LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 29/2012

Bible Quotation for today/The Widow's Offering
Luke 21/01-04: "Jesus looked around and saw rich people dropping their gifts in the Temple treasury, and he also saw a very poor widow dropping in two little copper coins. He said, I tell you that this poor widow put in more than all the others. For the others offered their gifts from what they had to spare of their riches; but she, poor as she is, gave all she had to live on"

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Hezbollah is in trouble/Guy Bechor/February 28/12
On Syria, the Russian bear's growling is one of fear/By Adar Primor/February 28/12
Iran angry at Hamas abandoning Al-Assad/By Paula Astatih/ February 28/12

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for February 28/12
US and Israel update Iran intelligence for Obama-Netanyahu summit
Israel wouldn't warn U.S. before Iran strike, says intelligence source
Israel, Kurdish fighters destroyed Iran nuclear facility, email released by WikiLeaks claims
U.S. policy aimed at 'buying time' with Iran, says senior official
Iran 'optimistic' on future of nuclear talks with UN watchdog
Thailand police detains another Iranian suspect in Bangkok bombing
Haaretz Editorial/Israel can't afford to stay silent in face of Syria crisis
Russia upgrades Syria-based electronic station to warn Iran of US/Israeli attack
Suicide Bomber Kills Three Christians At A Nigerian Church
Palestinian Authority threatens to 'reevaluate' its agreements with Israel
IDF: Terror threat comes from Bedouin guides, not asylum seekers
Syria warns West: Arming opposition is 'big mistake'
Report: 135 dead across Syria on Monday
Syrian military pounds rebel areas, foreign journalists escape
Syrian army pounds rebels, new move at U.N.
Journalists Bouvier, Conroy in Lebanon: officials
UN human rights chief: Some 500 children killed in Syria violence
Muslim Brotherhood lawmaker: Arab Spring headed to Iran
Syria opposition leader Burhan Ghalioun: Assad's fall does not mean end of ties with Hezbollah
Sami Gemayel admonishes government to revise history curriculum
Romania promises military help for Lebanon
Hariri calls U.N. chief, praises extension of STL mandate
Beirut-Sidon highway reopened following protests
Qabbani postpones Sunni council elections
Berri: legalize 2011 govt spending before that of 2005
U.N. rights forum to condemn Syria for fourth time
Syrian Teens Released after 36 Hours of Captivity
Aoun: No Settlement Has Been Reached Yet over Administrative Appointments
Hariri Hails Ban’s Extension of STL Mandate, Appointment of New Prosecutor

Lebanon's Oppressive History Book
Elias Bejjani/28.02.12/My new Lebanese Audio commentary focuses on the press conference that was held today by the Lebanese patriotic MP, Sami Gymayel. He harshly criticized the Lebanese current government for writing a new history book for the country. In this "crime" book that is fully dictated by the terrorist Hezbollah all Lebanon's Christians struggling and resistance eras ( 1975-2012 were deliberately ignored totally while glorifying Hezbollah's faked and criminal so called resistance. Gymayel was, knowledgeable, brave, transparent and more than excellent in all the topics that he addressed but sadly he himself ignored the heroic resistance of the South Lebanese Army. We call on MP, Gymayel to issue an annex to his press conference in which he gives the SLA the heroic and resistance credit as he did  with all others war stations and eras. The SLA and the residents of what used to be known as the "Security Zone" fought single handed all kinds of terrorists and fundamentalists including the PLO and Hezbollah. They lost more than 1500 martyr and refused to succumb to terrorism and leave their land. Ignoring this Heroic and patriotic era of the Security Zone's residents  is not fair and could not be accepted. Dhimmitude is not the right or patriotic manner for handling the new Lebanese history book. 

Syrian Teens Released after 36 Hours of Captivity
by Naharnet /The security forces succeeded on Tuesday in releasing the two Syrian teenagers who were kidnapped on Monday, reported the National News Agency. They were released after the kidnappers received $1 million in ransom, reported Voice of Lebanon radio. Baraa and Ali Izzeddine were released in the Bekaa town of Brital after 36 hours of captivity, said MTV. The teenagers are still in the custody of the security forces, stated NNA. The two Syrians were kidnapped from their home in the area of Karak near the eastern city of Zahle at dawn Monday, their mother claimed. Jumana Izzeddine, a Syrian national, told security forces that several armed men broke into her house and kidnapped her sons Baraa, 16, and Ali, 14. According to Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3), she also told the police that the kidnappers robbed her of $30,000 and 1 million Syrian liras in cash. Later in the day, the Lebanese army carried out raids in the Bekaa town of Brital after the mother received a phone call from a Syrian mobile number asking for a 3-million-dollar ransom

