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The U.S. and Iran, rival powers in Middle Eastern affairs, are once again working together to combat the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) via local allies, this time in the barrens of the Lebanese-Syrian border. Their cooperation follows a previous, reluctant understanding in Iraq.

In the latest grouping, the U.S.-backed Lebanese army is set to storm ISIS outposts tucked inthe mountains of Ras Baalbek that separate Lebanon from Syria, where a civil war between the government and rebels has allowed jihadists and other militants to threaten regional security. Iran has been amajor supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his armed forces, bolstering their ranks with its Lebanese ally, Shiite Muslim militant movement Hezbollah. While considered a terrorist organization by the U.S., Hezbollah has proven an effective force against fighters with both ISIS and Al-Qaeda, and appears poised to join the fight. As a final showdown looms, Lebanon has prepared for a deadly confrontation.

Related: Trump didn't know what Hezbollah was; militant group responds by saying U.S. stands with ISIS

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"We are approaching a time that will see blood and martyrs," Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil told families living in the town of Qaa, where ISIS recently shelled Lebanese army positions, according to The Daily Star.

Lebanese army soldiers take part in a parade at a military academy marking the 72nd Army Day in Fayadyeh, near Beirut, August 1, 2017. The Lebanese army and Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah have a complex relationship, but both have sought to secure the country's borders from jihadists attempting to enter from Syria. Aziz Taher/Reuters

The Lebanese army has repeatedly denied that Hezbollah would participate in the operation. The force reportedly received about $80 million in equipment and training from the U.S. last year, boosting the total in the past decade to nearly $1 billion. The U.S. has been extremely critical of Hezbollah's participation in the Lebanese government, where the group forms one of the largest political parties. President Donald Trump referred to Hezbollah as a "menace" during a press conference late last month with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, another political opponent of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, however, has already made a sizable contribution to the upcoming offensive against ISIS. Late last month, the Lebanese fighters teamed up with the Syrian military to launch a dual assault on militants loyal to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front of Al-Qaeda, holed up near the border village of Arsal. The roughly week-long operation ended with a ceasefire and total expulsion of the jihadists into rebel-held territory in northwestern Syria. Following the victory, Hariri said Hezbollah "has accomplished something and what's important is the result," according to LBC News.

In a televised address to his supporters, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said Friday his group would hand overparts of Arsal its fighters were stationed in at the army's request and thanked allies Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Assad and Iran for their support in the battle. Contradicting statements from the Lebanese army and Hariri, Nasrallah said his forces would begin a parallel offensive against ISIS from the Syrian side of the border, using the Arabic-language acronym for the group, Daesh.

"The Lebanese army will be responsible for the operation against Daesh, but the request for American aid is an insult to the Lebanese army," Nasrallah said, according to Lebanon'sEl Nashra.

"We in Hezbollah are at the service of the Lebanese army while on Lebanese territory," he added. "Meanwhile, Hezbollah and the Syrian army will open a Syrian front against Daesh. Its timing is in the hands of the Lebanese army, and we are ready."

A Hezbollah fighter stands in front of anti-tank artillery at the barrens of Arsal, near the Syria-Lebanon border. The Lebanese Shiite Muslim militant group's success has paved the way for an upcoming Lebanese army assault on Islamic State militant group (ISIS) positions nearby Ras Baalbek and Hezbollah said it would play a role from Syria. Ali Hashisho/Reuters

The alignment of U.S. and Iranian tactical interests in Lebanon mimics that in Iraq, where both countries devoted extensive resources to battling ISIS despite significant political differences. After evolving out of Al-Qaeda in Iraq's insurgency against the U.S. military and local Shiite Muslims, ISIS managed to take nearly half the country before spreading into neighboring Syria. The U.S. responded by forming an international coalition to launch airstrikes against the jihadists while at the same time supporting the Iraqi military and Kurdish forces on the ground. Iran stepped in by backing a number of majority-Shiite Muslim militias known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces.

