Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.
Both wings of the US war party target all nations free from their control for regime change — forever wars by hot and/or other means their favored tactics.
China is hegemon USA’s target No. One — for its growing political, economic and technological prominence on the world stage, not for any national security threat its leadership poses.
While preemptive US war on the country is extremely unlikely, it’s possible by accident or design — given how often its ruling class chooses this option.
Its risk increased by a newly formed anti-China axis of evil.
On Wednesday, the Biden regime and imperial UK/Australian partners announced what they called a “historic” security alliance (sic).
Unrelated to the security of their nations — facing no threats from others, just invented ones — newly formed “Aukus” is all about challenging China in a part of the world where hegemon USA and Britain don’t belong.
In light of Lebanon’s current energy and unprecedented economic crises, Hezbollah’s decision to import Iranian oil to aid Lebanon led the US into a state of confusion, thus limiting its options.
Foreign Policy: The United States has no active plan to rescue the country
Lebanon’s economic crisis is a book with many authors. This is a tale of a country that plunged into poverty, dragging down a large percentage of its population.
The Lebanese are desperate, as the economic situation in the country worsens. So, the hopes of some Lebanese were pinned on the United States, which issued several statements and expressed some reactions, but made no solid actions. In other words, the United States never intended to provide an action plan to help the country out of its crisis.
It is worth mentioning that one factor of the country’s economic crisis is the siege that the US has put the country under.
The opening; oil ships to Lebanon
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in a speech on August 20, stated that the “Caesar Act on Syria was not only meant to besiege Syria alone but also Lebanon.” The country is isolated from all directions, Syria from the north and east with the longest borderline, and Palestine since its occupation in 1948.
During the same speech, Sayyed Nasrallah announced, “We agreed with the Iranians to start loading the third ship of oil derivatives,” adding that Lebanon will need more than 3 ships to face the forthcoming stage of the crisis.
He emphasized that there are no aims for trade or profit, “our aim is to alleviate the suffering of the people.”
International politics and its game rules dictate that there is no clear agenda on the table, especially when it comes to western agendas in West Asia. However, history can sometimes speak for itself.
During a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Sep 24, 2020, former US Under Secretary of State, David Hale, revealed that the United States has spent $10 billion in Lebanon, on security forces and the army on one hand, and on the civil society represented mostly by non-governmental organizations on the other, throughout several years.
He continued to say that Washington’s support for the Lebanese army comes within the US strategy to confront Hezbollah’s “terrorism”, explaining that the Lebanese army is “capable of carrying out its tasks.”
Back in 2010, July 8, the former US Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman revealed that after Lebanon’s 2006 war, the US invested $500 million to demonize Hezbollah’s image using the media and to drive people away from the party.
Feltman’s testimony, one of many, reveals that the US wanted to assist and support Lebanon after the war by “reducing” Hezbollah’s appeal to Lebanon’s youth. To this end, the US rushed to invest millions of dollars through USAID and the Middle East Partnership Initiative.
“Hizballah’s persistence as a well-armed terrorist group within Lebanon, as well as its robust relationships with Iran and Syria, and the transfer of increasingly sophisticated missiles and rockets to Hizballah, threaten the interests of the United States, Lebanon, and our partners in the region, especially Israel,” Feltman stated.
US policy in stalemate
There are two moves to play here, either to impose sanctions on Hezbollah or to intervene militarily directly or by proxy. Sanctions were already pushed to their limits, while war looks costly under the current balance of power, with an intrinsic possibility of insurmountable losses.
Following its policy of maximum pressure, the United States imposed sanctions on Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah. The three parties were the main players in the current oil transportation route, but sanctions were already there years back. Starting from when the ship set sail from Iran, reaching Syria’s Baniyas port, and then ending on Lebanese territories, America’s siege was considered broken and the US reached stalemate.
Sayyed Nasrallah clearly and purposely emphasized that the oil ships will indeed reach Lebanese territories. In other words, he was stressing that any attack on the ships would be considered a violation of Lebanese national sovereignty, which will rationally lead to retaliation. Since the other party does understand this simple algorithm, the question is: Is the US ready for escalation?
For a closer look, take a few steps back to August 6. On that day, in response to Israeli raids on Lebanese territories, the Resistance responded.
Hezbollah fired rockets in response to the raids on open areas in Al-Jarmaq and Al-Shawakir, noting that the bombing was carried out with about twenty 122mm rockets.
