LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِAugust 15/2011

Bible Quotation for today.
Matthew 12/12-22: " Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day.” 13 Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out; and it was restored whole, just like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out, and conspired against him, how they might destroy him. 15 Jesus, perceiving that, withdrew from there. Great multitudes followed him; and he healed them all, 16 and commanded them that they should not make him known: 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, 18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit on him. He will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not strive, nor shout; neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets. 20 He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a smoking flax, until he leads justice to victory. 21 In his name, the nations will hope.”‡ Isaiah 42:1-4 22 Then one possessed by a demon, blind and mute, was brought to him and he healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
The Shabiha strategy/By Diana Mukkaled/August 14/11
Syria: Perceptions of the fall of the regime/By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/August 14/11
Cheap Blackmail/By Mshari Al-Zaydi/August 14/11
Iran looking beyond Al-Assad/By Tariq Alhomayed/ August 14/11
Canada imposes more sanctions on the Syrian Regime/ August 14/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 14/11
NATO to give rebels anti-tank weapons. Syrian fight Palestinians in Latakia
At Least 23 Dead as Syrian Ships, Tanks Blast Latakia
3 People Injured in Gunfight Near Franjieh’s Mansion, MP Plays Down Incident
LF on Ehden Incident: Civil Peace is a Red Line
Miqati Surprised by Aoun’s Campaign, is Keen on Solving Power Crisis
Report: Hizbullah Mediating with FPM to Prevent Division of Majority over Power Crisis
Raad: We'll Keep Our Guns Pointed at Israeli Enemy
Suicide and Gun Attack on Afghan Governor's House, 19 Killed
Iran Plans Nuclear Link-Up in Late August
Ahmadinejad Says Nuclear Weapons a Waste of Money
Rai leads prayers in nephew’s funeral
Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Aug. 14, 2011/The Daily Star
Three wounded in exchange of fire in north Lebanon
Egypt deploys thousands of troops and tanks in Sinai, in coordination with Israel
Egypt to charge Israeli 'Mossad agent' with espionage
U.S. resumes operations of its aid organizations in Gaza

Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Aug. 14, 2011 The Daily Star
Al-Mustaqbal: Advice to energy minister to use his energies
While Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said his earlier statement on the Antelias explosion were only preliminary and that relevant authorities would determine the truth of the incident, Lebanese were taken up by new news of a Roumieh prison escape by five members of Fath al-Islam of Lebanese and other Arab nationalities, as well as the discovery of four grenades that were not “rigged to explode” at the side of Nahr Beirut River- Jisr al-Wati.
Charbel clarified that the Internal Security Forces station at the prison and the Lebanese state shared responsibility for the prison escape, the latter for not having remedied the situation in prisons.
There are some reports that the Palestinian Fath group in the Bedawi refugee camp in the north have handed over one the escaped prisoners to Lebanese authorities.
The security news yesterday did not prevent MP Gen. Michel Aoun’s group from continuing to scream and threaten to make up for their failure [over the electricity draft law]. Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas said “the Change and Reform bloc will not be a false witness over the government’s failure to provide for the people … and the name of Gen. Aoun who put forward a plan for the electricity production represents anxiety for the gangs in the country.”
However, Minister Ahmad Karami, Nahas’ colleague in government, clarified on comments of a possibility that Aoun’s ministers might resign from the Cabinet said: “If what is meant is that if we don’t carry out what [Aoun] wants then this is unacceptable and we do not accept that anyone behaves with us this way or that things get resolved in this manner.”
For his part, MP Kabbani, who heads the works and energy parliamentary committee, advised Energy Minister Jibran Bassil to put his energies into “transparent work within the law … However, no, and a thousand no’s to continuing to work individually and beyond legal norms.”
Ad-Diyar: 5 members of Fath al-Islam escape Roumieh prison
The big question is: who safeguards security in the country and how can it be maintained given the following incidents:
1- The kidnapping and release of the seven Estonians in an suspect manner and the state not taking its responsibilities
2- The explosion in Antelias, Interior Minister (Marwan Charbel) said it was a result of a personal dispute and then went back on his statement.
3- The escape from Roumieh prison of five inmates who are considered to be the most dangerous of escapees.
How can security be maintained in this light? Why isn’t a security plan between the Internal Security Forces and the Lebanese Army and others security apparatuses put in place to restore security?
The escape from Roumieh prison indicates that there is a negligence at the prison facility that cannot be tolerated. The escape of five of the most dangerous of those held from Fath al-Islam is a serious breach to security and is very dangerous.
With regards to the explosion in Antelias, Interior Minister Charbel Nahhas first adopted the Cabinet version that it was a personal dispute and that it was a hand grenade, then the probe, through the work of Judge Saqr Saqr, revealed that it was in fact an explosive device contained within it metal balls and nails ready to explode in the area and the investigation is still headed in this direction.
Ad-Diyar had learned that the relationship between head of the National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt and Prime Minister Najib Mikati has been strained after Mikati’s proposal of proportional representation without consultations with Jumblatt in to the electoral law that has been proposed for the future.
Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat: Aoun threatens to collapse cabinet after row over electricity
The issue of electricity production has been exacerbated by the intense rivalry between the Change and Reform bloc headed by MP Michel Aoun and the March 14 forces on the one hand, and between Aoun and his allies in the government headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the head of National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt. Ministers and deputies of the Change and Reform bloc have threatened to collapse the Cabinet in the event that an electricity draft law that Aoun put forward in Parliament in its present state is not approved.
Sources close to Mikati have responded to Aoun’s team, questioning “the intensifying campaign on this matter,” and told Ash-Sharq al-Awsat that the Mikati “during the Parliament session and after it reiterated his backing for the proposed plan on condition that controls be places in order to reach the desired outcome.”
The sources said: “escalation in this manner and holding Mikati responsibility is out of place, especially given that the issue of electrity is of great concern to him and he had held several behind the scenes meetings in order to find appropriate solutions regarding this project.” The sources revealed that “a proposal will be put before Parliament that takes into account some of the issues brought up in the house in order to ensure the bill’s success.”