Israel, Kurdish fighters destroyed Iran nuclear facility, email released by WikiLeaks claims
By Anshel Pfeffer and Ron Ben-Tovim /Haaretz
In exchange released by website, worker at Stratfor intelligence firm doubts validity of a source claiming an Israeli ground force had already wiped out Iran's nuclear infrastructure.The mega-leaks website, WikiLeaks, has partnered with the hackers cooperative Anonymous, to publish internal emails of the American strategic intelligence company Stratfor. In one of the hacked emails, Stratfor officials discuss information obtained from one of their sources who reports that Israeli commandos, in cooperation with Kurdish fighters, have destroyed Iranian nuclear installations. WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, will hold a press conference today in London where he plans to reveal new details from the Stratfor emails, including details on the company's dealings with the American government and major corporations, and its network of paid sources.
In a WikiLeaks press release last night, the group said that it had obtained over five million emails generated by the Stratfor headquarters in Texas, from 2004 until the end of 2011. Though the organization does not specify the source of the emails, it has already been published that Stratfor was a target of the Anonymous hackers.
According to the emails, among Stratfor's clients are American government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Marine Corps, the Dow Chemical company, for whom Stratfor is alleged to have kept tabs on activists fighting the company for compensation over the Indian Bhopal chemical plant disaster in 1984, and defense giants Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon.
In addition, the WikiLeaks statement said Stratfor also "monitored" activists supporting the blight of the 1984 Bhopal chemical disaster on behalf of the US chemical giant Dow Chemical. In one of the emails from November 2011, Startfor officials discuss the explosion at an Iranian missile base near Tehran and quote a source who "was asked what he thought of reports that the Israelis were preparing a military offensive against Iran. Response: I think this is a diversion. The Israelis already destroyed all the Iranian nuclear infrastructure on the ground weeks ago."
One company analyst responded dismissively to the possibility of an Israeli attack having already taken place, asking: "How and when did the Israelis destroy the infra on the ground?" "Would anyone actually accept that this could let the Europeans forget about the Euro crisis, something they have been experiencing every day for over a year?!" the analyst added, asking: "Do we attribute any credibility to this item at all? I don't even see what possible disinfo purposes this could serve."

Israel wouldn't warn U.S. before Iran strike, says intelligence source
By The Associated Press
Pronouncement by U.S. official, delivered in series of private, top-level conversations, sets a tense tone ahead of meetings in Washington in the coming days.
Israeli officials say they won't warn the U.S. if they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, according to one U.S. intelligence official familiar with the discussions. The pronouncement, delivered in a series of private, top-level conversations, sets a tense tone ahead of meetings in the coming days at the White House and Capitol Hill.
Israeli officials said that if they eventually decide a strike is necessary, they would keep the Americans in the dark to decrease the likelihood that the U.S. would be held responsible for failing to stop Israel's potential attack.The U.S. has been working with the Israelis for months to persuade them that an attack would be only a temporary setback to Iran's nuclear program.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak delivered the message to a series of top-level U.S. visitors to the country, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the White House national security adviser and the director of national intelligence, and top U.S. lawmakers, all trying to close the trust gap between Israel and the U.S. over how to deal with Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Netanyahu delivered the same message to all the Americans who have traveled to Israel for talks, the U.S. official said.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive strategic negotiations.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment, and the Pentagon and Office of Director of National Intelligence declined to comment, as did the Israeli Embassy.
Iran claims its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but the International Atomic Energy Agency has raised alarms that its uranium enrichment program might be a precursor to building nuclear weapons. The U.S. has said it does not know whether Tehran has decided to weaponize its nuclear material and put it on a missile or other delivery device.
The secret warning is likely to worry U.S. officials and begin the high level meetings with Israel and the U.S. far apart on how to handle Iran.
But the apparent decision to keep the U.S. in the dark also stems from Israel's frustration with the White House. After a visit by National Security Adviser Tom Donilon in particular, they became convinced the Americans would neither take military action, nor go along with unilateral action by Israel against Iran. The Israelis concluded they would have to conduct a strike unilaterally … a point they are likely to hammer home in a series of meetings over the next two weeks in Washington, the official said.
Barak will meet with top administration and congressional officials during his visit. Netanyahu arrives in Washington for meetings with President Barack Obama next week.
The behind-the-scenes warning belies the publicly united front the two sides have attempted to craft with the shuttle diplomacy to each other's capitals.
"It's unprecedented outreach to Israel to make sure we are working together to develop the plan to deter Iran from developing a nuclear weapon," and to keep them from exporting terrorism, said Maryland Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
He traveled there with the Intelligence Committee chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican, to meet Israel's prime minister and defense minister, along with other officials.
"We talked about the fact that sanctions are working and they are going to get a lot more aggressive," Ruppersberger added.
They also talked about presenting a unified front to Iran, to counter the media reports that the two countries are at odds over how and when to attack Iran.
"We have to learn from North Korea. All those (peace) talks and stalling and they developed a nuclear weapon," he said. "We are going to send a message, enough is enough, the stalling is over. ... All options are on the table."
"I got the sense that Israel is incredibly serious about a strike on their nuclear weapons program," Rogers told CNN on Monday. "It's their calculus that the administration ... is not serious about a real military consequence to Iran moving forward.
"They believe they're going to have to make a decision on their own, given the current posture of the United States," he added.
U.S. intelligence and special operations officials have tried to keep a dialogue going with Israel, despite the high-level impasse, sharing with them options such as allowing Israel to use U.S. bases in the region from which to launch such a strike, as a way to make sure the Israelis give the Americans a heads-up, according to the U.S. official, and a former U.S. official with knowledge of the communications
Cooperation has improved on sharing of intelligence in the region, according to one current and one former U.S. official. Israel is providing key information on Syria for instance, now that the U.S. has closed its embassy and pulled out both its diplomats and intelligence officials stationed there, the U.S. official said.