Checkmate; a win-win for Hezbollah
In light of talks that Hezbollah would import Iranian oil to Lebanon, a delegation of four US senators announced that the US is looking to help Lebanon overcome its crisis, but warned against importing Iranian oil.
Senator Richard Blumenthal added that there should be no reason for Lebanon to depend on Iran because there are plenty of “other sources” that could be relied on.
Following Sayyed Nasrallah’s speech, in which he announced that Iran would be sending oil ships to Lebanon, the US ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, revealed that the Biden administration is ready to facilitate Jordanian surplus electricity and the export of Egyptian natural gas to Lebanon via Syria.
It is worth mentioning that the announcement about exporting Egyptian gas was made over a month ago, but the facilitation of the process was hastened right after Sayyed Nasrallah’s speech that without a doubt created a rush of speculations and catalyzed the reactions in the political arena.
This announcement by the Biden administration seems to unintentionally benefit Hezbollah’s plans to aid Lebanon. Needless to mention that the gas they said they will help to export will pass through Syria, a country that is already under a US siege imposed by the Caesar act. It looks like the Americans will have to seek Syria’s help in this regard.
Zugzwang; the compulsion to move
The US created a corridor that defies the point behind the siege, which it has imposed on Lebanon, thus forcing it to waiver sanctions on Damascus. As such, the US is forced to either rehabilitate the infrastructure in war-torn Syria or to give it funds to do so in order to use the electric transmission line and gas pipelines, which both need repairs.
Moreover, Hezbollah welcomed the plan that offers aid to Lebanon, whether from Iran, Jordan, or Egypt, as long as it serves the country. Stability after all appears to serve the interests of the Lebanese party more than its foes’.
The US policy for Lebanon could be easily marketed as a fierce competition with Iran,but the US plancould nevertheless assist Lebanon out of its crisis, regardless of its real intentions, thus, a win-win situation for Hezbollah that is after stability in its home country. The US, on the other hand, seems to only judge Lebanon primarily through the lens of Israeli interests.
In sum, just as the Foreign Policy wrote, “The United States has no active plan to rescue the country—nor is there any indication that one is in the works,” adding that, “the United States has only offered ad hoc support, doing the minimum to keep the country from utter collapse.”
On September 17, the Houthis announced that they “liberated” more than 1,600 square kilometers in the central Yemeni province of Ma’rib from the Saudi-led coalition and its proxies during a recent large-scale operation.
The operation, codenamed “Great Strength,” saw the Houthis and their allies imposing control of the districts of Medghal and Majzar. The Mass Millitary camp also fell into the hands of the Houthis. The camp was one of the Saudi-led coalition main bases in Ma’rib.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, a spokesman for the Houthis, claimed that the coalition used to shelter elements of al-Qaeda and ISIS in the camp.
During Operation Great Strength, the Houthis’ Missile Force carried out a total of 161 attacks. 128 of the attacks were against targets in Yemen, while 33 were launched against targets deep inside Saudi Araba.
The Houthis’ Air Force also carried out 319 attacks with drones. 136 attacks targeted Saudi-backed forces in Yemen and 183 targeted Saudi Arabia.
According to Brig. Gen Sari, the Saudi-led coalition and its proxies sustained heavy losses as a result of Operation Greater Strength. Around 3,000 Saudi-backed fighters were killed, 12,400 others were wounded and 550 were captured. Furthermore, 1,500 vehicles of Saudi-backed forces were destroyed, burned or damaged.
In the course of the operation, the Houthis documented 3,290 airstrikes by Saudi-led coalition warplanes. The airstrikes failed to stop, or even slow down the group’s advance in Ma’rib.
Last week, the Houthis announced that they captured the districts of Mahliyah and Rahbah in Ma’rib after advancing from the nearby province of al-Bayda during the third phase of Operation Evident Victory.
The Houthis have been advancing towards Ma’rib city and nearby oil fields for well-over six months now. All attempts to stop them by the Saudi-led coalition and its proxies were a complete and utter failure.
Operation Great Strength was not the end of Houthi operations in Ma’rib. The Yemeni group will not likely stop its operations in Ma’rib before capturing the provincial center.
