Tag: beirut

BEIRUT - Hezbollah’s bigger role in Lebanon’s new unity government points to a growing appetite to shape state affairs and builds on unprecedented military clout the group is wielding after helping turn the tide in Syria’s war. The most significant portfolio under Hezbollah control is the Health Ministry, the first time Hezbollah has controlled a ministry with a big budget, though the Shiite doctor it picked for the job is not a party member. More broadly, Hezbollah and its political allies from across Lebanon’s sectarian spectrum have emerged with more than half of the Cabinet’s 30 seats, reflecting a May parliamentary election that the group declared a victory. Salem Zahran, an analyst with links to Hezbollah leaders, said the government would go down in its history as the “first big shift and the first step along a long road” toward more influence in government. But Hariri’s Sunni dominance was shaken by the May election in which he lost more than one-third of his seats in parliament, many of them to Hezbollah-allied Sunnis. Hezbollah managed to secure a Cabinet seat for one of its Sunni allies. As Hezbollah’s clout has grown, Saudi Arabia has turned its focus away from Lebanon to other parts of the region, weakening Hezbollah’s opponents, who had benefited from its backing. Hariri’s ally, the staunchly anti-Hezbollah Christian Lebanese Forces (LF) party, was forced to cede significant ground during nine months of political wrangling over government portfolios, though it gained seats in parliament. This poses questions for the United States, whose Lebanon policy twins military aid to the Lebanese Army and support for Hariri with growing pressure on Hezbollah through sanctions. The United States has imposed new sanctions on Hezbollah as part of its strategy to counter Iran.

Hundreds of Lebanese took to the streets of Beirut Sunday to protest a deteriorating economy and a political stalemate that has their country’s lawmakers struggling to form a government. The protesters marched to the government building in central Beirut, some wearing yellow vests, akin to those worn by protesters in France and other countries in recent weeks. The crowds grew rowdy and protesters pelted security forces with water bottles and scuffled with soldiers. The army appealed for calm in a statement, urging protesters to remain peaceful. Lebanese lawmakers have failed to agree to a national unity government some seven months after general elections failed to elect an absolute majority. Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri said on Friday that he hoped to finalize an agreement this weekend but senior politicians derailed any hopes Saturday saying new snags had developed in the talks. Lebanon's economy is on the brink of collapse and France has warned that the country could soon miss out on much-needed aid, agreed to in Paris earlier this year, if the political deadlock continues.

Watch LIVE at 6:15pm: President Trump will deliver remarks at the 35th anniversary of the suicide bombing of US Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated…