LEBANON: Local Bernie Madoff allegedly swindles Shiites, Hezbollah

Until recently Salah Ezzedine was a pillar of Lebanon's Shiite community. 

A successful and outwardly pious businessman, Ezzedine handled investments for thousands of people, from poor villagers in southern Lebanon to expatriate millionaires in West Africa, and even officials from the militant party Hezbollah.

But that all came crashing down last week when Ezzedine declared bankruptcy, prompting an investigation that revealed the shocking extent of his alleged fraud.

Local media reports now estimate that Ezzedine lost up to $1.5 billion of his clients' money. He's now being dubbed Lebanon's Bernie Madoff.

EGYPT: How guilty are those in the 'Hezbollah cell'?

Twenty-six men accused of forming a terrorist cell in Egypt on behalf of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah appeared before a state security court in Cairo today in a case that painted them either as jihadists or victims of regional politics.

The prosecutor's case is based on claims that the defendants were plotting attacks against Israeli tourists in Egypt and on ships in the Suez Canal, as well as allegations of their involvement in smuggling weapons between Sinai and Gaza. However, questions have been raised over the length of the investigation and why the men were detained for months before a trial date was set.

MIDDLE EAST: Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah rattle sabers

Israel and Hezbollah are at it again.

In a thinly veiled warning to the militant Shiite group Hezbollah, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak reiterated on Thursday the Israeli position that all of Lebanon would pay dearly for any attack launched from its territory.

"If there is a conflict on our northern border, we will use all necessary force," Barak told Israeli public radio.

“What happened in the second Lebanon war will not happen again,” he said, indicating that Israel would target even more of Lebanon’s infrastructure.

LEBANON: Walid Jumblatt's exit could weaken U.S.-backed coalition

The United States and its allies in Lebanon may have celebrated their electoral victory too soon. Key Druze ally and former neo-conservative darling Walid Jumblatt has announced his departure from the U.S. and Saudi-backed March 14 coalition, which won a solid majority in June’s general elections.

The results of the vote were touted by the American news media at the time as a victory for "forces of moderation" in the region.

But on Sunday, Jumblatt, who met with then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as recently as November, described his meetings with U.S. officials as a “black spot” on his past and said his alliance with the U.S.-backed March 14 coalition “was driven by necessity and must not continue.”

LEBANON: Different sides tell different stories regarding explosion

On Tuesday, a series of mysterious explosions in southern Lebanon raised the sensitive issue of Hezbollah’s weapons.

Following the incident, the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) closed off the area to launch a joint investigation into the cause of the explosions.

Meanwhile, Israel quickly cited the explosion as evidence that Iran and Syria have continued to send weapons to Hezbollah in violation of U.N. resolutions.

A senior Israeli officer told reporters that a warehouse that blew up on Tuesday was filled with rockets smuggled from Syria.

"The walls of the building were crushed and there are also many holes in the roof of the building," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity, according to the Associated Press. "We believe that this is one of dozens of ammunition storage [depots] in southern Lebanon that were built by Hezbollah." This particular depot is part of "the buildup of the Hezbollah force" in Lebanon, he added.

LEBANON: Israeli cow incursion sparks border controversy

The Blue Line dividing Lebanon and Israel has been a flash point for conflict ever since the Israeli withdrawal in 2000 and is closely guarded by two national armies, thousands of United Nations troops and the ever-vigilant militant group Hezbollah.

But despite these elaborate security measures, it seems one group has been crossing the security fence daily and with impunity. 

Lebanese shepherds report Israeli cows are being driven into Lebanese territory to drink from the Baathail Lake, which they claim lies entirely within Lebanon.

"Each Israeli cow drinks more than 40 of our goats put together," shepherd Ismail Nasser, from the border village Kfar Shuba, told the Daily Star's Mohammed Zaatari. "Why doesn't UNIFIL consider this as a violation of the Blue Line?"

LEBANON: Hezbollah rhetoric leads Jewish comic to cancel visit

Gad Elmaleh, dubbed the "the funniest man in France," was scheduled to stage a number of performances at Lebanon’s Beiteddine Festival on July 13, 14 and 15.

But Elmaleh, who is of Jewish-Moroccan origin, recently announced that he has canceled all his performances in Lebanon this summer because of security concerns. He said he decided to do so "out of concern for his personal security and that of the [Beiteddine] festival" after a campaign against him by Hezbollah, the Shiite Muslim militia and political organization.

The dust-up began last week when the TV station affiliated with Hezbollah, Al Manar, aired a photo of Elmaleh accompanied by an image of an Israeli soldier dressed in military fatigues that bore a resemblance to Elmaleh. 

Al Manar and other pro-Hezbollah media organizations said Elmaleh was pro-Israel and had served in the Israeli army. 

LEBANON: With even Hezbollah's OK, Hariri likely next prime minister

Saad Hariri, leader of the U.S.-backed March 14 coalition, which successfully defended its status as the parliamentary majority in Sunday's elections, is expected to be named Lebanon's next prime minister, according to local news reports.

It appears that even Hariri's political rivals in the Shiite Muslim militant movement Hezbollah have given him their blessing, with the party's second in command, Naim Qassem, telling Reuters that Hariri is a "strong candidate" for the premiership.

The oft-cited alternative candidate is former Prime Minister Najib Miqati, a telecommunications tycoon from Tripoli who maintains close relations with Damascus. The real contest, however, is likely to be over the office of parliamentary speaker and specific cabinet appointments..

LEBANON: Analyst Paul Salem on prospect of Hezbollah election win

Lebanese voters head to the polls Sunday morning in elections that could determine their nation's future direction and strategic position in the Middle East.

Paul Salem, Lebanon analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, is in the unique position of having access not only to major players in the Lebanese political game, but contacts in Washington that help him understand how Lebanon fits into the geopolitical picture.

Salem recently spoke to The Times about Sunday's elections, and whether a victory by the Hezbollah-led opposition, called the March 8 alliance, over the pro-U.S. March 14 coalition would have major regional repercussions.

Los Angeles Times: Do you think it's a foregone conclusion that the opposition will win? 

Paul Salem: No, I think it's still up in the air. There is a good chance it will be a hung parliament and no one will win a majority, there is also a good chance March 8 might win, but March 14 could also still eke out a majority. Obviously the West is more concerned with one of those possibilities, which is March 8 winning. 

LEBANON: As voters go to polls, many fears and a few hopes

Across the tiny Mediterranean country of Lebanon, voters head to the polls Sunday in an election that will have major ramifications across the region. Will Iran and its Hezbollah allies in the March 8 alliance win? Will the U.S. and its March 14 coalition allies retain control of parliament and government?

Among voters the rifts are stark. 

“If March 8 wins, it means problems,” said Sobhi Zaghal, a 65-year-old Sunni cafe owner who supports parliamentary leader Saad Hariri’s Future Movement.

 “March 8 is with Iran," he continued. "Iran means problems -- economic problems, political problems. Iran is in Iraq, Lebanon will become like Iraq. How could anyone want that?”

On the other side of the Sunni-Shiite sectarian divide that afflicts much of the Middle East, Hussein Fawaz had a very different view. 

“The current government are traitors and cooperated with Israel and the U.S.,” said the Shiite Muslim, a staunch Hezbollah supporter. 

“March 14 dealt with the Israelis against the nation,” he alleged.