بينما كان الاتحاد الأوروبي يناقش استراتيجيته الجديدة، في المحيطين الهندي والهادئ، كما أعلن مسؤول السياسة الخارجية في الاتحاد جوزيب بوريل، قام الرئيس الأميركي بالإعلان المفاحئ عن إقامة حلف آوكوس AUKUS بين بلاده وبريطانيا وأستراليا من دون إعلام الاتحاد الأوروبي بأي شيءٍ.
وأكد بوريل للصحافيين بأنهم علموا بذلك (من وسائل الإعلام) لكنهم لم يستشاروا أبداً. كما أعرب عن أسفه أن لا يكون الاتحاد الأوروبي جزءاً من هذا التحالف.
صحيح أن أزمات الدول الغربية، وعلى رأسها الولايات المتحدة الأميركية، هي أزمات بنيوية تتعلق بالنظام الرأسمالي، المحكوم عليه بالزوال، لأسباب موضوعية ليس لها مكان في هذا المقام، ولكن الأزمة الحالية التي تعصف بالعلاقات الأوروبية الأميركية، بشكل عام وتلك الفرنسية الأميركية بشكل خاص، تأتي في هذا الظرف الدولي الحالي، في ظل موازين القوى الدولية، التي تختل بشكل واضح ومتسارع لصالح القوى المعادية للامبريالية والهيمنة الأميركية الأوروبية، على مقدرات شعوب العالم، بالتالي فهي تشكُل تعبيراً جلياً على أن الصراعات الحادة والتناقضات المتزايدة بين الدول الأوروبية والولايات المتحدة الأميركية، سببها التناقض الموضوعي لمصالح الطرفين، الاقتصادية والسياسية والعسكرية، على صعيد العالم.
وهذا يعني أن الصراع الدولي يزداد تصعيداً ويشي بتغيرات محتملة في التحالفات الدولية، لنقل الاصطفافات الدولية القائمة حالياً في العالم من جهة لجهة أخرى.
ونقول اصطفافات لأن الولايات المتحدة لا تتعامل مع أية دولة في العالم، بما في ذلك أعضاء حلف شمال الأطلسي وكبريات هذه الدول، مثل فرنسا وبريطانيا وألمانيا واليابان على أنها دول مستقلة، وإنما هي تتعامل معها كدول محتلة (منذ نهاية الحرب العالميه الثانية، كدول تابعة لواشنطن) وهي بالتالي لا ترقى إلى مستوى الحليف.
من هنا فإن واشنطن، وانطلاقاً من هذه القاعدة، تتعامل مع تلك الدول، إضافة إلى أذناب الولايات المتحدة الأميركية في “الشرق الأوسط”، بما فيها “إسرائيل”، على أنها أدوات لخدمة المصالح الأميركية، يجب أن تعمل طبقاً للأوامر التي يتلقونها من سيد البيت الأبيض لا أكثر.
أما مناسبة المقدمة هذه، فهي موجة الغضب الهستيري التي ظهرت على لسان وزير الخارجية الفرنسي، جان إيڤ لودريان، والهجوم الحاد الذي شنه، خلال مؤتمر صحافي عقده يوم 16/9/2021، على الرئيس الأميركي جو بايدن وقوله عنه إن تصرفاته المفاجئة لا تختلف عن تصرفات سلفه، دونالد ترامب. وذلك في تعقيبات له على قيام أستراليا (جزء من التاج البريطاني وليست دولة كاملة الاستقلال كما كندا ونيوزيلاندا) بإلغاء صفقة الغواصات مع بلاده.
فما هي هذه الصفقة وما هو سبب حالة الهستيريا، التي يعيشها رأس الديبلوماسية الفرنسية هذه الأيام، وماذا يمكن لها أن تفرز من تداعيات؟
بدأت القضية بقيام لودريان نفسه، عندما كان وزيراً للدفاع في فرنسا عام 2016، كسمسار لشركات الصناعات العسكرية الفرنسية، حيث نجح، آنذاك، بإقناع رئيس وزراء أستراليا في حينه، مالكولم تيرنبول، بشراء 12 غواصة فرنسية، تعمل بالوقود التقليدي (الديزل) تقوم بصناعتها شركة “دي سي أن أس” الفرنسية للتعاقدات البحرية.
وقد اختارت الحكومة الأسترالية، في شهر نيسان عام 1916، هذه الشركة الفرنسية ووقعت معها عقوداً رسمية، للبدء في تصنيع الغواصات، حيث قام رئيس الوزراء الأسترالي لاحقاً بزيارة لمقر هذه الشركة الفرنسية، في ميناء شيربورغ الفرنسي، وافتتح مشروع صناعة الغواصات الاثنتي عشر، التي كان يفترض أن تنتهي الشركة من تسليمها، لأسطول شبه الدولية في أستراليا، عام 2030.
