Topic: Hezbollah

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6 factors that will determine concessions from Iran

Can war with Iran can be avoided? In recent talks with the West in Baghdad, Iran showed some greater flexibility about its nuclear program. But Iran has a history of trickery in the nuclear arena. Whether Tehran will cooperates with Western demands depends on the following six factors.
Israel's coalition government: Israeli and Arab media react

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surprised Israel (and its Arab neighbors) when he announced the creation of a unity government on May 8: Israeli and Arab media react.
Three factors that will determine Syria’s future

The most realistic scenario in Syria is quagmire: Assad still has loyalty; the opposition is splintered, though protests continue; and the international community is indecisive, including the Arab League. But stalemate could finally prompt foreign intervention and a needed ‘safe zone. Benedetta Berti, a fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies of Tel Aviv University, lists the three factors that will determine Syria’s future.
Q&A: What's with the war talk surrounding Iran?

Tensions over Iran’s nuclear program have escalated in recent weeks as the US and Europe ramp up sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Correspondent reflections: The 10 news events that shaped 2011

In this special section, we look at the year’s biggest stories, and seven staff correspondents reflect on events in hot spots from Latin America to the Libyan front.

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Exclusive: Veteran Lebanese fighter trains new generation of jihadis – for Syria

Longtime fighter Mustapha explains to the first Western reporter to visit his Bekaa Valley orchard camp how he is preparing eager Lebanese to take up arms against the Assad regime.
6 factors that will determine concessions from Iran

Can war with Iran can be avoided? In recent talks with the West in Baghdad, Iran showed some greater flexibility about its nuclear program. But Iran has a history of trickery in the nuclear arena. Whether Tehran will cooperates with Western demands depends on the following six factors.
Syrian spillover: Beirut sees worst clashes in four years

The killing of a Sunni cleric at a Lebanese Army checkpoint yesterday ignited widespread protests among aggrieved Sunnis. (+video)
Palestinian hunger strikes: the power of peaceful protest

Hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention ended with a deal this week for better treatment. That showed the power of peaceful protest. If Palestinians adopt nonviolence as a strategic tool, that could bridge the Israeli-Palestinian divide.
Israel's coalition government: Israeli and Arab media react

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surprised Israel (and its Arab neighbors) when he announced the creation of a unity government on May 8: Israeli and Arab media react.
Ayatollah Khamenei gives Iran nuclear talks unprecedented legitimacy

Iran's supreme leader appears much more involved in current nuclear negotiations, meaning that any deal struck will not face resistance back in Iran. But he's also likely to press for a harder line.
Backchannels
The hawkish bits of VP hopeful Marco Rubio's foreign policy speech

Senator Marco Rubio's foreign policy speech yesterday, taken by many as part of a campaign to be Mitt Romney's running mate, points to a politician who favors foreign interventions.
Backchannels
Israeli army chief says he doubts Iran will build a nuclear weapon

In an interview with Haaretz, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz acknowledged the threat of a nuclear Iran but said Tehran wasn't likely to go there, citing its 'rational' leadership.
Containing Syria's chemical weapons

Little-noticed amid the fighting and attempted cease-fire in Syria are the stockpiles of chemical weapons. The US and others are trying to check their use or theft. Russia also needs to pressure Assad into ensuring they are safely stored.
Backchannels
When Assange meets Nasrallah, you learn the most about Assange (+video)

Julian Assange, the embattled Wikileaks leader, started his new chat show with an interview of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Africa Monitor
How Islamists are gaining sway in Mali

Many famous Islamist groups built support by providing health care and food, filling gaps left by the state, writes a guest blogger. Islamist groups now have the greatest sway in Timbuktu and Gao.
Syria: Opposition protests will test uncertain truce

The opposition plans broad protests tomorrow in an effort to call attention to ongoing abuses in the country.
The danger that Saudi Arabia will turn Syria into an Islamist hotbed

A tentative UN-brokered ceasefire does not settle Western concerns over Saudi intervention in Syria. While the US and its allies are wary of seeing Syria become a sectarian battleground, the power brokers in Riyadh seem to have been hurtling toward it – with a form of state-sponsored jihad.
Terrorism & Security
Syria violence raises concerns Assad is only buying time with UN cease-fire deal

The day after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reportedly agreed to UN envoy Kofi Annan's cease-fire plan, fighting continued in several cities.
Decoder Wire
Obama's open mic moment: How big a flub? (+video)

Obama's open mic incident happened on Monday when he told the Russian president that he would have 'more flexibility' in missile defense negotiations after the 2012 elections.
Keep Calm
What's behind Russia's involvement in Syria and Iran? National interests.

Russia has spent political and real capital building alliances with Syria and Iran. It's not surprising that Moscow now wants to defend its allies' interests at the bargaining table.
Syria crisis causes Iran-led 'axis of resistance' to fray

The Syria crisis is complicated by the regional cold war that has simmered for years between resistance powers like Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah, and Western allies in the region such as Saudi Arabia.
To help Syria, apply a mix of 'soft' and 'hard' power

Sanctions and isolation of the Assad regime are simply allowing massacres to continue in Syria. Yet the world resists an all-out military intervention in Syria. A third option is to apply a mix of 'hard' and 'soft' power to relieve the suffering there.
Why Syria's Assad could hang on for a decade or more (+video)

Despite defiant talk from fighters vowing to oust him, Syria's Assad is in a much stronger position than was Libya's Qaddafi.
Gaza militant assassinated by Israel, sparking fears of wider violence

Israeli confirmed its targeted assassination of Zuhair al-Qaissi was the chief of the Popular Resistance Committees, a pro-Hamas militant group that has threatened retaliation.
AIPAC concerns aside, Israelis say Iran is a waning hegemon

Israeli leaders see Iran in danger of losing its dominance in the region as Syria, the linchpin of Tehran's regional alliance, falters. But a nuclear weapon could help it regain lost ground.
Backchannels
If Israeli voters get their way, no attack on Iran without US help

So says a new poll.
West is meddling in Syria's affairs, government spokesman says

Syria's foreign ministry spokesman tells the Associated Press Western governments are interferring when it comes to their handling of the protests that have rocked the Middle Eastern country since last year.
Israeli Iran attack? What goes around comes around.

Be forewarned, Israel and the US. We are entering a dangerous stage in which Iran feels it must respond in kind to attacks against it. When two nations engage in patterns of attacks and counterattacks, it's much easier for a mistake or misjudgment to lead to disaster.
A defector's tale: How a Syrian soldier turned rebel

A young defector's story highlights the weakness of the Assad regime, including military officers taking rebel bribes and sectarian divisions pitting Syrian against Syrian.