”Read: Lebanon’s Specter of Civil WarIn late January, Saad Hariri arrived in Beirut following months of speculation in the wake of yet another solitary retreat – this time in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi – that came into effect mid-July last year.
Slim’s execution-style murder and the mystery that shrouds it has led to the simple conclusion that Hezbollah is responsible for silencing this furious and uncompromising voice against the Iranian militia’s hegemony over the Shiite cultural and public sphere, a hegemonic grip which Hezbollah extended to include different aspects of Lebanon’s non-existent state.
The sudden move plunged Lebanon - a country with fragile political stability - into an ongoing period of uncertainty, fueling fears of a potential war between Saudi Arabia and Iran with Lebanon on the front line.
After Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have also asked their nationals to leave Lebanon immediately, urging citizens not to travel to Lebanon from any station of the world.
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Growing Arab interest in Central Asia (GCC+C5)
While countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Lebanon have recently opened embassies and consulates in Central Asian countries, they have also begun to establish important trade links and invest in projects in the region.
Unable to achieve the success and impact it expected from its attacks on Gaza, Israel began to target Lebanon, Syria, and Iran in order to gain more support from its backers and create new fait accompli.
These are Turkey, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Libya, Greece (because of some of its islands), and the Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GCASC).
The historical account traverses the IDF's evolution from the Nakba to conflicts in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, and Gaza, illustrating that the state of Israel has been shaped by its wars.
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A geographical escalation
Highlighting the risk of a geographical escalation of the conflict, Fidan warned about recent incidents in the Red Sea, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Pakistan.
Israeli political elites have adopted an anti-Turkish position, claiming that "a new radical northern front has emerged that includes Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.
Lebanon's Hezbollah, a key ally of Hamas, has been engaged in near-daily clashes with Israel across Lebanon's southern border since the Gaza war started.
These initiatives, which it should be noted did not involve Palestinian actors, envisaged numerous economic, political, and cultural activities, such as the flooding of economic aid to the region; support for the governments of Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt; the establishment of investment zones in Sinai where Gazans would work; and the construction of a high-speed railway between Gaza and the West Bank.
Pope Francis concluded his Christmas message by appealing for peace in various conflict zones, including Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.