In a odd coincidence, just moments after we published an article laying out Hezbollah's military power at a time when both Saudi Arabia and Lebanon appear to be targeting Lebanon, and just two days after we discussed a leaked Israeli cable that confirmed Saudi Arabia and Israel are deliberately coordinating to destabilize the region and push Lebanon to a state of war, Saudi Arabia has ordered its citizens residing in Lebanon to leave immediately in a travel warning issued on Thursday, November 9. As Al Arabiya adds, the travel warning also called for Saudi nationals not to travel to Lebanon from any point of origin.
Full advisory below:
Official Source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Saudi nationals visiting or residing in Lebanon are asked to leave the country as soon as possible.Riyadh, Safar 20, 1439, November 09, 2017, SPA -- Due to the situations in the Republic of Lebanon, the official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Saudi nationals visiting or residing in Lebanon are asked to leave the country as soon as possible.The Kingdom advised all citizens not to travel to Lebanon from any other international destinations.
This follows a similar warning issued by the Kingdom of Bahrain on November 5 urghing its nationals residing in Lebanon to leave immediately and to "exercise caution.” The Bahraini call came a day after Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation, while on location in Saudi Arabia, citing concerns he could be assassinated like his father, criticized the Lebanon-based Hezbollah paramilitary and political movement and accused Iran of alleged attempts to bring destruction to the region. The Bahraini foreign ministry said in a statement received by AFP that its call was "in the interest of its citizens’ safety and to avoid any risks they may be exposed due to the conditions and developments” that Lebanon is going through.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Lebanon believes former premier Saad al-Hariri, who as noted above resigned on Saturday while in Saudi Arabia, is being held by Riyadh, and Beirut plans to work with foreign states to secure his return, a top Lebanese government official said on Thursday. A second Reuters source, a senior politician close to Saudi-allied Hariri, said Saudi Arabia had ordered him to resign and put him under house arrest. A third source familiar with the situation said Saudi Arabia was controlling and limiting his movement.
Saudi Arabia and members of Hariri’s Future Movement have denied reports that he is under house arrest. But he has put out no statements himself denying his movements are being restricted. He made a one-day flying visit to the United Arab Emirates earlier this week before returning to Saudi Arabia.
Earlier on Thursday, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister also urged the international community to slap fresh sanctions against Iran, accusing its regional rival of supporting terrorism.
"We would like to see sanctions on Iran for its support of terrorism and sanctions on Iran for violating the ballistic missile resolutions of the United Nations," Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi minister of foreign affairs, told CNBC Thursday.
Al-Jubeir also said that the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers was "weak," especially given Tehran would be capable of assembling a bomb "within weeks." He added he would like to see international agencies carry out a "much more robust" job when conducting inspections in Iran.
Al-Jubeir also described the situation in Lebanon as "unfortunate" and went on to accuse Hezbollah of "hijacking the system" and putting "roadblocks" in front of Hariri at every opportunity. When asked whether Saudi Arabia was headed for a direct conflict with Iran, Al-Jubeir replied, "We hope not", and yet just hours later Riyadh made it clear that any Saudi citizens in Lebanon are now in danger.
Needless to say, traditionally such accelerate evacuation orders have preceded military intervention. Should that be the case again, keep a close eye on oil.
A pro-ISIS group that threatened "more bitter and greater" Manhattan attacks after last week's deadly ramming on the West Side bike path urged more attacks on the West today with a propaganda poster showing the Eiffel Tower extending upward as a rifle.
Monday is the two-year anniversary of coordinated attacks on Paris in which nine terrorists killed 130 people.
The Wafa' Media Foundation titled the PR poster "The Specter of Terrorism," stating in English, "You will pay very expensive price for your war on Islam."
The message adds: "We will take revenge for the blood of Muslims on your land, we will kill the young before the older watch this."
Wafa' issued a justification for the bombing of British teens at a May concert in Manchester, UK. As ISIS has placed a heavy focus on training youths, they've also encouraged targeting them: the first issue of their Rumiyah magazine justifiedkilling civilians including "the young adults (post-pubescent 'children') engaged in sports activities in the park."
The Wafa' posters are circulated largely on Telegram. One released last week was labeled "Manhattan" with a backdrop of burning, crumbling skyscrapers and a semi-truck -- significantly more truck than the flatbed pickup Sayfullo Saipov rented from Home Depot -- and showed a masked, armed jihadist standing before the scene. Whereas this jihadist wielded a rifle, Saipov brandished a paintball gun and a pellet gun -- and had a stun gun in his truck -- before he was shot in the abdomen by a real bullet from an NYPD officer.
"O worshippers of the cross in USA," the poster stated. "Our lone wolves will come to you from where you do not know and we will terrorize you wherever you are and we will show you multitudes of terror and pain that you showed to the Muslims, and what is coming is more bitter and greater."
In May 2016, Wafa' warned in a message to the citizens of Spain and all Spanish-speaking countries that lone jihadists existing in those areas would kill the "disbelievers" as "previously planned." In August 2016, the media foundation said that jihadists had to step up their game to make attacks in Spain worse than terrorist operations in France. Wafa' pressed jihadists to kidnap or kill Spanish nationals.
After 15 people were killed and at least 130 injured in August when terrorists belonging to a local cell plowed a rented van through crowds on Las Ramblas, a long pedestrian mall in Barcelona, Wafa' issued a fresh warning that jihad there "has not been fought and gone" and cells remain in Barcelona and beyond. The message was addressed "from the Islamic Republic of Spain to the Government of Spain."
An ISIS article on the Manhattan attack in their weekly al-Naba newsletter last week referred to the U.S. as "the Islamic State of America."
Since mid-October, Wafa' has released several gory posters threatening the World Cup, scheduled next summer in Russia. The images showed FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi dead, French national team manager Didier Deschamps as an orange-jumpsuit-clad prisoner of ISIS being held at gunpoint, and Brazilian national team star Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior about to be executed. "You will not enjoy security until we live it in Muslim countries," one poster vowed.
Interpol secretary-general Jürgen Stock told reporters this week at a security conference in Qatar, site of the 2022 World Cup, that a "spectrum of threats" looms over these and other big sporting events and "unfortunately, these threats are increasing."
“It’s getting more international and it’s getting more complex, and that requires more than ever that law enforcement agencies cooperate," Stock said.
Syria was just a skirmish.
ReplyDeleteThe real war of nations shall begin in the hills and valleys of Lebanon.
Prepare my brothers and sisters in Christ.
What? Ivan, we are not in the Tribulation, nor are we the Church going through the Tribulation as you have suggested before. Please provide the Scripture that backs up your statement...
ReplyDelete