As the municipal and mukhtar elections in Lebanon approach, the language of threats has once again taken center stage in the political scene of some southern areas. “The Party” is seeking to impose its control over the formation of electoral lists. According to sources in the South, the party is exerting intense pressure on potential candidates in order to ensure the endorsement of loyalist lists in southern towns and villages.

The Washington Chapter of the Lebanese Forces Party participated in a reception hosted by the Lebanese Embassy in the United States, in honor of the Lebanese official delegation that attended the annual spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The event was attended by the Chapter’s president, Nada Haddad, vice president Antoine Issa, and former chapter president Samer Naoum, along with a crowd of prominent figures and members of the Lebanese community.

The first person to describe Iran’s expansionist project in the region as the “Shiite Crescent” was King Abdullah II in 2004. He coined the term after closely observing Iran’s growing influence following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003 and Tehran’s ability to link its sphere of influence to Beirut via Baghdad and Damascus. Later, Iranian officials began arrogantly boasting of having control over four Arab capitals, including Sana’a.