NATO to give rebels anti-tank weapons. Syrian fight Palestinians in Latakia
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
August 14, 2011,
For the first time in the five-month anti-Assad uprising, Syrian forces clashed with dissident Palestinians Sunday, Aug. 14, in the al-Raml a-Filistini district of Syria's biggest port Latakia. As they moved toward the town center, the two Syrian tank divisions and armored infantry were challenged by Palestinians firing heavy machine guns, anti-tank RPGs and roadside bombs. Nineteen of the 24 dead Sunday were Palestinians.
debkafile's military sources affirm that contrary to earlier reports, the Syrian missile ships cruising offshore took no part in the attack on Latakia. Their function is to blockade the port against arms smuggling. Nevertheless the weapons used by Palestinians fighting in Latakia Sunday came from Lebanon aboard smugglers' boats. There are almost daily incidents of Syrian ships firing on suspect vessels.
NATO headquarters in Brussels and the Turkish high command are meanwhile drawing up plans for their first military step in Syria, which is to arm the rebels with weapons for combating the tanks and helicopters spearheading the Assad regime's crackdown on dissent. Instead of repeating the Libyan model of air strikes, NATO strategists are thinking more in terms of pouring large quantities of anti-tank and anti-air rockets, mortars and heavy machine guns into the protest centers for beating back the government armored forces.
Since the Syrian air force would certainly shoot down air transports making the drops, the tendency is to get the weapons to their destination overland, namely through Turkey and under Turkish army protection by either of two routes: The Turkish plan drafted some months ago for establishing buffer zones inside the Syrian border, is one. The refugees from the battle zone would be given sanctuary there instead of crossing into Turkey and the protected enclaves would also serve as weapons distribution depots.
Alternatively, the arms would be trucked into Syria under Turkish military guard and transferred to rebel leaders at pre-arranged rendezvous.
NATO and Turkish military sources have declined to indicate when, how and by what means, the Syrian rebels, civilians with no experience in firearms, will receive the weapons.
debkafile's military sources disclose that for the past two weeks, at least, Syrian protest leaders and army deserters have been training in the use of the new weapons with Turkish military officers at makeshift installations in Turkish bases near the Syrian border.
Also discussed in Brussels and Ankara, our sources report, is a campaign to enlist thousands of Muslim volunteers in Middle East countries and the Muslim world to fight alongside the Syrian rebels. The Turkish army would house these volunteers, train them and secure their passage into Syria.
These NATO plans were the underlying script for US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's call on unnamed nations Friday, August 12 to stop sending arms to Syria.
Our sources report she was referring to Russia which has stepped up its shipments of ammunition and tank spares in the last two weeks.
All the tanks the Syrian army is using to crush protest are made in Russia. Military sources in Washington Brussels would like to put a mechanism in place for counter-balancing the Syrian army's hardware deliveries from Russia or Iran by Western supplies to the opponents of the Assad regime, turning the asymmetric contest into an arms race.

