A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For January 03-04/2020 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 79th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
January 04/2020
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on January03- 04/2020
Soleimani Faced The righteous Justice/Elias Bejjani/January 03/2020
No For Arresting & Imprisoning Dr. Issam Khalefe/Elias Bejjani/January 03/2020
The Great Loss of the Journalist Najwa Kassiem /Elias Bejjani/January 03/2020
Aoun Condemns Soleimani Killing, Urges New Govt. ‘Next Week’
Foreign Ministry Urges Sparing Lebanon Any Fallout from Soleimani Killing
Nasrallah to Speak during Dahieh Rally Commemorating Soleimani
Hizbullah Denies Lebanese Killed in Airstrike in Iraq
Raad Says Up to Iran, Iraq Leaders to Decide How to Respond to Soleimani Killing
U.S. Embassy Urges Americans in Lebanon to be Highly Vigilan
Israel on Alert for Fallout after U.S. Killing of Soleimani
Tear Gas inside Halba Bank as Security Forces Clash with Protesters
Ghosn to Be Summoned by Lebanese Judiciary
Avenging Soleimani responsibility of ‘resistance’ worldwide: Hezbollah
Lebanon needs a $20-$25bn bailout, says former economy minister
Turkish Jet Firm Says Employee Falsified Ghosn Records
Ghosn’s last stop in Japan: a low-profile private airport lounge
Dramatic Case of Carlos Ghosn Continues to Unfold
Soleimani dead, shadows do bleed/ Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/January 03/2020
Details Of The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on January 03-04/2020
Soleimani Faced The righteous Justice
Elias Bejjani/January 03/2020
Killing of Kassem Soleimani is actually the killing and exposure of the false, paper-based Mullah’s Military aura and prestige. Meanwhile the joy of the Arab people for Soleimani’s assassination demonstrates their deeply rooted hatred and contempt for the hostile terrorist and expansionist Mullah’s stone age oppressive regime.
No For Arresting & Imprisoning Dr. Issam Khalefe
Elias Bejjani/January 02/2020
The biased judiciary arrest verdict against Dr. Issam Khalefe is an insult and contempt for each and every sovereign, independent, honourable, and free Lebanese citizen. In summary the Lebanese regime officials from top to bottom are corrupt, The country is occupied, The politicians are mere puppets, and the Judiciary is biased and politicized
The Great Loss of the Journalist Najwa Kassiem
Elias Bejjani/January 02/2020
The sudden death of the distinguishable journalist and reporter, Najwa Kassim this morning was an extremely sad news. We pray for the eternal rest of her soul and offer our deeply felt condolences to her family and friends. Her death is a great loss of a truly distinguished media talent.
Aoun Condemns Soleimani Killing, Urges New Govt. ‘Next Week’
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
President Michel Aoun on Friday condemned the U.S. strike that killed top Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani and senior Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Aoun’s condemnation came in cables that he sent to the presidents of Iran and Iraq. In his cable to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Aoun said he “painfully” learned of the news of the assassination of Soleimani and his companions, warning that the attack comes at a “very critical timing in the Middle East region.”“Lebanon condemns the crime that led to the death of Maj. Gen. Soleimani and his companions… and we hope God will grant you the wisdom to face the repercussions of this incident,” Aoun added, addressing Rouhani. He also wished “stability, peace, security and prosperity” for Iran and its people. Separately, Aoun hoped the formation of a new government in Lebanon will “enhance the positive atmosphere, especially with countries willing to help Lebanon.” He also hoped the government will be formed “next week,” saying its presence would “boost confidence inside and outside the country.”“Efforts are underway to form it of expert figures… and the McKinsey economic plan represents a realistic vision for developing the productive sectors in Lebanon and consequently creating jobs and slashing imports,” the president said. “We will immediately start working according to it,” Aoun announced.