Muslim Brotherhood lawmaker: Arab Spring headed to Iran
By Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz
Head of the Foreign Affairs committee in the Egyptian parliament repels critisicm over okay given to Iranian ship to pass through Suez, saying Egypt was bound by international treaties. A senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood and newly anointed Egyptian lawmaker warned Monday that the revolutions that have recently been sweeping the Middle East will also reach Iran.
Essam al-Arian, the head of the Foreign Affairs committee in the new Egyptian parliament, said that Egypt must examine how it could lead the changes in the Middle East, known as the Arab Spring, which he said would also reach Iran. Al-Arian's comment marked the first time an official representative of the Muslim Brotherhood spoke openly about a possible uprising in Iran.
There was also harsh criticism in the Foreign Affairs committee meeting in Egypt's parliament over Egypt's approval for two Iranian ships to pass through the Suez Canal. Al-Arian responded to the criticism, saying that Egypt is tied to international treaties and therefore could not prevent the passage of the ships.
This Muslim Brotherhood position fits with their ideological stance, which sees Shia Islam as an unwanted denomination, and also fits their political stance, which sees the Egyptian uprising as a product of Egypt that was meant to remove Mubarak's dictatorial regime, and not part of an Islamic revolution, like Iran wants to present it. Moreover, the current severance of ties between Hamas and Syria also aids the Muslim Brotherhood express a harsher stance toward Iran. As long as Hamas relied on Assad and enjoyed Iranian aid, the Muslim Brotherhood found it difficult to criticize Iran and Syria.
Iran, on its part, rushed last week to publicly announce that it is prepared to provide financial aid to Egypt and to increase its investments in the country, in order to reduce the harm done to Egypt as a result of a possible freeze on U.S. aid. However the Muslim Brotherhood did not rush to embrace the Iranian proposal. Amr Moussa, who is expected to run for the Egyptian presidency, also joined the anti-Iranian stance when he declared this week that the "Arab Middle East will not be run by Iran or Turkey."  Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood demanded the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to allow the Islamist movement to assemble a new government, pledging to include liberal parties in the cabinet. Their demand was based on a claim made by the Muslim Brotherhood, according to which, by no being unable to prepare plans to reconstruct Egypt, the transitional cabinet led by Kamal al-Ganzouri could push the country's economy to the brink. Moreover, the group claims that the current cabinet was not enforcing the law, thus bringing about the spread of robbery cases, illegal possessions of arms, harassments of bystanders, and a general loss of personal safety. While the criticism is directed at al-Ganzouri's cabinet, it is really meant for the country's ruling military, headed by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, which approves all the actions of the transitional government.

Syria opposition leader: Assad's fall does not mean end of ties with Hezbollah
By Zvi Bar'el /Haaretz
Burhan Ghalioun says there is a difference between his demand that Hezbollah change its position vis-à-vis Syria, and his support for the organization for its policy on Israel. “Hezbollah is not our enemy. On the contrary - the greatest support in the Arab World for Hezbollah came from the Syrians because it performed a noble deed when it stood up to Israel and blocked an Israeli attack. However, today people are suspicious of Hezbollah because it has clearly supported the regime which acts with all forms of violence against its citizens.” These are the words Dr. Burhan Ghalioun, head of the Syrian National Council (the largest of the Syrian opposition groups), used to clarify the organization’s stance toward Hezbollah.
In an interview with Algerian newspaper El-Shorouk, Ghalioun distinguishes between his demand that Hezbollah change its position vis-à-vis Syria and his support for the organization in everything related to its policy regarding Israel. It seems that Israeli (and Western) working premise, according to which the fall of the Assad regime will bring about the end of Syria’s relationship with Iran or Hezbollah, does not reflect Ghalioun or his organization’s worldview. Ghalioun clarified that “there are no eternal hatreds, nor eternal friendships. Alliances depend on interests, and we want to realize our goals. Should Hezbollah decide to support democracy in Syria, we will not have any problems in our relationship with it. We will not sacrifice Hezbollah if Hezbollah does not sacrifice us.” Ghalioun emphasized that until now there has not been any contact between the opposition and Hezbollah as organizations, although it seems as if meetings have occurred on a personal level.
Opposite Ghalioun is a group of 20 members of the Syrian National Council which have harshly criticized the way he has handled the council. The enmity reached a peak on Sunday when the group officially left the 270-member council and form a new oppositional council. They demand an immediate military campaign against the Syrian regime, and criticize Ghalioun’s vague position regarding any such demand. Some of the dissidents denied leaving the Syrian National Council, and there does not seem to be an end to the internal struggle within the council or between the council which functions outside of Syria and the opposition forces within the country. All this, while the different military arms of the opposition, each of which is headed by a different officer, are not able to come to an agreement on a how to unify under one authority, nor in their method of operation. These differences constitute a vast difficulty for the policy of the West as well as that of Arab countries in deciding who the exclusive representative of the Syrian nation during the revolution is, and on a practical level, to whom to give money and weapons. Different reports describe the flow of weapons and ammunition through Turkey and Iraq, others talk of Saudi financing and Qatari acquisition of weapons. However, it is unclear who receives all of the aforementioned funding and weaponry. Ghalioun himself admits that there is no central oversight of weapons that make it to the opposition organizations, and that he would prefer that the operations of the Free Syrian Army under the command of General Riad al-Assad will be subordinate to the policy of the Syrian National Council, although al-Assad is not planning such coordination, all the more so after his part in the rebellion was not mentioned during the Friends of Syria conference which took place in Tunisia last week. In the meantime, Syrian opposition activists reported on Wednesday the number killed had already reached 50, and that Bashar Assad deployed the 4th Armored Division under the command of his brother Maher, in order to handle the operations in Homs. Neither European diplomacy, nor pressures from Arab countries have been able to bring about an effective and practical course of action. The condemnations of against Assad in the United Nations Human Rights Committee, and the declarations of the leaders of France, Britain and the United States continually use the routine choice of words, and only Saudi Arabia still pins its hopes on being able to change Russia’s position, while Assad signed a new constitution, which was “approved” in a national referendum on Sunday. For Assad, killing those who oppose him while permitting elections in order to grant him legitimacy is the only way to go.

