LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِAugust
19/2011
Bible Quotation for today.
Luke 01/46-55/Mary's Anthem/ Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit has rejoiced in God my
Savior, for he has looked at the humble state of his handmaid. For behold, from
now on, all generations will call me blessed. For he who is mighty has
done great things for me. Holy is his name. His mercy is for generations of
generations on those who fear him. He has shown strength with his arm. He
has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put
down princes from their thrones. And has exalted the lowly. He has filled the
hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty. He has given
help to Israel, his servant, that he might remember mercy, As he spoke to
our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever.”
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Israel tenses for Gaza strike after
deadly Palestinian multiple terror attack/DEBKAfile/August
18/11
Imagine, Mr.
Nasrallah/Now
Lebanon/August 18/11
Hezbollah's Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
Speech of Augusat 17/11
The Abu Adas Axis/By Tariq
Alhomayed/August
18/11
Latest News
Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 18/11
7 Die in Attacks on Eilat: Israel
Retaliates, Hamas Denies Involvement
Israeli airstrike kills
senior Palestinian militant, four others
Hamas: We didn't carry out southern
Israel attacks, but we praise them
Netanyahu: We will respond firmly
when Israelis are hurt
Terror continues: Two gravely hurt
by fresh gunfire hours after deadly attacks
Those who attack Israel pay “very
heavy price,” Israeli PM says
Italy condemns “barbaric” attacks
in Israel
US condemns “terrorist” attacks on
Israel
EU's Ashton condemns “unreservedly”
attacks on Israel
Clinton presses Egypt on Sinai
security after Israel attack
EU's Ashton condemns “unreservedly”
attacks on Israel
Six Palestinians Killed in Israeli
Air Raid on Gaza
UN Human Rights Council to hold
special session on Syria
UN chief warns over
Israel-Palestinian “escalation”
Canada Fears Hizbullah Reprisals
over STL Indictments
Canada calls for Syria's Assad to
resign
Canada calls for Syria's Assad to
resign
Obama Calls on Assad to Step Aside
Damascus Says U.S., West Stoking
Violence in Syria
Switzerland Recalls Ambassador to
Syria
EU, France, Britain, Germany Urge
Assad to Resign
Cassese Urges Lebanese Authorities
to Intensify Attempts to Arrest 4 Suspects
Insurgents Target Afghan Minibus
and U.S. Base, Killing 24 People
Geagea: Foreign Ministry Bordering
on High Treason by Depriving Expats Right to Vote
Miqati Says Truth in Hariri Case
Must Be Unveiled 'Away from Politicization'
Lebanese Cabinet to Hold Special
Session on Electricity Friday
Al-Sayyed Urges STL to Bring False
Witnesses to Court to Gain Credibility
Hariri, Nasrallah at Loggerheads
Over Suspected Assassins, Shiite Sect
MP Suleiman Franjieh Says Hariri’s
Hatred Overcomes National Interest
Report: Lebanese Cabinet
Resignation Scheme to Avoid Commitment to STL
Grenades Found on Barbara Highway
Near Jbeil
Future Movement calls for Friday
gathering in front of Hariri’s tomb
Cassese Urges Lebanese Authorities to Intensify Attempts to
Arrest 4 Suspects
Naharnet /Special Tribunal for Lebanon President Judge Antonio Cassese
considered the efforts made by Lebanese authorities to find the four suspects in
ex-PM Rafik Hariri’s murder as reasonable but called on them to intensify their
attempts to arrest the four men.
“Whilst Judge Cassese deemed their efforts to be reasonable he also called on
the authorities to intensify their attempts to arrest the accused,” the STL said
in a statement.
Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza is now required to report to the tribunal on a
monthly basis, it said.
“It must be emphasized, however, that the report submitted by Lebanon on 9
August 2011 does not end Lebanon’s continuing obligation to assist the Tribunal
in searching for, serving, arresting, detaining and transferring the accused,”
said Cassese.
The report filed by Mirza states that Lebanon “exerted its utmost efforts to
execute (the) arrest warrants in the name of the four accused.”
Cassese’s statement said that the steps taken by the Lebanese authorities,
include surveillance, interviewing alleged associates of the accused, visiting
localities where the accused are believed to have connections, meeting with
municipality officials and interviewing neighbors.
“I understand these procedures satisfy the requirements of Article 147 of the
Lebanese Code of Criminal Procedure,” said the STL judge.
The STL Registrar will now transmit “a form of advertisement” to the Lebanese
authorities, he added.
Canada calls for Syria's Assad to resign
August 18, 2011 /Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Thursday joined the
United States and the European Union in calling for Syria's Bashar al-Assad to
relinquish power.
"Canada reiterates its strong condemnation of the ongoing violent military
assault by the Assad regime against the Syrian people. This campaign of terror
must stop," Harper said in a statement. "The Assad regime has lost all
legitimacy by killing its own people to stay in power." "I join with [US]
President Obama and other members of the international community in calling on
President Assad to vacate his position, relinquish power and step down
immediately. The Syrian people have a right to decide for themselves the next
steps for Syria's future."The statement came as the United States moved to
tighten pressure on Damascus, calling for the first time for Assad to step down
over his military assault on the five-month-old revolt inspired by the Arab
Spring. The European Union on Thursday echoed Washington's call on Assad to
resign and said it was mulling new sanctions, but it was unclear whether it or
other countries would take the same far-reaching measures as the United States.
The Assad regime has been struggling to quash a wave of protests inspired by the
revolts that toppled longstanding rulers in Egypt and Tunisia, with some 2,000
Syrians killed since mid-March, according to rights groups. Canada previously
imposed sanctions directly targeting members of the current Syrian regime and
those who provide it with support.-AFP/ NOW Lebanon
Canada Fears Hizbullah Reprisals over STL Indictments
Naharnet /anada's security service identified possible Hizbullah reprisals over
Hariri murder indictments as a national security threat, said a report Thursday.
A classified document cited by the Montreal French-language daily La Presse,
entitled "Special Tribunal for Lebanon: does Hizbullah have recourse for
violence in 2011?" outlines the concerns of Canada's Integrated Threat
Assessment Center. The U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)
investigating the 2005 murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri
indicted Salim Ayyash, 47, Mustafa Badreddine, 50, Hussein Anaissi, 37 and Assad
Sabra, 34, for the 14 February 2005 suicide car bomb attack in Beirut that
killed Hariri and 22 others. All four are members of Hizbullah, which is now a
key player in Lebanon's coalition government and has refused to allow the arrest
of the four suspects. The STL prosecutor in the case, Daniel Bellemare, is
Canadian. Two dozen of his compatriots also work for the tribunal. "Many
Lebanese see the STL's investigation as being run by Canadians since it is
headed by a Canadian," the said Integrated Threat Assessment Center document
penned in March. It notes that "Canada has considerable interests in Lebanon"
and the Lebanese diaspora in Canada includes Hizbullah sympathizers. As such, it
goes on to say, Ottawa must remain vigilant against possible reprisals.
Hizbullah is blacklisted by the Canadian government. **Source Agence France
Presse
Obama Calls on Assad to Step Aside
Naharnet /U.S. President Barack Obama demanded Thursday that Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad "step aside" and imposed tough sanctions on Damascus including
an asset freeze and ban on U.S. investments in Syria. "We have consistently said
that President Assad must lead a democratic transition or get out of the way. He
has not led. For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for President
Assad to step aside," Obama said. It was the first explicit U.S. call for Assad
to resign as global pressure increased on the Syrian leader to end a months-long
crackdown on dissent that has killed more than 2,000 people, according to rights
activists.
