Tag: Lebanese Civil War

Boots on the ground in the Middle East make Americans less safe, not more

Ms. Cat

Boots on the ground in the Middle East make Americans less safe, not more

This sound logic has been ignored in Iraq and Syria, where small numbers of American troops stationed on remote and exposed bases are under fire from Iranian-backed militias. As of this writing, at least 60 American service members have sustained injuries in more than 73 attacks over the past few weeks.

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All of this brings to mind a solemn and recently observed milestone. On Oct. 23, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut marked the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks bombing, when a suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb killing 241 U.S. service members. Their mission was never clearly defined, they were bound by peacetime rules of engagement to maintain “neutral status,” and they took sniper and mortar fire from the moment their boots touched ground.

Daniel Davis said, in his interview with Jason Beardsley (author), that the attacks are up to 118. Beardsley is with Koch-funded Concerned Veterans for America.

Report: Cluster bomb deaths in Ukraine pass Syria casualties

Ms. Cat

For the first time in a decade, Ukraine has surpassed Syria as the country with the highest number of casualties from cluster bombs. That’s according to a report from the Cluster Munition Coalition weapons watchdog. Nathan Southern from the University of St. Andrews has more on this report.

Report: Cluster bomb deaths in Ukraine pass Syria casualties

Related:

Ukraine surpasses Syria for highest casualties from cluster munitions

Cluster munitions killed at least 37 Yemenis in August: Watchdog

Timeline: Use of controversial cluster bombs in past conflicts

Al Jazeera falsely claims that Russia used cluster munitions in Crimea! Nowhere, in the linked report, does HRW mention Crimea!

A massive new US embassy complex in a tiny Middle East nation is raising eyebrows

Ms. Cat1 Comment
Source: US embassy in Beirut on Twitter

A massive new US embassy complex in a tiny Middle East nation is raising eyebrows

Sprawling over a 43-acre site, the complex in the Beirut suburb of Awkar is almost two-and-a-half times the size of the land the White House sits on and more than 21 soccer fields.

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Plans for the embassy complex were announced in 2015 and it is reported to have cost $1 billion.

Lebanon is part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

UN high court finds US seizure of Iranian assets violated treaty + More

Ms. Cat

In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered nearly $2 billion in assets of Iran’s state bank, frozen in the U.S., to be paid as compensation to relatives of victims of attacks linked to Iran.

UN high court finds US seizure of Iranian assets violated treaty

Related:

International Court of Justice orders US to compensate Iran for frozen assets

ICJ judgments are legally binding, however, the court has no means of enforcing them. Previously, both the US and Iran have ignored the court’s judgments.

US Hails ICJ Ruling On Iran Assets As ‘Major Victory’

“The court’s decision today rejected the vast majority of Iran’s case, including notably Iran’s claims on behalf of Bank Markazi,” said acting legal adviser Rich Visek of the US State Department.