US and Israel update Iran intelligence for Obama-Netanyahu summit
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report February 28, 2012/ The media duel over Iran between the Obama administration and the Netanyahu government went up a notch Tuesday, Feb. 28 with an Associated Press report by Kimberly Dozier asserting that Israel had decided finally that if an attack on Iran was judged necessary, the US would be kept in the dark “so as not to be held responsible for failing to stop a potential Israeli attack.”Referring to this claim, debkafile’s military and intelligence sources note that Washington would hardly need a heads-up from Israel because it commands every possible resource for finding out for itself what Israel is up to and for determining if its actions are for real or red herrings.
Indeed, last Sunday, Feb. 19, Washington’s suspicions were aroused by an Israeli military spokesman’s bulletin on the stationing of an Iron Dome anti-missile battery in the Tel Aviv district. Israel was asked for clarifications. To avoid appearing to have buckled down under US pressure, Israel waited four days before announcing a change of plan and the deployment instead of three batteries in Beersheba, Ashkelon and Ashdod, towns which are in line for missile attacks from Gaza rather than Iran.
US and Israeli sources stress that if the country were indeed headed for war, it would not be possible to conceal every sign of preparation, especially such civil defense measures as building up stocks of medicines, fuel and food, or orders to local authorities to make bomb shelters ready. Whenever Israel is suspected of switching over to eve-of-war mode, the Obama administration sends high officials over to talk to Israelis and find out what is going on. Indeed Western intelligence sources have taken to using the frequency of those visits as a barometer for judging the seriousness of an approaching Israeli attack on Iran.Last week, the US President’s National Security Adviser Tom Donilon spent time in Israel after Chairman of the US Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey. He left Tuesday, Feb. 21, followed two days later by National Intelligence Director James Clapper. Sunday, Feb. 26, Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak flew to Washington. March 5, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu arrives at the White House for his date with President Barack Obama. Most of these US-Israeli discussions have been devoted to laying the ground for this summit by a joint reevaluation of US and Israeli intelligence on Iran’s nuclear progress, whose conclusions will be put before the two leaders.Both governments are meanwhile setting the scene for the event with tendentious media leaks, often drawing on outdated, long-refuted materials. One of the least plausible items was run by AP Tuesday, claiming, “US intelligence and special operations officials have tried to keep a dialogue going with Israel, despite the high-level impasse, sharing with them options such as allowing Israel to use US bases in the region from which to launch such a strike as a way to make sure the Israelis give the Americans a heads-up.”
The basic facts emerging from the hot air surrounding the issue are that the Obama administration is dead set against any Israeli military action against Iran and that it remains an active option. The president and his advisers are working overtime to prevent it happening. The last thing on Washington’s mind therefore would be to support an attack by making US bases available merely for the sake of a heads-up. And another point: if Israel feels the need to absolve the US of responsibility, why would it use US bases? The presence of US intelligence and special operations and intelligence officials at Israel military facilities is not news; this level of military cooperation goes back years. Tehran draws its own conclusions from the pace of US official visits to Israel and the ding dong between the two governments over an attack on its nuclear sites. This week, Iranian Defense minister classified the dispute as “a war game” and a deliberate game of deception. Of late, whenever top White House officials touch down in Israel in unusual numbers, Tehran announces yet another “large-scale military maneuver.”