علماً أن القيمة الإجمالية لهذه الصفقة كانت تساوي 90 مليار دولار أسترالي، أي ما قيمته 56 مليار دولار أميركي، وهي بذلك من الصفقات العملاقة التي تعقد بين الدول، والتي لها تأثيرات مباشرة في الاقتصاد الفرنسي، سواءً من جهة تشغيل اليد العاملة أو من جهة قيمة الضرائب التي تحصل عليها الدولة الفرنسية، في صورة ضرائب دخل للعاملين في شركة التصنيع وشركات الدعم التي تمدها بالمواد نصف المصنعة أو غيرها من شركات التصميم والتزويد والإمداد.
كما أن لمثل هكذا صفقة كبيرة تأثيراً جديداً في السمعة الدولية للصناعات العسكرية الفرنسية، التي يعمل السياسيون الفرنسيون بشكل متواصل لتسويق منتجاتها. وعليه فإن ما حدث يعد ضربةً اقتصاديةً وماليةً وسياسيةً كبرى وجهتها. واشنطن لباريس.
يعزو المراقبون السبب وراء الهيجان، الذي يعاني منه وزير الخارجية الفرنسي، لودريان، والذي أدى به للإدلاء بهذه التصريحات النارية، ضد الرئيس الأميركي بايدن وضد الولايات المتحدة وأستراليا نفسها إلى قيام الرئيس الأميركي، يوم 15/9/2021، بعقد مؤتمر صحافي في البيت الأبيض، تناقلت وقائعه جميع وكالات الأنباء العالمية، ومن بينها وكالة الأنباء الفرنسية.
حيث أعلن الرئيس الأميركي، خلال المؤتمر الصحافي، عن قيام تحالف أمني واسع النطاق، بين بلاده وبريطانيا وأستراليا، تحصل أستراليا بموجبه على 12 غواصة حديثة تعمل بالوقود النووي (مقابل الغواصات الفرنسية التي كانت ستتسلمها من فرنسا تعمل بوقود الديزل التقليدي)، لمواجهة العداء المتزايد تجاه الصين، بحسب تعبير وكالة الأنباء الفرنسية.
وقد كانت النتيجة الأولى لهذا الإعلان هو فسخ أستراليا لعقد شراء الغواصات الفرنسية، الأمر الذي دفع وزير الخارجية الفرنسي ووزيرة الجيوش الفرنسية بإطلاق تلك التصريحات غير المعهودة تجاه واشنطن ورئيسها.
إذ قال وزير الخارجية الفرنسية إنّ هذا القرار، الذي أعلن عنه بايدن، يُعتبر طعنة في الظهر (لفرنسا) وأن بايدن اتخذ قراراً مفاجئاً كما كان يفعل ترامب (و. ص. ف.)، بينما قالت وزيرة الجيوش الفرنسية، فلورانس بارلي، أن فسخ العقد (من قبل أستراليا) أمر خطير من الناحية الجيوسياسية وعلى صعيد السياسة الدولية (إشارة الى إمكانية تغيّر التحالفات او الاصطفافات الدولية الحاليّة – توجه دول أوروبية باتجاه الصين وروسيا). يضاف إلى ذلك ما قالته وزيرة الجيوش الفرنسية، عن احتمال مطالبة فرنسا بتعويضات عن فسخ عقود رسمية، في الوقت الذي لم تفصح فيه ما إذا كانت المقصودة هي الحكومة الأسترالية فقط وإنما بريطانيا والولايات المتحدة أيضاً، وهما اللتان تسببتا في فسخ تلك العقود، بعد إعلان الرئيس الأميركي، عن تشكيل التحالف الدولي الجديد، بين الولايات المتحدة وبريطانيا و”شبه الدولة الأسترالية”، والذي أطلق عليه اسم “آوكوس / AUKUS /، وهو اختصار ودمج لأسماء أستراليا والمملكة المتحدة والولايات المتحدة الأميركية باللغة الإنكليزية …. Australia / United Kingdom / USA ….، والهادف إلى مواجهة الصين في آسيا والمحيط الهادئ، كما أعلن الرئيس بايدن نفسه، بحسب ما أوردته هيئة الإذاعة البريطانية.
