leaves Riyadh for Paris
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 17/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri left Saudi Arabia for France late Friday, in a move aimed at defusing political turmoil sparked by his shock resignation in Riyadh. "To say that I am held up in Saudi Arabia and not allowed to leave the country is a lie. I am on the way to the airport Mr. Sigmar Gabriel," Hariri tweeted in English around midnight, addressing Germany's foreign minister. "PM Hariri held a very important and excellent meeting with the Saudi crown prince before leaving for Paris," LBCI television earlier quoted sources close to Hariri as saying. MTV also said that Hariri had finished an "important meeting" in Riyadh before heading to Paris. In a tweet earlier in the day, Hariri sought to dispel rumors about his stay in the kingdom. “My stay in the kingdom is for consultations on the future of Lebanon's situation and its ties with its Arab neighbors. Any claims to the contrary about my stay, departure or my family's situation are mere rumors,” Hariri tweeted. The Lebanese premier and his family are due to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Saturday after allegations from Hariri's political rivals back home that he was essentially being held hostage by the Saudi authorities. Macron said he will host Hariri with the honors due to a prime minister when they meet at noon on Saturday, seeing as "his resignation is yet to be accepted in his country.""He intends, I believe, to return to his country in the coming days or weeks," Macron added. The announcement of the visit came after Hariri, 47, met French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Riyadh Thursday, with Lebanon's former colonial power Paris hoping to ease a crisis that has driven up tensions between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia. Hariri, a dual Saudi citizen, has been in Riyadh since issuing a statement on television there on November 4 that he was stepping down because he feared for his life while also accusing Iran and its Lebanese ally Hizbullah of destabilizing his nation. The announcement -- which reportedly took even some of Hariri's closest aides by surprise -- and his subsequent failure to return home to officially quit in person, fueled claims that he was acting under orders from his Saudi backers. Riyadh has denied allegations he was being held against his will. Macron's office said the French leader would meet Hariri at noon on Saturday, with his family joining shortly afterwards for lunch.
'Start of a solution'
President Michel Aoun, a Hizbullah ally who had accused Saudi authorities of "detaining" Hariri and refused to accept his resignation from abroad, welcomed the news about the trip to Paris. "We hope that the crisis is over and Hariri's acceptance of the invitation to go to France is the start of a solution," he said Thursday on the official presidential Twitter account. "If Mr. Hariri speaks from France, I would consider that he speaks freely, but his resignation must be presented in Lebanon, and he will have to remain there until the formation of the new government," Aoun said later in a statement issued by his office. There is no indication what Hariri plans to do after visiting Macron, but the French leader had insisted he would then be free to return to Lebanon to either hand in or rethink his decision to quit. France's intervention was the latest in a string of European efforts to defuse the tensions over Lebanon, where divisions between Sunni Hariri's bloc and Shiite Hizbullah have long been part of the broader struggle between Riyadh and Tehran. Hariri -- whose father Rafik was also prime minister and was killed in a car bombing in 2005 -- became head of a shaky compromise government including Hizbullah last year. Hariri's resignation comes as temperatures have soared in the long-standing regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with Riyadh undergoing a major shake-up under ambitious Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The two powers are backing opposing sides in the protracted wars in Yemen and Syria -- entangling them in a complex web of proxy conflicts.

Jubeir Says Hizbullah Holding Lebanon Hostage, Must 'Disarm'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 17/17/Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Friday accused Hizbullah, which Riyadh blames for the shock resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, of holding Lebanon hostage and using its banks to launder money. Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in Madrid that the Iran-backed group was destabilizing Lebanon by maintaining its arsenal and fighters in the country. "You cannot have a militia with a military force that operates outside the scope of the government," he told reporters after talks with Spanish counterpart Alfonso Dastis. "We see Hizbullah hijacking the Lebanese banking system to launder money, we see Hizbullah hijacking Lebanese ports in order to smuggle drugs, we see Hizbullah engaging in terrorist activities and interfering in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen," he added. "Unless Hizbullah disarms and becomes a (solely) political party, Lebanon will be held hostage by Hizbullah and by extension Iran," he said.  "This is not acceptable to us and is not acceptable to the Lebanese," Jubeir added. Lebanon was plunged into uncertainty this month after Hariri's shock resignation, announced on television from Riyadh. Hariri said he was stepping down because of Hizbullah and Iran's "grip" over Lebanon. The resignation -- which caught even some of Hariri's closest advisers off guard -- comes at a time of mounting tension between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, which are backing opposing sides in conflicts in Syria and Yemen. His subsequent failure to return home to officially quit in person fueled claims that he was acting under orders from his Saudi patrons. But both Hariri and Riyadh have denied allegations he was being held against his will, with the Lebanese leader on Friday dismissing all speculation about his situation as "rumors.""We are supportive of Prime Minister Saad Hariri but we are against Hizbullah's takeover of Lebanon," Jubeir said. Hariri was expected to leave Saudi Arabia for France later Friday, a move aimed at defusing political turmoil sparked by his resignation.

Bassil Calls for 'Isolating Conspirators', Slams 'Political Attack' on Lebanon
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 17/17/Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil on Friday warned of the presence of Lebanese “conspirators” who are involved in the crisis of Prime Minister Saad Hariri's resignation, as he slammed what he called a “political attack on Lebanon's stability.”“There is an attempt to harm stability in Lebanon through the equation of confronting arms with arms, and there are attempts to block Lebanon's economic rise, which is something strategic for Israel,” said Bassil in a joint press conference in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. “Lebanon's stability is our top priority through enhancing national unity, and even if the Lebanese become obliged to isolate some conspirators in the domestic arena, we must continue the course that strengthens Lebanon and gives it strength, because the foreign attempts to undermine Lebanon will continue,” Bassil cautioned. As for Hariri's return home, the FM added: “Should PM Hariri return to Lebanon freely, we will be ending a chapter of this crisis and Lebanon will prove its sovereignty to the world.” Bassil warned that “the attacks on Lebanon's stability might take several forms.”“What we witnessed over the past days was a political attack, but it could take military, security, economic or financial forms,” he cautioned. During his meeting with Lavrov earlier in the day, Bassil warned of “an attempt to derail Lebanon off the positive track” and an “intimidation campaign aimed at frightening it and removing its elements of strength in the face of terrorism.”
In an interview with Russia's RT television, the minister noted that Hariri's resignation crisis was “part of an attempt to create chaos in the region.” “Lebanon's premier was chosen by the Lebanese. If he errs, the Lebanese should hold him accountable and if he does good, the Lebanese should honor him,” Bassil said.The minister noted that “Lebanon's stability is a prerequisite for Europe's continued stability,” cautioning that “harming Lebanon's security would have a direct impact on Europe.”“Lebanon possesses enough ability to respond should we be put in a self-defense position, and Lebanon reiterates once against that it does not accept anyone's interference in the kingdom's affairs,” Bassil added, referring to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He noted that “Lebanese figures are involved in the events,” adding that “this is what the future will reveal.”And ruling out a war in Lebanon, Bassil said Lebanon “paid a heavy price to establish diplomatic ties with Syria and will not abolish them.”“We know the limitations of the relation with Syria and we are preserving the minimum of relations to protect Lebanon's ineterest,” Bassil added. In response to a question, the minister also emphasized that Lebanon's Syrian refugee crisis “cannot be resolved without talking to the Syrian government.”

Hariri's Future on Uncertain Path مستقبل الحريري في مسار غيرمؤكد
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/Naharnet/November 17/17
Saad Hariri has seen a lot in his 47 years.
His father, Lebanon's charismatic leader and influential businessman Rafik Hariri, was assassinated in a 2005 bombing that rocked the country and thrust the young man into a political career before he was ready. He led a popular uprising that ended decades of Syrian military presence in Lebanon, and was later wanted by the government in Damascus for allegedly arming rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar Assad. He was ousted as prime minister by Lebanon's Iran-backed Hizbullah and its allies in 2011 while meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in the Oval Office; years later, he formed another unity government with the same group, which was implicated by a U.N.-backed tribunal in his father's assassination. But the most bizarre twist came two weeks ago, when he was summoned to Riyadh by his patrons, the Saudi royal family. The next day, on Nov. 4, he resigned in a broadcast on Saudi TV. The man who has played a balancing act for years in Lebanon's delicate, sectarian-based political system was cast onto an unknown path, as was his country. Hariri finds himself caught between the region's two feuding powers, the Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, raising questions about the fate of the dynasty that has been the face of politics for decades in Lebanon."In many ways, Saad is a copy of Rafik Hariri, with the difference in circumstances," said Paula Yacoubian, the Future TV anchor who interviewed Hariri on Sunday in his residence in Saudi Arabia, where many Lebanese believe he is being held against his will. His father was a self-made billionaire who amassed his construction fortune in Saudi Arabia and then helped rebuild a civil war-shattered Lebanon as prime minister. He was killed when his motorcade was struck by a truck bomb in Beirut on Feb. 14, 2005, and four Hizbullah members are being tried in absentia by a U.N.-backed court for the killing. The bombing immediately thrust Saad Hariri into the spotlight — and the political novice had to learn fast.
With an international business degree from Georgetown University, he moved into his new role, but the shadow of his father was always there. For years during meetings, he kept a large portrait of his father sitting on an empty chair next to his. A pin of his father still adorns the lapel of his suits. Like his father, he lives in fear of being assassinated, traveling around town in elaborate security convoys.
In his resignation speech from Riyadh, Hariri cited fears for his life as one reason for stepping down, in addition to blaming what he called meddling in the region by Iran and Hizbullah. The resignation caught Lebanon by surprise, and many believed that Hariri, a dual Lebanese-Saudi national, was coerced by the Saudis. President Michel Aoun refused to accept it until he returned home to Beirut. In Sunday's interview of Hariri on Future TV, which is affiliated with his party, Yacoubian spent more than an hour trying to dispel speculation of coercion. A sad and weary Hariri was emotional at times in the broadcast, appearing to hold back tears and sparking sympathy for him. But the interview did little to ease suspicions and only increased calls for his return. Yacoubian said later that Hariri clearly seemed to be under pressure as he finds himself in a tough spot. "Hariri is a kind man and politics sometimes needs foxes. ... He is a good man, that's what he is. Maybe in politics you shouldn't be that good," she said. The resignation, aiming to pressure coalition partner Hizbullah to stay out of regional affairs, instead has turned into a campaign for Hariri to return home and either formally resign or resume the job. "If Hariri were a savvier politician, he could have used different words; he could have refused to resign, or insisted on doing so from Beirut," wrote Lebanon expert Thanassis Cambanis in the Atlantic.
His resignation appears to have caused cracks within the family and the al-Mustaqbal Movement he heads, as rumors circulate about possible replacements.
In many ways, the soft-spoken Hariri has always been a stranger to Lebanon's intricate and sometimes violent politics. Despite his wealth and sudden political fame, he has stayed humble, and comes across as affable and warm. At lunches with journalists, he is relaxed, but guarded, often receiving his own separate healthy menu of grilled chicken and vegetables, before lighting a long cigar over coffee and dessert. On social media, he often posts smiling selfies with journalists and politicians. He ran in the annual Beirut Marathon and supported civil marriage, a popular cause stiffly rejected by conservative clergymen in Lebanon. "I'm one of the people," Hariri said in the interview, affectionately thanking them for calling for his return. "I'm my father's son."While he was always critical of Hizbullah and Iran, he has found a way to work with them. In 2009, a Saudi and Syrian rapprochement after years of tension from the elder Hariri's assassination made it possible for the son to form a unity government. As part of easing strains, Saad Hariri had to meet Assad, whom he had accused of involvement in his father's killing. Yacoubian, who has interviewed him five times, said it was the only other time besides Sunday that she detected he was tense. In his first term as prime minister, Hariri served for over a year, filled with political stress arising from investigations into his father's death, which at the time he blamed on the Syrian government. In January 2010, Hizbullah ministers and their allies toppled Hariri's government by resigning from the national unity Cabinet, rendering him a lame duck just as he met with Obama in Washington.
After the demonstrations against Assad turned into an armed rebellion, Syria issued a warrant for Hariri's arrest in December 2011 on charges of providing weapons to the Sunni rebels. For years, Hariri lived in self-imposed exile between Saudi Arabia and France, before he returned in 2016 to form a new unity government. In an article in The New York Times in September 2016, months before taking office, Hariri urged Iran to stop meddling in Arab affairs. His rhetoric against Iran and Hizbullah was not much different from his defiant words in the Nov. 4 resignation from Saudi Arabia.
"Iran can be part of the solution. But it must accept the extended Arab hand, led by Saudi Arabia, for normalized, neighborly relations, allowing Sunni Arabs to get down to the real task of getting rid of extremism," Hariri wrote. In December 2016, another tacit agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran made Hariri prime minister again in a coalition government that included Hizbullah. It was yet another uneasy partnership that seemed to teeter on the edge of collapse, particularly as Hizbullah became more assertive in the region. Still, in the days before he resigned, Hariri was enthusiastic about economic progress, tweeting and posting about parliamentary elections expected in the spring, and stressing the need for national unity above all else. Hariri's last meeting in Lebanon before he was summoned to Saudi Arabia was with an adviser to Iran's supreme leader. Speculation has been rife that the meeting was the reason for Riyadh's surprise summoning. In the interview with Yacoubian, Hariri said he told Ali Akbar Velayati to end Iran's meddling in Arab affairs. His comment prompted a back and forth with Velayati. What is clear is that Hariri got caught between the region's two feuding powers.
Hariri "wanted to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and we welcomed it," Velayati said.