Three wounded in exchange of fire in north Lebanon
August 14, 2011 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Three men were wounded Sunday after and exchange of gunfire that took place near the estate of former President Sulemian Franjieh in Ehden, Zghorta, north Lebanon.
Security sources said men guarding the estate traded fire with a car that was in the area at around 5 a.m. Sunday. Two guards – Butros Mikhail Iskandar and Bacchus Ibrahim – and Naim al-Dwayhi who was in the vehicle were wounded in the incident. Investigations into the incident are under way. Commenting on the incident, MP Sleiman Franjieh; the late president’s grandson, said the exchange of fire in Ehden should not be blown out of proportions. “Marada Movement head MP Sleiman Franjieh hopes that the exchange of fire near his home in Ehden will not be blown out of proportions,” a Marado Movement statement said. Franjieh also said the incident should be dealt with by the relevant judicial and security authorities, “especially given that the identity of the gunman is known.” “Franjieh said incidents such as this will not have an impact on the tourism season in Ehden,” the statement added.

Statement by Minister Baird on Situation in Syria
(No. 228 - August 13, 2011 - 2:20 p.m. ET) John Baird, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, today issued the following statement on the situation in Syria:
“Canada reiterates its strong condemnation of the ongoing violent military assault by the Assad regime against the Syrian people.
“The Assad regime has lost all legitimacy by killing Syrian men, women and children to stay in power. This campaign of terror must stop.
“As part of our commitment to work with like-minded international partners to isolate the Assad regime, Canada is taking measures to extend its existing sanctions against the regime and its backers. We have frozen the assets of additional individuals and entities and moved to prevent those supporting the abhorrent behaviour of the Assad regime from travelling to Canada.
“As with the sanctions announced on May 24, 2011, the measures announced today directly target members of the current Syrian regime and those who provide it with support. They are not intended to cause harm to the Syrian people.
“Canada supports the efforts of the Syrian people to secure freedom and democracy and looks forward to a new Syria that respects the rights of all of the people and lives in peace with its neighbours.”
- 30 -
A backgrounder follows.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
Follow us on Twitter: @DFAIT_MAECI
Backgrounder - Syria Sanctions
Effective immediately, Canada is expanding sanctions by seeking to freeze the assets of four additional individuals and two additional entities associated with the Syrian government, and to ensure that those people believed to be inadmissible to Canada are prevented from travelling to Canada.
The names of the additional individuals and entities targeted by Canadian sanctions are as follows:
Individuals
1.Mohammad Mufleh
2.Major General Tawfiq Younes
3.Mohammed Makhlouf
4.Ayman Jabir
Entities
1.Commercial Bank of Syria
2.Syriatel
Context
On May 24, 2011, Canada announced targeted sanctions against the Syrian regime and some designated individuals and entities in response to the ongoing violent crackdown by Syrian military and security forces against Syrians peacefully protesting for democracy and human rights. These measures, which are a blend of administrative measures and actions taken under the authority of the Special Economic Measures Act, are consistent with initiatives taken by like-minded states, including the United States and the European Union.
Canadian measures
1.A travel ban: Canada will ensure that persons associated with the Syrian government who are believed to be inadmissible to Canada are prevented from travelling to Canada.
2.An asset freeze: Canada will impose an asset freeze against people associated with the current Syrian regime and entities involved in security and military operations against the Syrian people. 3.A ban on specific exports and imports: Canada will place a ban under the Export and Import Permits Act on the export from Canada to Syria of goods and technology that are subject to export controls. These items include arms, munitions, and military, nuclear and strategic items that are intended for use by the Syrian armed forces, police or other governmental agencies; 4.Suspension of all bilateral cooperation agreements and initiatives with Syria: The measures announced are consistent with Canada’s foreign policy priority to promote freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law around the world. Canada stands with the Syrian people in their calls for reform and a brighter, better future for Syria.
A news release announcing the May 24 sanctions can be found at PM announces sanctions on Syria.