وفي خطوة، من قبل الرئيس الأميركي، اعتبرها المحللون الاستراتيجيون محاولة من قبله لمراضاة فرنسا، قال الرئيس بايدن: “نتطلع للعمل بشكل وثيق مع فرنسا وشركاء رئيسيين آخرين في هذه المنطقه الاستراتيجية… وأضاف أن باريس شريك وحليف أساسي” (لواشنطن)، بحسب ما نقلت وكالة الصحافة الفرنسية.
ومن نافل القول أيضاً إن العديد من المسؤولين الصينيين قد اعلنوا إدانتهم لهذا الحلف الأمني العسكري الجديد، الذي يعكس استمرار تحكم عقلية الحرب الباردة بسياسات الولايات المتحدة وبريطانيا (التي لم تعد عظمى)، وتؤجج الصراع في بحار الصين والبحار والمحيطات القريبة من الصين وروسيا معاً وتزيد سباق التسلح بشكل كبير جداً، كما صرح الناطق باسم وزارة الخارجية الصينية، شاو لي جيان، الذي قال: “إنّ هذا (الحلف) يقوّض بشكل جدي السلام والاستقرار الاقليميين (يعني في منطقة بحار الصين وآسيا) ويزيد من حدة سباق التسلح”.
إذن فها هي الولايات المتحدة الأميركية تتعامل مع الدولة النووية العظمى، فرنسا، والعضو في حلف شمال الأطلسي منذ تأسيسه، تتعامل معها وكأنها أقلّ من جمهورية موز. لا بل على أنها ليست موجودة، إذ يقوم الرئيس الأميركي بإعلان تحالف أمني عسكري، بين بلاده ودولتين أطلسيتين أخريين، من دون أن يقوم حتى بإعلام الحكومة الفرنسية أو الرئيس الفرنسي بذلك…!
وهنا يجب أن يطرح السؤال الجدي على إمارات نفط الجزيرة العربية، من صغيرهم إلى كبيرهم، كيف سيتعامل معكم الرئيس الأميركي في كل شؤون المنطقة؟ وكيف سيتعامل مع آمر الحاجز الطيار “الإسرائيلي” في فلسطين المحتلة وغيره في المنطقة؟ هل تعتقدون أنه سيعاملكم معاملة أفضل من معاملته لفرنسا، الدولة النووية؟ وهل ما زلتم تعتقدون أن الحاجز الإسرائيلي الطيار في فلسطين المحتلة قادر على حمايتكم، بعد رفع الغطاء الأميركي عنكم جميعاً، بمن فيكم عناصر الحاجز الطيار؟
إن الجهة الوحيدة القادرة على حمايتكم، هي عودتكم إلى رشدكم والتخلي عن عباءات المحتلين الصهاينة والإميركان وغيرهم، وفتح آفاق التعاون الواسعة، مع دول ومنظمات حلف المقاومة المنتصر، الذي ها هو يرغم سادة البيت الأبيض على كسر الحصار الاقتصادي والمالي على كل من إيران وسورية ولبنان، وجعل ما يطلق عليه قانون قيصر الأميركي لخنق سورية، فعلَ ماضٍ ناقص…!
استخلصوا العبر قبل أن تستخلص شعوبكم حقوقها منكم بطريقة مختلفة جداً هذه المرة وتخلصوا من هذا السيد المنافق إلى الأبد وافتحوا آفاق التعاون الإقليمي مع جيرانكم من الدول الشقيقة ومع بقية دول الجوار العربي ودول العالم المختلفة، سعياً وراء التطور والتنمية وتأمين الحياة الكريمة والمستقبل الزاهر لشعوب عربية عانت من التبعية للأجنبي منذ أكثر من مئة عام منذ نهاية الحرب العالمية الأولى وتقسيم العالم العربي إلى إمارات وكيانات ضعيفة ممزقة.
The government’s trials of the S-500 Promitey have entered its final stage and will be completed this year. The system became an answer to the old American trick of leaving the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. And it may be possible to open over Russia one more actual anti-air umbrella of an almost strategic level. Details are in this episode.