Lavrov Warns against Foreign Interference in Lebanon
Associated Press/Naharnet/November 17/17ظRussia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned Friday against foreign interference in Lebanese affairs following Prime Minister Saad Hariri's resignation. At a meeting in Russia with his Lebanese counterpart Jebran Bassil, Lavrov said that "Russia invariably stands for supporting the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Lebanon."He added that the crisis should be settled internally in Lebanon, without foreign interference, and through dialogue.

Can France's Macron Bring Lebanon Back from the Brink?
Associated Press/Naharnet/November 17/17/French President Emmanuel Macron is trying on a new mantle: Mideast peacemaker. He's trying to defuse Lebanon's political crisis and preserve regional stability, by leveraging France's trade relations with rival players in the region and historical ties to its former protectorate.It's a risky gambit, but Macron may be better placed than anyone right now to succeed. Much will depend on what happens when Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri comes to France and meets Macron on Saturday. That's assuming Hariri is allowed to leave Saudi Arabia, where he may or may not be held against his will since a bizarre resignation attempt that stunned Lebanon. Macron says he invited Hariri and his family for a few days and wants him to return to Lebanon soon. While Macron insists that he's not offering "exile," Hariri's return could be complicated by Lebanon's internal tensions. Analysts say France, where Hariri frequently stays thanks to decades-old family ties here, could be a safe place to wait those out. The invitation is part of what's shaping up as a broader Macron strategy to reassert French influence in the region, while the U.S. under President Donald Trump is increasingly seen as unpredictable or disengaged. Macron's office said France's strategy is to talk to all powers in the region and not to appear as choosing a camp. That's especially important, and delicate, when it comes to Lebanon. Saudi Arabia is locked in a feud for influence in the region with its main rival, Iran — and both countries support opposite sides in Lebanon. Hariri announced his resignation from Saudi Arabia two weeks ago, citing concerns over meddling by Iran and its Lebanese ally Hizbullah in regional affairs. The resignation was seen as engineered by the Sunni Saudis and raised fears that it would drag Lebanon into the battle for regional supremacy. France, meanwhile, has centuries-old ties to Lebanon and "a duty of care vis-a-vis Lebanon that is a deeply ingrained part of French foreign policy," said Francois Heisbourg, chair of the International Institute of Strategic Studies.
Hosting Hariri in France "doesn't give any idea of a political solution to the problem" in Lebanon, Heisbourg said, but "there is some advantage in trying to calm down ... a country which abducts foreign prime ministers."Since taking office six months ago, Macron, a pro-European who advocates for the "benefits" of globalization, has sought to boost his international stature. France, with one of the world's biggest diplomatic networks, wants to use its influence as a veto-wielding U.N. Security Council member and a major European power.
After an unexpected stop in Riyadh to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Friday, Macron discussed Lebanon's crisis Wednesday with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and held a flurry of phone calls this week to set up Hariri's arrival.
Macron seems to want not only to cool panic in Lebanon but also to rein in Saudi anger at rivals in the Gulf. A French diplomat said France is using these exchanges to push Saudi interlocutors about not interfering in the affairs of other countries in the region. The official was speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to be publicly named according to government policy. At the same time, Macron is seeking to keep a good relationship with Iranian authorities. He plans to visit Iran at the beginning of next year. Macron's efforts recall then-President Jacques Chirac's shuttle diplomacy during the 2006 war between Hizbullah and Israel. Yet at the time, Chirac was perceived as favoring the Saudi-backed Hariri camp, said Denis Bauchard, former diplomat and Mideast expert at the French Institute for International Relations. Chirac was a close friend to Hariri's slain father, Rafik Hariri — and the Hariri family loaned its Parisian apartment for years to Chirac after he left the presidency in 2007. "Macron ... wants France to play the role of honest intermediary," Bauchard said. "France cannot substitute for the United States in the region. (Macron) doesn't have the intention or the means to do that, but he can try to play a role" of mediator, he said. France's diplomacy can also count on Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's personal relationship with the Saudi crown prince, from when both men served as defense ministers. Le Drian met Thursday with Hariri during a visit to Saudi Arabia. As usual with diplomatic forays, economic interests aren't far behind. A French diplomat said France is notably using trade "levers" in its talks with Iran and Saudi Arabia. French companies are resuming business in Iran and have multibillion-euro defense deals and economic ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf players. France and Saudi Arabia notably agreed in 2014 to provide the Lebanese army with $3 billion worth of weapons paid for by Riyadh. The unusual deal includes a stipulation for French trainers to be involved for 10 years — to ensure the weapons only go to the Lebanese military and not Hizbullah fighters.

Mashnouq Says Elections on Time, Situation is Stable
Naharnet/November 17/17/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq said the situation in Lebanon is “stable” despite the crisis that emerged after the resignation of PM Saad Hariri, and asserted that the parliamentary elections will be held right on schedule. “Clearly we are in a stable situation despite the crisis. PM Hariri will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday to open the door to greater stability,” Mashnouq told reporters after a meeting he held with President Michel Aoun at the Presidential Palace. Mashnouq hailed Aoun's “balanced political rhetoric” and the way he is managing the crisis. Hariri has been in Riyadh since announcing his shock resignation from there on November 4, and Aoun on Wednesday accused Saudi authorities of "detaining" the premier. Hariri has on Thursday accepted an invitation to Paris which Aoun said is the "start of a solution" to the crisis sparked by his resignation in Saudi Arabia. On a different note, Mashnouq stressed that the country's parliamentary elections scheduled on May, 2018 will be held on time “it is our obligation and a democratic duty which President Aoun has confirmed.”

Report: Lebanon Prepares for Arab League Meeting, Bassil 'Likely' to Head Delegation
Naharnet/November 17/17/Preparations for the Arab League foreign ministers meeting which will be held in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the "violations" of Iran in the Arab countries at the request of Saudi Arabia have accelerated, amid anticipations on what will Lebanon's position at the meeting be, media reports said Friday. Saudi Arabia's foreign Minsiter Adel al-Jubeir have said a message to Iran exclaiming the kingdom's anger over Iran's action saying “enough is enough.”Accusing Iran of “aggression” notably in Lebanon and Yemen, he said Iran “is acting hostile and we are reacting and saying enough is enough.”
Jubeir has also stressed the necessity to disarm Hizbullah “which is a branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards,” he said and that it should become a political party for the stability of Lebanon. Diplomatic sources told al-Joumhouria daily that the preparations of Lebanon's file and its delegation to the Cairo meeting had been completed before Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil began his European tour, and the it is “likely that Bassil will lead the delegation.”The sources said the complaint was mainly related to Saudi Arabia accusing Iran of supplying the Houthis in Yemen with ballistic missiles, one of which was launched from Yemen towards King Khalid bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Riyadh, and that Lebanon was not aware of any amendment of the complaint against any Lebanese group (Hizbullah). The sources concluded that "the final decision as for the composition of the delegation is expected when Bassil returns from his European tour, and that Lebanon will formulate a position in the conference in consultation with various parties.”In a press interview on Thursday, Jubeir strongly attacked Hizbullah saying there is global consensus labeling it a “terrorist group” as he voiced calls to disarm the party considering Hizbullah as the “root of Lebanon's crisis.”

Lebanon Developments Since Hariri's Resignation
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 17/17/A timeline of developments since the surprise resignation by Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri nearly two weeks ago, which has created uncertainty and claims of interference.
Shock resignation -Hariri announces from Saudi Arabia on November 4 that he is stepping down, citing Iran's "grip" on his country and threats to his life.
In a speech broadcast by the Al-Arabiya news network, he accuses Tehran of "creating a state within the state... to the extent that it gets the final say on how Lebanon's affairs are run". Iran rejects what it says are "unfounded accusations". On November 5 the head of Lebanon's Hizbullah movement, allied with Iran, claims Hariri's resignation was forced by Saudi Arabia."It is clear that the resignation was a Saudi decision that was imposed on Prime Minister Hariri," Hassan Nasrallah says in a televised address. The resignation coincides with a purge of more than 200 Saudi princes, ministers and businessmen.
A day after meeting Saudi King Salman, Hariri on November 7 visits Abu Dhabi where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan assures him of his country's support for Lebanon "in the face of regional challenges and interferences in its affairs".
Hariri 'detained': Hezbollah -Lebanese President Michel Aoun expresses concern at Hariri's fate. On November 10 Hizbullah's Nasrallah says in a televised speech that Hariri was "detained" by Saudi Arabia, which was "inciting Israel", the sworn enemy of his Shiite movement, "to strike Lebanon".
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warns countries against using Lebanon for "proxy conflicts".French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says Hariri is "free to move around".Hariri says 'free' -On November 12 Aoun criticises "the obscure circumstances in which... Hariri is staying in Riyadh". The same day, Hariri says in an exclusive interview from Riyadh with his party's Future TV that he is "free" and will return to Lebanon "very soon".
Maronite patriarch in Riyadh -On November 14 the head of Lebanon's Maronite church, Beshara Rai, meets Hariri and King Salman in Saudi Arabia.
"I am convinced by the reasons for his resignation," Rai says. "He will return to Lebanon as soon as possible".
- France steps up initiatives -French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe says Hariri must be able to return home from Saudi Arabia to end "a period of uncertainty".
President Emmanuel Macron, on a flying visit to Riyadh on November 9 to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reiterates his wish that "Hariri can go to Lebanon as he has announced".
- Hariri detained: president -On November 15 Aoun accuses Saudi Arabia of having "detained" Hariri. Hariri replies on Twitter: "I want to repeat and confirm: I am totally, totally fine and I'll come back, God willing, to beloved Lebanon like I promised you all."- Bound for France -The French president's office says Hariri and his family have been invited to France for a "few days" but that does not mean he will stay there in exile. On November 16 Le Drian says Hariri has accepted the invitation and later meets Hariri in Riyadh. Aoun says the visit to France is the "start of a solution" and that he is waiting for Hariri to return from France "to decide the next step with regards to the government".
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir says that Hariri is free to leave "when he pleases", becoming the highest ranking Saudi official to comment on the situation.