But Obama also emphasized that Washington "cannot and will not impose this
transition upon Syria" and vowed to heed Syrians' "strong desire that there not
be foreign intervention in their movement." "It is time for the Syrian people to
determine their own destiny, and we will continue to stand firmly on their
side," Obama said in a stern statement quickly echoed by the European Union.
"The EU notes the complete loss of Bashar al-Assad's legitimacy in the eyes of
the Syrian people and the necessity for him to step aside," foreign policy chief
Catherine Ashton said in a statement. Earlier Thursday, the U.N. human rights
chief said Syria may have committed crimes against humanity in its bloody
crackdown on dissent and urged the U.N. Security Council to refer the matter to
the International Criminal Court. The U.N. Security Council was due to meet
later Thursday to hear from that official, Navi Pillay.
The U.S. president imposed a wave of new economic sanctions on Syria that he
said would "deepen the financial isolation of the Assad regime," already
targeted for being a U.S.-designated “state sponsor of terrorism.” Obama ordered
Syrian government assets under U.S. jurisdiction frozen, blocked any U.S. person
or business from doing business with Syria's government, prohibited U.S. imports
of petroleum or petroleum products from Syria, and banned U.S. individuals or
firms from "operating or investing in Syria."
"We expect today's actions to be amplified by others," said the U.S. president,
who noted that any Syrian democratic transition "will take time" and warned the
Syrian people faced "more struggle and sacrifice."
The United States had previously said Assad had lost his legitimacy to govern
and said Syria would be better off without him but had not explicitly demanded
he quit power.
But activists and some in Washington had criticized Obama for calling on Libyan
strongman Moammar Gadhafi to step aside but stopping short of doing so with
Assad, whose bloody crackdown on dissent has drawn global outrage.
U.S. officials have said for the past week that the administration was planning
to call on Assad to step down but had not yet decided on the timing.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has indicated the United States did not
want to go out on a limb and that it was essential that Syria's neighbors and
the international community simultaneously increase pressure on Assad.
Clinton has said that Arab pressure on Syria was particularly important in the
campaign against Assad. This week Tunisia recalled its ambassador from Damascus,
following similar moves by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
The developments at the United Nations came after a special session of the U.N.
human rights council which diplomats said was requested by not only the United
States and EU but also all four Arab countries that are members of the council
-- Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
On Thursday Clinton described the U.S. sanctions on Syrian oil as a "strike at
the heart of" Assad's regime.
"These actions strike at the heart of the regime by banning American imports of
Syrian petroleum and petroleum products and prohibiting Americans from dealing
in these products," Clinton said in a statement read out to reporters.
U.S. Senator Kirstin Gillibrand and other senators said energy sanctions would
bite because about one-third of Syria's export revenue comes from oil.
However, Clinton has suggested that India, China and European companies impose
sanctions on Syria's energy sector because they have a far larger stake there
than the United States.
It was not immediately clear whether these countries would take such actions.
"And as we increase pressure on the Assad regime to disrupt its ability to
finance its campaign of violence, we will take steps to mitigate any unintended
effects of the sanctions on the Syrian people," Clinton said.
**Source Associated PressAgence France Presse
UN Human Rights Council to hold special session on Syria
August 18, 2011 /The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold a special
session on Monday 22 to examine Syria's deadly crackdown on protestors, it said
on Thursday.
The session, the second on Syria this year, was requested by 24 members of the
council, including European Union members, the United States and all four Arab
countries, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The announcement comes on the
day the UN's Security Council will meet to examine the crisis in Syria, where
diplomats in New York said the UN human rights chief was expected to call for
the international war crimes court to investigate President Bashar al-Assad's
rule.UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay and humanitarian chief Valerie
Amos will also give details of the latest events in the strife-torn country at
Thursday's Security Council meeting. In Geneva, a European diplomat told AFP the
Human Rights Council special session would aim at condemning Syria's actions and
call for an investigation into the regime's deadly crackdown on demonstrators,
as was the case during a previous special session held on April 29. Activists
have reported around 2,000 deaths in the five-month-old uprising against Assad's
rule. A defiant Assad on Wednesday told his ruling Baath party that Syria would
"remain strong and resilient" despite international pressure.-AFP/NOW Lebanon
EU, France, Britain, Germany Urge Assad to Resign
Naharnet /President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Germany's Chancellor Angela
Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday jointly urged
Syria's embattled leader Bashar al-Assad to step down. "We call on him to face
the reality of the complete rejection of his regime by the Syrian people and to
step aside in the best interests of Syria and the unity of its people," they
said in a joint statement. The leaders of the European Union's three biggest
powers issued their strongly worded statement to coincide with similar calls
from U.S. President Barack Obama and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
They backed plans for stronger European sanctions against Assad and his Damascus
regime, which they said continue to "violently repress their people and flatly
refuse to fulfill their legitimate aspirations. "France, Germany and the United
Kingdom reiterate their utter condemnation of this bloody repression of peaceful
and courageous demonstrators and the massive violations of human rights," they
wrote.
"We are actively supporting further strong EU sanctions against the regime of
President Assad," they added.
"We urge the Syrian regime to stop all violence immediately, to release all
prisoners of conscience and to allow free access to the United Nations for an
independent assessment of the situation," they said. "Our countries believe
President Assad, who is resorting to brutal military force against his own
people and who is responsible for the situation, has lost all legitimacy and can
no longer claim to lead the country." "Violence in Syria must stop now. Like
other Arab peoples during recent months, the Syrians demand that their rights to
liberty, dignity and to choose freely their leaders be recognized," the warned.
"We will continue to work with the Syrian people, countries in the region and
our international partners, with a central role for the United Nations, to
support their demands and achieve a peaceful and democratic transition."
For its part, the European Union called for Assad to step down, saying that his
regime had lost all legitimacy and credibility, and warning of further
sanctions.
"The EU notes the complete loss of Bashar al-Assad's legitimacy in the eyes of
the Syrian people and the necessity for him to step aside," foreign policy chief
Catherine Ashton said in a statement, shortly after U.S. President Barack Obama
also demanded that Assad quit. "The EU condemns in the strongest terms the
brutal campaign Bashar al-Assad and his regime are waging against their own
people," the statement said. "In recent weeks the Syrian leadership has stepped
up its violent crackdown against peaceful protesters and resorted to large-scale
use of military force (which) has led to the killing or injury of many Syrian
citizens." Singling out attacks in Hama, Deir Ezzor, Latakia and on the
Palestinian refugee camp of Ramal, the EU said, "These developments are
unacceptable and intolerable." The Syrian leadership had defied international
calls to stop the violence, free detained protesters, allow access by
international humanitarian and human rights organizations and media, and engage
in a genuine and inclusive national dialogue, the statement added.
Assad's "promises of reform have lost all credibility as reforms cannot succeed
under permanent repression. The EU notes the complete loss of Bashar al-Assad's
legitimacy in the eyes of the Syrian people and the necessity for him to step
aside," it said. Outlining future action, the statement said, "the addition of
further names to the list of those targeted by the EU restrictive measures is
under preparation. "Moreover, the EU is moving ahead with discussing further
restrictive measures that will broaden its sanctions against the Syrian regime.
By these efforts we continue to aim at assisting the Syrian people to achieve
their legitimate aspirations."**Source Agence France Presse
Israeli
airstrike kills senior Palestinian militant, four others August 18, 2011
By: Jeffrey Heller /Daily Star
JERUSALEM: An Israeli airstrike killed a senior Palestinian militant and four
comrades in south Gaza, Reuters reported a militant faction as saying Thursday,
after squads of gunmen armed with heavy weapons and explosives crossed into
southern Israel from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing seven Israelis in an
audacious series of attacks, officials said. The violence stoked concerns about
Palestinian militants exploiting instability in Egypt.