At Least 23 Dead as Syrian Ships, Tanks Blast Latakia
Naharnet
At least 23 people were killed as the Syrian military opened fire on the Mediterranean port city of Latakia on Sunday, with warships and tanks joining the assault, activists said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 23 people were killed and dozens of others wounded, several of them critically. The group said Palestinians also figured among the casualties of the assault on Ramleh, which is home to Palestinian refugees in a camp.
"Warships are attacking Latakia and explosions have been heard in several districts," the Britain-based group said earlier, adding that the main target was the Ramleh district.
On Saturday, the military killed at least two people and wounded 15 others in the Ramleh area of southern Latakia, a nerve center of anti-regime protests, according to the group.
"Large numbers of residents, especially women and children" have fled Ramleh, the scene of mass protests calling for the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, it said.
The Syrian Observatory said landline telephones and Internet connections with the eastern Mediterranean port city were cut.
Around the capital, "security forces entered Saqba and Hamriya in great numbers and launched a campaign of arrests," according to the Britain-based group.
It said troops arrived in "15 military trucks, eight troop carriers and four jeeps," launching the assault at around 2:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday). "Gunfire was heard in both suburbs," and communications severed during the operation.
Syria's human rights groups, in a joint statement, on Sunday urged the authorities to release the head of the Syrian League for the Defense of Human Rights, Abdul Karim Rihawi, who was arrested on Thursday in Damascus.
His detention "represents a violation of the international commitments undertaken by Syria," they said.
"Security forces are continuing mass arrests, in violation of the law, human rights and democratic freedoms, denying the rights of opposition figures and peaceful demonstrators," the groups said.In a telephone conversation on Saturday, U.S. President Barack Obama and Saudi King Abdullah expressed their "shared, deep concerns about the Syrian government's use of violence against its citizens," the White House said in a statement. "They agreed that the Syrian regime's brutal campaign of violence against the Syrian people must end immediately."
In a separate phone call, Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron also called for an "immediate" end to the bloodshed which has raged since protests broke out in mid-March.
A spokesman for Downing Street said the two leaders "expressed horror at the brutal reaction of the Syrian regime to legitimate protests, particularly during Ramadan," the holy month in which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
The call came after Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Muslim regional heavyweight which had remained silent on the five-month revolt, added its voice to a chorus of criticism and recalled its ambassador from Damascus. The violence has cost more than 2,150 lives, including around 400 members of the security forces, according to rights activists. Syrian authorities have blamed the bloodshed on armed gangs and Islamist militants. Washington has steadily ratcheted up the pressure on Damascus, imposing new sanctions and saying Assad has lost all legitimacy, but has so far stopped short of openly calling for him to step down. Syrian troops backed by tanks have struggled to crush the revolt since pro-democracy protests turned into a full-scale uprising, despite repeated calls for restraint from world leaders. The U.N. Security Council is due to hold a special meeting on Thursday to discuss human rights and the humanitarian emergency in Syria.
**Source Agence France Presse

3 People Injured in Gunfight Near Franjieh’s Mansion, MP Plays Down Incident
Naharnet /The guards of the house of former President Suleiman Franjieh and drunk men exchanged fire in the northern town of Ehden at dawn Sunday, injuring three people, the National News Agency reported.NNA said that two guards – Butros Mikhael Iskandar and Bakhos Ibrahim Jerjes – were injured in the incident that erupted at 5:00 am with two drunken occupants of a vehicle. The two men were speeding near the mansion when one of the guards stopped them asking about their inappropriate behavior, the agency said. One of the drunk men hit the guard while the other shot at him, which forced the guards to open fire at them. One of the occupants identified as Naim al-Doueihy was also injured, NNA said.
It added that the army immediately intervened and cordoned off the area. Marada movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh said in a statement later Sunday that the shooting near his grandfather’s house should not be exaggerated and that the incident would not affect the tourism season in Ehden. PM Najib Miqati telephoned Franjieh and followed with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel the investigation into the Ehden incident. Later on Sunday, al-Doueihy family issued a statement following a meeting at the residence of lawyer Youssef Bahaa al-Doueihy in Ehden. The conferees accused “some people of distorting the facts through some media outlets,” noting that “the incident started when armed militiamen positioned on the public road opened fire on the passing cars.”“What happened was not aimed at attacking a certain politician, as some have tried to portray the incident and are trying to exploit it,” al-Doueihy family said in the statement.“We hope security and judicial institutes will not apply double standards … especially that some consider the defense ministry to be a farm, and we stress that we will abide by the law as much as those in charge of the case will abide by objectivity and neutrality,” the family added. “We remind them that their regional sponsor had never managed to scare us, even during the epitome of its occupation of Lebanon … We will not tolerate any attack on people’s dignities,” it warned.

Miqati Surprised by Aoun’s Campaign, is Keen on Solving Power Crisis
Naharnet /Premier Najib Miqati’s sources have expressed surprise at the Free Patriotic Movement’s campaign against him after a draft law proposed by FPM chief Michel Aoun on providing $1.2 billion to the energy minister to build power plants drew criticism from lawmakers.
The sources expressed surprise at the campaign saying that Miqati has supported the project but has only conditioned the introduction of measures that would guarantee transparency in the spending of the $1.2 billion which are aimed at building power plants that would generate 700 Megawatts of electricity.
They told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat Sunday that it was unacceptable to hold Miqati responsible for the rejection of MPs to approve the draft law.
The premier is keen on solving the country’s power crisis and has held several meetings away from the media spotlight to solve the controversy on the proposed project, the sources said.
Miqati’s sources also confirmed to An Nahar daily that the prime minister is seeking to introduce articles in the draft law that would allow Energy Minister Jebran Bassil to spend the huge amount of money within the legal framework.Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi, who represents Walid Jumblat’s bloc in the cabinet, told An Nahar that on many occasions the cabinet has approved a draft law which later received rejection inside parliament. Opposition MPs and the lawmakers of Jumblat’s National Struggle Front have criticized the draft law for lacking a clear mechanism on the spending of the $1.2 billion. “All people went electricity. This is a very important issue and has high costs,” Aridi said.