Lebanon PM Hariri's Paris Trip: A Waystation, or Exile?
Agence France Presse/November 17/17/An invitation to France may provide Lebanon's resigned prime minister Saad Hariri with a way out of Saudi Arabia, but it could also spell the end of his political career, experts say.
French President Emmanuel Macron appears to have come to Hariri's rescue with the invitation, which comes after great speculation about whether the premier was being detained in Saudi Arabia after his surprise resignation delivered there November 4. Lebanon's President Michel Aoun has even gone so far as to refer to the resigned prime minister as a "hostage" despite Hariri repeatedly denying claims of his detention. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Thursday that Hariri was free to leave Saudi "when he pleases", in the first statement by a high-ranking Saudi official on the issue.
Hariri's resignation was quickly perceived as the latest round in a tug of war between Saudi Arabia, his longtime sponsor, and its regional arch-rival Iran.
It has raised deep concerns about the stability of Lebanon, which has long been riven by disagreements between Hariri's bloc and that of his chief rival, the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. "Even if it doesn't resolve the base of the problem, the French offer... allows both the Saudi authorities and Saad Hariri to save face," Karim Bitar of the Paris-based Institute of International and Strategic Affairs, told AFP. The French-language daily L'Orient Le Jour said France had "achieved the unexpected by inviting Hariri" to leave Riyadh, where his family is also staying.
"The exit proposed by the French president... has lowered tensions a notch," the daily said on Thursday."A French way out," added the An Nahar daily, while Al-Akhbar newspaper, which is highly critical of Hariri, said in a front page headline "Aoun and Macron free the prime minister".
Exile, or just a layover? -While the invitation may have eased some of the tensions caused by the usual circumstances of Hariri's resignation, it has also raised questions about his future. Macron was quick to dismiss speculation that Hariri was going into "exile" in France, but there has also been no confirmation that Paris will simply be a waystation en route back to Lebanon. Hariri has for days insisted he is free to move and will soon return to Lebanon, but has shown little sign yet that he will be coming back soon.
"The fact that the Elysee was forced to deny that it would be an exile says a lot about the spy novel aspects of this exfiltration," said Bitar. "Paradoxically, it reinforces the suspicions of those who think that Saad Hariri is indeed a man under very intense pressure," he added. Amal Saad, a political science professor at the Lebanese University, said Hariri's trip to Paris could either signal the end of his political career and a period of exile, or a move to return to Lebanon to negotiate with his arch-rival Hezbollah."Its 50 percent, 50 percent, it could go either way," she told AFP.
The trip could indicate that "in exchange for his family's freedom and his own political freedom, he would have to resign from political life altogether," she said.
"On the other hand, is Paris going to be used as a stop only, then will he come to Beirut and negotiate some kind of deal with the president, with Hezbollah?"
In the only interview he has given since his resignation, Hariri said Sunday that he would only reverse his decision to step down if Hezbollah pledged to end its involvements in conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
'Impulsive' Saudi moves -Hariri's resignation has been largely seen as forced upon him by Saudi officials intent on protesting Iranian "domination" of Lebanon via their proxy Hezbollah. But the strategy may have backfired. "Saudi Arabia loses," read an Al-Akhbar headline on Thursday. According to Saad, the Saudi authorities have "stripped him (Hariri) of his power" but this has given him "another kind of power...popular legitimacy that he didn't formerly have".There has been a groundswell of support among many Lebanese for Hariri since his shock resignation from Riyadh. "This affair illustrates well the often counter-productive nature of their (Saudi) reactions," said Bitar. "Their desire to counter Iranian influence does not seem to be accompanied by any clear and thoughtful strategy," he added, underlining the "impulsiveness" of Saudi leaders. In Lebanon, the crisis has proved shocking even to a population virtually innured to such things. "It's not conventional politics anymore," said Saad, referring to the situation as "unprecedented". Aoun repeated Thursday that he was waiting for Hariri's return to the country before deciding whether to accept his resignation. But "the institutional crisis could last much longer in the absence of a return to a modus vivendi between the Iranians and the Saudis," said Bitar.

Al-Khalifa: Self-denial does not exist in Lebanese politics
Al Arabiya English/17 November 2017/Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa warned that “self-denial” does not exist in Lebanese politics in Tweet on Friday. Minister al-Khalifa tweeted that Lebanon’s talk about its commitment to the policy is mere media talk.
“In Lebanese politics "self-denial" does not exist and is nothing more than media talk," he said in his official Twitter account. “The terrorist who fights abroad, trains and arms them in our countries is the same one who sits on the chairs of the government and controls the decisions and policies of the Lebanese state," he said in reference to Hezbollah. He stressed that "whoever is pointing fingers claiming that countries that support the stability of Lebanon are responsible for detaining and kidnapping are the ones who sit with the kidnapped and detained as well as the master of terrorists who he shares a government with." In reference statements made by Lebanese President Michel Aoun who claimed that Saad al-Hariri was detained in Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Khalid also pointed out that "those who attend the Cairo meeting and do not see the imminent threat from Iran and its followers, which aims to spread sectarianism, divisions and the overthrow of states, is blind or in denial which is dangerous and unjustified."Bahrain said on Wednesday it had arrested one of the perpetrators of the terrorist attack on a police bus last month. Bahraini authorities revealed that those involved in the attack are linked to a terrorist cell belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Authorities in Manama also confirmed that a number of wanted terrorists were in Iran. Meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Thursday that the Kingdom has had enough of Iran's hostile actions in the region. He said that Saudi Arabia was responding to Iran's "hostile" behavior in Lebanon and Yemen. "The way I look at the matter, I found that the Iranians are acting in a hostile way," he said.

Bassil Warns Turmoil Could Spark New Refugee Wave
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/Naharnet/November 17/17/Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil warned that political turmoil in Lebanon sparked by the crisis involving Saudi Arabia could impact Europe by creating new waves of refugees. Bassil spoke while in Berlin Thursday as part of a European tour to rally support following the November 4 shock resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, while in Riyadh. The move has sparked speculation Hariri is being detained by his long-time sponsor Saudi Arabia amid its bitter standoff with regional rival Iran, heightening fears about instability and conflict in Lebanon.
Bassil, speaking in a joint press conference with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel, warned that the destabilization of Lebanon would have "direct consequences" for Europe. Syrian and other refugees as well as Lebanese citizens "would be plunged into a more fragile situation, which may lead them to turn to Europe, to seek the path to Europe," he said, according to the German translation. This could "cause a wider destabilization, just as happened in Syria, which also impacted Germany and Europe," Bassil said. Gabriel, whose country has taken in over one million mostly Middle Eastern and African asylum seekers since 2015, stressed that Lebanon had assumed "an incredible burden" by hosting some 1.5 million refugees.Hariri's resignation has been widely seen as forced upon him by Saudi officials intent on protesting Iranian "domination" of Lebanon via their proxy Hizbullah, which also supports Saudi Arabia's foes in Syria. Hariri has insisted he is free to move and will soon return to Lebanon, but has shown little sign yet that he will be coming back soon. French President Emmanuel Macron has invited him to Paris, and Saudi Arabia has insisted Hariri is free to go.Gabriel said he shared the concern about the threat of instability and bloodshed in Lebanon and, without mentioning Saudi Arabia directly, warned against the "adventurism" behind the Lebanon crisis and the "human tragedy in Yemen".

Lebanon Prime Minister Hariri 'Caught in Regional Feuds'
Associated Press/Naharnet/November 17/17/Saad Hariri has seen a lot in his 47 years. His father, Lebanon's charismatic leader and influential businessman Rafik Hariri, was assassinated in a 2005 bombing that rocked the country and thrust the young man into a political career before he was ready. He led an uprising that ended decades of Syrian military presence in Lebanon, and was later wanted by the government in Damascus for arming rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar Assad. He was ousted as prime minister by Hizbullah in 2011 while meeting with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office; years later, he formed another unity government with the same group, which was implicated in his father's death. But the most bizarre twist came two weeks ago, when he was summoned to Riyadh by his patrons, the Saudi royal family. The next day, on Nov. 4, he resigned in a broadcast on Saudi TV. The man who has played a balancing act for years in Lebanon's delicate, sectarian-based political system was cast onto an unknown path, as was his country. Hariri finds himself caught between the region's two feuding powers, the Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, raising questions about the fate of the dynasty that has been the face of politics for decades in Lebanon. "In many ways, Saad is a copy of Rafik Hariri, with the difference in circumstances," said Paula Yacoubian, the Future TV anchor who interviewed Hariri on Sunday in his residence in Saudi Arabia, where many Lebanese believe he is being held against his will. His father was a self-made billionaire who amassed his construction fortune in Saudi Arabia and then helped rebuild a civil war-shattered Lebanon as prime minister. He was killed when his motorcade was struck by a truck bomb in Beirut on Feb. 14, 2005, and four Hizbullah members are being tried in absentia by a U.N.-backed court for the killing. The bombing immediately thrust Saad Hariri into the spotlight — and the political novice had to learn fast.
With an international business degree from Georgetown University, he moved into his new role, but the shadow of his father was always there. For years during meetings, he kept a large portrait of his father sitting on an empty chair next to his. A pin of his father still adorns the lapel of his suits.
Like his father, he lives in fear of being assassinated, traveling around town in elaborate security convoys. In his resignation speech from Riyadh, Hariri cited fears for his life as one reason for stepping down, in addition to blaming what he called meddling in the region by Iran and Hizbullah. The resignation caught Lebanon by surprise, and many believed that Hariri, a dual Lebanese-Saudi national, was coerced by the Saudis. Lebanese President Michel Aoun refused to accept it until he returned home to Beirut.In Sunday's interview of Hariri on Future TV, which is affiliated with his party, Yacoubian spent more than an hour trying to dispel speculation of coercion.
A sad and weary Hariri was emotional at times in the broadcast, appearing to hold back tears and sparking sympathy for him. But the interview did little to ease suspicions and only increased calls for his return. Yacoubian said later that Hariri clearly seemed to be under pressure as he finds himself in a tough spot.
"Hariri is a kind man and politics sometimes needs foxes. ... He is a good man, that's what he is. Maybe in politics you shouldn't be that good," she said.
The resignation, aiming to pressure coalition partner Hizbullah to stay out of regional affairs, instead has turned into a campaign for Hariri to return home and either formally resign or resume the job. "If Hariri were a savvier politician, he could have used different words; he could have refused to resign, or insisted on doing so from Beirut," wrote Lebanon expert Thanassis Cambanis in the Atlantic. His resignation appears to have caused cracks within the family and the Future Movement he heads, as rumors circulate about possible replacements.
In many ways, the soft-spoken Hariri has always been a stranger to Lebanon's intricate and sometimes violent politics. Despite his wealth and sudden political fame, he has stayed humble, and comes across as affable and warm. At lunches with journalists, he is relaxed, but guarded, often receiving his own separate healthy menu of grilled chicken and vegetables, before lighting a long cigar over coffee and dessert. On social media, he often posts smiling selfies with journalists and politicians. He ran in the annual Beirut Marathon and supported civil marriage, a popular cause stiffly rejected by conservative clergymen in Lebanon. "I'm one of the people," Hariri said in the interview, affectionately thanking them for calling for his return. "I'm my father's son."
While he was always critical of Hizbullah and Iran, he has found a way to work with them. In 2009, a Saudi and Syrian rapprochement after years of tension from the elder Hariri's assassination made it possible for the son to form a unity government. As part of easing strains, Saad Hariri had to meet Assad, whom he had accused of involvement in his father's killing. Yacoubian, who has interviewed him five times, said it was the only other time besides Sunday that she detected he was tense. In his first term as prime minister, Hariri served for over a year, filled with political stress arising from investigations into his father's death, which at the time he blamed on the Syrian government.
In January 2010, Hizbullah ministers and their allies toppled Hariri's government by resigning from the national unity Cabinet, rendering him a lame duck just as he met with Obama in Washington.
After the demonstrations against Assad turned into an armed rebellion, Syria issued a warrant for Hariri's arrest in December 2011 on charges of providing weapons to the Sunni rebels. For years, Hariri lived in self-imposed exile between Saudi Arabia and France, before he returned in 2016 to form a new unity government. In an article in The New York Times in September 2016, months before taking office, Hariri urged Iran to stop meddling in Arab affairs. His rhetoric against Iran and Hizbullah was not much different from his defiant words in the Nov. 4 resignation from Saudi Arabia.
"Iran can be part of the solution. But it must accept the extended Arab hand, led by Saudi Arabia, for normalized, neighborly relations, allowing Sunni Arabs to get down to the real task of getting rid of extremism," Hariri wrote.
In December 2016, another tacit agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran made Hariri prime minister again in a coalition government that included Hizbullah. It was yet another uneasy partnership that seemed to teeter on the edge of collapse, particularly as Hizbullah became more assertive in the region.
Still, in the days before he resigned, Hariri was enthusiastic about economic progress, tweeting and posting about parliamentary elections expected in the spring, and stressing the need for national unity above all else.
Hariri's last meeting in Lebanon before he was summoned to Saudi Arabia was with an adviser to Iran's supreme leader. Speculation has been rife that the meeting was the reason for Riyadh's surprise summoning. In the interview with Yacoubian, Hariri said he told Ali Akbar Velayati to end Iran's meddling in Arab affairs. His comment prompted a back and forth with Velayati. What is clear is that Hariri got caught between the region's two feuding powers.
Hariri "wanted to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and we welcomed it," Velayati said.