They Tricked Themselves
In May 1974, the leadership of the USA and USSR signed a treaty on limiting the number of anti-missile defense systems. By it, each base was to have not more than two areas of anti-missile defense with a radius not more than 150 km. In each of them, it was allowed to deploy a maximum of 100 fixed launchers capable of intercepting ICBMs. Soon after, the number of the allowed areas shrank to only one. The Soviet Union chose to defend the capital and the central industrial region. And the leadership of the US decided to close the silos with ICBMs located in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota. But then later, the Americans decided to cheat. In December 2001, President George Bush stated the withdrawal of the US from the past treaty. He was confident that the American-made the multi-functional battle information system, Aegis, make the US invulnerable.
The system according to the design was supposed to shoot down everything. From enemy planes, to mid-range ballistic missiles. And due to the fact that its missiles were based mainly on ships, it could be brought closer to the Russian shores without extra coordination. Which afterwards started to happen systematically. And one time, an emboldened American anti-missile ship came into Sevastopol, which during the time was still Ukrainian. Military advisers to the American president convinced him that Russia is finished. And that it is so behind technologically where their counter-exit from the treaty wouldn’t become dangerous. But as the subsequent events have shown, the 43rd American president was cruelly mistaken.
New Level
Russian engineers not only brought out the strategic missile defense to the highest level, with the help of the A-253 Nudol rocket which we are talking about. There was a dash in development of tactical systems accomplished. Their job became the system S-500 Promitey. Which can be called “an answer to the American sneakiness.” The fact is that formally, the S-500 refers to the army system, which means it is not subject to any restrictions. On the factual possibility, it can be taken to the strategic level. The system has closed the gap between the strategic Nudol and the tactical S-400. Thanks to its mobility, it can quickly be focused to the most dangerous directions. And later, to change the position. With a few number of missile batteries, they could work at the same time, at suicide drones, strategic bombers, and the air command center which gives radio orders over the horizon, the same goes for the ballistic missiles, which the S-500 in one salvo can take down up to 10 of them at the same time.
In the near future, after the state-testing is complete, there will be a series production of the S-500, and its delivery to the troops will begin. It is possible that it will be not only be under the Air Defense Forces (PVO) of the army brigades, in the event of an aggravation of the international situation, a new brigade of a new actual strategic level will begin to form to cover the most important regions of the country, including Crimea. One way or another, the funeral guessing of Russia by American advisers turned out to be premature as always.
A senior US Senate member has acknowledged that America’s tough sanctions against Lebanon have been largely ineffective as the Arab country has been receiving desperately-needed fuel from Iran, which is itself under severe sanctions imposed by Washington.
In a Twitter post on Friday, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch said, “Lebanon’s receipt of US-sanctioned Iranian fuel, trucked-in by Hezbollah through Syria, is a disappointing sign for the future of Lebanon’s accountability and democracy.”
“US sanctions must mean something. It’s unnerving to see this admin. Not make that clear,” the American senator added, implying that Iran’s fuel export to Lebanon demonstrates US failure in its sanctions policy against both countries.
Lebanon is facing a crippling economic crisis due to fuel shortages that have forced businesses and government offices to close while threatening vital sectors of the country.
The plan to buy Iranian fuel, first announced by Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on August 19, marked a watershed in foiling the US sanctions, which have severely affected the two countries.
The first ship containing Iranian fuel entered Syria’s territorial waters early September.
On Thursday, a convoy of tanker trucks carrying Iranian fuel, arranged by Hezbollah, arrived in Lebanon, with Lebanese media reporting that the tankers loaded with Iranian fuel entered the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali in Lebanon’s northeastern Baalbek-Hermel province.
As tanker trucks entered from Syria in the eastern region of Hermel, they were greeted by large crowds of people waving Hezbollah’s yellow flag and women tossing rice and rose petals.
Hezbollah declared that it had broken an “American siege”.
The next Iranian ships are also expected to deliver their cargo to Lebanon through the same pathway.
After the convoy carrying Iranian fuel passed through Syria and arrived in the Lebanese territories on Thursday, director of the US-sanctioned Lebanese Al-Amana Company Ossama Ollaik announced that 65 diesel cisterns entered Beirut’s Southern Suburb [Dahiyeh] last night.
Iranian diesel cisterns headed on Friday morning to different Lebanese regions, Ollaik said, adding that the cargo is being unloaded in the reservoirs of the al-Amana Company in Beirut, South, Beqaa, and North Lebanon.
“Al-Amana Company will start distributing diesel oil to the beneficiaries upon the priorities set be Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah,” he also noted.
