headquartered in lebanon despite the fact that some would think lebanon is a dangerous place.k we're seeing today more dangerous places in the area, aren't we? >> reporter: for those interested in the middle east and willing to take on the risk, lebanon may not be such a bad business bet after all. arwa damon for "marketplace middle east" in beirut. >>> up next, the impact of the syrian crisis on its neighbor, lebanon, and its banking center. a interview with central bank governor, riad salami when we come back. [ female announcer ] in the grip of arthritis, back, or back joint pain? aspercreme breaks the grip, with maximum-strength medicine and no embarrassing odor. break the grip of pain with aspercreme. >>> riad s salameh took over th central bank in 1993, he's the country's longest serving governor. as the region continues to final the impact of the arab spring, i asked him about the spillover effect of serious unrest on his economy. >> well, as you know, the tourist activity was penalized because those coming by road did not come this year to lebanon. trade between the tw

she comes from the ukraine, he is from lebanon. they met in egypt a year ago and fell madly in love. >> and see how she swims. and then she touched me. >> his eyes. his eyes. >> they chose cyprus to get wed because there are no civil marriages in lebanon, but i have to marry and a civil ceremony for her marriage to be recognized in the ukraine. >> we need it the civil marriage for the ukraine and married in the church for but not. >> this c coupl has just arrived from tel aviv, just half an hour pause flight away. the mother of the bride is not jewish, which under orthodox jewish law means that the daughter is not jewish either and cannot marry at home. as in lebanon, israel does not allow civil marriages, although it does recognize them. >> they should change the law. i need to get married here. that is not fair. >> every year, hundreds of israelis make the trip to cyprus to get hitched, either because one partner is not jewish or not religious. the parents of this bride are atheists. >> she is lucky she is in a family that they d

we can see today that iran's entry into lebanon was a game changer and continue to destabilize lebanon, attack israel indirectly while raising and influence throughout the arab world. iran has the capability today uses it to cause havoc on several fronts. on its own schedule, convenient distractions and while it's nuclear centrifuges and. the iranian mullahs breaching a radical war of aggressive campaign, support al qaeda, hamas, hezbollah, palestinian islamic jihad, three of whom are sunni. they support the taliban as mentioned previously by the general and afghanistan against nato forces. and used the quds force in iraq to finance and equip those sunni and shia militias. some key leaders who are implementing the iranian policies hearken back and are worthy of a closer scrutiny and hearken back to the beirut days. the stop, mohammed, veteran commander of the irgc, the 150,000 irgc was made minister of defense. in 2005. in 1983, he was commander of the irgc lebanon contention and was directly responsible for the beirut truck bombing. today he is the minister of the carrier and iran. th

syrian troops have reported the crossed into lebanon and attacked local farmers killing a syrian man about five thousand refugees fled to lebanon in recent months to escape the fears antigovernment crackdowns president refuses to step down blaming the unrest on terrorists and armed gangs at least twenty nine hundred people have died in syria since the uprising started in. time for the russia close up team to take you deeper into the cultural world of the world's largest country. we continue to travel through pens i would just six hundred kilometers southeast of moscow the capital is also called penza and was of was founded as a small. fortress in the seventeenth century on the banks river. there's also a high tech hub within it's rich heritage and it's also home to a unique heart valve factory that saving people's lives around the world every day . has been to see it in action this report includes footage of life saving surgery . both inside and outside of russia. ordinary russians and also the state of the russian medical profession are often seen as something of a mixture between a

lebanon is for all practical purposes is controlled by iran for its proxy isabella and at the same time the muslim brother was in egypt in the some other companies are trying to create again a different but the additional islamic movements. that can be moderate on one hand but can be much more extreme but when never is there is concern even moderate muslims are against islam so you cannot feel and the islamic leader no matter our more duties that can say simply that well as the right to exist as a jewish state to additionally only live just lee you cannot accept it so slim ization of the middle east is bad for is a little and since we are looking at the we have good reasons to be concerned and you are really afraid of that i mean this is a threat to your country and military threat if at threat to to to to the existence of your country what are you just a concern or you afraid this is this is a difference you know we are not afraid we must enough in our father problems in our puzzle we are not afraid but we are concerned but i will give you an example we do have a peace agreement with e