As in Lebanon, the sectarian nature of the forces involved in Iraq has sparked concerns as to how the country will be governed post-conflict. The central governmentin Baghdad continues to hold political power, but recognition of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces as an official military wing of the state and Kurdish calls for independence in the north have given rise to uncertainties about the nation's stability after more than 14 years of consecutive warfare.

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US and Iran Work Together Against ISIS, This Time in Lebanon - Newsweek

Former top U.S. diplomat Henry Kissinger has warned the Trump administration that Iran should not be allowed to fill the power vacuum that will be created when the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) is defeated.

In Iraq, Baghdad's forces have liberated the northern city of Mosul from the jihadi group and are close to ousting ISIS from all of its population centers. In Syria, a Kurdish-Arab coalition has recaptured almost half of the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa, which became the de facto ISIS capital after the group rose to prominence in mid-2014.

Now, the 94-year-old Kissinger, who served as secretary of state under Richard Nixon,has cautioned that defeating ISIS could lead to a radical Iranian empire across the Middle East.

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In these circumstances, the traditional adage that the enemy of your enemy can be regarded as your friend no longer applies. In the contemporary Middle East, the enemy of your enemy may also be your enemy. The Middle East affects the world by the volatility of its ideologies as much as by its specific actions,he wrote in an article last week forCapX.

The outside worlds war with ISIS can serve as an illustration. Most non-ISIS powersincluding Shia Iran and the leading Sunni statesagree on the need to destroy it. But which entity is supposed to inherit its territory? A coalition of Sunnis? Or a sphere of influence dominated by Iran?

The answer is elusive because Russia and the Nato countries support opposing factions. If the ISIS territory is occupied by Irans Revolutionary Guards or Shia forces trained and directed by it, the result could be a territorial belt reaching from Tehran to Beirut, which could mark the emergence of an Iranian radical empire,he wrote.

President Donald Trump meets with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the Oval Office at the White House on May 10, in Washington, D.C. Molly Riley-Pool/Getty

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have been advising the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government and supporting Shiite militias, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces,working with Baghdadto liberate ISIS-held territories in the country.

In Syria, Iran is supporting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad alongside Russia. It has provided ground troops, tactical advisers and Shiite militiamen from countries such as Afghanistan to bolster the dictator's ranks.

Both Iran and the U.S. are working to degrade ISIS in the two countries, but the U.S. role is limited to special forces on the ground and a coalition of air forces bombing the jihadi group from above. Washington and Tehran rarely recognize the role of the other in combating the threat of ISISand are avoiding any escalation between the two militaries.

This has not extended to the Assad regime. President Donald Trump in April authorized the first American strike against the Syrian government. The U.S. government accusedthe Syrian government of carrying out achemical weapons attackagainst civilians. Both Syria and key ally Russia denied the allegations, despite witness testimony and soil samples gathered by Turkey that showed the presence of a chemical agent in the attack on the Idlib town of Khan Sheikhoun.

The Russian governmentsaid the Syrian militaryhit a weapons depot holding toxic weapons stored by militants. International powers, such as the U.S., Israel, Turkey, France and Britain,accused the Syrian regimeof targeting civilians with chemical weapons.

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Kissinger Warns Trump: ISIS Is Keeping Iran in Check, You Must Not Let Tehran Fill the Void - Newsweek

When Europes top diplomat arrived at the Iranian presidents inauguration on Saturday, it was a clear sign of commitment to better relations, even as the Trump White House has urged allies to isolate Iran.

But by the end of the ceremony, Federica Mogherini, the European Unions foreign policy chief, would land at the center of a much different controversy, one that involved selfies?

As attendees filed out of the parliament building, where President Hassan Rouhani had been sworn in for a second term, a crowd formed around Mogherini on the floor of the assembly. Dressed in suits and clerical robes and nearly all wielding cellphones more than a dozen Iranian lawmakers cheerfully snapped photos of the Italian Mogherini, who was wearing a checkered headscarf. One parliamentarian, giddy in a blue suit, leaned over the seats for the perfect angle for his selfie.

[Iran calls new U.S. sanctions a violation of nuclear deal]

It was a lighthearted moment and one that spoke to Mogherinis local celebrity as a diplomat who has forged ties with Rouhanis government and helped open Iran up to the world.

