Center for a New American Security

Go to any city in the world and some of the best food will be at the local Lebanese restaurant. But go to Lebanon, and some of the best food can be found in the Armenian neighborhood of Bourj Hamoud. And as Bobby Worth reports, Bourj Hamoud is also a fierce battleground in this upcoming election.

Last month, the main Armenian political bloc decided to support Hezbollah’s alliance in the coming parliamentary elections in Lebanon against the pro-American parliamentary majority. Because of their role as a crucial swing vote, the Armenians could end up deciding who wins and who loses in what is often described as a proxy battle between Iran, Hezbollah’s patron, and the West.

P.S. And Mitch reports on Der Spiegelgate.

Determining the credibility of the story remains nearly impossible without more information as it cites internal documents used by the STL investigators. The documents described by the magazine explain that a special police unit led by Capt Wissam Eid uncovered a trail of phone numbers that first led to the eight men thought to be responsible for the assassination. That eventually led to another network of mobile phones alleged to have been used by Hizbollah’s special forces military wing.

Capt Eid was killed in a car bombing on Jan 25 2008 in a Beirut suburb. According to the report, investigators also suspect Hizbollah’s involvement in his killing.

A Hizbollah military wing official responded to the report by arguing that this accusation had been expected by the group and said the leak is timed to affect the outcome of the June 7 election, which many observers think Hizbollah and its allies stand a good chance of winning.