A Bittersweet Victory Over ISIS in Lebanon

ISIS surrendered. Lebanon’s Army secured a swift and decisive victory. Lebanese soil is free from the terror group, and for good. More than 50 of the terrorist fighters were killed in the battle, and six of our soldiers were martyred.

The bottom line is, Lebanon won, and the terrorists surrendered. However, the courage and decisiveness showed on the military side, were met with outright treason, spinelessness and cowardice on the political side.

ISIS murderers, the beheaders of our soldiers, the suicide vest makers that attacked our towns and cities, the hateful, barbaric terror group that occupied our land, now leave aboard air-conditioned buses, to serve a purpose that we as Lebanese can never comprehend. To make matters worse, our soldiers kidnapped by the terror group, have been dead since 2015, and were just a few kilometers from our fortified positions the whole time…

Terror Must Never Be Met With Impunity

No matter how powerful an army, when the justice system is weak and inept, peace and prosperity can never endure. If every time we get in a fight with terrorists, we end up releasing their most dangerous members from our jails, and allowing them safe passage with their weapons to another part of our region, we are losing.

How many terrorists have we seen granted immunity, released and driven in politicians’ cars so they can restart their career of murder of terror again? How many of those released, will come back to murder our fellow citizens? What excuse can there be for not serving justice on those that have attacked our very way of life, and everything we stand for and believe in? Those that threaten the values we hold dear, such as freedom, equality and tolerance?

The catastrophe started when the counter-offensive in 2014 was abruptly stopped, leaving the soldiers kidnapped by Nusra and ISIS at the mercy of their captors, just a few minutes’ drive from our forward operating bases. The political decision to stop that counter-offensive aimed at rescuing our soldiers, will forever haunt those that stood by, popping bottles of champagne in celebration, as our soldiers were being executed and tortured, with the rest of our forces ordered to stand down instead of finish their mission and end the occupation by terror groups long ago.

Lebanon must never negotiate with terrorists. By letting them kidnap our people, then succumbing to their demands to release their own, is the wrong message to send. What would stop these terrorists from doing it again, to release whatever’s left of their prisoners in Lebanese custody?

How can the people in command in this country look at the faces of the martyred sodliers’ families and loved ones, fellow soldiers and citizens, and explain to them after everything that could’ve been done, we settled for white caskets draped in Lebanese flags, in return for the freedom of the terrorists who put them in those caskets? All that, years after they had been executed, and we still had hope, despite all odds and the spineless handling of Lebanese authorities of this national catastrophe.

Adding Insult to Injury

Most people feel that the authorities knew about the soldiers’ fate, and yet did nothing about it till it was too late. Purposely misleading us, till the time was right for their political calculations, using the offensive as a cloak for more sinister plans they had prepared that will damage Lebanon and the Lebanese just as much if not more than ISIS and its likes.

We got a day of mourning for a Saudi monarch, but 9 of our soldiers, abandoned by our leaders, left to die a horrible death at the hands of terrorists, didn’t even get a second glance from our politicians. I guess those martyred soldiers don’t fill the politicians’ bottomless pockets the same way old Saudi monarchs do (who cut aid they promised to our military for petty reasons, yet still get a day of mourning for some reason)…

Can the politicians in this country sink any lower? Forcing irrational taxes down our throat, using an illegitimate parliament, during the daze of battle, wasn’t enough for them it seems. They also had to insult the memory of our fallen soldiers, and insult the intelligence of their families, and us, the taxpayers who pay those politicians’ salaries.

Why Hezbollah is OK with this

What I still don’t get, is how Hezbollah is ok with this. After making the battle of Ras Baalbek and El Qaa harder for our army, they were the orchestrators of this second withdrawal of the terrorists into Northeastern Syria. The terrorists fled over the border, to where HA is operating alongside the Syrian Army, and they OK-ed their withdrawal, humiliating as it was, to go and fight another day, instead of being killed in battle, or brought to justice in court.

Does HA still have use for them for another time? To utilize the excuse of fighting them for different ambitions later down the road? Who knows, and most of that is just speculation, but I still can’t wrap my head around why HA would be ok with this, and create a status quo on the ground that would make Lebanese authorities also go along with this horrific slap in the face, of letting our occupiers, killers of our citizens and soldiers, go free, and even get them buses to safely escort them to safety… They should see their day in court, and serve the sentences handed down to them and spend the rest of their days in jail, not go on to fight another day, risking all of our safeties and futures.

We’re Sorry

To the families of the soldiers, we’re sorry this happened to you. I cannot imagine how worse your pain must be, losing your sons because of the treasonous behavior of our illegitimated leaders, who know let their killers walk free.