But photos of the incident soon hit the local press, and then came the condemnations and the ridicule.

Dear MPs, thank you for disgracing 80 million people, one Twitter user wrote, referring to the Iranian population.

Most of the criticism centered on the lack of decorum behavior that is normally frowned upon in Irans conservative society.But the countrys hardliners also saw something more nefarious: Iranians humiliating themselves in front of the West, which for them remains an archenemy.

Those who are supposed to defend the rights of the nation against the enemy queue up to snap photos in a humiliating way with the violators, the conservative Kayhan newspaper wrote in an editorial Monday, AFP reported.

The semi-official Fars News Agency also tweeted that the photo-snappingincident was strange. Lawmaker Alireza Salimi called the episode self-surrender to the West, the BBC reported, and others called for an inquiry into the parliamentarians behavior.

But while officials fretted over the incident, Iranians on social media saw the humor in it all.

One Twitter user posted a photo comparing the parliamentarians' rush to snap picturesof Mogherini with a scene from the movie "Malena," in whichmobs of men clamor to light actress Monica Beluccis cigarette.

Close enough, the user said of the similarities.

Another meme juxtaposed the lawmakers around Mogherini with an image of the seven dwarves from the Walt Disney animation "Snow White, crowding around Snow'sbed.

Others showed lawmakers photo-shopped onto motorcycles, doing stunts to impress the diplomat. One showed an image of a lawmaker pleading for a selfie for his Telegram profile photo. Telegram, an encrypted messaging app, is extremely popular in Iran, including among government officials.

MP Ahmad Mazani tried to explain his colleagues'enthusiasm for Mogherini, who was also there for bilateral talks with Irans foreign minister.The attendees, the reformist cleric said on Twitter, had been banned from interacting with special guests during the ceremony.

Shame and embarrassment, another user replied.

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In Iran, selfies with EU diplomat land lawmakers in hot water - Washington Post

The Democrats are consumed by in-fighting, though this is masked by endless expressions of anxiety over their opponents policies. To the extent that Democrats have identified a way to recover from an election that saw so many of their core voters defect or decline to cast a ballot, it has been to again appeal to the labor voter who couldnt care less about the American lefts addiction to identity politics. But the liberal activist class is ready to bolt if Democrats become a party that welcomesyuck!social conservatives again. Bernie Sanders and his semi-socialist wing is trying to excise centrism from the party by making support for government-run health insurance programs a litmus test, much to the consternation of Democrats tasked with winning back control of Congress.

Among the few things Democrats seem to agree upon is that their core message must be an anti-Trump message. Its the execution thats been the problem. Democrats are pretty sure that they will benefit from frustration with an unpopular executive and his partys failure to govern effectively. Beyond the broadest strokes, however, there is confusion among Democrats as to how they should go about making themselves an anti-Trump vehicle. The opposition party is occasionally guilty of leaving observers with the impression that they resent even having to make an effort.

Take, for example, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuels attempt to crystallize Democratic antipathy toward the Trump administrations illegal immigration policies into some sort of coherent and actionable prescription. The city is suing the Justice Department in the effort to prevent law-enforcement officials from withholding federal grant money as a result of its status as a sanctuary city.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions attempt to compel sanctuary citiesmunicipalities in which illegal immigrants have some reassurance about their status as residents so that they can maintain a cooperative relationship with local law enforcementhas encountered resistance in the courts. But the Trump administration is its own worst enemy on this matter, as well as most others. Democrats barely register as a nuisance, and they only have themselves to blame for that condition.

Democrats have yet to find a smart way to concisely explain why cities that dont fully cooperate with federal law enforcement should still expect to get federal grant money, wrote Axios reporter Jonathan Swan. Emanuel is trying to lead the way here.

Is there a good messenger for this message? Its certainly not Rahm Emanuel, who is under fire for overseeing a police force mired in accusations of corruption and anti-minority bias. Maybe its not the messenger; maybe its the message. Perhaps Democrats have failed to craft a compelling case against the GOPs antipathy toward sanctuary cities because they resent having to make an argument at all.