Foreign Ministry Urges Sparing Lebanon Any Fallout from Soleimani Killing
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed concern over the killing of top Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad overnight, describing the U.S. strike that eliminated him along with a senior Iraqi paramilitary leader as “a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and a dangerous escalation against Iran.”The attack “will aggravate tensions in the region,” the Ministry warned in a statement. “The Foreign Ministry stresses that Lebanon has always encouraged the approach of dialogue, restraint and wisdom to resolve problems instead of the use of force and violence,” the statement said. “It also calls for sparing the region the assassination’s repercussions and keeping Lebanon away from the fallout of this dangerous incident, because it direly needs security and political stability so that it can overcome its suffocating economic and financial crisis,” the statement added. The Ministry also extended condolences to Iran and Iraq over the deaths.
Nasrallah to Speak during Dahieh Rally Commemorating Soleimani
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will make a speech Sunday during a rally that will be held in Beirut’s southern suburbs to commemorate slain top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Hizbullah’s al-Manar TV said the rally will be held at 2:30 pm. In a written statement issued earlier in the day, Nasrallah said that “meting out the appropriate punishment to these criminal assassins… will be the responsibility and task of all resistance fighters worldwide.””We will carry a flag on all battlefields and all fronts and we will step up the victories of the axis of resistance with the blessing of his pure blood,” Nasrallah added. Soleimani and al-Muhandis were killed late Thursday in a U.S. drone strike on Baghdad airport. Iran has warned of “severe revenge” and said arch-enemy the United States bore responsibility for the consequences.
Hizbullah Denies Lebanese Killed in Airstrike in Iraq
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
Following the US strike in Iraq that killed an Iranian commander, Hizbullah slammed as “totally untrue” reports that Lebanese nationals were killed in the attack. “Rumors circulated in the media and social networks that Lebanese nationals were killed in the US criminal attack on Iraq. Hizbullah media relations office assures that these reports are only baseless rumors,” Hizbullah’s media relations office said in a statement. Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, has been killed in an airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport on Friday.The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces.
Raad Says Up to Iran, Iraq Leaders to Decide How to Respond to Soleimani Killing
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
The head of Hizbullah’s parliamentary bloc MP Mohammed Raad on Friday said the U.S. assassination of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and senior Iraqi militant Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis is a “cowardly attack” that “will not go unpunished.”
But he noted that “it is up to the leaderships of these two great figures to determine the level of the response.”“Although everyone who belongs to the axis of resistance sees himself concerned with taking part in the response, because they (Soleimani and al-Muhandis) don’t represent themselves but rather every drop of blood that runs in our veins,” Raad added. “The days are coming and war is several rounds and our nation shall be satisfied,” the lawmaker went on to say. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that “meting out the appropriate punishment… will be the responsibility and task of all resistance fighters worldwide.” Soleimani and al-Muhandis were killed late Thursday in a U.S. drone strike on Baghdad airport. Iran has warned of “severe revenge” and said arch-enemy the United States bore responsibility for the consequences.
U.S. Embassy Urges Americans in Lebanon to be Highly Vigilant
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut on Friday urged U.S. citizens in Lebanon to “maintain a high level of vigilance” after Iran vowed a “harsh retaliation” for a U.S. strike in Iraq that killed Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian general who had been the architect of Iran’s interventions across the Middle East.
“Due to heightened tensions in Iraq and the region, the U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens in Lebanon to maintain a high level of vigilance and practice good situational awareness,” the Embassy said in a security alert published on its website. The Embassy urged Americans to monitor the website and local and international media for updates and to “stay alert in locations frequented by Westerners.”Iran’s top security body vowed Friday to retaliate to Soleimani’s killing in the “right place and time.””America should know that its criminal attack on General Soleimani has been the country’s biggest mistake in west Asia, and America will not avoid the consequences of this wrong calculation easily,” the Supreme National Security Council said in a statement. “These criminals will face severe vengeance… in the right place and time,” it added after holding an extraordinary meeting following Soleimani’s death.The council described Soleimani as a “glorious general” who was the “pride not only for Iranians but all Muslims and downtrodden… across the world.”
Israel on Alert for Fallout after U.S. Killing of Soleimani
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
Israel held emergency security talks Friday and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a foreign visit as the Jewish state braced itself for fallout from the assassination of a top Iranian military commander in a U.S. air strike. Defense Minister Naftali Bennett chaired a meeting of security chiefs, including the heads of the army, the National Security Council and the Mossad intelligence agency, his office said. Netanyahu broke off an official visit to Greece and flew home, expressing support for the overnight U.S. strike that killed General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad. “Just as Israel has the right of self-defense, the United States has exactly the same right,” Netanyahu said as he boarded his flight from Athens. “President (Donald) Trump deserves all the credit for acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively,” he said. “Israel stands with the United States in its just struggle for peace, security and self-defense.”
On the ground, the Israeli army closed Mount Hermon ski resort on the annexed Golan Heights, a disputed territory which borders Syria and Lebanon. Fighters of the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hizbullah, Israel’s bitter foe with which it fought a devastating war in 2006, are deployed on the other side of the armistice line. Although an Israeli military source said there were no new troop deployments, tanks and soldiers sealed off access to the Hermon site, while an AFP correspondent also spotted a battery of the Iron Dome missile defense system. The heightened state of alert came after Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “severe revenge” for Soleimani’s killing, the biggest escalation yet in a feared proxy war between Iran and the U.S. on Iraqi soil. He was echoed by the leader of Lebanon’s Hizbullah. “Meting out the appropriate punishment to these criminal assassins… will be the responsibility and task of all resistance fighters worldwide,” Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said. Soleimani, head of the Quds Force in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, had long also been in Israel’s sights for his alleged links to attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide. Among them, Israel’s Haaretz daily said, were the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires and an attack on an Israeli tour bus in Burgas, Bulgaria in 2012.
‘Hizbullah could act from Syria’
Yossi Mansharof, an expert on Iran and Shiite militias at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said Hizbullah was unlikely to seek a showdown in Lebanon given the country’s current economic and political crisis. Hizbullah’s forces in Syria, however, could make a move, he said.
“Hizbullah can act against Israel from the Syrian side,” he told AFP. “They would not dare to drag Lebanon into a military escalation.”In addition to Hizbullah forces in Syria, the Quds Force and “many, many militias which Soleimani has fostered” are also stationed in the war-torn country, he pointed out.
He said Hizbullah had a worldwide network of operatives, and an attack on American officials, high-ranking military officers or other interests was also possible. The powerful organization has boasted in the past that it “can target New York and Washington,” Mansharof said.
In the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas which rules the territory condemned Soleimani’s killing but did not make any overt threat. “Hamas sends its condolences to the Iranian leadership and people,” it said in a statement. “Hamas condemns this American crime which raises tension in the region.” The leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said the Baghdad strike called for “a coordinated, comprehensive and continuous response from resistance forces” against “American and Zionist interests.”
Tear Gas inside Halba Bank as Security Forces Clash with Protesters
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
Security forces on Friday used tear gas inside a bank in Akkar’s Halba in a bid to eject protesters following clashes, the National News Agency said. NNA said the bank and the area outside it witnessed scuffles, stone-throwing and gunshots that were fired in the air. An army force meanwhile arrived on the scene to assist riot police in containing the situation. The Federation of Syndicates of Banks Employees in Lebanon on Thursday warned that it might stage a new strike amid the ongoing protests in the country that have increasingly targeted banks in recent days. In a statement, the federation said “bank branches witnessed organized attacks in late 2019 by individuals claiming to represent the popular protest movement.”A grinding liquidity crunch has hit Lebanon, where unprecedented protests since October 17 have railed against the political class and a deepening economic crisis. Since September, banks have restricted the amount of dollars that can be withdrawn or transferred abroad. Although no formal policy is in place, most have arbitrarily capped withdrawals at around $1,000 a month, while others have imposed tighter restrictions. With ordinary depositors bearing the brunt of these measures, bank branches have transformed into arenas of conflict. Fistfights, shouting and tears are becoming more frequent, as cash-hungry clients haggle tellers to release money trapped under informal capital controls.
Ghosn to Be Summoned by Lebanese Judiciary
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
Former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, who skipped bail in Japan and fled to Beirut, is due to be summoned by Lebanon’s public prosecutor next week, an official said Friday. The Lebanese authorities have already stressed that Ghosn — who holds the French, Lebanese and Brazilian nationalities — had entered the country legally and that Beirut had no extradition agreement with Japan. An official speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity said a summons was expected to be handed to Ghosn next week, as a result of Interpol issuing a “red notice” against him. “The Lebanese judiciary is obliged to hear him. But it can still decide whether to arrest him or let him remain free,” the official said, adding that Ghosn could be heard on January 7 or 8. Ghosn, once Japan’s best paid corporate executive, was arrested in November 2018 and has been under house arrest since April, facing multiple charges of financial misconduct.
Claiming the Japanese judiciary was “rigged” and that he would not receive a fair trial, Ghosn skipped bail on December 30 and flew to Beirut on a private jet. The exact circumstances of his escape remain unclear. The 65-year-old is due to talk to the press in Beirut next week. “I have not fled justice — I have escaped injustice and political persecution,” said Ghosn in a December 31 statement. An Interpol ‘red notice’ is a request to law enforcement across the world to provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action. It is not an arrest warrant.
Japan is probing how Ghosn was able to slip out and Turkey has also detained seven individuals over Ghosn’s transit through Istanbul, where he changed private jets on his way to Lebanon. Ghosn, who was born in Brazil, is well connected in Lebanon, where he owns stakes in several major business ventures and firms.
Avenging Soleimani responsibility of ‘resistance’ worldwide: Hezbollah
AFP, Beirut/Friday, 3 January 2020
The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group called Friday for the death in a US strike of top Iranian commander Major General Qasem Soleimani to be avenged. “Meting out the appropriate punishment to these criminal assassins… will be the responsibility and task of all resistance fighters worldwide,” Hassan Nasrallah said in a statement. “We who stayed by his side will follow in his footsteps and strive day and night to accomplish his goals,” the leader said. “We will carry a flag on all battlefields and all fronts and we will step up the victories of the axis of resistance with the blessing of his pure blood,” Nasrallah said. The “axis of resistance” is a term that refers to an alliance formed by Iran, Syria and Hezbollah to fight against Israel and the Western military presence in the region. The heavily armed Hezbollah group controls whole neighborhoods in Beirut and most of the south of Lebanon, including the area bordering Israel. It also has fighters deployed in Syria and Iraq who were operating under Soleimani’s command.
Lebanon needs a $20-$25bn bailout, says former economy minister
Al Jazeera/January 03/2020
Lebanon needs a $20-$25bn bailout including International Monetary Fund (IMF) support to emerge from its financial crisis, former Minister of Economy Nasser Saidi told Reuters news agency on Friday. Lebanon’s crisis has shattered confidence in its banking system and stoked concerns among investors that a default could loom for one of the world’s most indebted countries, which has a $1.2bn eurobond due in March. Meanwhile, bank depositors and investors say that they have been kept in the dark about the country’s dire financial situation. President Michel Aoun said on Friday that he hoped a new government would be formed next week. But analysts say the cabinet to be led by Hassan Diab may struggle to win international support because he was nominated by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group and its allies. Saidi said time was running short, and that $11bn in previously pledged support from foreign donors was now roughly half of what was needed to mount an economic recovery.
“The danger of the current situation is we’re approaching economic collapse that can potentially reduce GDP [gross domestic product for 2020] by 10 percent,” Saidi said in an interview.Economists have said 2020 is likely to register Lebanon’s first economic contraction in 20 years, with some saying the economy will contract by two percent. Others have predicted a long depression unseen since independence from France in 1943 or during the 1975-90 civil war. Lebanese companies have laid off workers and business has ground to a halt. A hard currency crunch has prompted banks to restrict access to dollars and the Lebanese pound trades a third weaker on the parallel market, driving up prices. “Our policymakers are not willing to recognise the depth of the problems we have … They need the courage to tell the Lebanese population that difficult times are coming,” said Saidi. Credit-rating agencies have downgraded Lebanon’s sovereign rating and the ratings of its commercial banks on fears of default. Saidi said a $20-$25bn package could guarantee payment on some of the country’s public debt, enabling it to restructure in a way that would extend maturities and reduce interest rates. He said that would need support from the IMF, World Bank, and Western and Gulf states. Hariri last month discussed the possibility of technical assistance from the IMF and World Bank, but there has been no public mention of a financial package.
Turkish Jet Firm Says Employee Falsified Ghosn Records
Associated Press/Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
A Turkish airline company whose jets were used to fly former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn from Japan to Lebanon said an employee falsified records and that Ghosn’s name did not appear on any documentation related to the flights. Ghosn earlier this week jumped bail in Japan and fled to Lebanon rather than face trial on financial misconduct charges in a dramatic escape that has confounded and embarrassed authorities. How he was able to flee Japan, avoiding the tight surveillance he was under while free on 1.5 billion yen ($14 million) bail, is still a mystery, though Lebanese authorities have said he entered the country legally on a French passport. Ghosn’s daring escape spanned three continents and involved private planes, multiple passports and international intrigue. Turkey detained seven people Thursday as part of an investigation into how he passed through the country, and they were appearing in court Friday. The private DHA news agency reported that those detained were four pilots, a cargo company manager and two airport workers. Also Friday, Istanbul-based MNG Jet said it had filed a criminal complaint in Turkey concerning the illegal use of its jet charter services.
It did not say who the complaint was against, but it said one company employee, who was under investigation by the Turkish authorities, admitted to falsifying records and “confirmed that he acted in his individual capacity” without MNG Jet’s knowledge. The company said it had leased two separate private jets: one private jet from Dubai to Osaka , Japan, and Osaka to Istanbul and another private jet from Istanbul to Beirut. “The two leases were seemingly not connected to each other. The name of Mr Ghosn did not appear in the official documentation of any of the flights,” MNG Jet said in a statement. The statement did not say who the jets were leased to. On Thursday, Interpol issued a wanted notice for Ghosn. Lebanese Justice Minister Albert Serhan told The Associated Press in an interview that Lebanon “will carry out its duties,” suggesting for the first time that the automotive titan may be brought in for questioning. But he said Ghosn entered the country on a legal passport, and he appeared to cast doubt on the possibility Lebanon would hand Ghosn over to Japan.
Shortly after the Interpol notice, Ghosn issued a statement — his second this week — seeking to distance his Lebanese wife and family from any role in his escape. “The allegations in the media that my wife Carole and other members of my family played a role in my departure from Japan are false and misleading. I alone organized my departure. My family played no role,” he said. Ghosn, who is Lebanese and also holds French and Brazilian passports, was set to go on trial in Japan in April. He arrived in Lebanon on Monday via Turkey and hasn’t been seen in public since. In a statement Tuesday, he said he fled to avoid “political persecution” by a “rigged Japanese justice system.” His lawyer in France, Francois Zimeray, told Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV that he was in frequent contact with Ghosn since he arrived in Lebanon, and Ghosn appeared to be filled with “a fighting spirit.” Ghosn was eager to start clearing his name at the news conference next week, Zimeray said. Ghosn, who grew up in Beirut and frequently visited, is a national hero to many in this Mediterranean country with close ties to senior politicians and business stakes in a number of companies. People take special pride in the auto industry executive, who is credited with leading a spectacular turnaround at Nissan beginning in the late 1990s and rescuing the automaker from near-bankruptcy. Ghosn, who is charged in Japan with under-reporting his future compensation and breach of trust, has repeatedly asserted his innocence, saying authorities trumped up charges to prevent a possible fuller merger between Nissan Motor Co. and Renault.
Ghosn’s last stop in Japan: a low-profile private airport lounge
Al Jazeera/January 03/2020
Turkish firm MNG Jet said one of its workers admitted to not putting Ghosn on official documentation.
A quiet lounge in a corner of Japan’s third-largest airport was likely the last stop for Carlos Ghosn before he fled the country, transforming the former Nissan chairman into one of the world’s most famous fugitives. Ghosn departed on a private jet from Kansai International Airport in the western city of Osaka, the plane’s operator said, meaning he would have left from the small lounge area used exclusively for private flights. The aircraft operator, Turkish firm MNG Jet, said one of its employees has admitted falsifying records by not including Ghosn’s name in the official documentation.
Ghosn faces charges relating to alleged financial crimes in Japan and was able to orchestrate his departure despite being under strict surveillance by Japanese authorities, with his movements and communications curtailed. He denies the financial misconduct charges.
“He would have had to go through as a passenger; perhaps [he was] in disguise,” airport spokesman Kenji Takanishi told Reuters.
The slightly-built former Nissan boss has concealed his identity before: when first released on bail in March, he walked out of the detention centre disguised as a workman to avoid media attention. After landing in Turkey, Ghosn switched planes and flew on to his childhood home, Lebanon. His escape capped a year-old saga, which has gripped the global auto industry. Kansai airport spokesman Takanishi said privacy was a big attraction for wealthy travellers at the 300-square-metre Premium Gate Tamayura used for private jets (“tamayura” translates as “fleeting moment”).
Passenger in disguise?
Private jet owners pay 200,000 yen ($1,850) to use the private airport gate, where normal immigration and baggage procedures apply. Luggage too large for the X-ray scan is opened and examined, Takanishi said, meaning it was unlikely Ghosn could have been smuggled on board.
Yet immigration officials have no record of him leaving, public broadcaster NHK has reported. The former auto executive holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship. “I think I would recognise Ghosn if I took a good look at his face, but we don’t really look at people’s faces,” said a security guard at the private gate. “It would be harder to spot him if he was wearing a disguise or was in a group.”One airport official, who also declined to be identified, said airlines often outsource security and luggage checks to private security companies in Japan, unlike other countries where government or military officials usually perform these checks. Outside the terminal entrance, a dedicated car park stands less than 100 metres away, allowing a degree of privacy not afforded to commercial jet passengers.
Dramatic Case of Carlos Ghosn Continues to Unfold
Associated Press/Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
Former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn fled Japan while awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges. He escaped to Beirut, where he grew up and is considered a national hero by many. Here’s a look at the unfolding case of the fallen auto industry superstar:
WHERE IS GHOSN?
Ghosn, who is Lebanese and also holds French and Brazilian passports, arrived in Lebanon on Monday after a stop in Turkey. Lebanese caretaker Justice Minister Albert Serhan told The Associated Press that Ghosn entered the country with a legal passport. Ghosn, who has not appeared in public, issued a statement saying he left to avoid a “rigged Japanese justice system.” He issued a second statement saying his family members played no role in his escape and that he did it alone. He said he will talk to reporters next week. Serhan said Lebanese prosecutors will question Ghosn, but there are no charges pending against him in Lebanon.
ESCAPE DESPITE HEAVY SURVEILLANCE
Little is known about how Ghosn was able to leave Japan. He picked a time where security lapses are more likely — government offices are closed all week for New Year holidays. But his whereabouts were closely monitored, including by 24-hour security cameras, and his lawyers supposedly had all of his passports. He was able to use the internet only in his lawyer’s office, and he was forbidden from seeing his wife, Carole. They were recently allowed video calls, but only in the presence of his lawyer. Ghosn’s chief lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, said he had no knowledge of the escape and was stunned by it.
HOW DID GHOSN GET OUT?
The dramatic disappearance has set off wild speculation, including that Ghosn was carted off inside a musical instrument case, though Japanese broadcaster NHK reported Friday that surveillance video showed him exiting his home alone shortly before he left Japan. A Turkish charter airline company said its jets were used in the escape and blamed an employee who falsified records. MNG Jet said Ghosn’s name did not appear on the official documentation for a flight from Dubai to Osaka and then on to Istanbul or another for a flight from Istanbul to Beirut. It’s not known how Ghosn might have traveled to Osaka to get on the flight.
