Awesome: I've been blocked by Steve Salaita UPDATED
I am sure that many of you remember Steven Salaita, the professor whose
offer of a tenured position at the University of Illinois was withdrawn
after the trustees discovered his Jew-hatred. The University was eventually censured by the American Association of University Professors, and Salaita landed at the American University in Beirut.
Earlier today, Salaita tweeted this (which I can no longer see, but if someone wants to send me a screen cap, I'll add it to this post without disclosing who you are),
and I responded with this:
Another anti-Semitic moron speaks up. So glad there's free speech in Lebanon. https://t.co/3hmE2NpQEN
How to stop 'Palestinian' and other Islamic terrorism
Greetings from the Holy City of Jerusalem. I am home.
There's been another terror attack this afternoon. An Israeli father and husband has been murdered, and the wife and mother and two children have been wounded near Otniel in the Hebron Hills. More on that in a bit, but I'd like to talk about something else that's been bothering me: How do we deal with terrorists?
I spoke with a cousin of mine while I was in Boston, and he had a great idea: If the terrorist lives through the attack, castrate and lobotomize him and return him to his family to deal with him for the rest of his life. If the terrorist dies, run his body through a meat grinder, mix it with ground pork, and return it to the family in a nice box for burial.
On September 30, 1985, a group of gunmen seized four Soviet diplomats
and embassy workers (Arkady Katkov, Valery Myrikov, Oleg Spirin, and
Nikolai Svirsky) in Beirut. During the kidnapping right outside the
embassy, Katkov was wounded in the leg.
The abductors called themselves "The Khaled Al-Walid Force" and the
"Islamic Liberation Organization". According to SVR (Foreign
Intelligence Service) Colonel Yuri Perfilyev, who at the time was the
KGG rezident (station chief) in Lebanon, the kidnapping was
orchestrated by infamous Hezbollah operative Imad "Hyena"Mugniyeh in
response to an offensive by Syria-backed leftist militias in the
Lebanese city of Tripoli. The Shiite radicals demanded that Moscow force
Damascus to suspend the Tripoli offensive and close its embassy in
Beirut. To demonstrate that they meant business, only two days after the
kidnapping, Mugniyeh murdered the wounded Katkov by riddling him with
machine gun bullets and left his body in a Beirut rubbish dump.
Perfilyev then met up with Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Fadlallah, then
spiritual leader of Lebanese Shiites and told him: "A great power cannot
wait forever. From waiting and observing, it can proceed to serious
action with unpredictable consequences". Met with silence from
Fadlallah, the KGB station chief spoke bluntly:
We aren't only talking about people in Beirut. I'm talking about Tehran
and Qom [Shiite holy city and the residence of Ayatollah Khomeini],
which is not that far from Russia's borders. Yes, Qom is very close to
us and a mistake in the launch of a missile could always happen. A
technical error, some kind of breakdown. They write about it all the
time. And God or Allah forbid if this happens with a live, armed
missile.
The visibly shaken Fadlallah responded after a moment of silence: "I
think everything will turn out well". Later, his closest advisor
"Hassan" (Nasrallah?) told Yuri Perfilyev that no one dared to talk to
the Grand Ayatollah in such a fashion.
But the ominous threat against one of the holy cities of Shiism was
only one prong in the Soviet strategy. According to Benny Morris, who
was Jerusalem Post's diplomatic correspondent at that time and
later became famous as a brilliant historian, in tandem with the
threats, the Soviets took sharper action:
[T]he KGB kidnapped a man they knew to be a close relative of a
prominent Hezbollah leader. They then castrated him and sent the severed
organs to the Hezbollah official, before dispatching the unfortunate
kinsman with a bullet in the brain.
In addition to presenting him with this grisly proof of their
seriousness, the KGB operatives also advised the Hezbollah leader
that they knew the indentities of other close relatives of his, and that
he could expect more such packages if the three Soviet diplomats were
not freed immediately.
Soon thereafter, the surviving three hostages were dropped off by the
Soviet embassy "from a late-model BMW that couldn't drive away fast
enough" and never again was a Soviet (diplomat or otherwise) kidnapped
in Lebanon. As Benny Morris put it: "This is the way the Soviets
operate. They do things - they don't talk. And this is the language the
Hezbollah understand." Not only Hezbollah, but ISIS and every other
Muslim terror group.