2 Officers, 9 Guards Arrested Day after 5 Inmates Escaped Roumieh Prison
Naharnet/State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr ordered the arrest of two officers and nine guards on Sunday after spending the night along with his assistants at Roumieh prison to investigate the escape of five inmates.
Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi had asked judicial authorities to investigate with top officers and low-ranking officials at the prison to determine who was responsible behind the escape.
An Nahar daily said Qortbawi urged a non-stop probe given that Monday is an official holiday.
The minister told the Central News Agency that a meeting that will be held at the Grand Serail on Tuesday will discuss the transfer of the authority of Lebanese prisons from the interior to the justice ministry as approved by the cabinet.
Premier Najib Miqati’s sources confirmed that a meeting will be held at the Serail between the prime minister, Qortbawi and Interior Minister Marwan Charbel. The meeting was scheduled to take place before Saturday’s incident, they said.
But the prison break increased the importance of the meeting, the sources told An Nahar.
The five inmates, that include Fatah al-Islam terrorist network members, escaped the prison on Saturday by scaling down the building's walls with bed sheets before mixing with visiting relatives and walking out of the compound with them, Charbel said.
Charbel blamed the escape on "the pure negligence" of the guards and demanded that officers who were in charge when the jail break took place be punished.
The five prisoners are Midhat Hasan Khalil Ahmed, a Jordanian born in1963; Abdullah Saad el-Dine al-Shukri, a Syrian born in 1984; Abdel-Aziz Ahmed al-Masri, a Syrian born in 1985; Mohammed Abdel-Nasser Abdel-Dusari, a Kuwaiti born in 1973 and Abdel-Nasser Said Sanger, 31.
The Internal Security Forces said that a sixth prisoner, Walid Issam Lababidi, a 31-year-old Lebanese, was caught while trying to escape with the other five inmates.
However, the army command issued a statement late Saturday saying it arrested Midhat Hasan Khalil Ahmed in northern Lebanon after launching a large-scale search operation for the fugitives backed by military helicopters. The army said it was "continuing the search for the rest of the fugitives to arrest them and hand them over to involved authorities."

Prevent Division of Majority over Power Crisis
Naharnet/Hizbullah has mediated with the Free Patriotic Movement to prevent an escalation in the dispute over the electricity draft law proposed by FPM chief Michel Aoun, March 8 sources have told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat. The dispute began when Aoun threatened to pull his ministers from the cabinet after opposition MPs and lawmakers allied with him rejected the draft law that allows Energy Minister Jebran Bassil, who is Aoun’s son-in-law, to spend $1.2 billion on building power plants without referring to the cabinet.
The sources told al-Hayat that Hizbullah ministers Mohammed Fneish and Hussein al-Hajj Hassan urged Bassil not to leave the last cabinet session which witnessed a debate on the electricity crisis. During the session, Bassil insisted for the cabinet to approve Aoun’s proposal but several other ministers, including those representing Walid Jumblat, called for legal restraints in the spending of the $1.2 billion.
Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas, who like Bassil represents the FPM in the cabinet, urged the ministers to approve the project but Jumblat’s ministers Alaeddine Terro and Ghazi Aridi criticized him. “This is not the first time that a disagreement between allied forces takes place,” Aridi insisted, according to al-Hayat’s sources.
“This is not something new in the political life. We all want to solve the electricity crisis,” he said.
At this stage, President Michel Suleiman intervened saying that although the cabinet was made up of a single team, Bassil should allow for some give-and-take.
The sources said that Hizbullah representatives met with Bassil on Friday and criticized him, saying his stance was creating a gap among the parliamentary majority forces.

