WORLD
August 11, 2010 | By Paul Richter and Alexandra Sandels, Los Angeles Times
Iran, reacting to the cutoff of U.S. aid to the Lebanese military, told Lebanese officials Tuesday that it would make up the potential $100-million loss. The promise came one day after disclosures that Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Valley Village), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the Appropriations subcommittee on foreign operations, decided to freeze the money because of concerns that the U.S. aid might be buying arms that could be turned against Israel.
WORLD
March 18, 2012 | By Los Angeles Times Staff
At a small table in a hotel restaurant where elderly men drank coffee and played speed chess, Abu Ismail's phone rang. He picked it up and squinted at the caller ID. "Allo," he said. "A 16? How many? $2,000? If it's clean, bring it, yes. " With that, Abu Ismail bought one M-16 assault rifle for the Syrian rebellion. For months, arms merchants such as Abu Ismail have been buying black-market weapons in Lebanon for the insurgency against Syrian President Bashar Assad.
NEWS
December 15, 1986 | CHARLES P. WALLACE, Times Staff Writer
Asked how things are going in Syria, a Damascus businessman scooped up a government newspaper, which had given front-page coverage to an article about students from the Third World signing a petition in support of President Hafez Assad. "When they get down to twisting the arms of kids from Sri Lanka," the businessman said, "you know things are pretty rough." A Western diplomat was even more emphatic.