The patriarch’s visit to Riyadh: Challenges and consequences
Fahad Suleiman Shoqiran/Al Arabiya/November 17/17
Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai made a historic visit to Riyadh following an invitation by King Salman. The visit came amid the dangerous circumstances Lebanon is going through.
There have been dangerous developments that harm the essence of state institutions as Saad Hariri’s resignation has revealed political weakness in the country. Hariri and his party form the liberal, civil and modern movement within the Lebanese society while other parties compete over serving their interests and raise slogans of socialism or extremist radicalism.
Hariri and Samir Geagea are among those few politicians who defend civil values based on conviction, protect the republic’s bases and defend the state as the entity that guarantees others’ freedom.
The patriarch’s visit comes amid Iran’s arrogant belief that Lebanon is now under its control and that Hezbollah, which has the lion’s share of politics, geography and weapons, is the country’s real governor regardless of other figures’ political influence.
There is noticeable tension between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. This may have economic, social and political repercussions. Despite Saudi Arabia’s serious initiatives and efforts to bring back Lebanon into the Arab fold – considering it’s a founding member of the Arab League – it’s not possible to comprehend its transformation into an arena for Iranian military and political operations.
Arab Christians have always had a real partnership with Muslims, and they’ve contributed to developing sciences, philosophy and language
Tough settlements
Saudi Arabia has also accepted difficult settlements like the Syrian-Saudi initiative, which late King Abdullah made. This is in addition to Hariri’s settlement with the Free Patriotic Movement and which led to election of a president. However, when the state is weak and fragile, an alternative is automatically prepared.
The state’s alternative is usually gathering gangs or mafia networks or extremist radical parties. Lebanese politicians could not understand the Saudi desire of wanting Lebanon to return to Arab institutions for two reasons. The first one is the true affiliation to Iran’s axis; thus the faith that this “resistant” axis will win, as they claim, in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
Betting on this axis is thus safer. The second reason is fears that the party with arms in Lebanon will target politicians who operate within the Arab project which Saudi Arabia represents. The price for having a different opinion will thus be expensive. This is how the state gets paralyzed – unless a man with a loud voice and esteemed status finalizes the debate and controversy.
Saudi Arabia has protected the diversity of sects in Lebanon for over 50 years now. The patriarch’s visit is the first of its kind but there have been multiple diplomatic meetings between Bkirki and Riyadh through envoys and ministers which the king dispatched. What’s interesting this time is that the visit came upon a royal invitation.
There is a history of partnership and communication between Bkriki and Riyadh. Let’s recall the historic cooperation between Saudi Arabia and former Maronite Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir who played a huge role in protecting Lebanon from foreign interferences, whether the Syrian or Iranian ones, and who was a falcon of the Cedar Revolution and a symbol of the Lebanese civil state.
Injustice and tyranny
Patriarch Rai is expected to help the Lebanese people win against injustice and tyranny. His voice heard in the society and among politicians can contribute to serious discussions about Iranian interferences, the fate of Hezbollah’s arms, the duration of Hezbollah’s interferences in the Syrian war and its sponsorship of terrorism in Yemen and violation of countries’ sovereignty.
This is a difficult task for the patriarch especially that he has never engaged in a frank discussion with Hezbollah. However, if we take a deeper look into his recent statements, we’d sense some balance which work can be based on to address the difficult problems Lebanon is suffering from.
Arab Christians have always had a real partnership with Muslims, and they’ve contributed to developing sciences, philosophy, ideas and language. This was before talks of extremism and bloodshed emerged.
In his book Christianity in the Arab World, Al-Hassan bin Talal writes: “When divisions happened between the churches of Constantinople and Rome, the churches in Sham and Iraq were under Islamic rule for almost four centuries. Only the Roman Orthodox and Catholic Christians in Egypt and Sham remained in support of Byzantium and they remained linked to it in politics and religion, just like they were before. However Copts and Jacobites and Nestorians in Iraq saw Byzantium as a source of oppression. Therefore, they saw in Islamic rule salvation from Byzantium’s injustice. They showed their willingness to cooperate with the Islamic rule from the start. Some say that Maronites were among the Christians who welcomed Islamic rule instead of Byzantium’s rule in Sham.”
There are major disputes between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon and they can be resolved among wise men through dialogue, discussion and practical measures to impose the state’s power. This facilitates cooperation. Without that, however, deteriorating relations may go as far as resulting in regret and sorrow.
As Al-Mutanabbi put it:
There is a long-standing friendship between us
Wish you gave it what it deserves
Abiding loyalty is a sacred trust
For those who honor a pledge
How often you try to find fault with me, yet to no avail
Your attempts are unbecoming
In the eyes of both God and the noble-hearted

Lebanese Sunni politician warns of Arab sanctions over Hezbollah
Ellen Francis/Reuters/November 17/17
Lebanon could face economic sanctions from Arab countries or worse if Hezbollah does not stop meddling in regional conflicts, a Lebanese Sunni politician said on Friday. Former Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi, who rose to prominence with vocal opposition to Shi‘ite Hezbollah, is closely aligned to the Saudi position in Lebanon and more hawkish than long-established Sunni leaders. “We can expect economic repercussions. At the political level too, at the level of our Lebanese-Arab relations. And it’s open to all the possibilities, unfortunately,” he said. His comments to Reuters echo recent statements by Saad al-Hariri, who quit abruptly as Lebanese prime minister in a broadcast from Saudi Arabia two weeks ago. The shock resignation thrust Lebanon into a regional rivalry between Riyadh and its allies against an Iranian bloc, which includes the Hezbollah militant group and political party. Rifi said he has been in touch with Saudi officials recently over Lebanon’s crisis and is familiar with Riyadh’s thinking.
A political rival of Hariri, Rifi defeated a Hariri-backed list in local elections in the mostly Sunni city of Tripoli last year, though he lacks the premier’s country-wide standing. “Today, Lebanese officials have a big responsibility. All the Lebanese officials have to be careful about good relations with the Arab world,” Rifi told Reuters. “There is no more leniency towards Hezbollah...using its illegitimate arsenal” in Middle East conflicts. Lebanon’s heavily armed Hezbollah, a part of the political fabric, wields great influence in the country. It also has sent thousands of fighters into Syria to battle alongside the Damascus government against mostly Sunni rebels and militants. Lebanese politicians and bankers have said they fear Saudi Arabia corralling Arab allies to economically blockade Lebanon as they did with Qatar. “Lebanon cannot live without the Arab countries,” Rifi said. “We know how many Lebanese work in Saudi Arabia or in the Gulf and how much revenue they bring...to the Lebanese economy.” Up to 400,000 Lebanese work in the Gulf, and remittances flowing into the country are a vital source of cash to keep its economy afloat and the heavily-indebted government functioning. Political sources have said that potential sanctions include a ban on flights, visas, exports and transfer of remittances.
LINE IN THE SAND
Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have now drawn a line in the sand, Rifi said. “That there is no place for (Hezbollah) in (Lebanon‘s) future government, if it keeps choosing to be a security and military arm for Iran.”The Lebanese state will have to distance itself in “a real and practical” way from regional wars “so that we don’t bear the repercussions of Hezbollah’s acts,” he added.In his resignation speech, Hariri said he feared assassination, railing against Iran and Hezbollah. A Sunni Muslim leader and long-time Saudi ally, Hariri has yet to return to Beirut. In his public comments after quitting, Hariri warned of possible Arab sanctions and a danger to the livelihoods of Lebanese in the Gulf. Hezbollah must stop intervening in regional conflicts, particularly Yemen, he said. Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun has called Hariri a Saudi hostage, refusing to accept his resignation unless he returns to Beirut, and stressing that the government still stands. Saudi Arabia and Hariri say he is a free man. Hariri became prime minister last year in a power-sharing deal that made Aoun, a Hezbollah political ally, president and his coalition government includes Hezbollah. Rifi criticized Aoun’s stance, as well as other Lebanese accusations that Riyadh forced Hariri to quit, as “surprising and unprecedented.” He considered Hariri’s resignation constitutional and said Lebanon would have to form a new, “more balanced” government in the near future. Rifi, a former police chief, resigned as justice minister in 2016 in protest at what he described as Hezbollah’s dominant role. He had also heaped criticism on Hariri for nominating another Hezbollah ally to fill the vacant presidency. “From the moment the prime minister uttered his desire to quit, the government became a resigned one,” he said.
**Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Saudi Arabia’s prince is doing damage control
By David Ignatius/The Washington Post/November 16/17
Nearly two weeks after the double political explosion that rocked Riyadh, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appears to be doing damage control in ways that may help stabilize Saudi Arabia and the region.
The first bombshell in the Saudi capital was the Nov. 4 arrests on corruption charges of 201 prominent Saudis, including princes and government ministers. Now MBS, as the 32-year-old crown prince is known, is beginning a resolution process that may settle many of these cases out of court.
A senior Saudi official told me Thursday that the kingdom’s anti-corruption commission would follow the standard “plea-bargain process” that is “usually conducted by the public prosecutor prior to transferring a case to the relevant court.” The commission’s overall aim, he said, was to “send a strong message” that corruption won’t be allowed, “irrespective of rank or status.”
The crackdown may have consolidated support for MBS among younger Saudis who resent older, wealthy princes and palace insiders. But his power play risked a backlash within the royal family because it violated the kingdom’s traditional consensual politics. Resolution of corruption cases out of court may dampen such high-level dissension.
The second Nov. 4 explosion was Saad Hariri’s announcement from Riyadh that he was quitting as Lebanon’s prime minister. Hariri’s resignation, which Lebanese sources told me came under pressure from MBS, risked causing instability in Lebanon that would have enhanced Hezbollah’s power there, the opposite of what the Saudis wanted. On Thursday, the Saudis agreed to allow Hariri to travel to France; Lebanese sources said he will then return to Lebanon.
Global Opinions Editor Karen Attiah advises President Trump to stop tweeting endorsements of Saudi Arabia's unpredictable crown prince. (Gillian Brockell, Kate Woodsome/The Washington Post)
The Hariri episode appears to have convinced Washington and Riyadh that their interests are better served by stability in Lebanon than instability, even though that approach requires some cooperation with Hezbollah, the dominant political faction. A Saudi official told me that the kingdom plans to work with the United States to support Lebanese institutions, such as the army, that can gradually reduce the power of Hezbollah and its patron, Iran. MBS seems to have recognized that combating Hezbollah is a long game, not a short one.
Hariri’s resignation and seeming house arrest made him a hero in Lebanon and a symbol of the country’s yearning for sovereignty. This may give him some new leverage when he returns to Beirut. Lebanese sources told me Thursday that Hariri’s supporters may urge Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters from Yemen as a gesture of solidarity. Hariri will also campaign anew for international support for Lebanon’s economy and military.
MBS’s sweeping arrests sent shock waves through the kingdom and the region and surprised even some Saudis who are close to the crown prince. But the warning signals were there: King Salman said back on March 10, 2015, in his first major speech after taking the throne, that he had “directed the government to review its processes to help eradicate corruption,” according to a Reuters report at the time.
MBS had a reputation as a freewheeling businessman himself before joining the royal court. But he underlined the anti-corruption theme in a May 2017 interview with Al Arabiya television: “If fighting corruption is not on the top of the agenda, it means the [king’s] fight is not succeeding. . . . I reiterate that anyone who is involved in corruption will not be spared.”
As examples of the corrupt deals that led to the Nov. 4 arrests, a senior Saudi official cited a land purchase in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the government paid roughly double the market price, to provide a big kickback to a prominent official. Another instance was the purchase by the Ministry of Education of vastly overpriced airline tickets for the hundreds of thousands of Saudis studying abroad, with payoffs for officials.
Corruption has been so endemic in Saudi Arabia that many observers assumed it was part of how the House of Saud governed. After first visiting the kingdom in 1981, I wrote a series of articles for the Wall Street Journal about how payoffs were undermining the defense and oil sectors. In subsequent decades, the shakedowns became less visible but corruption continued.
MBS’s purge looked to many outsiders like a high-risk political move. But a senior prince cautioned me the country isn’t as fragile as it may look. One of MBS’s key backers put it this way: “Corruption can’t keep the country stable. Having a corruption-free country will keep us stable.”
That’s a worthy ambition, but as MBS detonates his bombs, he must avoid blowing himself up.
**David Ignatius writes a twice-a-week foreign affairs column and contributes to the PostPartisan blog. Follow @ignatiuspost