It is a welcome mat to racism, said Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal when an anti-sanctuary cities measure went before the House earlier this year. Amid debate in the House, Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch insisted that the GOPs proposed immigration plans were inhumane and un-American and merited no debate.

Surely these Democrats speak for many of their grassroots compatriots. If your opponents position is racist, it is also unthinking and, therefore, illegitimate. Why should anyone devote their time to crafting a compelling argument designed to counter a claim that is rooted in abject bigotry?

The idea that there is only one legitimate opinion on an issue is liberating. For those who convince themselves that theirs is the only righteous point of view, engaging their opponents would mean giving unacceptable opinions a platform they dont deserve.

There are not two sides of the issue of same-sex marriage rights, said BuzzFeed editor Ben Smith when defending his publications attack on two popular HGTV hosts on the mere suspicion they may harbor unspeakable opinions.

[T]here are some stories which do not have two sides, wrote former CNN producer Hardy Spire. The climate change debate is one of them.This claim, written in 2014, was made to reinforce the notion that Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn had no business debating with scientist Bill Nye. Nye now hosts a ludicrous Netflix program promoting multifarious notions of social justice while Blackburn chairs the U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

The condescension that is now in vogue on the left that Trump voters must be convinced not to cast ballots against their interest (presuming their interests are best served by an ever-expanding welfare state and a crippling tax burden on their prospective employers) frees liberals from having to engage Trump supporters honestly. They have convinced themselves that anyone who doesnt share their point of view is the electoral equivalent of a pack mule.

For the left, this comforting contrivance has become a security blanket. Liberals have grown more convinced of the singular legitimacy of their beliefs even as they watch their works crumbling around them at an accelerating pace. Assuming bad faith in your political opponents is, though, a relatively painless way to go through life. Maybe thats all that really matters.

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The Olympics Should Investigate Iran - Commentary Magazine

Three weeks ago, on July 17, I postedin The Corner concerning a startling statement by National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster during a phone conference on the Trump administrations decision to certify to Congress, for the second time this year, that Iran is complying with the 2015 nuclear deal(the JCPOA) and that this agreement is in the interests of the United States. Click here and here to read why this certification decision was a serious mistake.

McMaster conceded the JCPOA is a bad agreement that has not improved Iranian behavior but argued that the Trump administration planned to certify Irans compliance because it had not violated the accord. I wrote last month that McMaster said in response to a question during the July 17 phone conference that Iran was in default of the spirit of the agreement and we need to take a closer look at whether it is violating the letter of the deal. McMaster also said Iran has been walking up to violating the letter of the JCPOA.

This statement was baffling not only because many experts and four leading Republican senators believe there is clear evidence that Iran has violated the deal, but also because of the absurdity of claiming six months into the Trump administration that the presidents team has not yet determined whether Iran violated the agreement.

During an August 5 MSNBC interview with Hugh Hewitt, McMaster adjusted his arguments on Iranian compliance with the JCPOA when he told Hewitt that Iran has violated the spirit of the JCPOA and, when it occasionally violated the letter of the agreement, the U.S. went to the IAEA to get it to take remedial measures.

This contradicts what McMaster said during the July 17 phone conference. This argument also is false since it ignores Irans refusal to allow the IAEA to inspect military sites and German intelligence reports of Iranian cheating. Moreover, as I explained in a September 2, 2016,NRO article, the IAEA has been faulted for being less than a straight shooter when it comes to monitoring Irans compliance with the JCPOA.

McMaster probably adjusted his arguments because he is trying to find a way to keep the United States in the JCPOA despite strong evidence of Iranian cheating and a growing belief by Americans that this agreement is not in their countrys national security interests. I also believe the general thinks the president is unlikely to agree to a third certification of the JCPOA to Congress in October and is looking for ways to prevent this by papering over Irans violations and the dangers of this pact.

It is my sincere hope that President Trump will dismiss the many misleading arguments being made in defense of the JCPOA by its supporters and repudiate this disastrous agreement as soon as possible.

Link:
HR McMaster Adjusts His Arguments to Keep the US in Iran Nuclear Deal - National Review