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U.S. delivers $9M arms package to Lebanese Army

(BEIRUT) — The United States delivered Friday an $8.6 million arms package of Hellfire missiles and artillery munitions to the Lebanese army, according to the U.S. embassy in Beirut.

The package, which includes 50 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and 560 artillery rounds including the “precision munitions”, will help the army “secure Lebanon’s borders against violent extremists,” the embassy said in a statement.

“Ambassador David Hale visited Beirut Airbase (Friday) morning to inspect America’s latest delivery of ‘Hellfire’ missiles and artillery munitions to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF),” the statement added.

Embassy officials said the weapons are meant to help Lebanon defend spillovers from neighboring Syria, which have left the Lebanese army on high alert in eastern Lebanon.

Border violence has sparked clashes and cross-border attacks between opposing groups in the Syrian conflict. The Lebanese army fought several days last year with insurgent groups, including the Islamic State and Nusra Front, when they attempted to attack the northeastern Lebanese town of Arsal.

The embassy noted that “munitions delivery demonstrates America’s sustained commitment to ensure that the Lebanese Armed Forces has the support it needs to be the sole defender of Lebanese territory and its borders, and is answerable to the state and to the Lebanese people through the state.”

According to the embassy, the U.S. has provided over $1.3 billion dollars in security assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces since 2004.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry recently announced the U.S. would double its military aid to the Lebanese Army this year.

“These funds will allow the Lebanese Armed Forces to buy munitions, improve close air support, sustain vehicles and aircraft, modernize airlift capacity, provide training to its soldiers, and add to the mobility of armored units,” he said.

Kerry made the announcement during the third ministerial meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon in New York on Sept. 30.

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 News

U.S. charges two Lebanese with laundering money for Hezbollah

(NEW YORK) — U.S. prosecutors on Friday charged two Lebanese nationals with plotting to launder drug money and broker other illegal deals to Lebanon to support Hezbollah.

Prosecutors allege that Lebanese businesswoman Iman Kobeissi, 50, and Lebanese attorney Joseph Asmar, 42, are connected to a global network of money launderers for Hezbollah.

Kobeissi allegedly tried to purchase thousands of weapons, including more than 1,000 assault rifles and machine guns, for Lebanese fighters. Authorities claim she told an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent that she planned to buy weapons for Hezbollah associates in Iran.

Kobeissi was arrested Thursday in Atlanta and transferred to New York.

Authorities said Joseph Asmar conspired to launder about $8 million from South and Central American drug traffickers. Asmar was arrested on a provisional warrant in Paris, according to authorities.

The criminal complaint was unsealed Friday in a New York federal court, detailing two years of recorded meetings between undercover U.S. agents and Kobeissi and Asmar.

In October 2014, drug enforcement agents said Kobeissi told them she had friends in Hezbollah who wanted to purchase cocaine, weapons, and ammunition. According to the report, Kobeissi and Asmar said their friends in Africa could provide security for planeloads of cocaine heading to the U.S. and other countries.

During the investigation, undercover agents gave approximately $400,000 in fake drug proceeds to Kobeissi and Asmar, who laundered the money back to the U.S. in exchange for a commission, prosecutors said.

In total, the defendants allegedly plotted to launder $8 million in illicit funds on behalf of drug-trafficking organizations in Latin America.

Kobeissi pleaded not guilty in court Friday. Asmar was arrested in Paris, but his lawyer could not be located for comment.

The U.S. State Department designates Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization, although a January 2014 report removed the group from its “Terrorism” section, citing attempts to “dampen sectarianism.”

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 Lifestyle

Austrian mountaineer climbs Baatara Gorge in Tannourine

Austrian climber David Lama chose Lebanon as the location for his latest adventure and fixed his sights on setting a route in the untouched Baatara Gorge.

It was a bold move for the 25-year-old climber and he successfully set the new route Avaatara, which is a 5.14d climb.

“If you get to travel roads that have already been discovered, you’re basically just following,” Lama said, citing the reason why he chose to visit Lebanon. “But if you go somewhere no one has ever been you’re basically in the lead and that’s something I really like.”

“Lebanon is definitely a special place, it’s somehow a little bit exotic, a place that you don’t actually plan to go to as a climber, as it’s not really on the climbing map, and that’s one factor that drove me to come here.”

David Lama climbs the first ascent of Avaatara (5.14d) in the Baatara Gorge near Tannourine, Lebanon on June 18th, 2015. (Corey Rich/Red Bull Content Pool)
David Lama climbs the first ascent of Avaatara (5.14d) in the Baatara Gorge near Tannourine, Lebanon on June 18th, 2015. (Corey Rich/Red Bull Content Pool)

The Baatara gorge sinkhole is a waterfall in Tannourine, Lebanon, which drops 255 metres into the Baatara Pothole, a cave of Jurassic limestone located on the Lebanon Mountain Trail.