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 17-18/17
Iraq Forces Retake Last IS-Held Town in Country
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 17/17/The Iraqi army retook the last town in the country still held by the Islamic State group on Friday as the jihadists' self-proclaimed "caliphate" faced collapse on both sides of the border with Syria. The lightning recapture of the small Euphrates valley town of Rawa in an offensive launched at dawn came as the jihadists were also under attack for a second day in the last town they still hold in Syria, Albu Kamal just over the frontier. The Islamic State group (IS) has lost 95 percent of the cross-border "caliphate" it declared in Iraq and Syria in 2014, the U.S.-led coalition fighting it said on Wednesday. Its losses include all of its major bastions, virtually confining it to pockets of countryside.Government troops and paramilitary units "liberated the whole of Rawa and raised the Iraqi flag on all of its official buildings," General Abdelamir Yarallah of Iraq's Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed the town's "liberation in record time" and said troops would now "conduct search operations in the desert to secure the border with Syria." "Militarily, IS has been defeated but we are going to hunt down its remnants to eradicate its presence," said JOC spokesman General Yahya Rassoul. Iraqi IS specialist Hisham al-Hashemi said that after their loss of Rawa, the jihadists no longer exercised any real military or administrative power. "What has been liberated are the populated areas with demarcated boundaries," Hashemi said.
"But the seasonal river valleys, the oases, the empty expanses of desert which make up around four percent of Iraqi territory are still in the hands of IS." Rawa was bypassed in an offensive by the Iraqi army that resulted in the recapture of the strategically important border town of Al-Qaim earlier this month. The stretch of Euphrates valley abutting the border with Syria has long been a bastion of Sunni Arab insurgency, first against U.S.-led troops after the invasion of 2003 and then against the Shiite-led government in Baghdad. The porous frontier became a magnet for foreign fighters entering Iraq from Syria, which Baghdad accused of turning a blind eye, and a key smuggling route for arms and illicit goods. U.S.-led troops carried out repeated operations with code names like Matador and Steel Curtain in 2005 to flush out al-Qaida jihadists.
The region swiftly fell to IS when its fighters swept through the Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad in 2014 before proclaiming its "caliphate."
'Days now numbered'
The jihadists once controlled a territory the size of Britain but they have successively lost all their key strongholds, including Raqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq. "The days of the fake caliphate are now numbered," the U.S. envoy to the coalition Brett McGurk tweeted on Friday. Over the border in Syria, IS still holds around 25 percent of the countryside of Deir Ezzor province but is under attack not only by government forces but also by U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters. In the border town of Albu Kamal, the Syrian army was battling IS fighters who mounted a surprise counterattack last week, pushing out government forces who had retaken it last month. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, said the new army offensive had successfully penetrated the town, with troops backed by Russian air strikes advancing from the west, east and south.
With the jihadists' dreams of statehood lying in tatters following the battlefield defeats, Western attention is increasingly pivoting to trying to block foreign fighters from returning home to carry out attacks.

Qatar Compares Saudi Behavior in Lebanon to Gulf Crisis
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 17/17/Qatar's foreign minister on Friday compared Saudi Arabia's political maneuvers in Lebanon to its boycott of his country, and accused Riyadh of a dangerous escalation. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, in Washington to push the Gulf emirate's case in its diplomatic stand-off with the kingdom and its allies, said Saudi Arabia has triggered crises across the region. He insisted Qatar is ready to come to the table to resolve the dispute under U.S. mediation, and played down reports that President Donald Trump has taken Riyadh's side.But he maintained Qatar's tough stance, arguing that Riyadh is responsible for detonating a series of Middle East crises, by intervening in Lebanon, boycotting Qatar and bombing Yemen. "This is something we have just witnessed in the region: Bullying small countries into submission," the foreign minister said, suggesting that the Saudi escalation is a new regional threat. "Exactly what happened to Qatar six months ago is happening now to Lebanon," he told reporters in Washington, where he hopes to meet U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson next week. In June, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced they had severed ties with Qatar, sealing off the emirate's only land border in the wide-ranging boycott. They accuse Qatar's government of supporting Islamist extremism and fostering close ties with Iran.
Intimidatory tactics
Qatar denies the charges, claiming the dispute is an attack on its sovereignty. Both sides refuse to back down, but Doha says it is ready to engage with U.S. and Kuwaiti mediation. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led intervention against Huthi rebels in Yemen has only escalated, amid warnings that its recent blockade of the country could lead to mass starvation.And earlier this month, Lebanese Premier Saad Hariri appeared on Saudi television from Riyadh to resign, reportedly on the orders of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. Riyadh accuses its foe Iran of supplying Yemen's Huthis with advanced rockets and Iran-backed Hizbullah of holding Lebanon and its coalition government "hostage."Hariri insists he stepped down because of Hizbullah and Iran's "grip" on Lebanon, but observers and regional powers see the Saudi crown prince's hand behind the recent escalation in the crisis. Qatar's foreign minister played on this growing concern in his meeting with U.S. reporters, saying: "What we have seen now in the region is a lot of crises being started." "The leadership in Saudi and the UAE should understand that there is a world order that should be respected. International law should be respected," he said. "There is no right for any country to interfere in other countries," he argued, warning: "There is a pattern that is very risky for the region, and very intimidatory."

Iran Says 'Biased' French Policy Stoking Mideast Crises
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 17/17/Iran said on Friday that "biased" French policy was stoking crises in the Middle East after Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian accused it of "hegemonic" ambitions in the region. "Unfortunately it seems that France has a biased and partisan approach to the crises in the region and this approach, whether intentionally or not, is even contributing to turning potential crises into real ones," foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi said. Le Drian made his comments in Iran's arch rival Saudi Arabia on Thursday during a visit aimed at resolving a crisis sparked by the shock resignation earlier this month of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a staunch critic of Iran. Hariri's resignation, which has not been accepted by President Michel Aoun, was widely seen as the latest salvo in an intensifying proxy war between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, which back opposing sides in regional conflicts in countries including Syria and Yemen.
"The concerns you express fly in the face of regional realities and are addressed to the wrong side," Ghassemi said in response to Le Drian's comments.
"Ignoring regional realities and echoing baseless concerns that have been pulled out of the air by deluded, warmongering Saudi officials and are aggressive towards Iran do not contribute towards settling the crises in the region in which Saudi Arabia clearly plays a destructive role."Ghassemi urged the international community to focus instead on "arms sales by some foreign powers to regional countries, which are used in particular in the devastating war in Yemen, and the support being given to Saudi Arabia and its allies, which only makes them more brazen."Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition in Yemen since 2015 in support of its beleaguered government. Riyadh accuses Tehran of backing rebels who control the capital Sanaa and much of the north of the country. The coalition has repeatedly rejected UN appeals to lift an aid blockade on rebel-held territory that it imposed on November 6, despite warnings from UN agencies that "untold thousands" of needy civilians risk death.

Saudi Arabia issues protest note over German foreign minister’s comments
Al Arabiya English/18 November 2017/Saudi Arabia called its ambassador in Germany, Saturday, for consultation over German foreign minister's comments.
Saudi Arabia issued a protest note over the German foreign minister’s comments, stated Saudi foreign ministry. The statement issued by the Saudi foreign ministry said that the kingdom resents such random comments which are based on false information that does not support stability in the region. The statement added that the comments do not reflect the stand based on the mutual partnership between the two countries in the war against terrorism and extremism to secure stability in the region. Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri said early Saturday that he was heading to the airport in Saudi Arabia, where he is expected to leave for France, two weeks after declaring his resignation from the kingdom and sparking speculation that he was forced to do so. In a series of tweets, Hariri dismissed as "rumors" and a "lie" reports he was detained or prevented from leaving the kingdom. In a rare English tweet, Hariri named German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel when announcing that he was heading to the airport in Saudi Arabia. He apparently singled out the top German diplomat because he had criticized meddling in Lebanon's affairs. "To say that I am held up in Saudi Arabia and not allowed to leave the country is a lie," Hariri said. "I am on the way to the airport Mr. Sigmar Gabriel." Before heading to the airport, Hariri met with the Saudi Crown Prince and other senior officials, according to a member of Hariri's political party and two Lebanese television stations. Local TV stations also reported that he was leaving Saudi Arabia. He is expected to arrive in Paris midday Saturday. (With AP & Reuters)Last Update: Saturday, 18 November

Sultan bin Suhaim: We are the founders of Qatar, we will cleanse it
Al Arabiya English/18 November 2017/Sheikh Sultan bin Suhaim Al-Thani told tens of thousands of people gathered at the meeting of the tribes of Qahtan on the Saudi-Qatari border, that Doha must be purged and rescued before it is swallowed up by chaos and manipulated by corruptors. Bin Suhaim stressed the responsibility upon Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to ensure Qatar doesn’t be a country that harbors terrorism or become a shelter for corruption. He added that his silence during the last period is not about weakness or lack of power, but the hope that "our brothers would regain their consciousness and abandon their misguided ways" asserting that his patience has reached its end.Sultan bin Suhaim said: "We are the founders of Qatar and we are the ones who will cleanse it. We all carry on our mission to save it.”Sultan bin Suhaim said his country is "not a resort for mercenaries.""I speak to the authority in Doha that the news is what you will see, not what you hear," he said. Sultan bin Suhaim stressed that he is not seeking revenge or aspiring to rise to power, but what concerns him is his homeland.

Gargash: Arab consensus needed to confront Iran’s influence
Al Arabiya English/17 November 2017/UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash has voiced the importance of Arab consensus to confront sectarian projects concealed as resistance plans and said Arab consensus is actually the solution to confront Iranian influence.
“The Arabs’ options are clear in this regards. We either bet on an Arab consensus that rejects regional domination and sectarianism or promote regional tutelages and (depict) them as resistance,” Gargash said via Twitter. He added that given the current challenges, it seems the Arab option is the best as without it, sectarian policies and Hezbollah will dominate at the expense of free nations and threaten dignities and statuses. “The test is difficult and the solution lies in Arab consensus,” he wrote. “The sectarian rhetoric enveloped in the slogan of resistance is not an alternative to the Arab position. It’s a model which hypocrisy, double standards, sectarian approach and goals to subjugate Arabs to Iran’s influence have been exposed,” Gargash added.