The attacks began around midday and lasted for about three hours. Israeli
security forces tracked down some of the attackers and killed several in a
gunbattle, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai said. Defense officials
said three bodies were booby-trapped and Israeli TV channels said seven
assailants were killed. There was no word on whether any attackers were captured
alive.
U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon raised fears Thursday of an "escalation" in the
Israel-Palestinian conflict following the attacks on Israelis.
Ban "is concerned at the risk of escalation and calls for all to act with
restraint," said U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. "The secretary general
strongly condemns today’s coordinated terror attacks in southern Israel."
Israel almost immediately said the attackers came from the Hamas-ruled Gaza
Strip and made their way through Sinai, which borders both Israel and Gaza. That
raised the specter of an Israeli military reprisal against the Palestinian
territory.
"The incident underscores the weak Egyptian hold on Sinai and the broadening of
the activities of terrorists," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a
statement. "The real source of the terror is in Gaza and we will act against
them with full force and determination."
The attacks, which came close together in time and location, appeared
coordinated, and represented one of the boldest strikes in years against Israel.
Hamas denied involvement. In Egypt, a senior security official denied that the
attackers crossed into Israel from Sinai or that the buses were fired at from
inside Egyptian territory.
"The border is heavily guarded," said a Sinai-based official who spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
However, security in Sinai has deteriorated sharply since February, when
longtime leader Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising. Many Israelis
saw Mubarak as a source of stability with shared interests in containing Iran
and its radical Islamic proxies in the region, such as Hamas. Mubarak also
upheld the decades-old peace treaty with Israel.
Last week, Egypt moved thousands of troops into the Sinai peninsula as part of a
major operation against al-Qaida inspired militants who have been increasingly
active in Sinai since Mubarak's ouster in February. The militants have taken
advantage of the security vacuum caused by the abrupt withdrawal of police
forces. Authorities have blamed the militants for brazen attacks on police
patrols as well as a string of bombings on a key pipeline carrying natural gas
to Israel and Jordan.
The attacks began around midday, when assailants targeted a packed passenger bus
driving along a highway about 10 miles north of the Red Sea resort of Eilat,
close to the border crossing into Sinai. The next attack came about half an hour
later, when gunmen opened fire on a private car several miles away. Half an hour
after that came reports that a military patrol had driven over an explosive
device along the Israel-Egypt border.
Israel Radio said a vehicle had followed the bus, and two to three gunmen got
out and opened fire with automatic weapons.
The vehicle carrying the assailants fled the scene, and Israeli security forces
took off in pursuit, Israel Radio said. Channel 2 reported that two helicopters
had been deployed to join the chase.
TV footage showed the bus pulled over by a red, rocky cliff. Windows and a door
of the bus were shattered, and soldiers were patrolling the area on foot. Inside
the bus, seats were stained with blood and luggage littered the aisle.
"We heard a shot and saw a window explode. I didn't really understand what was
happening at first. After another shot there was chaos in the bus and everyone
jumped on everyone else," passenger Idan Kaner told Channel 2 TV. He said the
attack lasted three or four minutes until the bus was able to drive away.
The bus driver interviewed by Channel 2 did not provide details of the attack
but appeared calm, smoking a cigarette in the driver's seat.
After that, an explosive device was detonated under the vehicle of a military
patrol called to the scene, and a private car was also attacked. The attackers
might have fired mortars and an anti-tank missile at that vehicle, said
Mordechai, the military spokesman.
Roadblocks were thrown up in the area and entrances and exits to Eilat were
sealed. Senior Israeli security officials convened in an emergency session at
the defense ministry in Tel Aviv.
The military said a "large number" of assailants were working in multiple
squads, but it gave no specifics.
"We are talking about a terror squad that infiltrated into Israel," said Israeli
military spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich. "This is a combined terrorist
attack against Israelis."
The driver of the bus said he had seen Egyptian soldiers open fire, but
Mordechai said he was not aware of any Egyptian military involvement.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the attackers came from Gaza.
"This is specific information. This is not an assessment. This is not an
estimation. This is very, very precise information that they came out of Gaza.
We have no doubt." He would not provide more specific details.
Taher Nunu, a spokesman for the Hamas government in Gaza, denied the militants'
complicity.
"Gaza has nothing to do with these attacks in Eilat," Nunu said.
The attacks by a team of apparently coordinated squads also highlighted the
potential for a sharp spike in violence as Palestinians prepare to ask the
United Nations to recognize them as an independent state.
Palestinian militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza have fired intermittent barrages of
mortar shells into Israel for a decade, even after the Israeli military launched
an offensive in the territory in late 2008. But in recent years Israel has not
suffered the repeated deadly suicide bombings and shooting attacks of years
past. The area of Thursday's attacks has been largely quiet since Israel and
Egypt signed a peace deal in 1979.
Palestinian leaders in the West Bank have drawn up plans for rallies in
September in hopes of boosting their drive for U.N. recognition - an initiative
begun after Palestinians lost faith in peace talks with Israel. Those
negotiations have been frozen for most of the past three years and there is no
sign the two sides can agree on conditions to resume them. - With Reuters, AFP
Israel tenses for Gaza strike after deadly Palestinian multiple terror attack
DEBKAfile Special Report August 18, 2011, Thursday, August 18, Israel had its
first taste of a sophisticated al Qaeda-style coordinated terrorist operation
modeled on the atrocities common in Afghanistan and Iraq. Israeli intelligence
services, army (IDF) and Police were taken by surprise by the scale and slick
organization of the multiple assaults that were staged near Eilat on the highway
running south parallel to the Egyptian border by gunmen of the Gaza-based
Popular Resistance Committees and Palestinian organizations linked to al Qaeda.
Seven Israelis were killed, including two women, and about 40 injured in
shooting attacks on two buses and other vehicles and by the roadside bombing of
a military vehicle. UN personnel were quickly evacuated from the Gaza Strip and
Egypt locked the Gaza-Sinai crossing as Israel prepared to mete out punishment.
debkafile's military sources estimate that Lebanese Shiite Hizballah experts may
have aided the terrorists in setting up the complex operation.
Towards evening, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated that Israel's response
would be "commensurate with the breach of its sovereignty." Defense Minister
Ehud Barak said "The source of the terror is Gaza." He did not specify whether
he knew the gunmen had in fact reached the scene of the attack from Gaza or
elsewhere.
A Hamas spokesman threatened Israel with a sharp reprisal if Gaza were attacked.
Terrorist facilities of Hamas and other organizations have reportedly been
evacuated and Qassam, Grad and mortar batteries deployed ready for launching.
The IDF estimates that the attackers numbering at least 20 came from the Gaza
Strip and took up positions near the Sinai border with Israel to wait for the
signal to go ahead.
The Defense Minister, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Ganz, and Military
Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi are widely blamed for falling down on
precautions for protecting the South although they knew in advance that the
Egyptian army was about to embark on a large-scale counter-terror operations in
Sinai. Defense ministry sources admitted that they had received a heads-up on a
terror attack. It was up to all three to have taken into account that Egypt's
Sinai Operation Eagle would be exploited by Palestinian or Al Qaeda terrorists
to let loose against Israel. Egypt may suspend its campaign if Israel strikes
back against Gaza.
US and Israeli intelligence officials reported Wednesday night, August 17, they
were helping the Egyptian Sinai operation by keeping its commander abreast of
Palestinian and Al Qaida movements in Sinai. However, 12 hours later, America
which maintains a network of surveillance teams and observation posts across
Sinai and Israel intelligence were both shown to be at a loss for real time
information on terrorist activities in the peninsula.A multiple assault by 20
gunmen using automatic guns, RPGs, mortars and roadside bombers could not have
been an off-the-cuff operation. It entailed long planning. Its participants had
to receive detailed instructions and be brought to the scenes of attack to
familiarize themselves with the arena. Their spies must have spent weeks
observing military and civilian vehicular traffic on the highway and carefully
picked the targets.Yet none of these activities aroused suspicion. The big
question is how did the gunmen managed to drive down one of the main routes to
Eilat undetected. Did they cross the border from Sinai by car without arousing
the notice of the Israeli military or border police? Or did their confederates
meet them with vehicles for their use on the Israeli side?
