-
Al Nusrah Front
Border control, political accord needed to shield Lebanon
-
Lebanon
Refugees rush into Arsal, more expected
-
Lebanon
A judicial source warned that recent arrests of Naim Abbas and other al Qaeda-linked terrorists have not eliminated the “dozens of … groups created by Al Qaeda and its offshoots, such as the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, the Nusrah Front, and the Jammal Jarrah Brigades.” Authorities charged Nawaf al-Hussein with involvement in the Haret Hreik suicide attacks and membership in the Abdullah Azzam Brigades and al Qaeda, and issued an arrest warrant for suspected terrorist Mohammad Azzouz. A businessman was kidnapped in the Bekaa valley. Extremist cleric Abu Qatada said he supports the al Qaeda-linked bombings in Beirut.
-
Lebanon
Security forces in Beirut arrested Naim Abbas, a leader of the al Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades who reportedly has ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham. His interrogation led to the dismantling of a car bomb in the Afif al-Tibeh neighborhood, where a would-be suicide bomber was also arrested. Security forces in east Lebanon seized an explosives-rigged car being driven from Yabroud in Syria by three women who were planning to hand it over to suicide bombers. Two suspected Fatah al-Islam members were arrested near Tyre. A Hamas official said the group maintains contact with Hezbollah to…
-
Lebanon
Battle on Lebanese border as Syria talks falter
-
Lebanon
A security source said Lebanese forces are pursuing several suspected Sunni terrorists, and that Syrian airstrikes targeted Al Nusrah Front members yesterday in the Bekaa valley. Residents of the border town of Arsal braced for a flood of refugees from Yabroud as a regime offensive there intensified. Special forces arrested Syrian national Jamil Aziz al-Hasan near his home in Anfeh, on suspicion of links to twin bombings on mosques in Tripoli on Aug. 23. Maronite Cardinal Beshara Rai said efforts to free 13 nuns kidnapped in Syria have stalled; a new video showing the nuns, who may be in Yabroud,…
-
Lebanon
Authorities dismissed reports that Hezbollah dismantled an alleged Saudi-backed Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham terrorist cell in southern Beirut. Radwan Ayyoush, a defected Syrian army officer who now leads the Free Syrian Army’s Al-Assi Brigades, was arrested over the weekend with another Syrian after entering Lebanon illegally from Syria near Arsal.
-
Lebanon
Hezbollah’s second in command said the group intends to keep fighting in Syria. He said suicide bombers are targeting both Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army, and that jihadists have been present in Lebanon since before Hezbollah entered the conflict. A Lebanese businessman was released by his captors, who had demanded a $3 million ransom.
-
Lebanon
Extremists, including Chechens, Egyptians, Tunisians, and Syrians, are reportedly flocking to the large Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon from Syria and joining the Abdallah Azzam Brigades’ Ziad Jarrah Brigades, and the Jund al-Sham. Their entry at Arsal is said to have been facilitated by a Palestinian, Mahmoud Mohammad S. His associates are thought to be planning attacks with Jund al-Sham and Fatah al-Islam on diplomatic, military, and security targets, including the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon. An al Qaeda group is said to be activating cells to carry out attacks in Beirut, the Bekaa valley, and Tripoli. Security forces…
-
Lebanon
Syria conflict spurs growing jihadist threat in Lebanon
-
Lebanon
Two suspects in the Feb. 3 suicide bombing of a passenger van were released due to lack of evidence, but a taxi driver who gave the bomber a ride remains in detention. A fourth victim of the Feb. 1 suicide bombing in Hermel died from his injuries.
-
Lebanon
Lebanon – Tripoli residents leave as security crumbles
-
Lebanon
Caretaker Interior Minister Charbel said the army cannot monitor the movements of a drone seen hovering over the Maarab residence of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, because of a lack of radars. Six men, including Sunni cleric Omar Atrash, have been accused of involvement in the Jan. 2 and Jan. 21 suicide bombings in southern Beirut as well as links to al Qaeda and the Abdullah Azzam Brigades. Warrants were issued for three suspects in the Feb. 3 suicide bombing in southern Beirut. Rockets, mortars, and other explosives were found at the home of a Syrian man in Aidamoun.
-
Lebanon
A judge issued an arrest warrant for Sunni preacher Omar Atrash, suspected of links to al Qaeda car bombings and attacks on Lebanese forces. The army is considering using antiaircraft weapons to shoot down a drone that has been hovering over the residence of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in Maarab. Geagea escaped an assassination attempt in Maarab in 2012. A bomb exploded in a trash can in south Beirut.
-
Lebanon
Attacks drive demand for ‘terrorism’ insurance in Lebanon
-
Abdullah Azzam Brigades announces joint attack with Al Nusrah on Hezbollah
The group announced the joint operation the same day that al Qaeda denounced the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham.