China’s Xi offers support for Saudi Arabia amid regional uncertainty
Reuters, Beijing/Friday, 17 November 2017/China supports Saudi Arabia’s efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and achieve greater development, President Xi Jinping told Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, at a time of regional tensions between Saudi Arabia, Iran, Lebanon and Yemen. China has traditionally played little role in Middle East conflicts or diplomacy, despite its reliance on the region for oil. But it has been trying to raise its profile, with Salman visiting China in March. Speaking by telephone, Xi told Salman that China’s determination to deepen strategic cooperation with Saudi Arabia will not waver, no matter how the international and regional situation changes, China’s Foreign Ministry said late on Thursday. Remarking on the importance of maintaining close communication between the two countries’ heads of state, Xi said China and Saudi Arabia are comprehensive strategic partners whose strategic mutual trust is deepening. “China supports Saudi Arabia’s efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and realize greater development,” the ministry cited Xi as saying, without elaborating. The statement made no specific mention of issues like the resignation as Lebanon Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. Saudi-led forces, which back the government in Yemen, have also been targeting the Iran-allied Houthis in a more than two-year war there. The ministry statement said Xi and Salman also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern, but gave no details.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 16-17/17
Israeli Military Chief Gives Unprecedented Interview to Saudi Media: 'Ready to Share Intel on Iran'
Israel and Saudi Arabia are in full agreement about Iran's intentions, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot tells Elaph, noting the two states have never fought each other
Amos Harel/Haaretz/November 17/17
A Saudi newspaper published an unprecedented interview on Thursday with the Israeli military chief, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot. It marks the first time any senior Israel Defense Forces officer, let alone the chief of staff, has been interviewed by a media organization in Saudi Arabia, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel. In the interview to the Saudi online newspaper Elaph, Eisenkot called Iran the "real and largest threat to the region." He said Israel and Saudi Arabia are in complete agreement about Iran's intentions. He also noted that Israel and Saudi Arabia have never fought each other. Eisenkot said that Israel's military situation has never been better. He said that was why it is "highly regarded by the moderate countries in the region.
Israel's military chief accused Iran of trying to destabilize the region by building weapons factories and supplying advanced arms to guerilla and terrorist organizations across the Middle East. "Iran seeks to take control of the Middle East, creating a Shi'ite crescent from Lebanon to Iran and then from the [Persian] Gulf to the Red Sea.""We must prevent this from happening," he added.
Eisenkot said Israel has no intention of initiating an attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon. "We see Iranian attempts at bringing about an escalation, but I don't see a high chance for this at the moment. He cautioned, however, that local flare-ups could "lead to a broad strategic conflict." 
The interview follows the news that broke two weeks ago of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s tumultuous resignation, and the wave of arrests of Saudi princes, ministers and businessmen – along with direct public threats by Saudi Arabia, and Israel aimed at Iran and Hezbollah.
Eisenkot also commented on the Middle East policies of the American and Russian governments.
He said he welcomed U.S President Donald Trump’s announcement that it is necessary to put an end to the Iranian ballistic missile program and Iran’s growing hold in Syria and Iraq. “I view it as hope for the region,” he said. “With President Trump. there is an opportunity to build a new international coalition in the region. We need to carry out a large and inclusive strategic plan to stop the Iranian danger.  We are willing to exchange information with moderate Arab countries, including intelligence information in order to deal with Iran,” added Eisenkot. As to whether Israel has already shared such information with Saudi Arabia, Eisenkot said: “We are willing to share information if there is a need.   We have many shared interests between us. Eisenkot said Israel and the Saudis are on the same page about Iran: “I participated in the meeting of chiefs of staff in Washington and heard what the Saudi representative said. It is precisely what I think concerning Iran and the need to deal with it in the region and the need to stop its program of expansion.” 
Eisenkot was blunt about what extended Iranian presence in Syria would mean. “Our demand is for Hezbollah to leave Syria and for Iran and its militias to retreat from Syria. We have said openly, and also quietly and secretly too, that we will not accept Iranian consolidation in Syria in general, and their concentration west of the Damascus – Sweida Road [about 50 kilometers from the Israeli border on the Golan Heights]. We will not allow any Iranian presence, we have warned them against building factories or military bases and we will not allow it,” he said.
He described as "complicated" the internal situation in Lebanon. “Hariri’s move in resigning from Riyadh was surprising, but I see that Hezbollah has begun to feel financial pressure. They have run into serious problems with supplies. We also see a drop in support for Hezbollah and there are also cracks in the public that supports Hezbollah, as well as demonstrations in the Dahiya [neighborhood of Beirut, a Shi’ite stronghold]. That is something we haven’t seen in the past.”
He also gave additional insight into how Israel views American and Russian policy in the Middle East.  
“The United States is trying to strengthen and support the moderate Sunni axis in the region without bringing in [American] troops or fighting on the ground. At the same time, there is a Russian policy that sees only the Russian interests in Syria,” said Eisenkot. “The Russians know how to get along very well with all the sides. They forged an alliance with Assad, Iran and Hezbollah on one side (and) with the Americans in the war against ISIS.He added that the system they have worked out in which Russia has channels with both Turkey and Israel in order to prevent potential military friction between the two countries has worked out very well. 
“ISIS has been severely beaten and the elimination of the organization will come soon. But its ideas can return in the guise of other names and groups in Syria and the region,” he said. He also explained Israel's long-time policy not to get involved with the fighting in Syria. “We have a clear policy. We will not intervene in the fighting in Syria, unless we see an attempt to harm our Druze brothers. We intervened in Khader, we prepared tanks on [Mount] Hermon and warned the Al-Nusra Front that we will attack them if they enter Khader. This put an end to the crisis.”  When asked if Israel provides aid to Al-Nusra, the Syrian jihadist group with links to Al Qaida,  Eisenkot rejected such claims are totally unfounded. “Al-Nusra and its ilk are our enemies, like ISIS. We have attacked them more than once. We aid the villagers on the Golan medically and we help our Druze brothers. We help only in humanitarian ways.”

The Usual Suspects and a New Method
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/November 17/17
Last week two events injected energy and excitement into what was beginning to look like an anemic end of the year in the Middle East as far as political developments are concerned. The first event was the decision by the Saudi leadership to create a new mechanism to deal with alleged cases of corruption, embezzlement and influence-peddling. The sheer number of cases referred to a special court on those charges was enough to capture the headlines. The fact that the 208 people under investigation included princes, prominent bureaucrats, and business tycoons intensified the event’s headline-grabbing potential.
But what really attracted world attention was the unexpectedness of the Saudi move. Few, even among genuine or self-styled experts on Saudi Arabia, expected Riyadh to go right to the heart of the matter rather than dance around the issues as had been the norm in the past.
Some observers, including many in Western think-tanks, warned of the danger of instability inherent in departure from old patterns of behavior.
However, the latest move is in accordance with the kingdom’s new strategy aimed at recruiting the concept of change as an ally rather than a threat.
It is possible to argue that because old methods didn’t produce the desired results, stability, which had been a key asset of the kingdom for decades, had morphed into stagnation. Thus, the new strategy is designed to end stagnation and prepare the path for a new form of stability capable of reflecting changed social, economic and political circumstances of the kingdom.
If Saudi Arabia is genuine in its declared desire to become an active member of the global system the first thing it has to do is to offer the rule of law in the sense understood by most people around the world.
Trying to build an economy beyond oil, Saudi Arabia needs to attract massive foreign investment in both financial and technological domains. And that won’t be possible without a strong legal system backed by transparency, competition and equality of opportunities. And that means putting an end to influence peddling, fake credit-lines secured by pressuring local banks, the grabbing of public land, “sweetheart” agency deals, kickbacks, baksheesh and, in short, the medieval “wasitah” culture.
The dramatic round up of “the usual suspects” shows that the new leadership in Riyadh is ready to cut the Gordian Knot with a hard blow.
As for Lebanon, a similar method has been used. Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s resignation ends the “grin-and-bear it” tradition in the face of intolerable situations. Under that method Middle Eastern leaders brush the dirt under fine carpets including at times that, as was the case with Hariri, they have responsibility without power. Regardless of how Hariri’s resignation came about, it has dramatically highlighted the fact that the “deal” made over Lebanon in October 2016 has failed. Under that “deal”, the Islamic Republic in Tehran, operating through its Hezbollah network in Beirut, secured the presidency for Gen. Michel Aoun in exchange for Hariri returning as Prime Minister.
Soon, however, it became clear that while Aoun and Hariri respectively played the roles of President and Prime Minister, real decisions were taken in Tehran. President Hassan Rouhani made that point clear in a speech in Tehran when he said that “nothing is done” in a number of Arab states, notably Lebanon, without Iran’s approval.
Hariri’s dramatic departure shows that “this kind of Lebanon” doesn’t work.
The current line-up under which a foreign power controls the country through one part of one community among all Lebanese communities is fundamentally flawed and dangerous in the medium and long terms. Lebanon’s raison d’etre, and the principal factor in its survival and partial success as a state, has been its system of power-sharing based on respect for diversity. Whenever one community or a combination of communities tried to exercise exclusive power the country was plunged into turmoil.
In the 1950s the Maronite community tried a power grab which led to inter-communal conflict and foreign military intervention. In the following decade a similar bid was made by pan-Arab elements backed by Nasserist Egypt, again producing conflict and foreign meddling.
The 1975-90 Civil War also had its genesis in foreign intervention through rival local sectarian proxy groups.
In part of that period, Aoun tried to switch Lebanon to the side of Saddam Hussein in Iraq while, backed by Iran, Hafez al-Assad threw Syria’s weight behind the rival camp.
Between 1984 and 1990 Aoun wore many hats as Prime Minister, Defense Minister, Foreign Minister, Information Minister and Military Junta chief, often all at the same time. When we first met him in Paris in October 1990 his main message was “saving Lebanon from Syria and Iran.”
Aoun’s analysis would have been appreciated if he had talked of “saving Lebanon from domination by any foreign power.” There are some nations whose chief vocation is to be neutral, acting as buffers among rival power blocs. Switzerland was allowed to form and mature as a safe haven for rival European powers often at war against one another.
Afghanistan was created as a buffer between the Tsarist, British and Persian Empires in Asia. In post-colonial Indochina, the kingdom of Laos played that role until the US sucked it into the Vietnam War as collateral damage. In Latin America that role has been assigned to Uruguay and in Central America to Costa Rica. During the Second World War, neutral Sweden provided a channel of communication between the United States and Nazi Germany and a safe haven for people fleeing from the Nazis and the Soviets.
After World War II, by being declared neutral, Austria played a crucial role in the repatriation and/or transfer of millions of refugees across war-shattered Europe.
By turning Lebanon into one of its bunkers, Iran has done a great disservice to the whole region not to mention the damage done and could still do to Lebanon.
Hariri’s resignation could prove useful by posing a crucial question: Should Lebanon re-become Lebanon or should it be a glacis for the Islamic Republic in its quest for an unattainable regional hegemony?
Part of the answer, of course, depends on the Lebanese themselves. They should decide whether or not they want to have two governments, one visible the other semi-visible, two armies, and a master puppeteer laughing at them in Tehran.
A Lebanon run from Tehran through Hezbollah gunmen is unlikely to attract the investment, the trade, tourism and cultural exchanges that it needs to function as a modern dynamic society.
When Iran itself is denied all those things, how could it provide them for Lebanon? Iranian intervention that contributed to turning Iraq, Syria and Yemen into battlefields could do the same to Lebanon.

How Houthis Control Yemen?
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/November 17/17
Houthis are a small group residing north Yemen, endorsed by Iran in face of Saudi Arabia and Sana’a government. One of Houthis projects is to plant regional agents for it such as the Lebanese “Hezbollah”.Command of the group is associated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) since more than twenty years – and not recently as some think. With time, they became much similar to other armed Iranian groups in the region as they were trained on using arms, organization and propaganda.Iran picked the group’s name and slogan. The Houthis’ party is actually called Ansar Allah. Its slogan which is repeated on a daily basis is the same as Iran’s: “Death to America. Death to Israel. Damn the Jews. Victory to Islam.” However unlike “Hezbollah”, Houthi constitutes of a small number in Yemen, less than five percent of population. Iranians pursued to support it via depending on "Hezbollah", which is more developed and is managing Houthis affairs in Yemen making use of its long social, military propaganda experience in Lebanon.
Further, it is preparing Houthis to control Yemen. During the three-year war, Houthis advanced in in using arms including ballistic missiles, and relied on forced mobilizing that executing those who refuse to fight for them and to kill the parents of the escaped recruits. A Yemeni friend told me how Houthis assign local commanders in the areas they seize, and recruit children aged 11-17 as well as execute those who reject, as part of their intimidation process to subjugate tribal regions that resisted each power before. He also said that the propaganda activity is similar to IRGC's in persuading children that when they fight Saudi Arabia then it is as if they are fighting Israel and the US. He also talked about how Houthis make small transistor radio due to electricity outages and scarcity of TV devices in rural areas. Houthis shut 15 newspapers and nine TV official and private channels. Only two pro-Houthis channels remained.
Iran transferred its recruitment and ideological experiences to its Houthi followers in Yemen – it also trained them on how to collect money and other financial resources, which are not less important. The secret to Houthis’ capability to continue fighting is the availability of money.
Most funds are collected via checkpoints via imposing taxes on individuals, vehicles and merchandise on areas they control through the power of arms. They also control the Hodeidah port, which is Yemen’s major naval path, and own almost all oil filling stations.
Hezbollah members handled the organization and planned process for their Houthi brothers, which are considered underdeveloped in their structure and majority of their middle-leaders are illiterate. Given the small size of the group, the biggest challenge relies in extending domination via alliances, forced recruitment and ideologically convincing young men, and letting them propagate terror in areas they control. Houthi group resembles ISIS – they are both terrorists in terms of intellect and practice and their philosophy is based on subduing to command and propagating terror. We have seen before how ISIS in Iraq and Syria, despite its small size, seized highly-populated provinces or cities whose population is more than 1 million such as Mosul – liberating it didn't occur until there was an international military intervention. Without a clear study of the nature and activities of the group, confronting it via airstrikes won't end its danger.