The elections are coming, and each and every one who helped create this situation, will be sent home for this. Let them dare extend a fourth time. The rage is now almost uncontrollable, and with their savage tax hike, pretty soon, most of us will have nothing left to lose and the proverbial camel’s back will finally crack, and all hell will break loose…

To the martyrs of this battle, and our kidnapped martyrs, you will always be in our country’s memory, and we are all forever indebted for your sacrifice. The least we can do, is make sure it was worth it, and everyone who conspired or let you down for their own personal politics, needs to pay, sooner or later.

Lebanese Army Shows the World How to Obliterate ISIS

The Lebanese Army has shown the world how to put ISIS cowards to shame, and how to liberate soil that the terrorist scum have occupied for years now.

As we go about our daily lives, worried about stupid things like getting stuck in traffic, our heavy work schedule and getting ready for classes to restart, our soldiers are fighting a battle that will go down in the history books, that we will tell our children about, that we will give as a real life example when we want to illustrate a gargantuan task handled gracefully and masterfully by our armed forces.

The Lighting Fast Operations

The above video was released by the Lebanese Army on August 22nd, 2017, and it’s a first-hand look at the operations in Ras Baalbek and El Qaa, as well as bird’s eye views of the battle.

The one emotion this video and others like it on the Lebanese Army Twitter feed stirred in me was pride. Another realization this video helped me make was how difficult this battle is, and how seemingly impossible the task looks, but how successfully the Lebanese Army is pulling it off.

What’s for sure is that the Lebanese Army has tightened the noose around the terrorists’ necks, and smoked them out of the holes in the ground they’re hiding in. All this, in record time.

A Moment for our Martyrs

The bravery and selflessness showed by our soldiers and officers did not come without a price. Here are the names and faces of the five hero martyrs who died in the operation to liberate Lebanese soil from ISIS terrorists.

Abbas Jaafar

Elie Freijeh

Othman Chedid

Bassem Moussa

Walid Freij

Thank you for your service. You made the ultimate sacrifice, so that the rest of us can stay free and safe.

What’s Next

The Lebanese Army is preparing for the fourth phase of the operation, to liberate the final 20 square kilometers of land occupied by ISIS terrorists. The “emir” of the cowards has fled Lebanon, and their pleas for their surrender and humiliating retreat have been met with flat-out rejection form Lebanon, who will do no such thing till the whereabouts of the 9 captive Lebanese soldiers in ISIS custody are known.

In other words, complete and total victory is close, and it is now a matter of hours and days before every last millimeter of Lebanon is free of the scurge that is ISIS.

Lebanese Politicians Should Be Ashamed of Themselves

If our army represents the most lofty of ideals and virtues, at the opposite end of that spectrum, are Lebanon’s politicians and political parties.

As if the Hezbollah offensive in Aarsal wasn’t enough to make the Lebanese Army’s task even harder, by giving the ISIS fighters a head’s up to dig in and boobytrap their fortified positions, Lebanon’s politicians went a step further into their cesspool of criminal corruption.

Utilizing the public’s preoccupation with the military operations, Lebanon’s scumbag politicians passed laws and made decisions that will hurt Lebanon’s taxpayers, including the soldiers giving their life on the frontlines.

Passing the disgusting taxes on the sly, while all the focus was on the Army’s battle against terror, is a new low, even for Lebanon’s politicians. It’s even led some to assume that the timing of the military operation was for that purpose, and in preparation for the upcoming elections in 2018…

Tfeh 3layekon.

Get Home Safe Boys

Despite the disgusting politics being done in the dark rooms of Lebanon’s government, the Lebanese Army has proven that the love and admiration they receive from Lebanese citizens is justified.

At the end of the day, no matter what, our boys in uniform have liberated Lebanon from ISIS, becoming the first country in the world to successfully do so. All the dirty deals the politicians are doing can never undo this shining military victory, accomplished by the Army, with no support from non-state actors despite the attempted smear campaigns by some politically-affiliated pens and tweets for hire.

Thank you for your service, we are forever indebted to you, and know as we go about our daily lives, that we owe that safety and stability to our boys in uniform. Please, get home safe ❤

Everything You Should Know About the Upcoming LAF Battle Against ISIS

One thing that has always bothered me about the coverage of the war against ISIS, is how little Lebanon’s role in fighting the extremist group has been covered.