Sami Gemayel admonishes government to revise history curriculum
February 28, 2012/PM The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Kataeb Party MP Sami Gemayel warned the government Tuesday against approving a new history curriculum that fails to acknowledge the Cedar Revolution and other political phenomena in recent Lebanese history.“It is unacceptable that certain eras in history be abolished, for example the period between 1975 and 1976, during which hundreds of martyrs fell in defense of Lebanon," Gemayel told a news conference."Ignoring a large segment of the Lebanese population and the struggle of a large group of martyrs is a very serious issue,” Gemayel said.
“It is intolerable that the book speaks about one resistance. Selectivity here is a red line because we cannot forge a [viable] Lebanon while ignoring a segment of the Lebanese,” Gemayel cautioned.
He noted that the new history curriculum addresses the Lebanese resistance against Israel but not the Lebanese resistance against Palestinian militias and the Syrian army during the Civil War (1975-1990).
Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Monday that the country’s unified history curriculum should be developed independently of personal desires and considerations.
Controversy was sparked last month when it was revealed that the ministerial committee charged with developing the history curriculum had decided to omit the term “Cedar Revolution” when referring to the 2005 protests following the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.Instead, the 2005 events will be described as “a wave of protests." According to Culture Minister Gaby Layyoun, the reason for such terminology is the fact that the phrase "Cedar Revolution" was invented by a U.S. official.“We cannot keep such a phrase in the curriculum ... [It] is sensitive to many in the country and it might create problems between people,” Layyoun said.The decision has incensed many politicians from the March 14 coalition, which grew out of the 2005 protests, and highlighted the perennial difficulty of creating a history curriculum satisfactory to most Lebanese

Iran angry at Hamas abandoning Al-Assad
By Paula Astatih/Asharq Alawsat
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat –Hamas political bureau deputy chief Moussa Abu Marzook sought to draw a line under the speculation regarding Hamas’s position in Syria, confirming that the Palestinian movement has left Syria because it respects “the will of the people” and rejects the “security solution” being enacted by the al-Assad regime. Abu Marzook, in an interview with the Associated Press [AP], revealed that Hamas political bureau chief Khalid Mishal and his closest aides have moved to Doha. He said “the Iranians are not happy with our position on Syria, and when they are not happy they don’t deal with you in the same old way”, in a reference to a decline of Iranian financial aid to Hamas.The Hamas political bureau chief stressed that the Palestinian movement has left Syria in protest against the “bloody” campaign being carried out by the al-Assad regime. Abu Marzook clarified “our position on Syria is that we are not with the regime in its security solution, and we respect the will of the people.”
Abu Marzook noted that Hamas still has offices in Syria, but asserted that “practically, we are no longer in Syria, because we couldn’t practice our duties there.”
The Syrian National Council [SNC] welcomed Hamas’s support of the Syrian revolution. SNC Executive Committee member Samir Nashar informed Asharq Al-Awsat that “Hamas has taken the correct position, albeit late” adding “the gradual withdrawal of its leadership from Syria suggested that it would ultimately take a public position supporting the Syrian revolution.”
Nashar also stressed that “any movement that supports liberation and resistance must stand with the Syrian people, and this is what Hamas has done, particularly as the al-Assad regime is nothing more than another face of occupation.”The SNC Executive Committee member also revealed that “the latest position taken by Saudi Arabia – which sent a clear message that the Syrian regime must go – represented an impetus to Hamas and other movements or governments that are reluctant to take the right position and support the Syrian people.”
Nashar also informed Asharq Al-Awsat that “a number of SNC members – including myself – met with Hamas political bureau chief [Khalid Mishal] in Doha by chance as we were staying in the same hotel” adding “he [Mishal] informed us of his support for the just demands of the Syrian people and their revolution, but we did not ask anything more from him, as we are well aware of the position and specifications of the [Hamas] movement.”As for the possibility of Hezbollah taking a similar position as Hamas on the Syrian revolution, Nashar said “we do not see any possibility of this happening because we are well aware of the ideological and political ties between Hezbollah and Iran, therefore Hezbollah’s position will not change unless Tehran’s position changes.” He added “however, we must note that the last two speeches given by Hassan Nasrallah were less severe than before, as he called for political dialogue and implicitly recognized the necessity of achieving the demands of the [Syrian] people.”Nashar stressed that “Hezbollah stands against the freedom of the [Syrian] people, and this is something that we reject.”
Hamas deputy political bureau chief Moussa Abu Marzook’s position is the latest in a series of Hamas positions supporting the “Syrian revolution”. Prior to this, Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, speaking to a rally outside of Cairo’s Al-Azhar mosque, said “I salute all the people of the Arab Spring, or rather the Islamic Winter” adding “I salute the heroic Syrian people, who are striving for freedom, democracy and reform.”In this regard, Hezbollah has continued to voice its support for the al-Assad regime, with Hezbollah international relations official Ammar Moussawi recently stated “all forms of the opposition that evolve in the embrace of foreign powers cannot be viewed as national opposition and cannot be trusted to guide the future of the nation and homeland, not in Lebanon, nor in Syria, nor in any other Arab country.”
Moussawi also stressed that “Syria today is subject to a foreign conspiracy and when more people become aware of this the situation will become more stable. The conspiracy that brought together differences parties and powers at the so-called ‘Friends of Syria’ conference will be destroyed by the steadfastness of the Syrian people, particularly as this [conference] included a lot of enemies of the Syrian and Palestinian people, from our own experiences in previous years, as they were and continue to be hostile to many regional Arab and Palestinian issues.”