Lama is the first person to ever scale the sinkhole.

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 Entertainment

Myriam Fares announces pregnancy but doesn’t reveal ‘min mekhde’

(BEIRUT) — Lebanese superstar Myriam Fares announced on Instagram she is pregnant! The songstress posted a photo in a long black dress exposing her baby bump for the first time.

Fares married Lebanese-American businessman Danny Mitri last year, but never revealed photos of the mystery man. The wedding hosted only 14 close family members and friends.

Fares first spoke of Mitri in detail on the Lebanese TV show “Al Mutaham,” when she revealed he lived in Miami and traveled often to see her.

“Danny was very close to me,” Fares said. “Every time he came to Lebanon he knew that he had another home in Lebanon.”

Speculations of Fares’ pregnancy started months ago, but she immediately dropped rumors and said it was something she “dreamed” of.

Fares has insisted that Mitri did not want to be in the public limelight. She said hotel security banned cell phones and cameras at her wedding last year.

Lebanese diva Amal Hamadeh is understandably angry with the news. She, along with millions of fans, have been eagerly waiting to see a photo of Mitri.

The new mystery: will Fares reveal photos of the baby?

WATCH Hamadeh’s PSA:

Myriam Fares: Min Mekhde?Hey Myriam Fares – min mekhde? We want to know. 🙂

Posted by Lebanese Examiner on Saturday, October 3, 2015

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 News

Israeli forces strike stun grenade at Lebanon-based TV reporter

(BEIRUT) — Israeli police forces fired a stun grenade on Sunday at news reporter Hana Mahameed, striking her directly in the face and causing facial trauma, according to media reports.

Mahameed, who works for the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen television network, was covering clashes between Arab residents and Israeli law enforcement from the Arab neighborhood of al-Issawiya when the attack happened.

Clashes occurred in response to the death of Palestinian teenager Fadi Alloun, who was shot dead by police after he stabbed an Israeli boy on Sunday.

Mahmeed was seen wearing a blue jacket with a signed marked “PRESS” attached to it. According to Ma’an News Agency, “In a video of the incident, the reporter suddenly stops talking during a live report and begins screaming after being hit in the face with a canister.”

Media reports said Mahameed was rushed to a local hospital where she was treated for injuries.

Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri told The Daily Mail, the police responded with ‘riot dispersal means’ and that ‘whoever is present with law-breaking rioters risks getting injured’.

But Mahameed claims Israeli forces aimed directly at her TV crew as they reported live on the neighborhood clashes.

Mahameed courageously returned to work the next day with bandages covering the parts of her face burned by a stun grenade.

WATCH the live report:

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 News

Lebanese politicians scuffle; turn electricity meeting into circus

(BEIRUT) — Rival Lebanese lawmakers turned an electricity committee meeting into a circus Monday as Mustaqbal Movement and Change and Reform MPs engaged in a shouting match accusing each other of corruption.

Ziad Aswad, from MP Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform Bloc, and Jamal Jarrah, from former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Future Bloc, nearly brawled on live television before being held back by their colleagues.

The scuffle began when Change and Reform MP Hikmat Deeb protested MP Mohammed Qabbani’s labeling of the Energy Ministry as “Ali Baba’s cave and the 40 advisors,” reported Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5).

This led to a verbal dispute between the lawmakers, triggering expletives and a loud shouting match for several minutes, before journalists and camera crews were asked to leave the room.

The meeting was later suspended and both parties went on the offensive, calling for news conferences to defend their actions.

“The scuffle was a result of historic accumulation of disputes at the committee,” Change and Reform MP Fadi al-Awar told LBCI after the meeting. “Officials and other figures, including Qabbani, who do not pay their electricity bills should be held accountable.”

Qabbani fired back, calling for future committee meetings to be open to the media and defending his party’s response.

“It is shameful to see such barbarism in communication at parliament,” Qabbani said. “I challenge any of those MPs to present any electricity bill that I have not paid.”

Qabbani explained the session was suspended because of the “shameful turn as shown on camera.”

WATCH the scuffle unfold:

 

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 News

US Treasury imposes sanctions on Lebanese businessman

(WASHINGTON, DC) — The U.S. Department of Treasury designated four Lebanese and two German nationals and 11 companies as “Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers” pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act.

According to officials, the U.S. placed sanctions on Merhi Ali Abou Merhi, a Lebanese businessman who owns a holding company with multiple subsidiaries across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

“Merhi has business dealings with members of the Lebanese-Colombian drug-trafficking and money-laundering operation allegedly run by Ayman Joumaa, who was placed under sanctions in January 2011 and charged in December 2011 with cocaine distribution and money laundering,” the Treasury said.

