Source: Al Arabiya
The official website of the Kataeb Party leader
The US is considering sanctions on top Lebanese officials for their continued obstruction of electing a new president in the country, a top State Department official said Wednesday.
Security & Justice
Investigation Links Bulgarian Firm to Hezbollah Pager Explosions
Preliminary findings have identified the Bulgarian company Norta Global Ltd. in connection with the sale of pagers used by Hezbollah, which later exploded in Lebanon, LBCI channel reported.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Report: Israeli Shell Company Behind Explosive Pager Attack on Hezbollah
BAC Consulting, the company implicated in the manufacturing and supply of thousands of pagers supplied to Hezbollah, is actually an Israeli front company, a report by the New York Times has unveiled.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Opinion
Lebanon Should Not Be a Puppet Controlled by Hezbollah
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati this week expressed, during a meeting with ambassadors and acting representatives of the UN Security Council’s member states, Lebanon’s readiness to engage in indirect negotiations with Israel to achieve a ceasefire and end the ongoing war in the south of the country between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, amid escalating exchanges of fire and Israeli threats to expand the conflict.
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Why Riad Salameh's Arrest Is a Test for Lebanon's Judiciary
The arrest of former Central Bank of Lebanon chief Riad Salameh last week has triggered a slew of speculation both within and beyond Lebanon's borders.
Monday, September 9, 2024
Sports
Man City's Hearing for 115 Charges Begins
The hearing into Manchester City's 115 charges for alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules begins on Monday.
Monday, September 16, 2024
Piastri Wins as Norris Gains on Verstappen in Azerbaijan
Lando Norris drove an extraordinary race to catch and pass title rival Max Verstappen as his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri won an engrossing Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Thursday 1 June 2023 11:14:59
Top Diplomat: US Considering Sanctions Against Lebanon Officials
Meanwhile, the top two US House Foreign Affairs Committee lawmakers urged the Biden administration to sanction Lebanese individuals for corruption and to “make clear to Lebanon’s political class that the status quo is not acceptable.”
Since last October, Lebanon has had no president and a fully functioning government. Pro-Syria parties, including Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, are backing Sleiman Frangieh, who has long boasted of his close ties with Bashar al-Assad.
Opposition groups and the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement, have reportedly agreed to endorse Jihad Azour, a former finance minister and current International Monetary Fund (IMF) employee.
During a Senate committee hearing on the Middle East, the top US diplomat for the region said the US was considering the possibility of sanctions.
Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said Washington was working with regional and European partners to push the Lebanese parliament to do its job. “It’s a collective effort,” Leaf said.
Separately, the members of Congress slammed Lebanon’s central bank governor, Riad Salameh, as well as those responsible for the catastrophic Beirut Port blast in 2020.
Salameh has an Interpol arrest warrant out for him, and there are charges against him from Germany and France over alleged corruption.
As for the Beirut blast, Hezbollah and its allies have blocked the lead investigative judge for months from his probe. Arrest warrants and investigative orders have been issued against former and current officials who refuse to comply with the judiciary.
“We also call on the Administration to continue pressing for full accountability for the August 2020 Beirut Port Blast and support independent, international investigatory efforts into egregious fraud and malfeasance by the Governor of Lebanon’s Central Bank,” Congressmen Mike McCaul and Gregory Meeks said in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“We must not allow Lebanon to be held hostage by those looking to advance their own selfish interests.”