-
Lebanon
A suicide bomber detonated on a passenger van, killing himself and wounding the driver and a passenger in an area near Hebollah strongholds in southern Beirut. Security forces said the van was not the intended target, as the bomber had first tried to board a taxi but was refused. A north Lebanon mukhtar denied that Amjad Fawzi Abdel-Karim was the attacker in the Feb. 1 suicide bombing in Hermel; security forces said the attacker’s SUV had passed through Arsal before reaching Hermel. The Brigades of Abdullah Azzam claimed that its Marwan Hadid Brigades carried out the Jan. 25 rocket attacks…
-
Lebanon
Caretaker Prime Minister Mikati has reportedly been targeted for assassination by a suicide bomber from the Khaled bin al-Walid Brigades of the Islamic Front; some security officials dismissed the report, but security for Mikati was stepped up in Beirut and Tripoli. Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad said the government must confront takfiri groups that conduct terrorist attacks. Ziad al-Loukeh, a field commander in the Sunni suburb of Bab al-Tabbaneh in Tripoli, has urged men in the area to go fight in Homs. Lebanon’s security head said Russia has been involved in negotiations for the release of two archbishops kidnapped in 2013…
-
Al Nusrah Front launches another suicide attack in Lebanon
The Al Nusrah Front, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham continue to target Hezbollah in Lebanon.
-
Lebanon
A suicide car bomber detonated at a gas station in Hermel, killing at least four people and injuring 21 more. The Al Nusrah Front in Lebanon claimed the bombing, its second in the largely Shiite, Hezbollah-dominated area in the past two weeks. The US Embassy renewed a travel warning for Lebanon due to the series of recent bombings. Today’s bombing comes in the wake of threats by al Qaeda-linked groups and clashes between Lebanese forces and gunmen near the Syrian border.
-
Al Qaeda
Al-Qaeda now frontline threat to Israel
-
Lebanon
Syrian rocket and artillery fire hit in the Akkar villages, killing a Syrian refugee and injuring four other people, including a Lebanese soldier. Lebanese forces targeted gunmen in the border area. Seeking to deflect criticism for the shelling, Syria’s ambassador to Lebanon said terrorist groups are moving into Lebanese areas, including Sidon, Beirut, Tripoli, and Bekaa.
-
Hezbollah
Hezbollah expanding drone use to Syria and Lebanon
-
Lebanon
The military prosecutor charged 13 al Qaeda-linked suspects with planning terror attacks in Lebanon; among those charged is Jamal Daftardar, a.k.a. Mohammad Ahmad al-Masri, a top Abdullah Azzam Brigades leader accused of recruiting, training, and facilitating the transfer of dozens of jihadists to Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen. The son of a former Lebanese Forces official was kidnapped in Mount Lebanon. Israel accused Hezbollah of creating “thousands” of bases in homes in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon that threaten Israel’s security, and vowed to “deal aggressively” with them in the event of a conflict, even if it costs…
-
Lebanon
Sheikh Omar Atrash, a Sunni preacher who was arrested last week on suspicion of facilitating the movement of bombers and rigged cars into Lebanon for use in targeting Hezbollah, has reportedly confessed to the charges, including involvement in a double suicide bombing at a Sidon checkpoint. The Muslim Scholars Committee said the confession was likely made under duress.
-
Lebanon
In Tripoli, new fighting groups have emerged, including the Bilal Ben Rabah Brigades, the Oussoud al-Shaarani Brigades, Jalal Dandashi Brigades, and a Salafist group led by Hussam al-Sabbagh a.k.a. Abu al-Hasan, giving rise to speculation that a crackdown on Islamist groups may be imminent. The Abdullah Azzam Brigades released photos of its joint attack with the Al Nusrah Front in Lebanon on targets in Hermel. Hezbollah is bolstering security in its Lebanese strongholds after recent attacks and threats by al Qaeda-linked groups. A group of Muslim scholars called for the release of Omar Atrash, a Sunni cleric suspected of smuggling…
-
Hezbollah
Israeli Soldiers Confront Hezbollah Terrorists in Lifelike Simulation
-
Lebanon
Abu Sayyaf al-Ansari, a Lebanon-based Sunni militant, has reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham. Security measures are being enhanced due to recent threats by Islamist groups, including the Al Nusrah Front, that they will attack targets in Lebanon, particularly those linked to Hezbollah.
-
Lebanon
The Marwan Hadid Brigades, an affiliate of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, and the Al Nusrah Front in Lebanon fired several rockets from Syria into Hermel. Al Nusrah and the Abdullah Azzam Brigades issued a joint statement crediting the Marwan Hadid Brigades for the rocket attacks, and warned of further attacks in both Syria and Lebanon unless Hezbollah withdraws from Syria and Sunni youth are freed from Lebanese prisons. Saad Hariri, the head of the Future party, said Lebanese and Sunnis do not want to be dragged into a conflict between Hezbollah and al Qaeda. Qatari officials are said to be…
-
Lebanon
Regional wave of Sunni extremism reaches Lebanon