LF on Ehden Incident: Civil Peace is a Red Line
Naharnet /The Lebanese Forces on Sunday called on the residents of the northern areas of Ehden and Zghorta to “exercise restraint and avoid anything that may disrupt calm in the region,” following the gunfight Sunday morning in Ehden which left three people wounded.The LF stressed in a communiqué the need to “renounce violence and weapons in any dispute,” noting that “only the Lebanese security and judicial authorities are entitled to resolve conflicts and fulfill justice.”
The party also called on the residents of the area to resort to the relevant judicial authorities and to await the outcome of investigations.
Concluding its communiqué, the LF called for “maintaining calm and stability in all Lebanese areas,” stressing that “civil peace is a red line.”
The guards of the house of former President Suleiman Franjieh and drunk men exchanged fire in the northern town of Ehden at dawn Sunday, injuring three people, the National News Agency reported.
NNA said that two guards – Butros Mikhael Iskandar and Bakhos Ibrahim Jerjes – were injured in the incident that erupted at 5:00 am with two drunken occupants of a vehicle.
The two men were speeding near the mansion when one of the guards stopped them asking about their inappropriate behavior, the agency said. One of the drunk men hit the guard while the other shot at him, which forced the guards to open fire at them.
One of the occupants identified as Naim al-Doueihy was also injured, NNA said.
It added that the army immediately intervened and cordoned off the area.
Marada movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh said in a statement later Sunday that the shooting near his grandfather’s house should not be exaggerated and that the incident would not affect the tourism season in Ehden.
Later on Sunday, al-Doueihy family issued a statement following a meeting at the residence of lawyer Youssef Bahaa al-Doueihy in Ehden.
The conferees accused “some people of distorting the facts through some media outlets,” noting that “the incident started when armed militiamen positioned on the public road opened fire on the passing cars.”
“What happened was not aimed at attacking a certain politician, as some have tried to portray the incident and are trying to exploit it,” al-Doueihy family said in the statement.
“We hope security and judicial institutes will not apply double standards … especially that some consider the defense ministry to be a farm, and we stress that we will abide by the law as much as those in charge of the case will abide by objectivity and neutrality,” the family added.
“We remind them that their regional sponsor had never managed to scare us, even during the epitome of its occupation of Lebanon … We will not tolerate any attack on people’s dignities,” it warned.


Iran looking beyond Al-Assad
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Previously I wrote here, citing an informed official, stating that Iran is counting on Iraq as an alternative to Syria, in the case of Bashar al-Assad's regime collapsing. Today, new information indicates that Iran is also maneuvering with the Houthis; supporting the notion that Tehran has become convinced that there is no hope for its Baathist ally in Damascus.
Information suggests that the Houthis, with the help of Tehran, are arranging their ranks today in preparation for the post-Ali Abdullah Saleh phase. Sources say that the Houthis, in significant numbers, are carrying out extensive military exercises, firing rockets, and conducting military operations. All of this is being carried out so that the Houthis are ready to engage Saudi Arabia in the coming phase.
Here some might say: What does this have to do with Iran, Syria and Iraq? The answer is clear. Tehran feels that it received a violent blow with the intervention of the Gulf Peninsula Shield forces in Bahrain, which thwarted Iran's plan to contain Saudi Arabia through its eastern border. Iran also feels threatened today by a genuine danger in Lebanon, and particularly in the event of the fall of al-Assad. [Should this happen], the sectarian belt - which Iran has imposed on the region through the Iran-Syria-Lebanon axis, and more recently through Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein, a scenario that the Jordanian monarch [King Abdullah II] warned of on the day he spoke of the danger of the Shiite crescent - will be torn apart.
Today, after the al-Assad regime has been exposed to an unprecedented blow through the Syrian popular uprising, Iran is afraid that its affiliated groups in our region will become surrounded from the Syrian side, after [the fall of] al-Assad. Here the Lebanese situation comes to mind, in the form of Hezbollah, not to mention the painful blow dealt to Tehran in Bahrain, leading Iran to feel that Saudi Arabia is in a state of diplomatic awakening today, in order to be liberated from the surrounding constraints threatening its national security, and to address the Iranian expansion in the region. Therefore, Iran today is trying to maneuver in areas of geographical proximity to Saudi Arabia, searching for suitable locations to foster agents of Tehran.
Hence the importance of Iraq, where all recent indications coming from there point to an increase in Iranian activity in Iraqi areas, not only through al-Maliki's government, but through Shiite militia loyal to Tehran, in Baghdad and other areas.
As for Yemen, and in the absence of a clear vision about whether President Saleh intends to step down, when, how, and who will replace him, and how the new Yemen will be formed, the political situation there today is an opportunity for Tehran to groom its Houthi allies in Yemen, preparing them for the days to come. Iran seeks to strengthen the position of the Houthis in the forthcoming political process in Yemen, as well as strengthening their military positions on the southern Saudi border.
What Tehran is doing today, in Iraq and Yemen, means that Iran is becoming more and more convinced that Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria is coming to an end, and it also means that Iran is preparing to re-engage with Saudi Arabia, by way of Yemen and Iraq, along the lines of a game of chess. Will Tehran succeed in its plan, or will those targeted realize the gravity of the matter? This is the question.

