Lebanon (Syria-Report‪)‬

Will Syria's Regaining of Influence in Lebanon Be within Limits? The U.S. has named a new ambassador in Damascus, Robert Ford, to fill the post that was left vacant for five years, reflecting Washington's tense relations with Syria during that period. The announcement made on the eve of the commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri on February 14, 2005, might have been an unintentional coincidence, but it was nonetheless "badly timed" from the perspective of the majority March 14 group, Beirut's daily AN NAHAR columnist Rosanna Boumounsif commented (Feb. 12).