“Merhi Ali Abou Merhi operates an extensive maritime shipping business that enables the Joumaa network’s illicit money laundering activity and widespread narcotics trafficking,” said John Smith, acting director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control. “The Joumaa criminal network is a multi-national money laundering ring whose money laundering activities have benefited Hezbollah.”

Abou Merhi Group has multiple subsidiaries in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe including the following 10 designated companies: Abou-Merhi Lines SAL, a shipping line in Lebanon; Abou-Merhi Cruises (AMC) SAL, a travel agency in Lebanon; Le-Mall-Sidon, a shopping mall in south Lebanon; Queen Stations, a gas station in Lebanon; Orient Queen Homes, a real estate development in Lebanon; maritime shipping subsidiaries in Benin (Abou Merhi Cotonou), Nigeria (Abou Merhi Nigeria), and Germany (Abou Merhi Hamburg); Lebanon Center, a shopping mall in Jordan; and Abou Merhi Charity Institution in Lebanon.

The other Lebanese and German nationals on the list were designated for their management roles in Merhi’s various companies: Houeda Ahmad Nasreddine, also known as Houeida Abou Merhi; Ahmad El Bezri; Wajdi Youssef Nasr; Hana Merhi Abou Merhi; and Atef Merhi Abou Merhi.

On January 26, 2011, OFAC designated the Joumaa drug trafficking and money laundering organization as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Kingpin Act.

On November 3, 2011, Ayman Joumaa was indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for coordinating the shipment of over 85,000 kilograms of cocaine and laundering in excess of $250 million in narcotics proceeds. Ayman Joumaa remains a fugitive, according to the U.S. Treasury.

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 City Beat, New York

LAU lecture explores question: Was Jesus a Phoenician?

(NEW YORK) — The Lebanese American University held a lecture Wednesday exploring evidence compiled by author Karim El Koussa, which suggests Jesus may be a Phoenician, according to his private studies.

The university hosted the Lebanese author at the LAU New York Academic Center, where university officials frequently host public forums and hold Arabic language courses, among others.

El Koussa said 40 people attended the lecture, which included a book signing for his publication “Jesus the Phoenician.” He admits the results of his studies often spark controversy because they contradict conventional beliefs that Jesus was a Jew.

“Some people are used to the traditional way of thinking that was imposed on them throughout their life and are definitely afraid to open their minds to controversial ideas in matter of religion and history,” El Koussa said, referring to points discussed in his book. “They usually react in a very fierce way as if they are threatened, although many of the reference I am using are coming from the New Testament itself.”

El Koussa, who has a degree in communications from NDU, said he spent years researching the origins of Jesus. He said he was inspired by a mentor, Father Youssef Yammine, the author of the Arabic book, “Christ was Born in Lebanon.”

“Many others understand and accept the logic behind the material used in the lecture and find it truly consistent and holding,” he said.

Lebanese author Karim El Koussa signs a copy of his book, "Jesus the Phoenician" at the Lebanese American University New York Academic Center on Sept. 30, 2015. (Photo via Lebanese American University Communications Office)
Lebanese author Karim El Koussa signs a copy of his book, “Jesus the Phoenician” at the Lebanese American University New York Academic Center on Sept. 30, 2015. (Photo via Lebanese American University Communications Office)

The Phoenicians were ancient tradesmen largely credited with creating the first widely used alphabet. Historians believe the Phoenicians were centered on the coastline of modern Lebanon, with some ports reaching the Western Mediterranean.

Some Lebanese historians believe the Lebanese speak a distinct language and have their own culture, separate from that of the surrounding Middle Eastern countries.

El Koussa said he hopes Lebanese nationals consider researching the origins of Jesus, especially readings that point to geographical evidence along the Lebanese coastline.

“Lebanon is one of the oldest countries in the world and is full of history, going back to more than 7,000 years BC,” he said. “Lebanese should be proud of their cultural heritage and should not at all forget that their ancestors played an important role—if not the most important one—in the formation of the human civilization.”

For more information about El-Koussa and his books, visit el-koussa.com.

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 News

UN chief: Lebanon needs great international support

(NEW YORK) — While thanking Lebanon’s partners for their efforts to support the country in the face of numerous challenges, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the need for even greater assistance, particularly as the country deals with the Syrian refugee crisis.

“The response has been significant. I welcome the generous support of donors – but this has not matched the country’s exceptional needs,” Ki-Moon told a ministerial meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon, held at United Nations Headquarters on the margins of the annual debate of the General Assembly.

Since the conflict in Syria began over four years ago, over 1 million refugees have arrived in Lebanon. Syrian refugees now make up 25 percent of the population of Lebanon.

