Pro-Al Qaida commander killed in Syria while setting roadside bomb

Pro-Al Qaida commander killed in Syria while setting roadside bomb

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — An Al Qaida-aligned commander has been killed in the Sunni revolt in Syria. Lebanese security sources said Abdul Ghani Jawhar was killed in a bomb blast in Syria on April 20 in Qusair near the Lebanese border. They said Jawhar, commander of the Al Qaida-aligned Fatah Al Islam, was killed […]

Report: Weapons stolen from Lebanese Army smuggled to Syrian rebels

Report: Weapons stolen from Lebanese Army smuggled to Syrian rebels

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Sunni rebels have acquired weapons from the Lebanese Army. The Lebanese daily Al Akhbar reported that the military was investigating thefts of weapons and other equipment throughout northern Lebanon. On April 10, the newspaper asserted that the weapons were being smuggled to Sunni rebels in neighboring Syria. “Those in the […]

U.S.-backed Lebanon military aiding Syrian regime

U.S.-backed Lebanon military aiding Syrian regime

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — The United States has been concerned over Lebanon’s assistance to the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Officials said the administration of President Barack Obama has repeatedly warned the Lebanese government not to help the Assad crackdown on the opposition. The officials said such aid by Beirut could endanger U.S. […]

Syrian elite forces firing across Turkey, Lebanon borders in ‘broad daylight’

Syrian elite forces firing across Turkey, Lebanon borders in ‘broad daylight’

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — President Bashar Assad has ordered military operations along the borders of Lebanon and Turkey. Opposition sources said Assad has approved assaults by the Syrian Army on targets along the borders of Lebanon and Turkey. They said elite forces were firing toward suspected rebels inside Lebanon and Turkey in broad daylight […]

U.S. military pressing Lebanon on ‘opportunity’ to disengage from Syria, Iran

U.S. military pressing Lebanon on ‘opportunity’ to disengage from Syria, Iran

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Lebanon and the United States have intensified military cooperation amid the revolt in neighboring Syria. Lebanon and the United States have convened a series of high-level military talks in 2012 in an effort to help border security for the Arab state. In the latest meeting, U.S. Fifth Fleet commander Vice […]

Israel to use drones to guard gas fields from Hizbullah

Israel to use drones to guard gas fields from Hizbullah

Special to WorldTribune.com TEL AVIV — Israel has decided to deploy the Air Force to defend its new natural gas fields. Officials said the Israel Air Force was assigned to launch patrols around gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean Sea near Lebanon. They said the Air Force has deployed unmanned aerial vehicles to help protect […]

Syrian crisis: It’s complicated and West needs to take the time to grasp what’s at stake

Syrian crisis: It’s complicated and West needs to take the time to grasp what’s at stake

Special to WorldTribune.com Excerpted from an article by Yossef Bodansky, Senior Editor, Global Information System The intense fighting of late January and early February in Syria, coupled with the vastly improved manipulation of the jihadists there by Iranian intelligence … have already enabled Syria’s Bashar Assad administration to take control over the war in Syria. […]

Obama administration continues military aid to Hizbullah-controlled Lebanon

Obama administration continues military aid to Hizbullah-controlled Lebanon

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — The United States has continued training of the Lebanese military despite the fact its government is dominated by Iran-sponsored Hizbullah. U.S. Central Command has been examining training programs with the Lebanese military in 2012. On Feb. 13, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Bartlett, director of exercises at Centcom, met Lebanese commanders and […]

Syrian revolution spills into Lebanon: Assad appeals to 1 million Alawites

Syrian revolution spills into Lebanon: Assad appeals to 1 million Alawites

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Lebanon has been threatened by the revolt in neighboring Syria. Clashes have erupted between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad in northern Lebanon. Officials said the supporters consisted of Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah operatives as well as Syrian Alawite laborers who have long lived in Lebanon. “The security of Lebanon […]

Hizbullah for first time announces Iran as sole source of funding, arms

Hizbullah for first time announces Iran as sole source of funding, arms

Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Hizbullah has asserted that its only means of financial and military support stem from Iran. Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah said Iran marked the sole supplier of the Shi’ite militia in Lebanon. Nasrallah said Hizbullah was not engaged in illicit financial activity, including drug trafficking and money-laundering. “We have been receiving […]