Syrian official admits Damascus is holding Lebanese detainees
1 October 2000

Al-Sharq al-Awsat (London) reported comments by an "official source" in Damascus verifying for the first time that Syria is holding Lebanese citizens in its prisons. "Fewer than 50 Lebanese, whose names are known and who receive regular visits from family members, are being held in Syria," said the unidentified source, adding that they "are accused of spying for Israel." Lebanese and international human right groups claim that the number is much larger. According to Amnesty International, 228 Lebanese detainees are held in Syrian prisons, most of them members of Lebanese nationalist and Islamist movements opposed to the Syrian occupation.

Milosevic stashing ill-gotten gains in Lebanon, Cyprus
19 October 2000

The Independent (London) published a report suggesting that cronies of Slobodan Milosevic have been depositing the former Yugloslav dictator's ill-gotten gains in Lebanon and Cyprus. "As the world asks how Slobodan Milosevic used the millions of dollars his regime sucked out of the Yugoslav economy over 10 years, his business dealings in the Middle East - as well as Russia and China - suggest that a handful of trusted comrades handled his country's money, moving effortlessly between Belgrade, Beirut and Nicosia." The central figure in this story is Dusan Matkovic, one of Slobodan Milosevic's closest allies and general manager of the Sartid steel conglomerate. Matkovic, who is banned from travelling to most Western nations because of his involvement with Milosevic, freely travels to Beirut (most recently on August 28) and is believed to have "carried millions of dollars into Lebanon" in recent years.

Hezbollah arrests members of "Israeli intelligence network"
20 October 2000

Al-Rai Al-Am (Kuwait) reported today that Hezbollah has arrested suspected members of an Israeli intelligence network who were identified after the group captured Elhanan Tennenbaum, a 54-year-old reserve air-force colonel, on October 15. The paper suggested that bungled Israeli attempts to inquire about Tennenbaum hours after his capture exposed the agents.

Emile Lahoud

Lahoud almost speechless at Arab summit
21 October 2000

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud was humiliated at the Arab summit meeting in Cairo today when he was called by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to deliver his prepared speech as other heads of state had done. But Lahoud had given the text of his speech to Syrian President Bashar Assad for final authorization, and Assad had not yet finished reading it. So Lahoud rose and delivered a brief, ad hoc speech that lasted just over a minute. [See Address to the Arab Summit in Cairo]

Syrian checkpoint dismantled
24 October 2000

According to reliable sources, a Syrian military checkpoint located along the coastal highway in Batroun was removed this afternoon. The roadblock, located at Kfar Abida, is the main checkpoint regulating traffic to North Lebanon.

Hariri presents 30-member cabinet
26 October 2000

Newly-appointed Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri presented his 30-member cabinet today after days of intense consultations with Syrian officials and various Lebanese political elites. While all of the new ministers are considered amenable to Syrian policy in Lebanon, several are notorious for their close ties to the Assad regime, including Najib Miqati, Suleiman Franjieh and Karam Karam.

Security forces arrest 2 for killing ISF officer
31 October 2000

Security sources said today that two men have been arrested for allegedly killing an Internal Security Forces (ISF) officer earlier this month in the Beqaa Valley. ISF Corporal Rifaat Hammoud was shot to death by assailants driving past his checkpoint in Khirbet Qanafar on October 23. One of the suspects was arrested in Brital, the other in Mashghara.