“Lebanon needs more support for local public institutions, especially municipalities which have to continue delivering basic services and maintaining a peaceful environment for refugees and host communities. The rights and safety of refugees who have fled to Lebanon need to continue to be guaranteed,” Ki-Moon stated.

“Resources are insufficient. Needs are rising. If we do not bridge this gap, there will be far-reaching consequences for the region and beyond.”

The Secretary-General encouraged bilateral partners to expedite support where the Lebanese Armed Forces need it most so that they can effectively address security threats.

Another area of concern highlighted during the meeting, which was attended by Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam, was the 16-month vacancy in the country’s presidency, which the group noted “seriously impairs” Lebanon’s ability to address the security, economic, social and humanitarian challenges facing the country.

In a chairman’s summary issued after the meeting, the group stressed that if strong international support is to contribute effectively to sustained stability, it must be paralleled by determined action by Lebanon’s leaders to resolve the political stalemate through the election of a president without further delay, to restore a fully functioning government, and to respond to citizens’ needs through the provision of effective state services.

“The international community has a deep investment in Lebanon,” Ki-Moon stressed. “The country has always stood as a symbol of co-existence. Stability there can help the increasingly fractured region.”

In addition to Lebanon, the following participants were invited to the meeting: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Italy, the European Union, and the League of Arab States.

United Nations News Centre

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 News, Success Stories

Lebanese entrepreneurs launch virtual closet app

(BEIRUT) — As clothing lines rush to adapt to emerging fashion markets in the Middle East, an enterprising Lebanese duo are empowering women to help influence clothing brands and craft their next outfit.

Nour El Assaad and Loubna Ibrahim are co-founders of TopShou, a social interactive mobile app with an ambitious mission to help women solve the most pressing question — what to wear?

The app allows users to upload photos of their clothes into a virtual closet, and mix-and-match tops, bottoms, and accessories into their daily outfits. They can also share outfits with their friends and scroll through one another’s wardrobe.

“Fashion really has no age because individual style never gets old or young,” El Assaad said. “Our goal is to empower a woman’s style by giving her more resources.”

Experts believe the average woman spends 16 minutes digging through her wardrobe every weekday morning. El Assaad said she hopes TopShou will help women save time and stay à la mode.

“Making a daily fashion statement is easy with TopShou,” she said.

The free app was launched to iOS users on Aug. 20 at the UK Lebanon Tech Hub in Beirut. El Assaad and Ibrahim are part of an emerging wave of young Lebanese entrepreneurs entering the start-up scene in the Middle East.

“We’re seeing changes you’ve never seen before in the Arab world,” El Assaad said. “We trying to breakthrough and join the huge boom in startups, especially here in Lebanon.”

Beirut’s entrepreneurial culture is rapidly growing into a powerhouse for tech startups and business incubators. Lebanon’s Central Bank recently added $400 million into the startup tech economy through its “Circular 331″ initiative — a project to help stimulate the startup economy with seven-year interest-free credit incentives.

But some entrepreneurs worry the political climate and presidential stalemate hampers potential growth. BBC World News estimates Lebanon has one of the slowest Internet connections in the world.

“It’s not affecting us,” El Assaad said. “Actually it’s the opposite; Lebanon has helped us grow and market to a more diverse group.”

In March, TopShou won third place at the ArabNet Ideathon Competition during a creative arts conference in Beirut. El Assaad believes the growing tech industry has encouraged them to be innovative.

“Our biggest challenge was creating the app, and we already created the app,” she said. “Our second challenge was getting people to believe in us, but we already have people believing in us.”

TopShou founder Loubna Ibrahim came up with the app as part of a university thesis project. (Photo via TopShou.com)
TopShou founder Loubna Ibrahim came up with the app as part of a university thesis project. (Photo via TopShou.com)

El Assaad admits app marketing and user growth could take time, but she views the market potential as a confidence boost.

“We did a huge market research to know what’s the trend,” she said. “We’ve watched everything; we know what people want in the fashion industry.”

The app will be available in other languages and on Android devices after the pilot phase, El Assaad added. A similar platform for men is also in the works.

“After the three-month pilot phase we will launch new projects,” she said. “Soon users can seek fashion advice for a small price.”

The app will also add an eCommerce platform which will redirect users to sites that sell apparel and accessories.

El Assaad and Ibrahim have been working closely with the app development team at Ideatolife on coding and app logistics. El Assaad already manages a busy schedule as a marketing professional and founder of a Lebanese anti-bullying NGO.

“I prefer to put titles aside and say that me and Loubna (Ibrahim) do everything together,” she said. “We’re a dynamic duo.”

To download the TopShou app, click here.

WATCH Nour El Assaad explain the story behind TopShou:

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