All articles from Nicholas Blanford

Bombing campaign against Hezbollah claims first casualty in Lebanon

Hezbollah has been expecting Sunni retaliation for its support for the Syrian regime. A slew of roadside bomb attacks shows it has begun.
Olive Press A different worry in the Mideast: 'Have you seen my sheep?'

I could understand the toothless Bedu lady's concern. Three lost sheep meant the ovine equivalent of up to $600 lost among the rocky crags of this central Lebanon wilderness.
Beirut bombing targets Hezbollah and its Syrian mission

The Shiite militant group has been waiting for retaliation in Lebanon for its role fighting alongside the Syrian regime.
Sunni cleric incites gun battle with Lebanese Army and Hezbollah

With Sunni-Shiite tensions higher than ever because of war in neighboring Syria, it didn't take much to spark deadly fighting in the Lebanese city of Sidon. Hezbollah quickly jumped in.
Why Hezbollah has openly joined the Syrian fight

The Lebanese Shiite militant organization once denied its involvement in Syria, but is now holding lavish public funerals for its fighters killed in action.
Syrian rebels cling to enclave in eastern Lebanon

The Lebanese town Arsal, a Sunni stronghold surrounded by Shiite villages, is a haven for refugees and a weapons depot for rebel fighters. Its loss would be devastating.
Hezbollah marks major triumph as Qusayr tips back into Assad camp

Rebels abandoned the strategic city of Qusayr on Wednesday in a significant victory for Syria's Assad regime and a psychological blow to opposition forces.
Syrian Army, Hezbollah bear down on rebels in strategic Qusayr

For the Syrian rebels, Qusayr has been critical to bringing in weapons and fighters from Lebanon. But the regime and ally Hezbollah want the town, which lies at an important crossroads.
Israeli attacks inside Syria risk widening war

Israel, as well as Syria and its Lebanese-ally Hezbollah, has little interest in a wider conflict. But as Israel grows more assertive across its borders, the chance of a miscalculation is on the rise.
Emboldened by military gains, Assad regime shows resilience

Syrian President Assad has frustrated predictions of his imminent downfall for more than two years. A string of recent Army successes has rolled back some rebel gains and disrupted rebel plans.
Israel shoots down drone, Hezbollah denies it's theirs

The Shiite militant group in Lebanon has sent drones over Israel in the past, linking their use to Israeli violations of Lebanon's airspace.
Syrian rebels intensify rocket attacks into Lebanon

Rebels fighting the Syrian government are shelling villages on the Lebanese side of the border in order to curb a Lebanese group's efforts to help the Syrian regime.
Iran's 'axis of resistance' loses its Palestinian arm to Syrian war

Sunni Hamas has broken its longtime ties with the Assad regime to fight alongside the predominantly Sunni Syrian opposition.
Tit-for-tat kidnappings bring Syria's war into Lebanese backyards

In northern Lebanon, the kidnapping of a member of the powerful Shiite Jaafar clan has created yet another arena for Sunni-Shiite tensions fomented by Syria's unrest.
Syria fires on Lebanon: Lebanese seethe, government mum

Syria's heavy influence over Lebanon tempers government reaction to cross-border attacks, but Lebanese near the border don't feel the same constraints – and their patience is waning.
All signs point to no lethal chemical weapons attack in Syria

As the Syrian regime and rebels trade accusations of an alleged lethal chemical weapons attack yesterday, chemical weapons experts say there is no evidence that attack occurred.
Focus Obama arrives in a Middle East upended since his 2009 visit

President Obama arrived in Israel today for a regional visit in which he will have to juggle three rapidly ticking time bombs: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Syria's war, and Iran's nuclear program.
Syrian rebels seize UN peacekeepers in Golan (+video)

Syrian rebels are holding about 20 UN peacekeepers who monitor the Israel-Syria border in an attempt to force the withdrawal of Syrian Army forces from a nearby village.
Lebanon erects string of watchtowers on Syrian border

Lebanon is struggling to maintain control over its border region as Syrian rebels and the Syrian Army increasingly treat the area as just another battlefield in the civil war.
Syrian regime battles rebels for control of highway to its safe haven

Lebanon appears closer than ever to getting dragged into Syria's war as the regime and rebels battle just over the border and Hezbollah's growing involvement raises rebel ire.