Reiterating Sayyed Nasrallah’s words, he said that two categories will benefit from the Iranian diesel oil, the first will be granted it and the second will pay its costs.
Ollaik then explained that the company has been receiving many requests from all Lebanese regions since Sayyed Nasrallah announced that the first ship has arrived.
Al-Amana will start within days to deliver the diesel oil to the sides that applied for it according to priorities.
“We have committees that will observe the delivery of Iranian diesel to its eligible sides, and will make sure that the diesel is consumed in the suitable places and not being stored.”
Dozens of tanker trucks carrying Iranian fuel bought by Shia businessmen and organized by Hezbollah arrived in Lebanon on Thursday.
Hezbollah declared that it had broken an “American siege.”
As they entered from Syria in the eastern region of Hermel, the trucks were greeted by large crowds of people waving Hezbollah’s yellow flag and women tossing rice and rose petals.
Earlier this week, Sayyed Nasrallah said the Iranian fuel shipments would be distributed free of charge to institutions, including state hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages and the Red Cross.
“[Hezbollah] is not looking to make a business out of this but wants to help ease the people’s hardships,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that the rest of the Iranian fuel would be sold “below cost” to bakeries, private hospitals or companies that run private generators.
Lebanon has been mired in a deep economic and financial crisis since late 2019. The crisis is the gravest threat to the country’s stability since the 15-year civil war ended in 1990.
Hezbollah said it trucked more than a million gallons of Iranian diesel fuel into Lebanon from Syria on Thursday, celebrating the move as a way of spiting the United States while bringing much-needed aid to a country nearly paralyzed by fuel shortages.
With Lebanon suffering one of the worst economic collapses in modern history, Hezbollah portrayed itself as a national savior, stepping in where the Lebanese government and its Western backers had failed.
Hezbollah supporters lined roads in northeastern Lebanon as dozens of tanker trucks arrived. They waved Hezbollah flags, distributed sweets, and blasted heroic anthems in celebration.
The fuel delivery — which a Hezbollah official said was the first installment of more than 13 million gallons — underscored the severity of Lebanon’s crisis, as well as the government’s failure to address it.
The move appeared to violate American sanctions involving the purchase of Iranian oil, but it was unclear Thursday whether the United States would press the issue. Hezbollah, blacklisted by the United States, is already subject to American sanctions. Although the group is part of Lebanon’s government, it appeared to be acting independently.
The American Embassy in Beirut declined to comment on Thursday. But when Hezbollah announced last month that fuel was on the way from Iran, the American ambassador played down any threat of punitive measures.
“I don’t think anyone is going to fall on their sword if someone’s able to get fuel into hospitals that need it,” the ambassador, Dorothy Shea, told Al Arabiya English.
The fuel arrived as Lebanon struggles through what the World Bank has called one of the world’s worst economic meltdowns since the mid-1800s. Since the fall of 2019, the national currency has lost 90 percent of its value, and prices for many goods have tripled.
Fuel shortages have caused widespread electricity cuts and left many Lebanese waiting in long lines to fill up their cars.
The government bodies charged with overseeing energy imports were not involved with the delivery. The trucks drove from Syria into Lebanon over an open stretch of land, not via an official border crossing, with no customs or security checks. It was unclear whether the imports had any legal authorization or if any taxes would be paid on them.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who formed a new cabinet this week and has vowed to work to ease the country’s woes, made no public statement about the fuel shipment on Thursday. Nor did the authorities overseeing the borders.
“The country is facing a serious crisis, so the government couldn’t care less whether the trucks entered legally or illegally,” said Elias Farhat, a retired general in the Lebanese Army. “We’re in an emergency situation.”
The shipment was the first tranche of 13.2 million gallons an Iranian ship delivered to the port of Baniyas, Syria, this week, Ahmed Raya, a Hezbollah media official, said. The rest will take several days to offload and transport to Lebanon.
TankerTrackers.com, a group that tracks global oil shipments, estimated that the ship carried less than eight million gallons.
The fuel crisis set off a showdown of sorts between Hezbollah and its allies and the United States over who could act faster to ease the people’s pain, a competition that Hezbollah won, at least for the day.