From Journalist to Hostage
Sonia Kennebeck/The New York Times/November 17/17
I traveled to Afghanistan in 2015 to film a documentary about the United States drone war. When my production partner and I inquired about kidnapping insurance, we were told that it would cost more than $20,000 to cover the director of photography and me. We couldn’t afford such a high premium and declined the offer. We did, however, take other precautions: worked with a well-vetted and experienced local team, dressed and traveled like Afghans, and stayed in safe and unmarked guesthouses. We also purchased from Reporters Without Borders health insurance for high-risk countries that covers emergency evacuation and repatriation in case of amputation or death. We were aware of the risks when we traveled to Afghanistan. Everyone on my team knew journalists who had been kidnapped in different parts of the world. Some of them survived; others did not. The subject of this film, Michael Scott Moore, is one of the fortunate ones: He made it out alive after being held captive by Somali pirates for almost three years. (He is publishing a book about his ordeal next year.)
Much of the credit for Michael’s freedom goes to his mother, Marlis Saunders, who led the negotiations with the Somali kidnappers and collected a substantial sum of money from private sources and foundations to pay her son’s ransom. While it might seem unusual that a mother has to deal directly with kidnappers to rescue her son, the United States’ reticence to negotiate on behalf of hostages makes the involvement of a captive’s family in the negotiations all but a requirement to secure safe release. The United States and Britain have the strictest no-concession policy of all Western countries — and largely comply with it. By contrast, continental European countries like Germany and France, while not acknowledging payments publicly, are known to have paid ransoms for their citizens, freeing them even from the clutches of terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and the ISIS (and helping fund those groups’ bank accounts in the process).
These divergent approaches seem to have a profound impact on the outcome of a hostage case. An insightful examination by the New America Foundation titled “To Pay Ransom or Not to Pay Ransom?” found that while a strict no-concession policy does not appear to lower the number of kidnappings, not paying ransoms increases the likelihood that hostages are killed. Or to put it differently: An American or British hostage has a much lower chance of survival than a hostage from continental Europe. While Americans account for roughly one out of five Western hostages since 2001, they make up half of the hostages who were murdered by their captors. One of them was the journalist James Foley, whose mother, Diane Foley, has criticized United States hostage policy for years as being inconsistent and unjust. Some people will ask: Why should the government be responsible for paying ransoms for journalists who were kidnapped abroad? My question is: What is the alternative? To let people be murdered while conducting a job that plays a crucial role in democracy and education? Or should journalists not travel into conflict zones and disaster areas, not cover America’s wars and interventions worldwide, not shine light on global issues like genocides and human trafficking? We need to consider: How else do we get important, independent information from outside our comfort zones if not from journalists, both American and foreign? Journalism is an inherently risky profession, and as news organizations close costly foreign bureaus, our bounty of foreign news reporting shifts to freelancers, who often set out into dangerous settings unsupported and without proper training. (Major news organizations, like The Times, traditionally send out their reporters with support that freelance journalists lack.) War reporters are well aware of the dangers they face covering conflicts, and they make threat assessments and carefully consider worst-case scenarios. They also take responsibility for the consequences their decisions have for their families and other people involved in rescuing them.

Iranian Officials, Press: Trump Didn't Dare To Designate IRGC As Terror Organization
MEMRI/November 17/17
Ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's October 13, 2017 speech on his "new Iran strategy," and in light of media speculations that he might announce a decision to put Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on the State Department terror list, Iranian spokesmen, especially IRGC commanders, threatened a harsh Iranian response against the U.S. if he did so. In addition the threats of a forceful military attack on U.S. interests and bases in the Middle East, there was also a sharp increase in invective against Trump and his administration. After Trump refrained from making an announcement on the designation of the IRGC as a terror organization, but sufficed with a general remark about plans to impose new sanctions, apparently targeting IRGC officials, Iranian spokesmen said that the IRGC commanders' threats had been effective and had deterred Trump from making this move.
This report reviews the most prominent statements made on this issue by Iranian officials and in the Iranian press. IRGC Commander Jafari: U.S. Will Have To Remove Its Bases Outside The 2,000-Kilometer Range Of Our Missiles
IRGC Commander Ali Jafari said on October 8: "If America's new sanctions law [targeting the IRGC] is actualized, America will have to move its military bases outside the 2,000-kilometer range of Iran's missiles. Rumors have it that the U.S. administration is foolish and wishes to designate the IRGC as a terror organization. If this is true, the IRGC will designate the American army throughout the world, and especially in the Middle East, as a comrade in arms of ISIS... America's new sanctions will put a final end to any chance of mutual cooperation [between America and Iran]. These sanctions totally complete our experience in the JCPOA, namely [confirm] that America uses talks as a means of pressure and hostility, not as a means towards mutual cooperation and solving problems."[1]
Qods Force Deputy Commander Qaani: We Have Sent Braggarts Like Trump To Their Graves A few hours before Trump's speech, Qods Force Deputy Commander Esmail Qaani said: "Trump should know that we have sent many braggarts like him to their graves and that we know very well how to fight America."[2]
Iranian Ambassador To London Baeidinejad: Trump Didn't Dare To Put IRGC On Terror List. Following Trump's speech, Iranian spokesmen made victorious statements, saying that Iran's warnings and threats had deterred Trump from taking the step of designating the IRGC as a terror organization. Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran's ambassador to London and a former member of Iran's nuclear negotiations team, tweeted on October 15: "Trump made an important admission, namely that Iran is the most influential player in the region. Eventually he did not manage to revoke the JCPOA, nor did he dare to include the IRGC in the list of terror organizations."[3]
'Kayhan': U.S. Forces Will Soon Have To Leave Their Bases Because Of IRGC
The daily Kayhan stated on October 14: "Contrary to his promises that the IRGC would be included in the list of terror organizations, Trump explicitly retreated from that position. This retreat can only be a direct result of the IRGC's latest threat that it would [have] a suitable response [to such a move]."[4] On the following day, Kayhan stated that "apparently, it will not be long before we see American forces having to leave their permanent and temporary bases and hand them over to the governments in the region, thanks to the clout of the IRGC and the popular militias affiliated with it."[5]
IRGC Deputy Commander Salami: America Is Requesting The Help Of Its Allies In Controlling The New Powers, Which Proves Its Helplessness In The Face Of The Islamic Revolution
IRGC Deputy Commander Hossein Salami said on October 18: "We will never be defeated by our enemies, and that is the truth... The enemy wants to isolate Iran, but Trump's speech isolated America [instead]. There is no more talk about a military option being on the table... Whenever the American president talks this way, his state secretary [Rex Tillerson] and defense secretary [James Mattis] humiliate him, and even the International Monetary Fund does not give him a positive answer...
"Today America is requesting the help of its allies in controlling the new powers, which indicates its helplessness in the face of [Iran's] Islamic Revolution. Some thought that Trump's statements would pressure Iran, but after his speech [it became clear that] Iran and Tehran are like the ocean, and that his statements had no effect whatsoever, just like pebbles falling into a great ocean."[6] . Expediency Council Secretary Rezai: We Are Very Proud That Trump Is Against Us
Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezai said on October 18: "A stupid president is more dangerous than a crazy one... Today we are facing a man who is the laughingstock of the entire world. We are very proud that Trump is against us. Whoever wants to know Iran should see who opposes it."[7]
[1] Asr-e Iran (Iran), October 8, 2017.
[2] Tasnim (Iran), October 13, 2017.
[3] Twitter.com/baeidinejad, October 15, 2017.
[4] Kayhan.ir, October 14, 2017.
[5] Kayhan.ir, October 15, 2017.
[6] Tasnim (Iran), October 18, 2017.
[7] ISNA (Iran), October 18, 2017.

