Lebanese nationalism

Gulf monarchies on March 2 declared Lebanon's Hezbollah a "terrorist" group, in the latest regional move against the Shiite organisation fighting in support of Syria's regime.

Israel on Feb. 28 welcomed the fragile ceasefire in neighboring Syria but warned it would not accept Iranian "aggression" or the supply of advanced weapons to Hezbollah.

The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah group said on Dec. 27 that Israel miscalculated by killing prominent militant Samir Qantar in Syria last week, saying that retaliation for his death was inevitable, whatever the consequences.

The Islamic State (IS) militant group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Burj al-Barajneh, a mainly Shia southern suburb and Hezbollah stronghold where Hezbollah forces are fighting IS in neighbouring Syria. The attack left 41 dead, in the deadliest bombing in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, cince the end of Lebanon’s civil war in 1990.

Lebanon observed a national day of mourning on Nov. 13 after two suicide bombs the day before killed 43 people in southern Beirut, in an act the United Nations condemned overnight as "despicable."

The sixth annual conference for diplomatic dialogue between Israel and Turkey, held by the Global Political Trends Center (GPoT Center) and the Israeli Institute for Regional Policies (MITVIM), took place last week in Israel.

Hundreds of Iranian forces arrived in Syria ten days ago with weapons to take part in ground operations, Reuters reported, quoting "a Lebanese source."

The agency said that the Iranian troops and Hezbollah will join a ground offensive against Islamic State, that will be supported from the air by Russian planes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed on a plan to avoid "misunderstandings" in Syria amid an apparent military build-up by Moscow to support President Bashar al-Assad.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on August 12, and called on regional countries to "fight terrorism and extremism".

Iran has assets of $29 billion in overseas banks that could be unlocked under a nuclear deal -- far less than reported estimates of over $100 billion, the country's central bank chief said.