Cheap Blackmail
By Mshari Al-Zaydi/Asharq Al-Awsat
The people of the Gulf made up their mind with regards to Syria's crisis, despite their relative insignificance, and decided to send an open message of concern and protest. This was followed by a stronger and clearer message from Saudi Arabia as the country's leader, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, sent a decisive message to the Syrians, holding Syria's regime directly accountable for the massacres being committed over there. His Majesty crowned his message with the recall of the Saudi Ambassador in Damascus for consultation.
This stance boosted the morale of the Syrian revolutionaries, and sapped that of the Syrian regime.
However, this is not the crux of the matter. Saudi Arabia's stance has become common knowledge to everyone. The response from the Syrian regime's followers is not the issue either, nor is the media discourse of the regime. Direct and indirect attempts have been made by the regime's supporters and followers to attack the Gulf States in general, and Saudi Arabia in particular. This is normal and expected; there is nothing surprising about it.
What's worthy of notice in the responses of the regime and its followers, whether they were Syrians or from other Arab nationalities, are the implicit threats of blackmailing the Gulf people through raising the Gulf Shiite issue and stirring up the sectarian question, especially in Bahrain which has already gone through the worst on that account.
In other words, the Syrian regime's discourse wants to say: Keep silent about our massacres in Hama, Homs, Deir ez-Zor, Daraa, Rif Dimashq and Latakia, among other Syrian cities, and don't utter a word of protest, and in return we will trade your silence with our silence on the Gulf Shiite issue. This is an immoral twist of the arm.
The political and moral stance we have been calling upon the Gulf States to take on the Syrian crisis is not a barter trade, but rather a moral obligation. To an equal degree, it is also a practical political necessity. By condemning the massacres being committed in Syria, the people of the Gulf are also protecting themselves.
The blackmail threat embedded in the authoritarian Syrian media discourse, manipulating the Shiite issue in the Gulf States, is nothing but cheap blackmail. In brief, all of us, or most of us, working in the media, have called for and will continue to defend rights of equality and citizenship for all components of the Gulf people. We have called for combating religious sectarian discourse, and what happened in Bahrain was never welcomed by anyone. The situation there is radically different from that in Syria; the problem is not the same. The way Bashar al-Assad rose to power in Syria is not similar to the way the rulers of Bahrain have ascended the throne. Tanks have been knocking down buildings full of people, and besieging cities for weeks in Syria; this did not happen in Bahrain. Nevertheless, the Bahraini ruling authority was criticized by many Gulf intellectuals, and was only spared further action when it opened a national dialogue and formed a fact-finding committee. The strong connection between Iran's guidance and a broad segment, but not all, of Shiite opposition in Bahrain is crystal clear. It is suffice here to mention Hassan Mushema as an example. In spite of all that, there is no excuse for making mistakes. No matter how much we talk about mistakes being made in this or that Gulf State, there is just no comparison between those mistakes and the misdeeds and crimes of the killing machine operating violently and ferociously in Syria, through the security battalions of Maher al-Assad and those like him.
It is so low and unethical for the followers of the Syrian regime's dictatorial discourse to barter the massacres they are committing against their own people with the Shiite minority issue in the Gulf States. It is cheap political and immoral blackmail which degrades the Gulf citizens' demands and undermines the Syrian people's blood in a market trade-off. This is the simplest way to describe it.

