HEZBOLLAH MONITORING JEWS WORLDWIDE
New and disturbing details are emerging about the efforts of Hezbollah to monitor and target Jewish citizens in cities across the world. Hossam Yaakoub, a Lebanese-born Swedish citizen arrested in Cyprus last July for spying on Israeli tourists has given new details on Hezbollah’s global operations at his trial in February. Yaakoub, identified by police as a Hezbollah operative, told authorities he was “just collecting information about the Jews. This is what my organization is doing, everywhere in the world.” Yaakoub admitted that Hezbollah “wanted to have Cyprus as a base” and that he was searching for restaurants catering to Jews and monitoring charter flights bringing Israelis to Cyprus. Analysts who have studied Hezbollah’s tactics suggest the group is evolving and employing more sophisticated techniques, no longer emphasizing “speed over tradecraft.” Daniel Benjamin, the recently retired counterterrorism czar at the State Department says Hezbollah’s level of activity outside the Middle East is greater than at any time since the 1990s. (Washington Post, February 26th, 2013)
LEBANON GRAPPLING WITH SYRIAN REFUGEES
The ongoing civil war in Syria continues to send refugees flooding across the border into Lebanon; some 305,000 in total according to the United Nations, although local workers say the number is closer to 400,000. The fear in Lebanon is that if fighting continues to intensify in the Syrian capital of Damascus, the refugee flow could be overwhelming. With 2.5 million residents Damascus is just a half hour drive from the Lebanon border. Thus far, the Syrian refugees in Lebanon have largely been left to fend for themselves and Sunni communities there have become “swamped and resentful.” Refugees from Syria are now beginning to venture into less hospitable Christian and Shi’ite villages. The Lebanese government, which still hosts some 400,000 Palestinian refugees in segregated camps, has not established any camps for Syrian refugees and has stifled efforts to provide the refugees with humanitarian aid. (New York Times, February 23 2013)
NATIONAL SALVATION FRONT TO BOYCOTT EGYPT POLL
The main opposition bloc in Egypt, the National Salvation Front (NSF), had decided not to participate in the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections. “There can be no elections without a law that guarantees the fairness of the election process and a government that can implement such a law and be trusted by the people,” announced Sameh Ashour, a member of the NSF. The poll is scheduled to begin in April and span two months of staggered regional voting. (Al Jazeera, February 26, 2013)
FOOD SHORTAGES FOR EGYPT?
Economists and Egyptian analysts are warning about potential food shortages in Egypt by the end of the year. Egypt imports more than half of its annual grain needs, and the nation of 92 million consumes 17 million tons of wheat annually. Egypt’s foreign currency reserves, meanwhile, are shrinking, and totaled just $13.6 billion in January 2013. Cairo is already seeking a $4.8 billion loan from the IMF to bridge a budget gap "Even if the Government gets a loan from the International Monetary Fund and other world agencies, the ongoing political unrest will hamper any development plans. Egypt remains stuck at square one," Nashaat Sabry, a Cairo-based economic analyst, explains. (The Egyptian Gazette March 5, 2013)
U.S. MULLING MILITARY AID TO SYRIA OPPOSITION
The United States and Europe have begun early discussions on the possibility of providing direct military aid to the Syrian opposition, potentially including body armor, armored vehicles, military training and humanitarian assistance. Newly appointed Secretary of State John Kerry is reported to have discussed the proposals with European officials on his first foreign trip abroad as the nation’s top diplomat. The U.S. has provided some $385 million in humanitarian aid through NGOs and international institutions but has not provided direct assistance to the opposition coalition. The Washington Post reports, “A push last summer to arm the rebels, backed by then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, then-CIA Director David H. Petraeus and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, was rejected by the White House in favor of continued efforts to build the political opposition.” (Washington Post, February 26th, 2013)