The attack itself was meticulously designed to go forward in stages.
First, a three-man cell shot up an Egged bus bringing soldiers to Eilat on
leave.
After that, several anti-tank missiles, possibly RPGs, set a second bus on fire
and hit two civilian cars - one killing four passengers and the second killing a
woman.
An Israeli unit trying to reach the scene of attack then ran over roadside bombs
planted in advance. The explosion killed or injured its passengers . A special
police unit had meanwhile located the three-man team which attacked the first
bus and killed them all in a firefight. Two of their bodies were found to be
rigged with explosions. Four more were killed after being hunted down. Egyptian
police in Sinai also shot two terrorists.
The IDF has closed all the roads to the South to traffic for more sweeps to
locate missing terrorists and explosives.
Its inhabitants as far south as Eilat, Israel's southernmost town and port, are
in a high state of suspense for the IDF counter-terror operation to come.
Seven Die in Attacks on Eilat: Israel Retaliates, Hamas Denies Involvement
Naharnet /Seven Israelis were killed in a string of coordinated attacks in
southern Israel Thursday, and hours later the Israeli military hit back with
angry air raids on Gaza militants it said were responsible. The bloodshed, which
killed six civilians and a soldier on two desert roads near the Red Sea resort
town of Eilat, prompted a wave of international condemnation led by the White
House. Within hours of the coordinated attacks, which saw gunmen ambush a bus,
detonate a bomb under a military jeep, and fire an RPG at a civilian car,
Israeli troops had hunted down and killed seven of the attackers, a top Israeli
military official said.
And shortly afterwards, Israel hit back at the Gaza-based militant group it
accused of responsibility for the attacks, launching air raids that killed six
people in a house in the southern city of Rafah, medics said. Among the dead was
the head of the Popular Resistance Committees, and two other senior members of
the group, which the military said was behind Thursday's attacks in the southern
Negev desert. The attacks began around noon, with two incidents on route 12, a
desert road which flanks the Egyptian border, some 25 kilometers north of Eilat.
In the first incident, gunmen strafed a bus, injuring 14 people; shortly
afterwards, they detonated a roadside bomb as a military vehicle rushed to the
scene, injuring several soldiers.
Security sources told Agence France Presse of a third incident on another desert
road near the Jordanian border, in which an RPG was fired at cars driving near
Beer Ora, some 15 kilometers north of Eilat. Medics said all seven victims died
in the third attack, including four traveling in the same car, and unconfirmed
reports suggested militants had also fired mortars in the area. There were also
unconfirmed reports that an anti-tank missile had been fired into Israel from
across the border in Egypt.
Security sources initially told AFP that gunmen in a car had opened fire on a
bus, and suggested the attackers may have fired from the Egyptian side of the
border. But the Israeli army later told AFP "everything took place in Israeli
territory." Israeli troops quickly locked down the area and engaged in a running
gunbattle with the militants that ended with seven of the attackers killed, the
head of the Israeli army's southern command told a press conference.
Major-General Tal Russo said two were shot dead in Israeli territory while a
third blew himself up with explosives strapped to his body.
Four more were killed on the Egyptian side of the border -- two shot dead by
Israeli troops firing across the border, and another two shot by Egyptian
forces, he said.
In a post on Twitter, Israeli military spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said several
of the militants had been armed with explosive belts. "Some of the terrorists
involved in today's attack on Israelis carried explosive belts and grenades,"
she wrote. Israel quickly blamed the bloodshed on militants from the Hamas-run
Gaza Strip and vowed to hit back hard.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the "source" of the attacks was in
Gaza, and vowed "to act against them with all our strength and determination."
"The incident reflects the weakness of the Egyptian hold on Sinai and the
expansion of activity there by terror elements," he said.
Several hours later, he confirmed that the air force had hit the Popular
Resistance Committees -- the group which the military said was behind the
attacks.
"An IAF aircraft targeted senior militants of the Popular Resistance Committees
terrorist organization in the southern Gaza Strip," an Israeli army statement
said, naming three of the group's leaders. "These officials were behind today's
combined terrorist attacks with the primary objective of kidnapping an Israeli
civilian or soldier."
But the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip denied any role in the attacks.
"The Palestinian government denies the accusations made by Barak about the
operation in Eilat and affirms that there is no relation between the Gaza Strip
and what happened near Eilat," Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nounou told AFP.
"These accusations are an attempt to distract from the Israeli domestic crisis,"
al-Nounou said, referring to protests over the cost of living that have shaken
Israel in recent weeks.
For his part, Egypt’s South Sinai Governor Khaled Fouda denied that the gunmen
had on Israel from Egypt.
At the same time, Egyptian security sources ruled out Israeli claims that
Palestinian attackers infiltrated from their territory.
Fouda told reporters that "there was no gunfire from the Egyptian side."
Egyptian security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, ruled out that
Palestinian militants from Gaza to the north slipped past their patrols into
Israel.
The governor of North Sinai, Abdul Wahab Mabruk, challenged Israel to provide
evidence that the attacks originated from Egypt.
"How does Israel know they came from Sinai? What is Israel's evidence?" he said
to reporters.
He also ruled out that militants slipped into Egypt through a tunnel network
with Gaza, saying there were intense security measures in place because of
ongoing military operations targeting militants in Sinai.
Egypt's military, in charge since a revolt ousted president Hosni Mubarak in
February, is carrying out an operation in Sinai to capture Islamist militants
who attacked a police station and a gas pipeline to Israel. Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks had "damaged Israel's sovereignty,"
while his spokesman said Israel had "concrete information" that the attackers
had come from Gaza. Another Israeli official, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said the attackers had entered Israel from Sinai, which they had
crossed into from Gaza.
World leaders were quick to condemn the violence, with the White House
denouncing the "brutal terrorist attacks," and urging Egypt to follow through on
pledges to ensure security in the Sinai. U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon also issued a
strong condemnation of the bloodshed, and expressed concern about an
"escalation" of violence in the region where Egyptian troops are pressing a
major operation in northern Sinai to rein in militant groups. **Source Agence
France Presse
Hariri, Nasrallah at Loggerheads Over Suspected Assassins, Shiite Sect
Naharnet/Former Premier Saad Hariri snapped back at Hizbullah leader Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah saying the party chief was seeking to put the entire Shiite
sect in confrontation with his “fictitious schemes.” “The accused are identified
by name and Hizbullah is admitting that it is hiding them,” Hariri said in
remarks to Future News TV late Wednesday about the four suspects accused of
involvement in Rafik Hariri’s Feb. 2005 assassination. “We will continue to live
in a single nation. There is no meaning to playing with the emotions of the
Shiites and putting them on alert against fictitious schemes which the Sayyed
knows that they are mere fiction or an attempt to escape the truth,” Hariri
said.
His remark came after Nasrallah said in a televised speech that the indictment
published by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is “based on analysis and not
clear evidence."
"Those who were indicted should not be called charged but unjustly treated," he
said. Nasrallah accused the court of aiming to "destroy the human and social
fabric of Lebanon.”
“What’s happening now is an attempt at undermining and sabotaging the social
fabric, paving the ground for wars and civil strife, dragging the resistance
into (strife) and consequently striking the resistance and harming its
credibility,” he said. The Shiite party chief warned that some sides are seeking
to “sabotage ties among the Lebanese sects.”