The First Army to Beat ISIS in a Battle (2014)

The Lebanese Army is the first ever organized army to beat ISIS in a battle. Our men did what most other armies in the region could not: they beat back ISIS in 2014, from a massive assault in the hinterlands of Aarsal. Our LAF did what the Syrian, Iraqi and Turkish army couldn’t at first. They bounced back two huge ISIS offensives, albeit at a heavy cost, with 9 of our soldiers still in custody of the extremist group more than 3 years later…

As the battle for Mosul wrapped up, and everyone is closing in on Raqqa, Ras Baalbek and El Qaa are another large, significant swath of land still controlled by ISIS in the region. Unfortunately, very little coverage is being allocated to this instrumental battle, and in this humble blog post, I will try to set the scene and explain why this is such a crucial battle, and why our army will win it.

The Situation in Ras Baalbek and El Qaa Right Now, After the Aarsal Battle

The quick and decisive end of the Aarsal battle meant a lot of things for this upcoming one. First, it showed that the militants who have spent years digging in, can be ejected out, and that negotiations for their retreat deeper into Syria is on the table.

Even though most of the glory went to Hezbollah fighters, the LAF’s role was a much tougher, trickier and bigger operation. As Hezbollah fighters assailed the Nusra bases, the LAF was tasked with the difficult duty of guarding Lebanon against a counter-offensive, as well as protecting the tens of thousands of Syrian refugees in informal, tented settlements. That’s securing a major Lebanese town, many kilometers of the Lebanese border, as well as tens of thousands of Syrian refugees in two major camps outside the jurisdiction of the UNHCR and other INGOs.

On one hand, this sent a message to extremist militants: that we are coming for you, and that Lebanon is not like Syria and Iraq, and will resist and repel any attempts to breach our borders and sovereignty. However, it was also a wake-up call to ISIS, who after seeing how quickly their fellow extremists were ejected, humiliated and sent packing, are undoubtedly fortifying their positions, in the exponentially large area they currently occupy.

In other words, Hezbollah fighters had the advantage of a semi-surprise attack. Our soldiers do not have that advantage this time around, and given ISIS’s history, a negotiation that would see them leave Lebanese territory is unlikely.

Right now, the LAF has more than 10,000 troops stationed in the Ras Baalbek and El Qaa area, with more reinforcements coming in every day. The towns in the area have installed sirens, that alert residents of incoming missiles or shells, so they can seek shelter quickly. In other words, while you go about your daily lives unbothered by the prospect of a vicious battle, our fellow citizens and soldiers in the Northern and Eastern Bekaa are in full battle mode, getting ready to eradicate what’s left of ISIS on our borders, and the probably cowardly revenge attacks the extremist group will launch in retaliation.

How The Battle Will Be Won

Since 2013, a series of 30 towers and forward operating bases have been erected from Akkar’s Wadi Khaled, all the way down to Aarsal, with more next to Jabal El Sheikh (Mount Hermon) in the South. It was one of these forward operating bases and towers that repelled the second wave in the 2014 Aarsal attack, the one headed towards the Bekaa, with plans to get to Beirut. Another tower and FOB along the Northern border led the shelling from the Syrian side to stop. In short, the LAF tactic of spreading towers and bases along the border, was already having helpful results and proved invaluable in battles with militants from the Syrian side.

This is just an example of the military aid and training that has been provided to the LAF by countries like the UK and the US. In writing this post, I used images and numbers from the British Embassy in Beirut’s twitter account. And chose to give the towers and FOB example to illustrate how the military strategy and readiness of the LAF has been amazing and extremely effective.

We now have very well-guarded northern and eastern borders, extremely well-trained soldiers, immense popular support and an unshakable resolve to defeat and eject every last extremist fighter from Lebanese soil.

What’s So Important About This Battle

This is an historic battle. This battle will be remembered for decades and centuries ahead. This battle is all of Lebanon, with all its factions, sects and agendas, against a common enemy that threatens the way we live and what we live for. This is all of Lebanon, not just factions, coming together for once, in a show of force and solidarity that will make our country safer, and every centimeter of its 10452 square kilometers back under Lebanese control.

If there is one thing I would like to say, it’s that despite being grateful to countries that have helped fund, equip and train our LAF, I feel that Lebanon deserves even more support. The victories the LAF has accomplished against ISIS and other extremist groups, are victories that are getting the entire world closer to defeating ISIS. They’ve kept Lebanon safe, as well as more than a million Syrian refugees, since 2011. The support for the LAF fighting terrorism must continue, and expand. A capable army in Lebanon means a more unified Lebanon, one where single factions never decide the fate of everyone else, but all of Lebanon’s factions decide together.