When last we left Steven Salaita, he had been hired by the American University of Beirut to become the 'Edward Said Professor of American Studies,' after the University of Illinois revoked his tenure track appointment for being a purveyor of hate speech. Now, it appears that Salaita won't even last the year in Beirut. This is really rich.
But Salaita’s views, it seems, are too unpalatable even in Lebanon. A petition
circulated today and signed by students of the university argues that
the official search procedure designed to award Salaita his position was
cancelled on March 30 by university president Fadlo Khuri, citing
“procedural irregularities.” Which, the petitioners argue, is just code
for political persecution. “We fear,” the petition continues, “that AUB
is reproducing the trend of persecuting scholars who condemn the
injustices committed in Palestine.”
Even if you ignore for one minute the rich irony of this
statement—given the absolutely abysmal way Lebanon has treated its
sizable Palestinian population, denied access to basic resources like
housing, education, and employment for the past six decades—you have to
savor the thought of Salaita, who fashioned himself into a martyr
wronged by a shady Zionist cabal for criticizing Israel, being now
slammed a second time by a university few can accuse of abundant love
for the Jewish state.
The university was reached for comment, but provided none as of yet. Updates as they come.
Here's betting that Salaita lands at Bir Zeit on the Hudson... or at the Islamic University of Gaza. Heh.
Double suicide bombing in Hezbullah's Beirut stronghold (with video)
41 people were killed and over 200 wounded in a double suicide bombing in Beirut on Thursday afternoon. A third suicide bomber blew himself up before he could join the others.
According to a Lebanese security official, the first suicide attacker
detonated his explosives' vest outside a Shiite Mosque, while the
second blew himself up inside a nearby bakery.
An apparent third suicide attacker was found dead, his legs blown off
while he still wore an intact explosives' belt, said the official,
speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The
official speculated the third may have been killed from the explosion of
the second suicide attacker, as he was reportedly close to that blast.
The Al-Mayadeen TV also reported there was a third would-be suicide
attacker, describing him as a bearded young man who wore an explosives'
belt. The report said he was killed before he was able to detonate the
explosives.
Hospitals in southern Beirut were calling on people to donate blood
and appealed on residents not to gather at the hospital gates so that
ambulanced and emergency staff could work unhindered.
Shortly after the explosions, ambulances rushed to the area and
started evacuating the wounded and the dead as Lebanese troops and
Hezbollah gunmen cordoned the area, preventing anyone from getting
close.
"There is a massacre inside and we will not let you take photos," a
Hezbollah member screamed at an Associated Press photographer at the
scene.
That may explain why I could not find images of the attacks.
An hour later, ambulance sirens could still be heard in Beirut streets.
Hezbollah also called on people to leave all coffee shops in the
area, which are usually packed with people, and urged residents to
inform the group about any suspicious moves.
ISIS? Could be. As long as the Muslims are only killing each other, the world will not care, so pass the popcorn.
Incredible: Steven Salaita blames Israel for Saudi Arabia crucifying teenager
I am sure many of you remember Steven Salaita, the professor who was denied a promised position at the University of Illinois when the university discovered he is an anti-Semite. He now holds the Edward Said Chair of American Studies at the American University in Beirut.
Look what he tweeted about two and a half hours ago.
@ExiledHeroine Let me guess: Maher said nothing about his beloved Israel's cozy relationship with the Saudi regime.
#ThanksObama Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif meets Hezbullah's Nasrallah in Beirut - UPDATED
Now that Iran doesn't have the United States to counterbalance it, the Mullahcracy is doing all the things it always wanted to do - like Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif meeting openly with Hezbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah for the first time since 2010. This is from the first link.
Sayyed Nasrallah received Dr. Zarif and the associating delegation,
said a statement released by Hezbollah Media Relations, adding that the
meeting was attended by the Iranian ambassador in Lebanon Mohammad
Fatahali.
Hezbollah S.G. and Zarif discussed latest developments in Lebanon and the region, the statement said.
The meeting also tackled efforts aimed at finding solutions to the
current crises in several countries, as well as the outcomes of the
nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the world powers last month
in Vienna, the statement added.
Actually, it's more like Lebanon is being treated as an Iranian vassal state. An impressive array of Lebanese politicians is lining up to meet with Zarif.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in
Beirut on Tuesday, highlighting the importance of coordination among the
countries in the region to face challenges.
He said: “We hope that the nuclear deal will pave the way to opening a new chapter of ties between countries in the region.”
He made his remarks upon his arrival at Rafik Hariri International Airport on Tuesday afternoon.