Much of the information contained in the indictment had been leaked to the media
over the past two years, which Nasrallah said was a sign that the probe was
tainted beyond repair.
The four suspects named in the indictment are Salim Ayyash, 47, Mustafa
Badreddine, 50, Hussein Oneissi, 37 and Assad Sabra, 34.
In his remarks to Future News, Hariri addressed Nasrallah, saying “you are
transferring the indictment in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination from the
four party members to the entire Shiite sect in an attempt to distort facts.”
Earlier in the day, Hariri urged Nasrallah to cooperate with the tribunal.
"What is required of Hizbullah's leadership is simply to announce their
disengagement with the accused. This stance will go down in history," he said in
a statement released by his office.
The long-awaited international indictment which was unsealed Wednesday offers no
direct evidence linking the four Hizbullah suspects to Hariri’s murder.
The indictment relies heavily on circumstantial evidence such as telephone
records.
Report: Cabinet Resignation Scheme to Avoid Commitment to STL
Naharnet /Contacts are ongoing between Hizbullah, the Free Patriotic Movement
and AMAL to discuss the steps that should be taken after the Special Tribunal
for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri published the
indictment, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Thursday. The STL published on
Wednesday the indictment after it said there was enough evidence to try four
Hizbullah members in the murder of Hariri. The discussions also tackle what the
STL will publish about the cases of the attempted murder of former Ministers
Elias Murr and Marwan Hamadeh, and the assassination of former Community Party
leader George Hawi.
In Oct. 1, 2004, Hamadeh was targeted by a car bomb, Murr was targeted on July
12, 2005, while Hawi was assassinated on June 21, 2005.
The newspaper reported that the three parties are considering the toppling of
the current cabinet through the resignation of 11 ministers (one third + one),
therefore transforming it into a caretaking government. Al-Liwaa said that the
resignation of the cabinet relieves it from its responsibilities towards the
tribunal and the international community, on the basis that the executive
authority in the country takes the required decisions. Sources told the
newspaper that the electricity bill proposed by FPM leader MP Michel Aoun could
be the issue that blows up the situation, after he (Aoun) threatened to resign
if the cabinet didn’t pass the bill for discussion at the parliament.
MP Suleiman Franjieh Says Hariri’s Hatred Overcomes National Interest
Naharnet /Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh said on Thursday that ex-Prime
Minister Saad Hariri’s hatred has overcome the national interest since the
assassination of his father on Feb. 14, 2005. Franjieh, in remarks to al-Manar
television, said that Hariri placed the murder of his father in a position
higher than Lebanon and its stability.
“During the past period he (Hariri) wished that Syria would be accused in the
murder and today he doesn’t want to unveil who killed ex-PM Rafik Hariri,”
Franjieh said. He only wants Hizbullah to be accused, he added. The Special
Tribunal for Lebanon published on Wednesday the indictment after it said there
was enough evidence to try four Hizbullah members in the murder of Hariri. “The
main objective is to nourish the Shiites-Sunni hatred,” the MP stressed. The
Marada leader noted “every three years they reveal a new story.”
Franjieh said that “they are trying to target the resistance through the STL and
the U.N. after the 2006 war.”He considered that some Sunni leaders think they
can control the country, saying: “Some think that if a political party lost its
position in authority, then the whole sect will lose.” “I urge everyone to
preserve coexistence,” Franjieh said.
He stressed: “We’re against Israel and we bet on the resistance and support the
current regime in Syria. The near future will prove that our choice was right.”
Grenades Found on Barbara Highway Near Jbeil
Naharnet /Eight hand grenades were found on Thursday in a box on the Barbara
highway near the city of Jbeil, media reports said. The National News Agency
said the grenades were found lying by the side of the highway. A black plastic
bag was found next to them. Only two of the grenades were not set to explode,
NNA said.However, LBC TV network reported that 3 missiles and a P.T.U. bomb were
found near the eight grenades.
Geagea: Foreign Ministry Bordering on High Treason by Depriving Expats Right to
Vote
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday stressed that “today we
are before a momentous event which is the publishing of the first part of the
indictment in the murder case of ex-PM Rafik Hariri and all the martyrs of the
Cedar Revolution.”During a meeting with a delegation of Lebanese expatriates
living in America, Australia, Africa, Europe and the Gulf, Geagea added: “It was
really a historic day … the Lebanese people -- through a persistent struggle
that cost it a lot of efforts, tears and bloodshed, especially between 2005-2009
– was able to launch the process of fulfilling justice.”On a separate note,
Geagea said “the foreign ministry did not make the necessary logistic
preparations to enable all expatriates to vote, while the interior ministry has
completed all the preparations in this regard.”“This behavior by the foreign
ministry borders on high treason because it contributes to depriving hundreds of
thousands of Lebanese -- who send billions of dollars to their relatives in
Lebanon yearly – from their right to participate in the Lebanese political
life,” Geagea added.
He called on Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour to “make up for the lost time and
launch an administrative, logistic process as soon as possible in order to
finalize the necessary preparations for the 2013 polls within few months.”
Al-Sayyed Urges STL to Bring False Witnesses to Court to Gain Credibility
Naharnet /Former General Jamil al-Sayyed refused to comment on the indictment
that was published by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination
of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. “This indictment only received dull comments,
despite the desperate attempts by al-Mustaqbal movement media to provoke
people,” he said on Thursday in a statement published by his press office. The
STL published on Wednesday the indictment after it said there was enough
evidence to try four Hizbullah members in the murder of Hariri.
Al-Sayyed said: “There was no reaction from the Arab nations or the
international community (on the indictment).”The statement said that he referred
this Lebanese, Arabic and international negligence “because the tribunal lost
its credibility after the false witnesses conspiracy” that former PM Saad Hariri
made in coordination with the international community to accuse Syria and the
four former Lebanese officers to win the elections and control the
state.”Al-Sayyed added that Hariri should’ve convinced the public that the
tribunal is credible instead of attacking Hizbullah Chief Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah. “What ensures that the accusations and arrests (if made) were not
aimed at hitting the resistance just like the accusation against the four
officers was a way to hit the Lebanese state and Syria and the opposition back
then,” the statement said. Al-Sayyed stressed: “The international tribunal will
not regain its credibility unless the Lebanese, Arabs and the world see that it
tries the false witnesses and their accomplices, and detains” former chief U.N.
investigator Detlev Mehlis, General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza, State Commissioner
to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr, Magistrate Elias Eid, officers Ashraf
Rifi and al-Hassan and Mehlis’ aide Gerhard Lehmann.
Future Movement calls for Friday gathering in front of Hariri’s tomb
August 18, 2011 /The Future Movement issued a statement on Thursday calling on
its supporters to gather after Friday prayers in front of the tomb of
assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in downtown Beirut. The
participants are to read al-Fatiha prayer after the UN-backed Special Tribunal
for Lebanon unsealed the indictment. Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed
Nasrallah on Wednesday dismissed the STL’s publicized indictment and reiterated
that the international court is a US-Israeli plan to incite sectarian strife in
the country. The STL indicted four members of the Iranian- Syrian-backed
Hezbollah group in connection to the 2005 assassination of Hariri and 21 others,
but in July, Nasrallah ruled out their arrest. -NOW Lebanon
Imagine, Mr. Nasrallah
Now Lebanon/August 18, 2011
Imagine you are a mechanic’s wife whose only purpose for living is her family.
As you’re cooking lunch one day in your kitchen, waiting for your husband and
son to come home, an explosion shatters your living room windows. You run and
turn on the TV, like all Lebanese have grown accustomed to doing with the
frequent bombings and assassinations that had been taking place. But on the news
you see footage of what looks like your son’s car, shattered, with a dead body
inside. You spend hours in agony searching for your family members. To your
immeasurable relief, you find out that your son is alive, only to learn later
that the decapitated body you saw in his car on television was your husband.