Russia upgrades Syria-based electronic station to warn Iran of US/Israeli attack
DEBKAfile Special Report February 27, 2012/The Russians have upgraded their Jabal Al Harrah electronic and surveillance station south of Damascus opposite Israel’s Sea of Galilee, adding resources especially tailored to give Tehran early warning of an oncoming US or Israeli attack, debkafile’s US military sources report.
Before it was boosted by extra advanced technology and manpower, the station covered civilian and military movements in northern Israel up to Tel Aviv, northern Jordan and western Iraq. Today, its range extends to all parts of Israel and Jordan, the Gulf of Aqaba and northern Saudi Arabia.
Part two of Moscow’s project for extending the range of its Middle East ears and eyes consisted of upgrading the Russian-equipped Syrian radar stationed on Lebanon’s Mount Sannine and connecting it to the Jabal Al Harrah facility in Syria. Russian technicians have completed this project too. Russia is now able to additionally track US and Israeli naval and aerial movements in the Eastern Mediterranean up to and including Cyprus and Greece.
According to our sources, the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kutznetsov’s stay at the Syrian port of Tartus through most of January and up to mid-February had the special mission of keeping an eye out for any Israeli preparations for attacking Iran, Syria or Hizballah. It filled the gap left by the Russian station south of Damascus which was fully occupied with feeding data on Syrian opposition movements to Bashar Assad and watching out for signs of foreign intervention, military or covert, against his regime.
The Russian vessel meanwhile followed increased traffic of US drone over Syria keeping track of the Syrian arsenal of missiles with chemical, biological and nerve gas warheads. Washington disclosed on Feb. 25 that the US State Department had sent out warnings to six countries, Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq, to beware of these deadly weapons. It was not clear whether the warning referred to a possible Assad regime’s decision to use WMD against those nations or the danger of their transfer to terrorists embedded within those countries.
Moscow decided to boost its radar tracking and surveillance reach for Iran’s benefit in response to a complaint from Tehran that it could not longer count on Russia for a real-time alert on an incoming US or Israeli military strike, because those resources were stretched to the limit in support of the Assad regime.
After expanding and upgrading their range to meet Iranian needs by interconnecting the two stations and adding extra Russian manpower, Moscow ordered the Admiral Kutznetsov to depart Tartus on Feb. 13 and sail to home port at Severomorsk on the Kola Peninsula. The Russian stations in Syria and Lebanon were by then ready for their expanded missions.

Hezbollah is in trouble
Guy Bechor/Ynetnews
Op-ed: With Iran and Assad sinking, Lebanese terror group faces existential concerns
With Iran plummeting and Assad sinking, Hezbollah is also going down. The days of its intoxication with power are gone. The Shiite axis is fighting for its life and Hezbollah has become the most hated organization in the Arab world. Those betting on the Syrian president, who butchers with no mercy, are crushing along with him. One need not get excited about the speeches delivered by Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah; these are almost comic speeches, portraying the organization as stable and aggressive. Yet does he really think that Israel's public opinion buys into his statements as it did in the past?
The economic oxygen supply that arrived from Iran and kept Hezbollah alive is drying up. Iran faces the economic threat of paralyzing sanctions, its regime is on the defensive, and it has no money for adventures on the Lebanese front. This means that Hezbollah has no money to pay salaries and fund projects.
The group's stock is plummeting in Lebanon's Shiite community as well. The country's Shiite citizens are disturbed by the one-sided support Nasrallah grants Assad, knowing that the score with them may be settled later on. And what will happen to Hezbollah and to them should Iran's regime collapse?
Hezbollah faces existential concerns over the fall of its allies, as well as the Hariri murder trial, while sustaining harsh criticism in Lebanon's public opinion and political establishment. This is why Nasrallah declares that he is not obligated to follow Iran's directives. He seeks to display authenticity. "Iran doesn't command us," he said. "Even if a strike hits Tehran's nuclear sites, Iran will not ask us to do anything and it does not expect a thing. When the time comes, we shall decide on our own which steps to take."
2-headed creature
There's truth to these words. Hezbollah has always been a two-headed creature – an Iranian head and a domestic Lebanese head. In some cases, one head's interests clashed with the other. For example, in 2006, when Nasrallah dared to embark on a war with Israel without seeking Iran's permission. The Iranian's have not forgotten this.
As more people in Lebanon smell Hezbollah's weakness, more voices are calling for the organization to disarm. Hezbollah is the only militia permitted to operate in Lebanon, and the group tries to portray itself as a patriotic organization protecting Lebanon from Israel, rather than as an Iranian puppet.
However, this argument is also baseless, as there is no confrontation between Lebanon and Israel, and hence there is no need for an actual army, armed with tens of thousands of missiles, to seemingly defend Lebanon. The group that portrays itself as Lebanon's defender is in fact the main threat jeopardizing the country. Hezbollah itself is the cause of the conflict.
And what about striking Israel at this time? Hezbollah can do it, but realizes it would be suicide. Such move would not bring any benefits to itself, to Assad, or to Iran. The attention of the Syrian rebels or the world's attention to Iran would not be diverted as result of such Hezbollah strike. The opposite is true: The pressure on Syria and Iran will merely intensify.
Moreover, Israel is not expected to settle for merely weakening Hezbollah this time around, as was the case in 2006. This time, Israel may seek the group's destruction should Hezbollah attack.
And still, Nasrallah's and his army's control in southern Lebanon is convenient for Israel. The Shiite Hezbollah maintains the area's stability, prevents Sunni groups such as al-Qaeda and Global Jihad from operating there, and also prevents Palestinian terror groups from reaching the border with Israel.
Israel has no interest in intervening in any way whatsoever, neither in Lebanon nor in Syria. Hezbollah's trouble vis-à-vis the Middle East's Sunnis and vis-à-vis Syria are its own business, and this is how it should be.