He emphasized that his talks with Lebanese officials will tackle cooperation between Beirut and Tehran.
“We are in great need of dialogue and cooperation to confront regional challenges,” added the foreign minister.
Earlier, media reports said that he will stress to
Lebanese officials that Tehran's stance towards Syria and Hizbullah has
not changed.
Diplomatic sources told al-Joumhouria daily that Zarif
will send a clear message to the parties claiming Iran will turn its
back on Syria and Hizbullah that Tehran continues to back its allies in
the region.
Many critics have said that a nuclear deal signed
between Iran and major powers in Vienna last month will lead to a change
in the Iranian stance.
During his two-day official visit, Zarif is scheduled to
meet with Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Foreign
Minister Jebran Bassil and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
It was not clear if the Iranian Foreign Minister would also visit Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun in Rabieh.
Hussein Obama's dream come true - Iran is behaving like a regional power. What could go wrong? #ThanksObama.
The Iran nuclear deal presents an “historic opportunity” to combat
Israeli “threats,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah during a Tuesday meeting in Beirut,
Hezbollah’s al-Manar television station said Wednesday.
“Zarif said from Beirut that the nuclear
agreement between Tehran and the world powers created a historic
opportunity to [sic] for regional cooperation to fight extremism and
face threats posed by the Zionist entity,” al-Manar reported.
Along with the Syrian regime, the
Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah is funded by Iran. Hezbollah has
dispatched thousands of fighters to support embattled Syrian President
Bashar Assad in the country’s five-year civil war.
Ah yes, greetings from the 'Zionist entity'....
Zarif is headed for Damascus later today where they have quite a greeting waiting for him.
Rebels fired dozens of rockets at central Damascus on Wednesday, a
monitor and state media said, ahead of an expected visit to the Syrian
capital by Iran's foreign minister.
The bombardment killed at
least one person and injured more than 20 others, the Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights, a British-based monitor, said.
Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was expected to head for Damascus from
Beirut later in the day, according to Iranian state media. An Iranian
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said he would be discussing a new plan to
resolve the war.
I can think of one thing that might go a long way in 'resolving the war.' A well-aimed rebel rocket that kills both Assad and Zarif.
I am sure that many of you remember Steven Salaita, the professor whose offer of a tenured position at the University of Illinois was withdrawn after the trustees discovered his Jew-hatred. The University was eventually censured by the American Association of University Professors.
Now, Salaita, who has become a hero to the Arab-Muslim world, is leaving the United States for at least a year. He has accepted a position occupying the Edward Said chair of American Studies (How's that for an oxymoron? Said was at Bir Zeit on the Hudson when I was there and was an America hater) at the American University in Beirut.
Steven
Salaita's academic trajectory is on the uptake. From a virtually
unknown academic in a modest college, he is headed to Beirut to assume
the Said chair at the American University of Beirut. Clearly this is an award for Salaita who became a celebrity in Middle East studies.
The
fact that the once respectable the American University in Beirut would
hire Salaita is troubling, as the article below indicates. But the
American University is by no means unique in this regard. To the
contrary, there is a larger trend at work here that rewards anti-Israel
scholars and scholarship. As IAM indicated, a number of Israeli academics found prestigious positions in British and other universities.
Having
continued now for more than three decades, this trend has led to the
delegimization of Israel and provided the justification for BDS.
I hear that there are a lot of suicide bombers in Lebanon.
By the way, the picture of Captain John Testrake with a gun to his head was 'faked.' When I first posted that in 2008, I got a comment from Captain Testrake's son (see the post) reminding me that there were other people on board with guns at the time.
This is a scene that Lebanon would not like to see repeated. It's Beirut Airport on fire during the early hours of the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Lebanon is so eager to avoid being attacked that it is making sure that everyone knows that although Hezbullah is part of its government, Lebanon is not responsible for Hezbullah actions outside Lebanon.
....Lebanese circles have taken into consideration Israeli warnings and
informed the ambassadors of the major countries, with emphasis on the lack
of responsibility of Lebanon for any action aimed at Israel or Israelis from
outside Lebanese territory...
These circles confirmed for Al-Anbaa that Hezbollah understands that
officials fear of Lebanese land being used to respond to the Israeli
aggression, in any place or direction, and Minister Mohammed Fneish advised
the Council of Ministers on Thursday that whenever the response will come,
Lebanon’s interest will be taken into account before anything....