And that is only the beginning of the agony. Your daughter starts having
nightmares, your son goes into therapy after having seen his father die in front
of his own eyes, and you can’t afford to cry because you have to be strong for
both of them.
Now imagine you’re a father who spent his life educating his only son. You are
proud of what he has accomplished and are looking forward to years of joy with
him and his young family. And then you hear an explosion one morning. You get a
phone call, somebody asks your name and then, after an awkward silence, you’re
told your son is gone. Now you have to spend the rest of your days coping with
the anguish of losing a child.
Imagine that you’ve already had threats on your life. That, after surviving two
assassination attempts, spending months in a hospital after being shot, you just
happen to pass by when a bomb meant for some other politician goes off. And you
die, but you don’t die a hero or a martyr—you’re just an unintended victim.
Imagine that you’re not an important politician, that your name only means the
world to your family. Imagine that the only hope for justice you have is the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Not because it is a perfect independent
international organization, but because it is the only institution that actually
asks about you, is willing to take you into consideration and give you the
answers you seek. Imagine that after six years of investigations, procedures and
political bickering, this institution charges four people in the first case and
promises to bring to justice a long line of assassins who killed scores in
Lebanon between 2004 and 2008. After the prosecutor announces he gathered 20,000
pages of evidence, here comes Hezbollah’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah,
saying everything is false and that his party is going to protect the four
people indicted on the basis of that evidence.
Fight fair this time, Mr. Nasrallah. Look into the eyes of the mothers, the
wives, the children, the fathers who lost their loved ones. Then think if it is
fair that you just give your speech on television, say it was an Israeli
conspiracy to attack Hezbollah and dismiss the indictment. Maybe it’s not just
about you this time. If you’re the head of the Resistance who fights for Lebanon
and its people, fight for these people who lost their loved ones. They are
Lebanese too, just like those Lebanese who died in South Lebanon in 2006.
Rockets and long, animated speeches can’t clear the names of the four people
indicted in the Rafik Hariri assassination. Let justice do its job. If Salim
Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Anaissi and Assad Sabra were indicted by the
STL with evidence fabricated by an international conspiracy, just prove it.
Let the four “brothers in resistance” prove they are four honest people who
never hurt anybody and who were defending Lebanon from Israeli aggression in
South Lebanon when Rafik Hariri’s convoy blew up in 2005, leaving 22 people dead
and over 200 wounded. Let the four “brothers in resistance” go to court and show
they didn’t do it.
UN chief warns over Israel-Palestinian “escalation”
August 18, 2011 /UN leader Ban Ki-moon raised fears Thursday of an "escalation"
in the Israel-Palestinian conflict after seven Israelis were killed in attacks
on Thursday.
Ban "is concerned at the risk of escalation and calls for all to act with
restraint," said UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq.
The attacks came amid an increasingly tense diplomatic deadlock between Israel
and the Palestinian Authority, which has said it will seek recognition as a
state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. "The secretary
general strongly condemns today's coordinated terror attacks in southern
Israel," said his spokesperson, expressing condolences to the families of the
victims and the injured. "The secretary general hopes that the perpetrators are
swiftly identified and brought to justice. He is concerned at the risk of
escalation and calls for all to act with restraint." Three coordinated attacks
in southern Israel near the Egyptian border killed at least seven people,
according to Israeli authorities.
The bloodshed sparked a massive manhunt for the killers and at one stage Israeli
troops staged a running gun battle with the militants, which left seven of the
gunmen dead, Israeli security sources said. A subsequent Israeli air strike on
the southern Gaza town of Rafah killed six people, Palestinian medics said.
-AFP/ NOW Lebanon
Clinton presses Egypt on Sinai security after Israel attack
August 18, 2011 /US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday pressed Egypt
to follow through on its pledges to ensure security in the Sinai following a
deadly attack across the border in Israel. Seven Israelis were killed in a
series of coordinated attacks in southern Israel Thursday, a top army officer
said, as security sources said the army had shot dead seven of the attackers.
"This violence only underscores our strong concerns about the security situation
in the Sinai Peninsula," Clinton said in a statement.
"Recent commitments by the Egyptian government to address the security situation
in the Sinai are important and we urge the Egyptian government to find a lasting
resolution," the chief US diplomat said. Israeli officials have said the
perpetrators all came from the Gaza Strip, where the ruling Palestinian Islamist
movement Hamas denied any involvement.
A senior source said they had entered Israel via the Sinai peninsula where
Egyptian troops recently began a massive operation to root out militants based
there.
-AFP/ NOW Lebanon
EU's Ashton condemns “unreservedly” attacks on Israel
August 18, 2011
EU Foreign Affairs Chief Catherine Ashton on Thursday condemned "unreservedly" a
string of attacks on Israel that left seven Israelis dead. "I have learned with
deep concern of the series of terrorist attacks that has taken place in southern
Israel today, including against civilian targets, and in which several Israelis
are reported to have lost their lives and many more to have been injured,"
Ashton said in a statement. "I condemn unreservedly all such acts of terror,
extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in these
attacks and express my wishes for a full and speedy recovery to the injured."
Israel said militants from Gaza carried out the attacks, on a desert road next
to the Egyptian border, near the Red Sea resort town of Eilat, and another near
the Jordanian border, where medics said all seven victims died. Israel then hit
back at the Hamas-controlled territory with air strikes that Palestinian medics
said killed six people.Israeli military sources confirmed that air strikes were
carried out in Gaza. Security sources also said Israeli troops had killed seven
suspected Palestinian attackers as they engaged in running gun battles in the
area near the Egyptian border.-AFP/ NOW Lebanon
Italy condemns “barbaric” attacks in Israel
August 18, 2011 /Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini condemned the attacks
in southern Israel on Thursday as "barbaric" and said the region had become more
vulnerable due to the upheaval in the Arab world. "I would like to express my
condolences and closeness to the Israeli people and government for the loss of
life in the barbaric attacks today," Frattini said, commenting on the string of
coordinated attacks that killed seven Israelis. "The resurgence of terrorism in
such a sensitive region... should push the international community to multiply
its efforts to coordinate preventive action in areas that have become more
vulnerable after the Arab revolts," he said. The bloodshed killed six civilians
and a soldier on two desert roads near the Red Sea resort town of Eilat. Israel
accused a Gaza-based militant group, the Popular Resistance Committee of being
behind the attacks.
Those who attack Israel pay “very heavy price,” Israeli PM says
August 18, 2011 /Israel will exact a "very heavy price" from anyone who attacks
its civilians, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, just
hours after a spate of attacks killed seven in southern Israel. "If the terror
organizations think they can harm our citizens without a response, Israel will
make them pay a very heavy price," he said in a televised address.
"I have laid down a principle: if you harm Israel, we will respond immediately
and very strongly." The attacks, which took place on two desert roads some 15
kilometers (nine miles) North of Eilat, saw gunmen rake two buses and a car with
gunfire, then mount two other attacks with a roadside bomb and a
rocket-propelled grenade against at least two other vehicles. Netanyahu said
Israel made good on his "principle" earlier on Thursday when the air force
launched a series of raids on targets in southern Gaza, killing six people,
including the heads of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), he said. "The
people who ordered the killing of our citizens... are no longer alive," he said.