Thailand police detains another Iranian suspect in Bangkok bombing
By Reuters/Haaretz
Thai security officials say Madani Seyed Mehrded call logs link him to other suspects, was seen waiting outside the Israeli embassy on the day of the botched attack.Thai police said on Monday they were questioning another Iranian in connection with explosions in Bangkok this month that have been linked to an attack on the wife of an Israeli diplomat in India and another incident in Georgia at around the same time.
Iran has denied involvement but Israel has said the Quds Force, a covert arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, was behind the bombings. One Iranian, Saeid Moradi, lost his legs on February 14 when a bomb he was carrying exploded in Bangkok shortly after an apparently accidental explosion forced him and two other men to flee a house they had been renting.
He remains seriously ill in hospital. A second Iranian, Mohammad Khazaei, is in custody after being arrested at Bangkok's main airport and a third, Masoud Sedaghat Zadeh, is being held in Malaysia.
Thai Immigration Police Commissioner Wiboon Bangthamai told Reuters three Iranians had been arrested in the Nana area of Bangkok at the weekend but two had been eliminated from the inquiry.
The other, Madani Seyed Mehrded, 33, remained in custody because he had overstayed his visa and was being questioned for links to the bombing.
According to Thai media, police told a weekend news conference they had discovered call logs showing Mehrded regularly communicating with two of the other suspects, Moradi and Khazaei.
Police also said Mehrded had been waiting in front of the building housing the Israeli embassy on the day of the blasts.
Mehrded has denied any connection with the bomb incident.
Thai government and police officials have given conflicting views on whether the Iranians were planning to attack Israeli diplomats.
However, the police forensic unit commander has said the bombs in Bangkok resembled one used in the attack on the Israeli diplomat's wife in New Delhi on February 13.
Police are still looking into mysterious stickers bearing the word "sejeal" found at various points along a 1.5 km (2.4 mile) route in central Bangkok that may have some connection to the bomb incident. Similar stickers were also found at the house where the explosion occurred on February 14.
Media have speculated that they could have been used to mark out a route or to identify areas for attacks.
"We still cannot confirm nor deny whether the stickers were part of the February 14 plot. At the moment we are testing DNA found on the stickers," Immigration Police Commissioner Wiboon Bangthamai said.

Israel can't afford to stay silent in face of Syria crisis
Haaretz Editorial
The Israeli government represents a public that wants to hear it express a clear moral stance on the Syrian uprising and even a willingness to provide humanitarian aid.According to current estimates, more than 8,000 people have been killed in the unrest in Syria. Dozens are being killed every day and hundreds are wounded. Reports by opposition activists tell a shocking story of unmitigated cruelty, executions of entire families, and wounded people bleeding to death in the streets without any recourse to medical care. The hospitals are experiencing major shortages of medication. Even premature babies are dying because the authorities have cut off the electricity.
Despite the horrors, most of the world has responded with little more than indignation. Western countries have harshly condemned Syrian President Bashar Assad, and some have even demanded his resignation. The Arab states have taken practical steps, suspending Syria's membership in the Arab League and even imposing economic sanctions. On the other hand, Russia, China and Iran continue to support the murderous regime in Damascus. Based on all this, the Syrian people, particularly the opposition movements, can only conclude that the international community does not intend to use force to remove the Assad regime, or at least force the government to halt the killing and let the wounded receive medical care.
The fact that Israel is not one of the countries condemning the events and demanding Assad's removal is both puzzling and outrageous. The current Israeli government, which is always good at assigning blame, suddenly faces an embarrassing strategic conundrum. It is argued that if Jerusalem castigates the Assad regime, it will not only be seen as intervening in Syria's internal affairs, it will be accused by the regime of planning to bring it down.
But one weighty diplomatic argument overshadows a moral stance. Israel, we should remember, hasn't hesitated to act in Syria when it thought the regime posed a danger to us. But when thousands of Syrians are being murdered by the regime, strategic considerations suddenly come into play.
The Israeli government is not entitled to play the role of a pundit wondering if and when Assad will fall from power. The Israeli government represents a public that wants to hear it express a clear moral stance and even a willingness to provide humanitarian aid.