This is getting embarrassing... for Hezbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Lebanese analysts say that Israel called Hezbullah's bluff with Sunday's strike along the Golan border.
"What happened is that the Israelis called Hizbullah's
bluff last night," said Hilal Khashan, a professor of political science
at the American University in Beirut.
"Hizbullah will not be able to retaliate, because if it
retaliates, it will be another war. Hizbullah is in Syria and it is not
ready for another war against Israel."
Khashan said the movement could resort to small-scale
attacks, like a roadside bomb on the ceasefire line with Israel it
claimed last year, but would avoid a more serious response.
"Nasrallah will say the Israelis are trying to provoke
us to help in their elections and we will not fall into their trap.
That's the best they can do," he added.
Sources close to Hizbullah told As Safir daily that the party's retaliation to Sunday's strike is "inevitable.”
But the officials said the retaliation would not lead to an all-out war.
“The party will take the time it sees necessary to set its next steps with calm and decisiveness,” they added.
In Israel, analysts made the same calculation.
Yes, but Hezbullah is not the sole arbiter of whether there will be a war, nor will it decide when and how Israel might respond to a Hezbullah revenge attack. What if Israel responds by flattening the Dahiyah (Hezbullah's Beirut stronghold) or Beirut Airport?
By the way, Naharnet (the source for the story above) is also claiming that an Israeli 'security source' has confirmed that Israel was behind the strike on the Syrian side of the Golan. Here in Israel, that has not yet been confirmed.
Terrorists shoot rockets from Lebanon at Kiryat Shmona
Terrorists fired two rockets at Kiryat Shmona around 10:15 this evening, and as of 11:00 the IDF was retaliating.
Sirens sounded throughout the Upper Galilee close to 10:15 pm Monday
night, just before a series of explosions were heard near Kiryat Shmona.
The IDF confirmed that two rockets were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel. No injuries or damage were reported.
The IDF “retaliated with artillery fire towards the source of the attack,” the IDF Spokesperson wrote on Twitter.
Troops are currently scanning the Lebanese border, sources say, in cooperation with mediating body UNIFIL.
Just before 11:00 pm, unconfirmed reports have begun surfacing that the IAF has begun responding to the rocket fire.
Since Operation Protective Edge began 49 days ago, at least ten rockets have been fired into Israel from Lebanon.
Through UNIFIL, the IDF has warned the government of Lebanon, which includes Hezbullah, that Israel sees the government of Lebanon as responsible for any attacks.
The rockets that were fired from the Jarmaq area near the Litani River in south Lebanon came two days following a similar attack on Saturday. Dozens of shells landed on the river’s banks near Jarmaq and Ayshieh as a result of retaliatory Israeli fire, the source said, adding that the Lebanese Army cordoned off the area in search of the perpetrators.
In mid-July, at least nine rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Jewish state, prompting Israel to retaliate with artillery fire. Lebanese military officials had at the time said they believed the attacks were carried out by a small Palestinian group in an act of solidarity with Gaza.
Over the weekend, newly-appointed UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Luciano Portolano strongly condemned the rocket attacks as a violation of U.N. Resolution 1701 that ended Lebanon’s 2006 war with Israel.
I don't see Israel doing anything to escalate with Lebanon right now. We need to finish off Hamas. The problem is that Hezbullah might have different ideas.
Here's US Secretary of State John FN Kerry hamming it up with another terrorist. Don't recognize the terrorist? He's Nabih Berri and today he's known as the 'speaker of the Lebanese parliament.'
Did you know he was a terrorist? (I suppose given that he's part of the Hezbullah-dominated Lebanese government that's not surprising). Did you know that he played a role in the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847 in which a US marine was murdered and dumped on the tarmac at Beirut Airport?
At least one of the two suicide bombers who targeted an Iranian cultural center in the Hezbullah section of Beirut on Wednesday is... a 'Palestinian' from the Ein Hilweh 'refugee camp.'
One of the alleged suicide bombers has been identified as, Nidal
al-Mghayer, a resident of Sidon’s Baysariyyeh, who has family members
in Ain al-Hilweh, according to a report by the NOW Lebanon website,
which said he was a supporter of fugitive Sunni jihadist cleric Ahmad
al-Assir.
Assir and his followers fought with Lebanese security forces last summer.
DNA tests taken of relatives of Mghayer matched remains at the blast site, sources confirmed, reported The Daily Star.
Mughir’s father was located after the army circulated pictures of the suspect.