Palestinian medical sources said four of the dead were PRC militants, while the
other two were civilians, one of whom was a toddler.Israeli military and
security officials said the men had planned and organized Thursday's attacks
with the aim of "kidnapping an Israeli civilian or soldier." Israeli troops also
hunted down seven Palestinians men who carried out the attacks: two were shot
dead in Israeli territory, while four were killed on the Egyptian side of the
border. A seventh man blew himself up, army officials said. Earlier, Defense
Minister Ehud Barak pointed the finger at the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and vowed
that Israel would respond.-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's Speech of Augusat 17/11
August 17, 2011
On August 17 Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech
on the anniversary of the end of the 2006 July War:
“I will tackle the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) indictment in the
remaining time I have after talking about the Resistance and its achievements.
Concerning the Resistance, I want to mention the sacrifices and the achievements
achieved by the Resistance. It is normal that no resistance can take place
without sacrifices, a people have to give sacrifices when they want to
[liberate] their lands and regain their sovereignty.
When I talk about the Resistance, I am not just referring to Hezbollah, but to
all resistance groups and the Lebanese Armed Forces and the sacrifices of the
Lebanese people.
When we say sacrifices, we are talking about tens of thousands of martyrs and
wounded people, and what happened to the national economy, and we should remind
ourselves that everything that happened was not for free, but as a result of
these sacrifices.
We have a special status for the families of the martyrs who resisted and made
sacrifices that we respect. Talking about the Resistance in Lebanon, we have lot
of sacrifices to make and we need to respect them and bear the national
responsibility that comes with these sacrifices.
The Resistance was able to humiliate the enemy in cooperation with the army and
the people to liberate prisoners, except some cases that are still discussed. We
also freed our waters from Israeli demands. If Lebanon is not exploiting its
[water resources], it is not [the fault] of the Israeli enemy.
The Resistance also succeeded in protecting the country, stopping the Israeli
enemy and protecting the oil resources which are not only found in the debated
maritime economic zone. What will protect this zone from Israeli assaults, the
UN Security Council and international resolutions?
Third I want to talk about the way the Resistance is targeted. From the first
day the Israelis and the Americans are trying to target the Resistance without
any legal or humanitarian values. The Resistance’s only crime is that it
defended [Lebanon’s] land and freed prisoners.
All attempts against the Resistance failed and increased the Resistance’s
morale. [Despite attempts to] to destroy the Resistance’s public image, all
statistics show that the Resistance is respected in the Arab and Islamic world.
They are also spending millions to target the image of the Resistance by
preparing the ground for sectarian strife and civil war [in Lebanon]. They hoped
that the Resistance would engage in domestic clashes. The also tried to target
the Resistance by targeting Lebanese sectarian division. We succeeded in
overcoming this conspiracy.
Lebanon is a country with a diverse society. Relations between sects should be
strong and stable. The country is governed through cooperation. Everything in
Lebanon takes a sectarian affiliation, including political debate.
They are trying to damage relations between the Lebanese sects to cause strife
in the country. Targeting Lebanon also targets the Resistance since [the latter]
is supported by most of the Lebanese people.
Today Resistance members belong to the Shia sect because it is in the South, but
[resistance] is perceived as a national responsibility away from any sectarian
affiliation. [The US and Israel] are trying to destroy relations between
Christians, Sunnis and Shia and to [incite] hatred that will result in clashes.
I want to mention some facts about the STL’s indictment. The STL focused on one
theory and four people from the Resistance were accused. I hoped that the
indictment would be published because then the people would be able to read it.
On what is it based? Where is its objectivity? I advise everyone to read the
full 45 pages. I am sure that whoever is saying that this indictment is
objective did not read it, but [instead] read what was written about [the
indictment] or what was written for them to say [about it].
What was published today supports what have been saying in the past few months
that this investigation is not transparent. I call on the Lebanese people to
[look at] the media reports and compare it with the indictment. They tried to
hide some numbers to say that not all of it was leaked.
Everything said about the secrecy of the investigation was proven to be a lie.
Nothing is secret, everything [about the indictment] has been [published] in
newspapers since 2006.
The only [evidence] mentioned in the indictment is the telephone data and some
analysis with no judicial meaning. We see lot of words such as, “We can
conclude, or [it] can be concluded” because some members of Hezbollah did
similar operations in the 1980s.
The Israeli spies in the [Lebanese] telecommunications sector shows the Israeli
control over the telecommunications sector and its ability to manipulate data
and create new phone numbers. This is enough to refute the telecommunication
evidence. Many judges said that the evidence mentioned is not enough to reach
these conclusions. There is no critical evidence. It is clear that the STL is
politicized, and the [accused] members of the Resistance should not be seen as
criminals but as honest people.
The indictment needs to be studied in deep, which Hezbollah will be doing in the
next few days.
Since 2006, there have been attempts to damage relations between the Shia and
the Sunnis… They wanted to link [the assassination of Rafik Hariri with other
crimes] until they reached the case of [the 2005 murder of former Lebanese
Communist Party Secretary General] George Hawi, who was a leader of the
resistance against Israel. Instead of being evidence that Israel is involved [in
the assassinations], it led to the indictment of honest people. Everyone knows
that Israel took advantage of this operation.
Concerning the Antelias bombing, [all we knows is that the two victims] argued
about a financial matter. However, as soon as the news about the explosion
spread, we heard March 14 media saying that men were planting a bomb in
Christian areas and that they were Shia. Some websites said that the two
belonged to Hezbollah, [and accused the party] of targeting the security of the
Christian areas.
March 14 parties are harming the tourism [sector] in the first place with [their
conspiracies] by making accusations before awaiting the results of
investigations and the judgments of judicial authorities.
Another example is the Lasa case. March 14 figures addressed the Lasa file as if
they were talking about the Resurrection Church. What happened in Lasa was a
debate over land ownership which dates back 70 or 80 years. They made it seem
like if it is an attempt by the Shia to invade the lands of the Christians.
A few days ago, we received a call that Hezbollah is deploying rocket launchers
in a message to Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt, so a
person from Hezbollah went there with a PSP member and asked about these
actions. They were told that the municipality was doing work, which has nothing
to do with Hezbollah or a security matter. Many conclusions were based on this
event. The media is tiring the Lebanese people.
There is no way that [the media] can let the [Lebaese] people live calmly. They
tend to [blow incidents out of proportion] and base false accusations on them.
This is what we saw on February 14, 2005 when Rafik Hariri was killed and before
being taken to the hospital, people started to accuse Syria and the
Lebanese-Syrian security regime.
[The media] now [holds us] responsible for every [accidental] gas tank
[explosion] in every house. Is it possible that we are hiding our martyrs and
their sons? This is our country and we want to continue our work, but it can’t
be achieved if we didn’t unite and cooperate. I call on the Lebanese people not
to believe everything they see in the media.
I am optimistic that we will overcome this critical situation and will face the
conspiracy that is made by political elite. We don’t want to be taken into
clashes and I ensure all those who support the Resistance that it will remain
strong and able to protect Lebanon and its people, and to protect its dignity,
water, and oil resources.”(Now Lebanon)
Moussawi dismisses STL indictment, says there is no evidence
August 18, 2011 /Hezbollah MP Nawwaf Moussawi dismissed on Thursday the
indictment of the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which said it
has enough evidence to try four Hezbollah members in the 2005 assassination of
ex-Premier Rafik Hariri. “Whoever reads the so-called STL indictment can make
many remarks on both its content and form,” he told OTV station. “In terms of
shape, the information previously leaked [to the media] matched exactly the
indictment that was unsealed; and in terms of content, we ask where is the
evidence presented since the indictment mentioned nine times the expression ‘it
is possible to conclude or can be concluded’?”