at least 5000 syrians have crossed into lebanon during the unrest. very few foreign journalists have been able to get into syria. >> it is a suburb of damascus. an activist gave us this footage, crosses between troops and protesters. they said this has been going on for months. we cannot do anything here. >> i am terribly sorry. >> this is why we ask the government for permission to visit. this is our second visit. the first visit, our government escorts stop us from filming. syrian officials told us a bomb had been found in the center. they wanted us to see the worst of what they called armed gangs. >> around 1:15 yesterday, three officers were trying to dismantle a bomb planted here. unfortunately, it was detonated by a remote. his companion -- >> why would kill passersby if they did not destroy the tree? as the crowd grows, there were more men listening in. at times like this, if you do not have anything to say it nicely about the government, you do not say anything at all. he wants to be heard and seen. he tells us his son was picked up by securi

they try and save lives by taking be injured across the border to lebanon.t is where i found this man. >> we were protesting and the security forces opened fire. they manage to sneak me to the hospital where they gave me life-saving treatment. then, the security forces broke into the hospital saying that they wanted to kill the wounded. i was smuggled out of the back door and they brought me here. >> sympathetic lebanese have flown to rooms and houses to increasing numbers of wounded and affected soldiers now in hiding. tens of thousands of soldiers are believed to have left the syrian army. those who can have grouped together to form what they called a free syrian army. this man was asked to shoot on unarmed demonstrators. >> this is not the real army. this army consists of a lot of groups created from a lot of syrian places and cities trying to protect the protesters from being killed on the streets. without the free syrian army, they would be killed like sheep in the streets. >> weapons have never been hard to find in lebanon but this dealer shows me how

she's with us tonight from lebanon, new hampshire. jamie, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. this is a big endorsement for mitt romney. it sends the message that he's the choice of a popular republican governor that many in the party wanted so run. and romney left open the possibility that if nominated, he would consider chris christie for vice president. why are you endorsing him? >> he's the best person for the job. it's simply on the merits, and the fact is, that we need to make sure that barack obama's a one-term president for america's future. and i've looked at all the republican candidates, i've met with many of them. and there's no question in my mind that governor romney is the person who gives us the best chance of winning back the white house in 2012. and i want to do everything i can to help him. >> did he promise you anything? >> absolutely nothing. >> vice president christie? >> no. >> no? >> no, he didn't promise me anything. >> would he be on your short list? >> of course, he would be on anyone's short lis

five thousand refugees fled to lebanon in recent months to escape the fierce anti-government crackdowns president assad refuses to step down blaming the unarrest on terrorists and armed gangs of these twenty nine hundred people have died in syria since the uprising started in march. time now for russia closeup to take you deeper into the culture of the world's biggest country. continuing our travels in the pen's a region six hundred kilometers southeast of moscow the capital also called penza was founded as a small fortress in the seventeenth century on the banks of the sorra river but there's also a high tech hub within its rich heritage and it's also home to a unique heart valve factory saving people's lives around the world every day or two eager overrode never saw it in action is reporting huge footage of the surgery . both inside and outside of russia the health of old new russians and also the state of the russian medical profession often seen as something of a mixture between a joke and a horror story but the raw facts that challenge that's there it's a payoff just outside of pla

base major one of our it was captured twenty five years ago after his a craft was shot down over lebanon these are the last pictures of him alive taken in a prison in iran that i have it disappeared fourteen years ago he was last seen at his army base one kilometer from the syrian border. it's infuriating it's an acceptable that after fourteen years the government still has nothing to tell us our demand is that the government bring us any information alive dead here and lebanon and syria just bring it up but they've brought us nothing. to solution her son is still alive and while she's pleased to be allowed is coming home she's just illusion to government that made it possible for him but not for her son. it's about media attention p.r. how do arts nearly succeeded in marketing their son we saw it as a family this wasn't relevant we thought it was enough that. i was an i.d.f. soldier in uniform but we were wrong very very wrong. this is a country that depends on its army for its survival is an unwritten code that every soldier who goes to war must be ported back home that's where the hea

army base major want to ride was captured twenty five years ago after as a craft was shot down over lebanon these are the last pictures of him alive taken in a prison in iran guy have a disappeared fourteen years ago he was last seen at his army base one kilometer from the syrian border. it's infuriating it's an acceptable that after fourteen years the government still has nothing to tell us our demand is that the government bring us any informations alive or dead here in lebanon and syria just bring it up the sense that they've brought us nothing new. and her son is still alive and while she's pleased to get out is coming home she's disillusioned in a government that made it possible for him but not for her son. given that. it's about media attention b.r. how do lots nearly succeeded in marketing their son we saw it as a family this was a growl as we thought it was enough the guy was an i.d.f. soldier in uniform but we were wrong very very wrong. picks a guy with a bomb to freedom foundation is trying to get had white it offers ten million dollars for information leading to missing soldier