Security sources said the father told military intelligence that the picture was that of his son.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV website reported that Mughir fought for a month
in the Syrian city of Qalamoun against the Syrian army.
But give them a 'state' and they'll stop being international terrorists.
A twin suicide bombing hit the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of
Beirut on Wednesday during the morning rush hour, killing at least four
people and wounding 70 in an attack targeting Iran's cultural center,
security sources said.
Security sources said the blasts were caused by two suicide attackers,
one in a car and the second on a motorcycle. The same tactics were used
by suicide bombers who attacked the Iranian embassy in November.
A militant group linked to al-Qaida, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades,
claimed responsibility for the attacks on Twitter, saying the Iranian
culture center was the target.
The windows of a nearby orphanage were blown out by the blasts. Children
were peering out and screaming "bomb, bomb." Some were crying. A man
working at a sweet shop opposite the bomb site said the blast shook the
entire area.
"We heard one explosion and then another," he said.
Human remains were found nearby. The casualties included a number of children.
The area is controlled by the Shi'ite movement Hezbollah, which is
fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's forces in neighboring Syria
in a conflict that has fueled tensions between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims
in Lebanon.
Once again there has been a bombing in Hezbullah's section of southern Beirut. An apparently car bomb has killed at least four people and wounded at least 20.
Let's go to the videotape. More after the video.
Is it me, or do they look like they're celebrating?
The video is from al-Manar, which filled in some background.
Images broadcast on the Shi'ite Muslim militant movement's Al Manar
channel showed flames erupting from a building and a large plume of
smoke billowing over a street near the charred remains of cars as a
crowd gathered at the site of the blast.
Al Manar reported that the explosion occurred in the Haret Hreik area, which was the target of a car bomb attack earlier this month that killed at least five people.
The attack is said to be linked to Hezbullah's participation in Syria's civil war.
A car bomb went off at rush hour on Thursday afternoon in Hezbullah's southern Beirut stronghold. Five people have been killed, at least 20 injured.
Television footage showed the twisted and blackened remains of
several cars being doused with hoses by emergency services. The blast
also tore off the facades of several nearby buildings.
About 20 people were wounded, the witness said.
The Lebanese capital has been hit by a series of bombs in recent months,
including one last week which killed a former minister and political
adversary of Hezbollah.
The BBC says the bomb is not one of the biggest of the
recent incidents, but its impact was considerable because it was
detonated during rush-hour.
Hezbollah's al-Manar TV station said the blast destroyed part of a facade of a building in a densely populated area of Haret Hreik district.
The attack is the latest in a string of bombings in southern Beirut
that reflect Shiite-Sunni hatred exacerbated by the Syrian civil war, in
which Hezbollah has taken an active part beside Bashar Assad's
government forces.
It sounds like we're going back to the days of the Lebanese civil war.
On Friday morning, Mohammed Shattah, an adviser to former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri - who was assassinated himself in 2005 - was assassinated in downtown Beirut.
MEMRI has posted video of the reaction during the morning television show of Future TV, whose studios are near the blast site. It's worth watching.
Let's go to the videotape.
Notice how she immediately assumes it was Israel's doing....
A powerful explosion has rocked downtown Beirut Friday, according to the Washington Post, shattering windows and killing an unknown number of people.
It has been confirmed that former Lebanese minister Mohammed Shattah, adviser to former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and
a staunch critic of Iranian-backed Hezbollah, was killed in the
blast. Hariri and 21 others were killed in a car bomb attack in Beirut
in February 2005 [pictured above. CiJ]; the attack was blamed on Hezbollah, and pushed
sectarian tensions in the country to the brink.
The Guardian notes that Shattah, 62, is the second senior
opposition figure to have been killed in the past 14 months. Figures
linked to the Hariris have a history of being killed off over at least
nine years, the news agency said.
The explosion was heard at about 9:40 a.m. emanating from just behind the Four Seasons hotel in the Lebanese capital. USA Today notes that the site was just a few hundred yards from important government and parliamentary buildings.
Reports now indicate that the explosion was from a car bomb. The
engine of the car carrying the bomb was flung about 50 meters, according
to the Wall Street Journal. Black smoke could be seen billowing from the area.
...
At least 5 people have been confirmed dead, with 15 injured; local
media reports describe dead bodies littering the bomb site. The Lebanese
Health Ministry has reportedly raised the number of injured to as high
as 70, according to the Los Angeles Times.
No terror group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Lebanese media outlet Al-Mayadeen, which is close to Hezbollah, reported that Shattah was the target of the attack.
