SYRIAN REFUGEES CAUSING TURMOIL IN LEBANON
Lebanon’s president, Michel Suleiman, spoke of the crisis a million Syrian refugees are causing in his country at the UN General Assembly in New York this month. At the same conference, President Barack Obama pledged $74 million in humanitarian aid to Lebanon and an additional $8.7 million to help the country’s military secure its borders against terrorist threats and illicit goods. At the request of the Lebanese government, the World Bank conducted an assessment which found that the spillover from Syria will drive up unemployment, poverty rates, and government expenditures. The assessment concludes that the number of Syrian refugees could reach 1.3 million by the end of 2013 and that Lebanon will require “up to $1.6 billion to maintain the quality of social safety nets and health and education systems, and to restore access to pre-crisis levels.” (ABC News September 24, 2013)
SYRIAN REBELS RELINQUISH OPPOSITION COALITION
Thirteen Syrian rebel groups have rejected the Western-backed opposition coalition, the Syrian National Coalition and have called for the formation of a new Islamist front that includes the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. Coalition president Ahmed Jarba is set to return to Syria on Thursday to try to “come up with a better structure for organizing the fighting forces.” The new alliance, which is composed strictly of groups actually fighting in Syria, is disheartening to foreign leaders who have supported more secular groups. Though the more moderate groups in the new front deny it is taking a more radical approach, the move risks bolstering the Syrian regime’s contention that that the alternative to Ba’athist rule is “a Syria run by al-Qaeda.” (Reuters September 25, 2013)
STOLEN U.S. MILITARY EQUIPMENT IN LIBYA IN DANGEROUS HANDS
In Libya highly sensitive U.S. military equipment is now under the control of militia groups aligned with terror organizations and the Muslim Brotherhood. Hundreds of weapons, dozens of highly armored vehicles, and night-vision goggles that were used for training in Libya by U.S. Special Forces have been taken in raids since the summer. There is mounting concern that these tools will be used by militias and Salafists to overthrow the U.S.-backed government and install hardline Muslim leadership. One of the militia groups is hoarding weapons in a U.S. – developed training camp outside of Tripoli now under their control. (Fox News September 25, 2013)
SHIN BET: ARAB ISRAELIS WORKING WITH AL-QAEDA
Shin Bet, Israel’s premier security agency, has released a study finding that Arab Israelis are joining rebel forces in Syria and working with al-Qaeda terrorists. The review, which outlines the danger that Arab Israelis being trained in Syria could use that training against Israel by diffusing ideologies and using learned intel and military capabilities, was submitted to the State Prosecutor’s Office and the Supreme Court. It is also possible that Global Jihad terrorists could get precious information about Israel from Arab Israelis operating in Syria. Warzones in Afghanistan and Syria are thought by al-Qaeda to be key elements in building their infrastructure and liberating Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories. (Ynetnews.com September 20, 2013)
HEZBOLLAH SAYS IT HAS NO SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Hezbollah strongly denies accusations that it acquired chemical weapons from the Syrian regime it has been supporting. Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Hezbollah, claims the group has “religious reasons” that prevent them from owning or using chemical weapons. He also stated that the charges against the group have “dangerous repercussions on Lebanon.” Nasrallah has called on Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other Gulf states who have been supporting the rebels to consider the politics and the well-being of the region and relinquish their part in violence, though Hezbollah and Iran shows no signs of halting their support to the Syrian regime. (Huffington Post September 24, 2013)