Germany: Spike in Stabbings
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/November 17/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11383/germany-stabbings
Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door migration policies have set in motion a self-reinforcing cycle of violence in which more and more people are carrying knives in public — including for self-defense.
A 40-year-old man stabbed to death his 31-year-old wife and mother of their three children. Police said the man was angry that his wife was using social media.
A "dark-skinned" man (dunklem Teint) drew a knife on a 54-year-old female train conductor when she asked him for his ticket.
A recent surge in stabbings and knife-related violence across Germany is drawing renewed attention to the deteriorating security situation there since Chancellor Angela Merkel's 2015 decision to allow in more than a million migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
In recent months, people armed with knives, axes and machetes have brought devastation to all of Germany's 16 federal states. Knives have been used not only not only to carry out jihadist attacks, but also to commit homicides, robberies, home invasions, sexual assaults, honor killings and many other types of violent crime.
Knife-related crimes have occurred in amusement parks, bicycle trails, hotels, parks, public squares, public transportation, restaurants, schools, supermarkets and train stations. Many Germans have the sense that danger lurks everywhere; public safety, nowhere.
Police admit they are outnumbered and overwhelmed and increasingly unable to maintain public order — both day and night.
Statistics that are reliable on knife violence in Germany — where police been accused of failing to report many crimes, apparently in an effort "not to unsettle" the public — do not exist.
A search of German police blotters, however, indicates that 2017 is on track to become a record year for stabbings and knife crimes: Police reported more than 3,500 knife-related crimes between January and October 2017, compared to around 4,000 reported crimes during all of 2016 — and only 300 in 2007. Overall, during the past ten years, knife-related crimes in Germany have increased by more than 1,200%.
The media in Germany do not report most knife-related violence. Crimes that are reported are often dismissed as "isolated incidents," unrelated to mass immigration. Moreover, many crime reports, including those in police blotters, omit any reference at all to the nationalities of the perpetrators and victims — ostensibly to avoid inflaming anti-immigration sentiments.
Pictured: German police secure the crime scene after a knife attack on May 10, 2016 at the train station in Grafing. A man stabbed four people while reportedly shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("Allah is greater"), killing one. (Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
Merkel's open-door migration policies have, however, set in motion a self-reinforcing cycle of violence in which more and more people are carrying knives in public — including for self-defense.
The epicenter of knife-related violence in Germany is Berlin, where some areas are now so dangerous that they have effectively become no-go zones. In Neukölln and other neighborhoods with large immigrant communities, stabbings have become daily features of life. Migrants were responsible for at least 45% of the crimes committed in the German capital in 2016, according to the Berliner Morgenpost.
The northern cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven are also hotbeds of knife violence. In 2016, at least 469 people — more than one a day — were stabbed in Bremen, according to official documents obtained by the newspaper Bild. More than a dozen people in Bremen died of their stab wounds. Another 165 knife attacks were registered in nearby Bremerhaven, a 75% increase since 2014. Migrants, according to Bild, were found responsible for most of the violence.
Another flashpoint of knife violence is North Rhine-Westphalia; stabbings are rampant in Bielefeld, Bochum, Bonn, Cologne, Dortmund, Düsseldorf and Essen, among other cities. Düsseldorf's city center has been particularly plagued by stabbings.
Many knife attacks appear to be random, indiscriminate assaults on innocent bystanders — especially at transport hubs and on public transportation:
Munich, October 21. A 33-year-old man randomly stabbed eight people, including a 12-year-old boy, at the Rosenheimer Platz. Police said they "assume" that the stabber, a serial offender with a long rap sheet, was suffering from a "mental disorder."
Mönchengladbach, October 16. An 18-year-old Algerian, in Germany illegally, randomly drew a knife on a 65-year-old man in a wheelchair at the central train station.
Hamburg, October 15. A 23-year-old man was stabbed in a restaurant after he made "accidental eye contact" with his attacker.
Berlin, October 11. Two passersby were stabbed at the Neukölln subway station. Police said the attack was random and unprovoked.
Cologne, October 2. A 24-year-old woman was robbed at knifepoint by a "dark-skinned" man (dunklen Teint) while on a train to Düsseldorf's airport.
Mannheim, September 30. A 31-year-old man stabbed random passersby. Police fired a warning shot after pepper spray failed to subdue him.
Leipzig, July 27. A 46-year-old father at an amusement park with his family was stabbed and seriously injured when he was attacked by a group of Afghan youths.
Knife attacks increasingly involve teenagers and young children as well as women:
Gießen, November 15. Two "southern-looking" men (südosteuropäisch Aussehen) drew a knife on two children at a school playground and took their lunch money.
Dormagen, November 15. A 39-year-old man randomly drew a knife on a teenager at the Helmut-Schmidt-Platz. The attacker was transferred to a psychiatric ward.
Wiesbaden, November 14. A man drew a knife on a woman and her children in broad daylight at a playground. The woman said the man tried to steal her dog and when she resisted, attacked her.
Cologne, November 2. A 39-year-old woman was stabbed by a man on drugs.
Singen, October 4. Two 14-year-old children speaking Turkish drew a knife and assaulted several children at a playground.
Dortmund, October 1. A 15-year-old was stabbed after he tried to stop a fight between a 13-year-old and a 16-year-old at the Gustav-Heinemann school.
Freiburg, September 29. A 34-year-old woman was stabbed by another woman during a dispute in a parking lot.
Hermannsburg, August 29. A man drew a knife on a 22-year-old woman because she was supposedly holding up traffic in a parking garage.
In mass brawls between groups of people from different nationalities and ethnic groups, knives appear to be weapons of choice:
Erfurt, November 11. A 22-year-old Afghan was stabbed and seriously injured during an altercation with other Afghans at a multifamily house.
Rüdersdorf, November 11. A 19-year-old was seriously injured during a knife fight at a multifamily house.
Hamburg, November 9. Three men were stabbed during a knife fight in Eimsbüttel.
Berlin, November 7. A 21-year-old Vietnamese man was stabbed to death as he left his father's convenience store in the Wilmersdorf district. The killer is still at large.
Bremen, November 2. A 20-year-old man was stabbed to death during a mass brawl in front of a kebab restaurant. A few hours earlier, another man had been shot to death in a nearby supermarket.
Hoyerswerda, October 25. A 23-year-old Libyan was slashed in the face during a fight with a 28-year-old Libyan and a 23-year-old Tunisian.
Bad Wildungen, October 16. An 18-year-old man was stabbed and seriously injured when a dozen people got into a knife fight.
Eschwege, October 15. A 23-year-old Afghan stabbed a 23-year-old Algerian during a mass brawl involving more than 40 people at a refugee shelter.
Dortmund, October 14. More than 40 migrants engaged in a knife fight at a refugee shelter. When police arrived, they were "massively attacked" by the mob. Police used dogs to restore order.
Cologne, October 14. A 22-year-old migrant from Africa was stabbed to death at the Ebertplatz in a knife fight involving six other Africans.
Öhringen, October 12. A 17-year-old German-Turk stabbed and seriously wounded a 19-year Pole during a knife fight.
Bielefeld, October 2. A 21-year-old man was repeatedly stabbed after he came to the aid of a couple being attacked by a group of Afghan men at a skate park. More than 20 people eventually joined the fight. The stabbing suspect is an 18-year-old Iraqi Kurd.
Naumburg, October 1. An 18-year-old Afghan and a 19-year-old Moroccan were stabbed during a mass brawl between persons of foreign origin.
Dortmund, September 3. A 34-year-old Bulgarian stabbed a 54-year-old Turk outside a restaurant.
Knives have also been used in "honor" violence and internecine disputes:
Bad Homburg, October 30. A 40-year-old man stabbed to death his 31-year-old wife and mother of their three children. Police said the man was angry that his wife was using social media.
Oldenburg, October 14. The trial began of a 37-year-old Iraqi accused of stabbing to death his wife, the mother of his five children, who were in the house at the time of the attack. According to the indictment, the Iraqi murdered his wife to restore the "family honor" after he believed she was having an affair with another man. The woman had, in fact, been attending German language courses.
Eggenfelden, October 4. A 47-year-old migrant from Kazakhstan castrated a 28-year-old Ukrainian migrant at a migrant shelter; the victim bled to death at the scene.
Leipzig, August 11. A 37-year-old Afghan stabbed to death his 34-year-old wife, who was pregnant with their third child. The couple's two children were present at home during the crime.
Riederich, July 9. A 35-year-old Macedonian stabbed to death a 30-year-old Macedonian from a rival clan during a wedding.
Herzberg, June 29. Mohammad Hussain Rashwani, a 38-year-old migrant from Syria tried to behead 64-year-old Ilona Fugmann at her beauty salon. Fugmann had offered Rashwani a job as a hair stylist and German media praised him as an exemplar of successful integration. Mohammad reportedly had found it difficult to subordinate himself to his female boss.
Cologne, June 14. A 33-year-old Syrian stabbed and seriously injured his ex-wife at a supermarket in Cologne. He also stabbed his 13-year-old son after the boy intervened to protect his mother.
Cottbus, June 9. A 32-year-old Chechen man was sentenced to 13 years in prison for slitting his wife's throat and throwing her out of the second-floor window of their apartment. The man was charged with manslaughter rather than murder because, according to the court, the "honor killing" was done in the heat of passion: the man thought that his wife had been unfaithful.
Knife attacks also occurred against social workers and public servants:
Pfaffenhofen, November 11. A 28-year-old Kazakh-German held a 31-year-old clerk at a youth welfare office hostage at knifepoint for more than five hours. He said he disagreed with the results of a custody battle, in which his one-year-old daughter would be sent to a foster home.
Göppingen, October 26. A "dark-skinned" man (dunklem Teint) drew a knife on a 54-year-old female train conductor when she asked him for his ticket.
Ahaus, October 12. A 28-year-old Nigerian was sentenced to 13 years in prison for stabbing to death a 22-year-old assistant at a refugee shelter.
Saarbrücken, June 7. A 27-year-old Syrian stabbed to death a 30-year-old psychologist working for the German Red Cross. The attacker and the psychologist reportedly got into an argument during a therapy session at a counselling center for traumatized refugees.
Attackers are often repeat offenders known to police:
Gießen, November 15. A 29-year-old Kosovar and a 19-year-old Albanian drew a knife on an undercover detective who caught them shoplifting. Police said the Kosovar was wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant.
Bielefeld, October 31. A 39-year-old man drew a knife on police during a routine identification check. Police said he had a long rap sheet that included burglary and dealing drugs.
Düsseldorf, October 17. A 27-year-old migrant, Khudeda Jamal Jindi, from Iraq, slashed a man in the face at Burgplatz. Police said he had a long rap sheet that included other knife crimes; it remains unclear why he was never deported.
Arnschwang, June 4. Mostafa J., a 41-year-old asylum seeker from Afghanistan, stabbed to death a five-year-old Russian at a refugee shelter. It later emerged that the man had a criminal history in Germany and should have been deported in 2011 but was not.
Recent knife-jihad attacks include:
Hamburg, July 28. A 26-year-old Palestinian, Ahmed A., stabbed to death one person and injured several others at a supermarket in the Barmbek district. Although he repeatedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" and said he was a jihadist who wanted to die as a martyr, the newspaper Die Welt wrote: "It is still unclear whether the Barmbek murder is the work of a convinced Islamist or the desperate act of a mentally troubled person. His approach seems downright schizophrenic — or is it indeed calculated?"
Meanwhile, other knife-related crimes reported during October include:
Hagen, October 1. An unidentified man slashed a man with a machete at the central train station. Speyer, October 1. A 27-year-old man with a knife attacked police during an identification check at the central railway station. Werl, October 1. A "southern-looking" man (südländischer Typ) robbed on a 20-year-old man at knifepoint.
Wilhelmshaven, October 1. A man speaking German with an Eastern European accent robbed a gas station at knifepoint. Freiburg, October 2. Two "Turkish-looking" teenagers (türkisches Aussehen) robbed two teenagers at knifepoint in a public plaza. Ulm, October 2. Three "dark-skinned" men (dunkle Hautfarbe) robbed a 20-year-old man at knifepoint.
Soest, October 4. An 18-year-old Somali stabbed a 39-year-old German man at a railway station. Hamburg, October 5. A 24-year-old security guard at a clothing store was stabbed when he confronted two male shoplifters. Wolfsburg, October 6. Two men were slashed during a fight in the Hochring district. Wiesbaden, October 6. A 23-year-old man was stabbed in the city center.
Johanngeorgenstadt, October 7. Five teenagers had their knives confiscated during a weapons check at the German/Czech border. Münster, October 7. Two men robbed a 16-year-old at knifepoint at a bus stop. Bremen, October 8. Two men were stabbed during a fight in the city center.
Weinheim, October 9. A 24-year-old store clerk was stabbed by a 46-year-old client. Hofheim, October 10. A private security guard was slashed at an Oktoberfest celebration. Cologne, October 10. A 36-year-old man was stabbed by a 26-year-old at a kiosk in the Zollstock district.
Stade, October 11. A "southern-looking" man (südländischem Aussehen) stabbed and seriously injured a 38-year-old man. Berlin, October 13. A man was seriously injured in a knife fight at the Alexanderplatz. Kassel, October 15. Two "Arabic-speaking" men robbed a 43-year-old woman at knifepoint in the Wesertor district.
Niederstetten, October 17. A 19-year-old man stabbed a 30-year-old man in the stomach at a restaurant. The stabbing occurred after the 30-year-old allegedly "offended" the 19-year-old's wife. Bremen, October 19. A 25-year-old man was stabbed by a group of males in the Huchting district. When police arrived to investigate, they were immediately surrounded by a mob of between 30 and 40 men. Police used teargas and dogs to restore order. Berlin, October 19. A 19-year-old Romanian was stabbed to death in the Tiergarten district.
Halle, October 19. A man was stabbed during an dispute over drugs. Düsseldorf, October 21. Two men were stabbed by four assailants in front of a McDonald's restaurant in the city center. Stemwede, October 21. Three members of the same family were stabbed during a dispute. The attack was apparently initiated by a 43-year-old man opposed to his step-daughter's choice of boyfriend.
Hamburg, October 22. An 18-year-old clerk at a cellphone store was stabbed by a 21-year-old man unhappy with the service. Hamburg, October 22. A 30-year-old man was stabbed in the stomach at the entrance to a subway station. Düsseldorf, October 22. A 21-year-old man was stabbed while trying to break up a fight.
Rheine, October 22. A 20-year-old Romanian stabbed a 44-year-old Romanian during a disagreement. Berlin, October 23. A 59-year-old man was stabbed and seriously injured at a store in the Schöneberg district. Leipzig, October 23. A 21-year-old man was stabbed during a fight at the central train station.
Solingen, October 23. A 19-year-old man was stabbed during an fight. Berlin, October 24. A 39-year-old man stabbed a 20-year-old man at the Jewish Hospital in the Wedding district. Hünstetten-Bechtheim, October 27. An 18-year-old man was stabbed at an annual festival.
Wangen, October 29. A 56-year-old man stabbed a 52-year old man during a disagreement at a restaurant. Chemnitz, October 29. A 27-year-old Libyan was stabbed during a knife fight involving migrants from North Africa.
Gießen, October 30. Two Syrian asylum seekers were stabbed during an altercation with another Syrian in the city center. Waldshut, October 30. A 32-year-old man was stabbed and seriously injured during a row at a bus station in the Tiengen district. Frankfurt, October 30. An apartment manager was stabbed and seriously injured when he attempted to evict a family from the premises.
Kulmbach, October 31. A 38-year-old Turk stabbed a 33-year-old German during a dispute. Berlin, October 31. Three men were injured during a knife fight involving six men at a store in the Schöneberg district. The Berliner Zeitung provided an unusually detailed account of the fight, including the ages of each of the participants, but failed to give any information about their nationality.
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
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