GHOSN AS FUGITIVE
Interpol issued a wanted notice Thursday for Ghosn. Lebanon, which does not have an extradition treaty with Japan, must now decide how to respond. Expectations are low that Lebanon would hand over Ghosn. Interpol’s Red Notice is a non-binding request for law enforcement agencies to locate and provisionally arrest a fugitive. The notice is not an arrest warrant. Legal experts say Ghosn’s ability to travel will be restricted.
JAPAN’S RESPONSE
Japanese prosecutors, who had opposed Ghosn’s release on bail, raided his Tokyo home on Thursday. Turkey made several arrests as part of an investigation into how he passed through the country. Japanese government officials have not said anything publicly about Ghosn’s escape but they revoked the 1.5 billion yen ($14 million) bail. Trying someone in absentia is rare in Japan. A trial dealing with allegations against Nissan as a company and Greg Kelly, another Nissan executive, will continue. A date has not been set.
THE CHARGES
Ghosn, who was first arrested in November 2018, has repeatedly denied the charges against him. Part of the allegations center around his failure to report compensation that was promised to him. Ghosn has said those payments were never decided on. Nissan filed additional papers concerning the compensation after his arrest. Other charges of breach of trust involve Nissan money allegedly diverted to Ghosn for personal gain, including payments in Oman and Saudi Arabia. Ghosn has said those payments were for legitimate services. Prosecutors have released few specifics, saying they will do so at the trial. If convicted on all counts, Ghosn could face the maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. The conviction rate in Japan is higher than 99%.
GHOSN AS STAR
Ghosn built a stellar reputation for his managerial acumen in transforming Nissan over the last two decades from near-bankruptcy to one of the biggest global auto brands. Several of his books on management were translated in Japanese, and one depicts him as a manga comic book character. Especially in his early years, he was cheered as a celebrity, admired for his hard work, and dubbed “7-11” after the convenience-store chain for the hours he kept. He still has close ties to senior politicians in Lebanon. After his arrest, he has become a symbol of protest against Japan’s so-called “hostage justice” system, which human rights advocates have long criticized as unfair and too reliant on confessions. Ghosn was held in detention for 130 days before posting bail.
OTHER TWISTS
Two Lebanese lawyers have submitted a report to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Beirut against Ghosn, saying he violated Lebanese law by visiting Israel. The two countries are in a state of war. Ghosn visited Israel in 2008 to launch electric cars, and met with the prime minister and the president. Journalists, including those from Japan, have flocked to Ghosn’s rose-colored residence in Beirut’s affluent neighborhood of Ashrafieh. A Lebanese lawyer who said he worked for Nissan told reporters the building belongs to Nissan, which Ghosn also confirmed. Nissan officials have pointed to Ghosn’s extravagant lifestyle, including expensive chandeliers and a sarcophagus buried beneath transparent walkways at the Beirut residence.
NISSAN’S FUTURE
Nissan’s brand has been seriously tarnished, and its sales and profits are tumbling. Ghosn was such a key figure for the brand in Japan, where foreign executives are still relatively rare, that it would be a challenge for anyone to fill his shoes. His successor, Hiroto Saikawa, resigned in September after financial misconduct allegations related to a dubious income surfaced against him. Nissan picked Makoto Uchida, who used to head its China business, as its new chief executive.
What happens to Nissan’s alliance with Renault SA of France, engineered by Ghosn, is a bigger question. Experts say the alliance is irreversible because so much is shared between the automakers, including model development, manufacturing sites and vehicle parts. Ghosn has said his arrest was prompted by those who opposed a fuller merger between Nissan and Renault. Renault owns 44% of Nissan, but in recent years, until Ghosn’s downfall, Nissan had grown more profitable than Renault. Nissan has been historically closely associated with Japanese pride. Uchida has affirmed the importance of the alliance and promised to restore Nissan’s credibility.