nothing to tell us our demand is that the government bring us any information alive dead here in lebanon and syria just bring it but they've brought us nothing. close to certain her son is still alive and while she's pleased gilad is coming home she's disillusioned in her government that made it possible for him but not for her son. it's about media attention b.r. how do lots nearly succeeded in marketing their son we saw it as a family this wasn't relevant we thought it was enough the guy was an i.d.f. soldier in uniform but we were wrong very very wrong. because this is a country that depends on its army for its survival is an unwritten code that every soldier who goes to war must be brought back home that's what the heart of the free gilad shalit campaign for nearly two years were in the family and still to come out here in front of the prime minister's office every morning when netanyahu left his home he was reminded about the soldier who could not return to his beloved but usually be i'm not embarrassed to say that the government and the country are not doing enough for my son and t

has nothing to tell us our demand is that the government bring us any information i said here in lebanon and syria just bring it up just like they've brought us nothing. also. certain her son is still alive and while she's pleased to get out is coming home she's disillusioned in a government that made it possible for him but not for her son. it's about media attention p.r. how do lots nearly succeeded in marketing their son we saw it as a family this was a girl was that we thought it was enough the guy was an i.d.f. soldier in uniform but we were wrong very very wrong america. and the born to freedom foundation is trying to get it right it offers ten million dollars for information leading to missing soldiers the former leader is unique in the sense that his whereabouts were known from the start it was clear he was alive a tribute. case is as if the soldiers are still alive but there are many question marks as to their feet we just don't know. the majority of israelis support a salute to more than a thousand prisoners for one soldier this is a country that depends on its army for its sur

syrian troops have reportedly crossed into lebanon and attacked local farmers killing a syrian man about five thousand refugees fled to lebanon in recent months to escape the anti-government crackdown by security forces president assad refuses to step down and blaming the unrest on terrorists in armed gangs at least twenty nine hundred people have died in syria since the uprising started in march. there have been fierce clashes between police and students in the chilean capital a day after education reform talks collapse at least thirty were injured including police who used tear gas and water cannons to break up demonstrators of several thousand strong a student leaders said the violence was unprecedented in the five months of confrontations since demands for education reform start. time now for russia to close up to take you deeper into the culture of the world's biggest country. continuing our travels in penza region which is six hundred kilometers southeast of moscow the capital also growing by the name penza was founded as a small force for us in the seventeenth century on the banks

five thousand refugees fled to lebanon in the recent months of scaping anti-government crackdowns by security forces president assad refuses to step down blaming the unrest on terrorists and armed gangs at least twenty nine hundred have died in syria since the uprisings started in march. there have been fierce clashes between police and students in the chalet in capital a day after education reform talks collapsed at least thirty people were injured including police as they used tear gas and water cannons to break up the demonstration of several thousand activists the student leader a student leader said the violence was unprecedented in the five months of confrontations since demands for education reforms and mood. time now for russia close up to take you deeper into the culture of the world's biggest country. going through penza six hundred kilometers southeast of moscow the capital of the region also called pan's it was founded as a small fortress in the seventeenth century on the banks of the sorra river but there's also a high tech hub within its rich heritage and it's home to a

bahrain, for example, lebanon, for example, u.s. targets in iraq and afghanistan.i think a lot of people are going to be of the view that if indeed iran was involved in this, they'd have much more to lose than gain and i think that's why some would question if indeed these allegations are true. >> would it be part, reza, of iran's mode us operandi to try o use mexican drug cartels in this alleged plot? >> they have been accused of using other groups before. first and foremost, hezbollah. that's why repeatedly the u.s. has called them the state sponsor of terrorism. but what's important to remember is this type of accusation is unprecedented. washington accusing iran of plotting an assassination of a diplomat on u.s. soil. and i think if you take a step back and watch what's happening in washington right now, there's a lot of lawmakers who are hawkish about iran who are already talking about retaliation and further sanctions, and this perhaps more than anything could be an indication of washington going on a more aggressive path when it comes to iran as opposed to t

i'm sure that that's very definitely part of the reason that syria effectively controls lebanon which is of course israel's immediate neighbor syria is also a strong ally of iran and we all know that iran has been in the americans and unusually is crosshairs for a long time so yes there is an arc if you like lebanon syria iran of the geo political opposition to israel and to america's role in the middle east and there's no doubt you should never forget that the whole arab spring the whole rhetoric of an eruption of democracy and liberalism in the arab world proclaimed by obama in his speech in cairo shortly after he became president in other words long before these uprisings actually started this rhetoric recalls the rhetoric of liberation in eastern europe in other words it has a very important in one hundred eighty nine in other words it has a very important geopolitical role because after all let's not be naive the regimes which the americans and the other western powers want to see come to power as a result of the uprisings obviously friendly ones they want the middle east to be r