The Shabiha strategy
By Diana Mukkaled/Asharq Al-Awsat
Since the beginning of the popular unrest in Syria, the al-Assad regime has relied on a policy of confrontation and violence to suppress the protesters, no matter how high the human and political cost. One of the main pillars of this strategy of utilizing excessive violence is the pro-regime Shabiha militia. In other words, the use of a third party to assault and kill the protesters in the name of the regime, without the regime being directly involved.
It seems that we were naïve in failing to appreciate the magnitude of this phenomenon, or the extent to which the Syrian regime is depending on this militia to directly suppress the protesters on the ground. The Syrian regime has also utilized the “Shabiha strategy” in its political and media discourse against the protesters.
The "Shabiha" phenomenon is based on the idea of violently suppressing and killing the protesters in Syria, while trying to utilize the media in an attempt to counter the calls for freedom and the collapse of the regime. The “Shabiha” public opinion campaign – if we could call it that – is based on insults and incitement, rather than any logical or humane discussion.
This "Shabiha" media strategy has developed since the eruption of the protests in Syria thanks to private pro-regime Syrian and Lebanese media outlets. These media outlets have adopted the “Shabiha” strategy, inviting political and media guests whose sole objective is to issue insults, and provocation and who sometimes even openly call for the [Syrian] opposition to be eliminated. These figures play down the genuine suffering of the Syrian people and dismiss the blood which is being shed as mere collateral damage.
As for the internet, there is a war taking place between pro-revolutionary websites and internet groups and the online “Shabiha” the so-called “Syrian electronic army” that specializes in insulting the Syrian protesters, and those posting anti-regime stories and news.
The online “Shabiha” excels at insulting and inciting against those calling for political change in Syria, as well as re-posting the regime’s official accounts.
Since the beginning of the Syrian uprising, the “Shabiha” have pursued a policy of suppression and violence to confront the protests, or those holding sit-ins in solidarity with the Syrian people. They have drawn on Baathist and nationalist slogans in doing so.
This is something that could be seen during a Syrian opposition conference held in Antalya, Turkey, as well as the Syrian opposition meeting in Jordan two weeks ago. We saw a handful of pro-regime Syrian supports demonstrating outside of these meetings, and they also managed to prevent an anti-regime demonstration from taking place in Amman.
The most outrageous form of this “Shabiha” strategy can clearly be seen in Lebanon where protests organized in solidarity with the Syrian people have repeatedly been targeted. On one such occasion, the anti-regime protesters were attacked and beaten thanks to the absence of the Lebanese authorities that want to distance themselves from the incidents taking place in Syria. Even when a group of Lebanese activists staged a sit-in in central Beirut a few days ago to support Syria's uprising, a handful of "Shabiha" thugs attempted to target them. These incidents reveal how the Syrian regime has agents or proxies to assist it. The Syrian regime is utilizing the same principle with regards to the media, attempting to garner support for al-Assad and draw public opinion away from the Syrian opposition.
It is quite obvious that the task assigned to the “Shabiha” outside of Syria is nothing to do with what is happening inside Syria, but rather their task is to target Syrian sympathizers and cause them to fear that any rallies held in solidarity with the Syrian people will be subject to the same security “solutions” as those being employed by the regime against the Syrian protesters themselves.

Syria: Perceptions of the fall of the regime
By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Two months ago, we were hopeful that the Syrian crisis would end with President Bashar al-Assad implementing realistic reform. We were anticipating the Syrian President issuing a last minute speech [offering reforms], particularly after it became clear that the government's policy of suppression had only further aggravated the Syrian uprising, but this did not happen. Over the past two weeks, we have seen violence reach its peak in Syria, and the brutality of the Syrian regime has now destroyed any hopes for reform. This resulted in a country like Saudi Arabia coming out to condemn what is happening in Syria, and call on the Syrian leadership to put an end to the violence, recalling its ambassador from Damascus.
Now we must accept the fact that the Syrian regime has thrown away all chances [to implement reform], and its fate is now unknown. The only thing that is left is for us to imagine how the Syrian uprising – the most important revolution in the Middle East – will end. The following are three possibilities regarding how the Syrian regime might be overthrown:
The first possibility: International interventions with Arab cover following a UN Security Council resolution. This scenario would see Turkey playing a primary role, providing troops to an international task-force that would march on Damascus.
The second possibility: In this scenario the international community would move away from direct military intervention, because of the Russian and Chinese veto, or the West’s reluctance of becoming embroiled in a war similar to Iraq or Afghanistan. In this case, peaceful demonstrations would transform into armed resistance that enjoys international support. The opposition would be able to topple the al-Assad regime, but only after a long and bloody campaign.
The third possibility: A change would emerge from within the al-Assad regime itself, with the current leadership being overthrown from within, which would help to provide an acceptable political solution to end the crisis.
Of course, it is not impossible for the regime to extricate itself from this situation by pursuing this policy of bloodshed, amidst an international inability to put an end to this thanks to Iran providing its Syrian ally with arms and financial aid. However more than likely, Iran will not be able to rescue its Syrian ally due to the al-Assad regime’s brutal suppression of the Syrian people. This regime has not refrained from killing women and children, and even targeting those who were attending funerals. Therefore the majority of the people of Syria are now committed to toppling the Syrian regime. The al-Assad regime’s strategy is one that relies upon intimidation and coercion; these are tactics that the al-Assad regime has utilized to remain in power for more than 40 years, and it is seeking to revive the Hama massacre, where 30,000 Syrian citizens were previously killed [in 1982] following which the regime was able to remain in power.
However the world today has changed, and the international landscape is no longer the same as it was during the first Hama massacre. Syria’s policy of killing and intimidation has only served to place the hangman’s noose around the al-Assad regime’s neck, as the regime’s closest allies have finally had enough and are today distancing themselves from the Syrian leadership. The killings that are being committed now will only serve to further incite public opinion, particularly Arab public opinion, which is committed to calling for international intervention in Syria.
The news from Syria is heart-breaking, with seven people recently being killed whilst attending a funeral, whilst dozens of corpses of Syrian citizens who were tortured to death have been surrendered to their families. The list of horrifying stories coming out of Syria is endless, and that is why the regime will fall!