“This indictment is politicized.” Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Nasrallah
on Wednesday dismissed the STL’s publicized indictment and reiterated that the
international court is a US-Israeli plan to incite sectarian strife in the
country. The STL indicted four members of the Iranian- Syrian-backed
Hezbollah group in connection to the Hariri murder, but Nasrallah in July ruled
out their arrest. -NOW Lebanon
Fadlallah slams Hariri’s tribunal
August 18, 2011 Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said on Thursday that the
UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which indicted four members of the
Shia group for assassinating ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, “has become the
accused.”“The tribunal has become the accused, and not the Resistance,”
Fadlallah told New TV.He added that “the evidence submitted by STL [Prosecutor
Daniel Bellemare] is clearly [unreliable].”“This indictment is dangerous and
incites domestic strife…. it is politicized par excellence.”Fadlallah also said
that Prime Minister Najib Mikati “knows how to act” regarding Lebanon’s position
vis a vis the STL. Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Nasrallah on Wednesday
dismissed the STL’s publicized indictment and reiterated that the international
court is a US-Israeli plan to incite sectarian strife in the country. The STL
indicted four members of the Iranian- Syrian-backed Hezbollah group in
connection to the Hariri murder, but Nasrallah in July ruled out their arrest.
-NOW Lebanon
Houri says Hezbollah’s STL “uproar” is pointless
August 18, 2011
Future bloc MP Ammar Houri said on Thursday that Hezbollah’s “uproar” over the
UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) that indicted four members of the
Shia group for killing ex-Premier Rafik Hariri “does not acquit the
suspects.”“Facing the STL’s indictment through media uproars does not yield
results and does not make the [indicted] innocent,” the MP told Future News.He
also said that Hezbollah benefits by turning over the suspects to the
tribunal.“The court will pursue its work, and the trial will take place [even if
it is] in absentia,” Houri added.He also said that Hezbollah Secretary General
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is using Lebanon’s Shia sect as a façade “to hide the
indicted men behind it.”
“This [behavior] raises suspicions.”Nasrallah on Wednesday dismissed the STL’s
publicized indictment and reiterated that the international court is a
US-Israeli plan to incite sectarian strife in the country. The STL indicted four
members of the Iranian- Syrian-backed Hezbollah group in connection to the
Hariri murder, but Nasrallah in July ruled out their arrest.
-NOW Lebanon
Franjieh: STL’s indictment targets the Resistance
August 18, 2011 /Marada Movement leader MP Sleiman Franjieh said on Thursday
that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) indictment is a “plan targeting
the Resistance.”
“This is typical, this is a decision taken and everything else is details, but
our position was and will always be [in support] of the Resistance,” he told Al-Manar
television, referring to the Syrian- Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. “The
efforts to [harm] the Resistance started in the 2006 July War and now [continue
with] the STL… but we will see who will win in the end,” Franjieh added. The
Marada leader responded to opposition leader Saad Hariri’s comments, saying that
the former prime minister believes that the 2005 assassination of his father,
ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, is more important than Lebanon. “In the past, when
Syria was accused of assassinating [Rafik Hariri], Saad was hoping that the
Syrians were behind the operation… and now he [wishes] that Hezbollah is the
party who did it. Feelings of hatred are stronger than the will to reveal who
killed his father,” Franjieh said.
“[Saad] Hariri is a fertile ground for [foreign] countries to target the
Resistance.”Saad Hariri said on Wednesday night that Hezbollah Secretary General
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah “is dragging the Shia in Lebanon into the circle of
danger,” shortly after the Shia group leader dismissed a UN-backed tribunal’s
indictment that unsealed evidence linking four Hezbollah members to Rafik
Hariri’s 2005 murder. The STL indicted four members of the Hezbollah group in
connection to the Hariri murder, but Nasrallah in July ruled out their arrest.
-NOW Lebanon
Soueid: Hezbollah is trying to hide behind the Shia sect
August 18, 2011
March 14 General Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soueid said on Thursday that
Hezbollah is trying to hide behind the Shia sect in order to dismiss the
UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which says it has enough evidence
to try four Hezbollah members in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik
Hariri.“Hezbollah is trying to use [Lebanon’s] Shia as a [façade],” Soueid told
the Voice of Lebanon (100.5) radio station.He warned Hezbollah against internal
strife and said that its attempt to aggravate the Shia sect will fail. “The game
is over and Hezbollah must cooperate [with the tribunal].”Soueid added that the
STL’s decision to unseal the indictment was “a moral victory.”“We waited for six
years for the court’s indictment that was issued yesterday…. this is an
important milestone and a moral victory.”Nasrallah on Wednesday dismissed the
STL’s publicized indictment and reiterated that the international court is a
US-Israeli plan to incite sectarian strife in the country. The STL indicted four
members of the Iranian- Syrian-backed Hezbollah group in connection to the
Hariri murder, but Nasrallah ruled out their arrest.
The Abu Adas Axis
18/08/2011
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Details of the indictment announced by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,
accusing four elements affiliated to Hezbollah of the assassination of Rafik
Hariri, shows that our region, since the year 2000 until now, has been living in
the era of the "Axis of Abu Adas"[in reference to the Lebanese citizen who
appeared in a video allegedly claiming responsibility for the assassination of
Rafik Hariri], rather than the era of resistance or opposition.
Details of the indictment show that the crime of the assassination of Rafik
Hariri, its magnitude, and its details, could not have been carried out by four
people alone, regardless of their criminal skills. It was an organized effort at
the highest levels, and a [state] apparatus must have been behind it to organize
and coordinate, and seek to mislead. If only four individuals had carried out
the assassination, then it would have been easy for other security organs
working in Lebanon to uncover them, such as the Syrian intelligence service,
which formally controlled Lebanon at the time, alongside Hezbollah's devices and
Iran. In Lebanon there is an open tear where everybody can secretly listen in!
Therefore, it would have been impossible for four individuals to undertake the
planning of an operation as enormous as the assassination of Rafik Hariri with
such ease, especially as the planning was done in Dahiya, the same location as
Hassan Nasrallah's headquarters.
Here we must note a vital point: the operation itself which was planned in
Dahiya, but then thrust into Tripoli, in order to portray it as a terrorist act
carried out by a Sunni terrorist group. Thus the story of Abu Adas was
fabricated – to mislead of course, and this is an indication of something more
serious that has been going on in our region for ten years; namely pinning all
terrorist operations in the region on Sunni groups. The boom in al-Qaeda and its
crimes has been exploited, intentionally of course, and this explains the
reliable reports of relations between al-Qaeda and Iran, whether in Iraq or
Afghanistan, as well as training centers in Syria, or recent reports of
significant moves towards Shiite militias in Iraq. Here, we must think
carefully: Is it conceivable that terrorists – whatever their skills – could
carry out huge operations in our region without the support of state devices?
Is it conceivable, for example, that al-Qaeda could carry out 15 terrorist
operations simultaneously in 15 Iraqi cities, as has happened in the last few
days, without the assistance of security apparatuses, whether internal or
external? This is not true at all. If al-Qaeda was able to do this with such
ease, then what exactly is the government of Nuri al-Maliki doing in Iraq?
Therefore, what we have been witnessing in our region for years, rather than the
axis of opposition, is the "Axis of Abu Adas", [established] through deception
and assassinations, with regards to the geographical region pertaining to the
allies Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, with their hands stretching far, whether in
Iraq or Lebanon. Of course, the "Axis of Abu Adas" has an integrated media
system, and a complex network that state apparatuses clearly stand behind. It is
not the work of individuals. There is a network undertaking the planning and
implementation, served by a media system which seeks to mislead and link what is
happening either to Israel or to Sunni fundamentalist groups. The objectives are
clear, most notably to impose Iranian influence to establish a sectarian belt
around Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, as well as to relieve pressure on the al-Assad
regime at the moment.
Therefore, the importance of the Hariri tribunal is not only to achieve justice,
but in order to expose the great deception of what I call the "Axis of Abu Adas"
in the region.