In addition, several news outlets have pointed out that the attack
comes just hours after Shattah posted and anti-Hezbollah tweet. Shattah
was outspoken against the terror group, and its influence on the
Lebanese government, reports say.
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri is blaming Hezbullah for the assassination.
"As far as we are concerned the suspects...are
those who are fleeing international justice and refusing to represent
themselves before the international tribunal," Hariri said, referring to
five Hezbollah suspects indicted for the 2005 killing of his father.
The trial of the five suspects is due to open in The Hague in January.
The suspects are all fugitives and Hezbollah, which denies any role in
the Hariri assassination, has refused to cooperate with the court which
it says is politically motivated.
...
A tweet posted on his Twitter account less than an hour before the
blast accused the Shi'ite movement of trying to take control of the
country.
#Hezbollah
is pressing hard to be granted similar powers in security &
foreign policy matters that Syria exercised in Lebanon for 15 yrs.
The
explosion sent shock waves among residents and emptied the streets in
downtown where people, seeking a respite from recent turmoil, had
ventured out to enjoy the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
...
Sources at the explosion site said Chatah was on his way to attend a
meeting at Hariri's headquarters when the explosion tore through his
car. Hariri himself has stayed away from Lebanon for more than two
years, fearing for his safety.
A Reuters witness at the scene said
his car was "totally destroyed, it is a wreck." Chatah's identity card,
torn and charred, was found inside his car.
There are two schools of thought as to who killed him and why. Hezbullah rushed to blame Israel for the assassination, and indeed a Lebanese television station is claiming that it was the Mossad that arranged to have Laqqis shot in the head at close range. But a Kuwaiti newspaper is reporting that Laqqis was an Israeli agent, and that Hezbullah itself had him killed.
According to a report by the Lebanese television station
OTV claiming to be based on Western intelligence sources, Laqqis had
been identified as a target for assassination by the Mossad several
years ago, along with other figures in the terrorist organization.
Hezbollah's military chief, Imad Mugniyeh, was killed in 2008
in Damascus when the headrest of his car seat exploded. The OTV report
went on to credit the alleged Mossad hit squad for its impressive
infiltration of one of the most highly guarded neighborhoods in south
Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold.
...
According to the Kuwaiti
newspaper Al-Seyassah, Laqqis was identified as working with Israeli
intelligence during investigations -- conducted one year ago by security
and intelligence agencies in the country -- into Lebanese citizens
suspected of being Israeli collaborators.
The Al-Seyassah report went on to say that Laqqis
crossed the lines and was killed by a four-man team dispatched by
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Security camera footage showed a man in an explosives belt rushing
towards the outer wall of the embassy before blowing himself up,
Lebanese officials said. They said the second explosion was caused by a
car bomb parked two buildings away from the compound.
In a Twitter
post, Sheikh Sirajeddine Zuraiqat, the religious guide of the Abdullah
Azzam Brigades, said the group had carried out the attack. "It was a
double martyrdom operation by two of the Sunni heroes of Lebanon," he
wrote.
Shi'ite Iran actively supports Syrian President Bashar
Assad against Sunni Muslim rebels, who are backed and armed by Sunni
powers Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Syrian rebel groups, some linked to
al-Qaida, have threatened to take their battle from Syria to Lebanon in
response to the military involvement of Iran and its Lebanese Shi'ite
guerrilla ally Hezbollah alongside Assad's forces.
Iran's cultural attache to Lebanon was killed in the blast.
Likud MK Tzachi Hanegbi on Tuesday rejected a claim by Iran's Ambassador to Beirut that Israel was behind twin blasts that killed at least 23 people, including an Iranian diplomat in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday.
Hanegbi said that it was quite humorous that a country that has perpetuated terror around the world, now is blaming others.
His comments came after Al Jazeera reported that "the Iranian
ambassador in Lebanon, who escaped from the attack uninjured, is blaming
Israel for the attack."
Hanegbi responded, "We are blamed for
anything that happens in the Middle East. Sometimes these are things we
take responsibility for because they have to do with Israel's security.
But Israel's security gains nothing by bloodshed in Beirut or in any
Arab capital or state, and is the result of tension in Lebanon following
the decision of Hezbollah - or Iran forcing Hezbollah - to participate
in [Syrian President Bashar] Assad's effort to survive in Syria.
Israel has nothing to with this attack or any recent bomb attacks in Lebanon, Hanegbi added.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