Nearly every step of the fuel’s journey was a challenge to the United States, which has imposed sanctions on the purchase of Iranian oil, the Syrian government, Hezbollah and the Hezbollah-linked company that will distribute the fuel inside Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s Secretary General, [His Eminence Sayyed] Hassan Nasrallah, said the fuel had been paid for by unnamed Lebanese businessmen and that most of it would be donated to institutions that included government hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, the Lebanese Red Cross and organizations involved in water distribution.
Cut-rate fuel will also be sold to private hospitals, medicine factories, bakeries, supermarkets and private electricity providers, he said.
“Our aim is not trade or profit,” Mr. Nasrallah said in a speech on Tuesday. “Our aim is to alleviate the suffering of the people.”
He also said three more Iranian ships, one carrying gasoline and two carrying diesel, were en route to Syria.
Jessica Obeid, an energy policy consultant and nonresident scholar at the Middle East Institute, said that the one million gallons Hezbollah reported bringing on Thursday was not a lot relative to the country’s needs, but that it could help individual institutions.
A hospital generator, for example, might burn about 26 gallons per hour, she said.
Hezbollah has blamed the United States for Lebanon’s economic crisis, claiming that it has put Lebanon under siege.
“This feeds into the image that Hezbollah has won the battle of perseverance against the US siege,” said Mohanad Hage Ali, a fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.
After Mr. Nasrallah’s announcement, Shea, the United States ambassador, said she was working to put in place another arrangement to help solve Lebanon’s energy crisis. It calls for natural gas from Egypt to be sent to Jordan and transferred to Lebanon via a pipeline through Syria.
A high-level delegation from Lebanon visited Damascus, Syria, this month to discuss the plan, but its details remain unclear, including how long it will take to repair the pipeline, who will pay for it and what fees Syria will charge for letting the gas pass through its territory.
That could pose yet another challenge to the United States, which has sanctions against anyone who does business with the Syrian government.
“I’m not sure how willing the US is to risk placing sanctions on a needy population,” Mr. Hage Ali said. “That would paint the US as being harsh and heavy-handed, and that is a win for Hezbollah.”
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Yehya Saree announced in a press conference on Friday the details of a wide-scale military operation carried out by the Yemeni resistance.
Saree announced the results of wide-scale qualitative military Operation “Severe Punishment” that was carried out in Marib Province where large swathes of territories have been liberated.
The operation lasted for several months and achieved its goals successfully, Saree said, adding that mercenaries were kicked out of the liberated areas.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces started a new phase of liberating Yemen from invaders and occupiers, opened new paths, and followed tactics that suit the military operation’s geography,” the spokesman said.
The Rocketry Force and the Propelled Air Force carried out dozens of successful military operations, 128 of which took place inside Yemen and 33 others were carried out in the Saudi depth, Saree added.
Badr, Nakal, Qassem, Zolfikar, and Quds2-type missiles were used during the series of operations.
Meanwhile, the Propelled Air Force carried out 319 operations that targeted the enemy on its land, in addition to 183 other operations that targeted the aggressors on Yemeni ground.
Furthermore, Saree explained, the Engineering and Anti-armored Units played a major role in this battle.
“The Rocketry and Aerial Force targeted gatherings and sites belonging to mercenaries and forces of the coalition of aggression against Yemen inside the occupied Yemeni territories,” he said, noting that during the course of Operation “Severe Punishment”, the coalition of aggression waged hundreds of strike in the area.
The Yemeni Armed Forces monitored more than 3290 strikes in attempts to hinder the progress of the Yemeni Armed Forces, the forces of aggression also targeted civilians during that period.
Among the most important results of Operation “Severe Punishment” was gaining huge amounts of heavy weapons.
The duration of the operation extended from March 2020 to November 2020 in which 3000 members of the enemy were killed, 12400 sustained injuries, and 550 others were detained.
“Our forces managed to liberate around 1600 square kilometers of Marib during the operation,” Saree said, naming in particular the directorates of Medghal and Mejzar in the province.
Additionally, among the most important results was the liberation of Mas Camp, one of the biggest bases that have been used by the enemy over the past years.
“We hail the resistance role played by our people in Marib during this operation,” Saree noted, concluding that “Our cause is to liberate Yemen.”
Saudi Arabia, backed by the US and regional allies, launched a war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the Ansarullah resistance movement.
The war has left hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead, and displaced millions more. It has also destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and spread famine and infectious diseases.
The Yemeni armed forces and allied Popular Committees, however, have grown steadily in strength against the Saudi-led invaders, and left Riyadh and its allies bogged down in the country.
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