Yemen’s Saleh was slippery master of maneuvering

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who agreed Wednesday to step down after a ferocious uprising against him, was perhaps the slipperiest leader in the Middle East.

Explosion in Hezbollah arms depot in south Lebanon

A mysterious explosion occurred overnight near the town of Siddiqin in southern Lebanon. The explosion reportedly took place in a large Hezbollah arms depot .

Hezbollah personnel reportedly prevented Lebanese security forces from arriving at the scene of the blast. (more…)

Hezbollah declares ‘victory’ in exposing CIA operatives in Lebanon

Iranian-backed Hezbollah boasted Wednesday that it has succeeded in exposing CIA operatives in Lebanon and urged the government to take immediate measures against the US embassy near Beirut.

“Our security… has exposed several American and Israeli plots on Lebanon,” Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah told reporters outside parliament. (more…)

STL president: Lebanon is 11 months late in paying its share

President Michel Suleiman met with Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) President Judge Sir David Baragwanath during his first visit to Lebanon since he was appointed , National News Agency reported on Wednesday (more…)

Just Another Day in Lebanon

“What a joke,” I heard someone snort at a nearby table. “As if Lebanon were truly independent…”

UN Condemns Syrian Rights Violations

A key U.N. committee voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to condemn human rights violations by President Bashar Assad’s government and call for an immediate end to all violence, signaling growing international opposition to Syria’s eight-month crackdown on civilians. (more…)

Romney says his first foreign trip as president would be to Israel

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, said during a foreign policy debate Tuesday night that his first foreign trip as president would be to Israel and accused President Barack Obama of being unfriendly to Israel.
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Hezbollah may take over Beirut if Assad falls , report

Al-Arabiya Tuesday cited a “source close to Hezbollah” on Tuesday as saying that his party might take over Beirut militarily if the Syrian regime falls. (more…)

Analysis: Syria’s Assad seen ignoring Gaddafis’ fate

The chilling spectacle of Muammar Gaddafi’s brutal end last month and the capture of his son Saif al-Islam this week, far from deterring Bashar al-Assad

Syria hopes to cash in on support Iraq, Lebanon to counter sanctions

Syria, isolated over its deadly protest crackdown, hopes to cash in on support from neighbors Iraq and Lebanon to counter Arab sanctions that threaten to choke its economy.

“We know how to manage when the going gets rough, because we have been facing sanctions for years,” a Syrian official told AFP on condition of anonymity. (more…)