Soleimani dead, shadows do bleed
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/January 03/2020
Donald Trump has been branded by many as a mere Twitter tiger who roars but never turns his often absurd and impetuous statements into actions. Despite adopting a hawkish demeanor, Trump has always dragged his feet when it came to authorizing military action against the traditional enemies of the United States, particularly Iran and its many subsidiaries – Hezbollah, the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) militias or any of their fellow travelers.
This perception was shattered on the early hours of Friday January 3 when news broke out that the Iranian commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) – Quds Force Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi PMU militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes were assassinated as they made their way from Baghdad International Airport.
The US drone strike against this valuable and infamous target is not really much of surprise as Soleimani and his breed of men with their elaborate killing careers are not destined to die in their beds, but rather perish as he did gruesomely and dramatically.
However, the real surprise was the timing of the attack and Trump’s decision to authorize lethal action against one of the US’s most notorious enemies – one that former Presidents such as Bush and Obama both decided to spare so as to avoid the spillover of such a perilous but needed act. The definite consequences of Soleimani’s slaying did not deter Trump as the Pentagon blatantly announced that the operation was a preemptive strike against an enemy combatant who was planning future strikes against US targets in the region.
For the numerous opponents of Iran, Soleimani’s assassination was met with a mix of fearful joy and dread as everyone was trying to predict Iran’s reaction to losing one of its most effective and lethal assets, and one whose death is a direct blow to his immediate superior, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. While Soleimani’s killing might come as a clear act of war against Iran, the latter’s retaliation will take on an asymmetric shape which will surely avoid taking on the United States in an open and guaranteed losing battle.
Accordingly, all eyes have now turned towards Iran’s prime operator in the region: Hezbollah, who are expected to avenge their field marshal and try to repair what remains of Iran’s shattered stature.
Allegedly, the drone attack this morning also targeted three other Lebanese nationals who are reported as Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem, Muhammad al-Kawtharani, head of Hezbollah Iraqi file, and Samer Abdallah, head of external operations and the son-in-law of the infamous Imad Mughniyeh.
While the three Hezbollah senior members have not yet been confirmed dead, their presence at Soleimani’s side is much expected, and their role in Iran’s regional expansionist project is beyond pivotal and thus the expectancy of their eminent retaliation grows higher.
The question remains, will Hezbollah punch back using Lebanon and implicate the region in a war with Israel, or will it lay dormant and wait for the right moment to attack one of the many targets on their own kill list?
As it stands Hezbollah, like many of Iran’s proxies, are stretched out and under tremendous pressures locally – be it in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. While Hezbollah has proven its might in sabotage and military operations, its unheeded activities and overreaching has exposed its host body to US financial sanctions which has exasperated and augmented the already existing system of corruption in these respective states and thus pushed their economy into the abyss.
As for Iran’s other assets, particularly the PMU militias, the Iraqi popular uprising and resolute stand of the Iraqi people have proven that Iran has no real Shi’ite supporters in Iraq but mere followers, and thus any type of retaliation against American positions will not be tolerated by local US allies.
Soleimani was not only a seasoned military leader but was the quasi Iranian High Commissioner who would make unannounced visits to politicians across the region and sweet-talk, convince, and even bully them to into accepting the terms of Iran even if it came at the expense of their own people.
The sight of his riddled and mutilated body on the tarmac in Baghdad cannot be swept away by any theatrical military operation from Hezbollah or its junior partners, and shows that Iran’s self-perception of being a mighty empire and its weak economic and military reality do not gel.
Soleimani’s killing is a watershed moment in America’s war against Iran as the drone and its missiles did not only end the life of two people but it also marked the end of an appeasement policy that successive US administrations have followed by distinguishing the so-called Sunni brand of terrorism from the Shia one.Above all, the recent events in Lebanon and Iraq, and the popular uprisings that followed, exposed the weakness of Iran and its various militias who still think that the Obama doctrine and the unwillingness of Trump to go to war protects them from harm.
Soleimani’s fame was not only acquired on the battlefield, but also through clueless promotion by western media who drew him as a heroic/villainous figure and termed him as Iran’s “shadow commander.” While he might have indeed been a shadow to Khamenei, recent events have proved that shadows do bleed and eventually can be killed.