I will leave you with this photo of the LAF shelling ISIS targets earlier today (August 9, 2017). Good luck to our Lebanese Army, our hearts and minds are with each and every one of you. Get back home safe ❤

Pictures used are from the accounts of the Lebanese Army, The UK Embassy and the US Embassy in Beirut.

On the Istanbul Attack and the Fallout in Lebanon

It took me a while to get updated with what was happening in the La Reina nightclub on the Bosphorous in Istanbul. It undoubtedly put a huge damper on what was a safe and secure NYE in Beirut, that saw all of its clubs packed with revellers celebrating the new year.

There are several things that made me cringe, not least of which was the media and politicians’ reaction in the aftermath. However, the reaction on some social media channels ways also very painful to read and says a lot of the state of the world and in Lebanon in 2017.

Media Failing

Lebanon has a lot of experience when it comes to covering tragedies and massacres and terrorist attacks. When you have TV stations like MTV that consistently fabricate stories from “satanic worshipping” and “digital drugs” and accept paid content like a new chicken sandwich place opening as a feature on their evening news, what else would you expect from them?

When they still host a tortured gypsy or whatever Michel Hayek is, and do a multi-hour “news” show to try and explain how his “predictions” from the past came true, what else would you expect? When one of their main popular shows is about ISF operations against “criminals”, when none of these cases has been to court yet, and they always focus on crimes done by non-Lebanese and non-Christian suspects, what do you expect? Fair and balanced news? Reporters that are “news” reporters, are more like tabloid trash, clickbait adventurers taking a dump on whatever humanity that might reside under all the polished, fake exterior of their “news”.

Then, on the opposite side of the fabricated news spectrum, you have Al Manar. One of their “journalist”, Hasan Hamzeh, tweeted gleefully that “Isntanbul is paying the price it deserves/owes”. MTV and Al Manar are basically the exact same level when it comes to integrity. One of them caters to extremist shiite fundamentalists, the other panders to extremist christian ones. It truly is like two opposite sides of the shit news services, with whatever credibility left in Lebanon’s mediascape lying somewhere in the middle of that spectrum.

This applies to several other media outlets in Lebanon, but as usual, MTV outdid them all last night in their ever-declining level of professionalism (assuming they ever had any).

Martyrs or Not?

Another thing that bothered me was how several pro-Hezbollah accounts where sharing videos and photos of their fighters killed in Syria, with captions like, “how do you like that, my friend Hussein, nightclub victims are now called ‘martyrs’” (example).

One thing such disgusting religious vitriol shows is how identical both sides of the extremist religious struggle are. If pro-Hezbollah folks are sworn enemies, fighting to the death against the ISIS fighters who carry out such attacks, then this should be a straightforward condemnation of a barbaric act against unarmed civilians. Instead, they question the “righteousness” of the victims’ deaths because they are at a nightclub, and dare I say of a different sect, which makes their lives, and deaths, mean less to such people. Which begs the question, how is that attitude any different from that of ISIS folks? Or Saudi Arabia’s, who’s ashamed that its citizens would party, and won’t release the names of its killed citizens.

If anything, it shows how religious conservatives are two sides of the same, hateful, violent and intolerant coin.

As for my personal opinion, I don’t like the word martyr because it has such a religiously-charged connotation. Also, when you are murdered in cold blood, when not even aware of it, I don’t get how you are a martyr for a cause. You’re a victim, and your killer and his ideology and backers need to fucking pay for it. “Martyr” is a word Lebanese politicians throw around to remove the guilt of them not doing anything to solve a crime or murder: “Khallas, he/she is a martyr with god now, you should be proud and glad” and case closed. No, not case closed. Find the son of a bitch who did this, and put him behind bars and do the jobs that our taxes pay for.

ISIS Cowards Hate Clubs

When ISIS targets clubs around the world, it tells you a lot about what a club represents to them, and what it should to us. Aside from the alcohol being served, the entire idea of a nightclub or party is like cancer to ISIS and co. It’s a place where folks are happy, no one wants to decapitate or crucify another person, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a guy, girl, gay, straight, white or black. Whether you like it or not, places like Bataclan and La Reina are now symbols of hope and resilience to the hatred and violence of religious extremism.

To this effect, I hope police forces and governments stop bullying clubs and club-goers over a joint of weed, and focus on protecting them from religious fundamentalists hopped up on god knows what drugs. After all, whether it’s in London, Beirut, or Istanbul, governments and their sympathetic religious conservatives always push back against clubs and the open and liberal culture that surrounds them. A kind of culture we are in need of most these days, with ISIS, Trump and Brexit threatening to make intolerance the new norm around the world.

Fuck Da3esh.