Lebanon, Syria: Cutting Strands in a Militant Web

Syria has decided to cut ties with Fatah al-Islam, a murky Islamist militant group operating in Lebanon, in hopes of strengthening ties with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman. The Syrians also are trying to turn up the heat on Saudi-backed Islamist militants in Lebanon. At the same time, Damascus appears to be signaling to the incoming U.S. administration that it is prepared to dismantle militant groups in Lebanon — to include Hezbollah — in exchange for normalizing relations.