On Syria, the Russian bear's growling is one of fear
By Adar Primor/Haaretz
Moscow's steely support of Assad is intended to allow it to stand strong and face the West as a world power in its own right. And there is nothing like an election campaign for standing up to the whole world and bringing back some good old-fashioned imperialism. SOCHI, Russia - Dozens of decision-makers and shapers of public opinion from Russia and the Middle East met here earlier this month under the auspices of the Kremlin. They came to discuss the "Transformation in the Arab World and Russia's Interests," as the Valdai Discussion Club, established by the Russian news and information agency RIA Novosti, called its conference.
They had the perfect backdrop: a pastoral compound on the shores of the Black Sea nestled among cypress, palms and pines, a stone's throw from the Olympic Village that will be the focus of the winter games of 2014, in the shadow of the Caucasus Mountains. How far from the protests and the calls for "Russia without Putin." How far from the rivers of blood in Homs and Hama.
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Russia is signaling that it wants to come back with all its might to the Middle East, explained Russia experts who spoke at the conference, which took place February 17-18. They said Russia is seeking full involvement in the Iranian issue and the bogged-down Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It wants to influence the Arab world during its liberation process.
But it seems that this conference was not about flexing muscles; it was much more a demonstration of Russia's own fear and dread. Is the Russian bear growling? That is simply because it is afraid.
Radical Islam is the country's greatest fear. After Tunisia and Egypt, who can guarantee that the Islamists will not take over Syria, the Russians ask "Israel should understand that better than anyone. Israel should have been Syrian President Bashar Assad's greatest supporter."
The increasing strength of Islamist forces could lead to their becoming stronger in the Caucasus and the Volga region. It could undermine the former Soviet republics in Central Asia.
Many Russians hear "Islam" and envision unrest, chaos, civil war, mass migration and the outbreak of new regional conflicts. The choice between Assad and the alternative, they say, is not between good and evil; it's between evil and the apocalypse.
The Russians are motivated not only by fear, but by trauma - the trauma of Libya. The phrase heard repeatedly here was "Western treachery," a reference to what Russia considers to be the trap set for it in the form of last year's Security Council Resolution 1973, which enforced a no-fly zone over Libya. The no-fly zone was meant to prevent the killing of civilians, but the Libya campaign became a Western, Crusader-style operation to bring down Gadhafi, and ended with a loss of control and with everybody fighting everybody else. We will not be fooled again, the Russians say; we will not allow the West to intervene again in the affairs of a sovereign state.
The Russian weapons industry lost orders amounting to some $10 billion in the wake of the Arab Spring and the sanctions on Iran. The sale of weapons to Syria, on the other hand, has doubled over the past four years, to $4.7 billion, giving Russia another reason to fear the fall of Assad. In addition, regime change in Damascus could also mean the loss of Russian control over the Syrian port of Tartus on the Mediterranean Sea, the only Russian naval base outside the former Soviet Union.
Disappointment, frustration and even rage - all these emotions were mixed together in the arguments made by the Arab speakers at the conference. They more than hinted to their hosts that Moscow's support of Assad gives him the green light to slaughter his opponents.
But in the wake of the Syrian crisis, Russia fears the loss of its credibility and international prestige more than it fears the loss of its hegemony over the Arab world. The Americans can betray their allies, the Russians say; look what happened with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. But, they insist, Russia will never abandon its historic allies.
In the end, Moscow's steely support of Assad is intended to allow it to stand strong and face the West as a world power in its own right. And there is nothing like an election campaign for standing up to the whole world and bringing back some good old-fashioned imperialism - certainly at a time when it is unclear whether it is winter or spring. Indeed, it is the concept embodied by the slogan "Assad today, Putin tomorrow" that is the greatest of all the fears motivating the Russian bear today. None of the delegates to the Sochi conference had any doubt: Putin will be Russia's next president after next week's election. But the conventional wisdom, whispered in back rooms, was also that he will not finish out his term.
As the song "I Will Survive" blared from the speakers at the farewell banquet, I received two e-mails on my cell phone. One described another bloody day in Syria. The other was a Foreign Policy article called "Putin is already dead."

Report: 135 dead across Syria on Monday
News Agencies/Ynetnews
While foreign powers argue over arming the rebels, dozens of Syrians die in shelling, opposition says
A Syrian activist group said Monday that 135 people have been killed across the country, including 64 who died while fleeing an embattled area in the central city of Homs.
The high casualty figures reported by the Local Coordination Committees, one of the main Syrian activist groups, demonstrated the increasingly bloody toll the conflict is taking on Syria where President Bashar Assad is trying to suppress an uprising of Syrians demanding he step down.It was not immediately clear when the people died or how.
The group said 64 of those who died were trying to flee shelling in the Homs neighborhood of Baba Amro when they were killed at a security checkpoint in the city's Abil area.
"Intense shelling started on Khalidiya, Ashira, Bayada, Baba Amro and the old city at dawn," opposition activist Mohammed al-Homsi told Reuters from the city. "The army is firing from the main thoroughfares deep into alleyways and side streets."The International Committee of the Red Cross says a team from its Syrian sister organization has been able to enter Baba Amro in an attempt to deliver medical supplies and evacuate the wounded.
The dead included three women, three children and four soldiers, the group said. It did not specify whether the soldiers had defected to the opposition. The death tolls could not be independently verified.
Arab nations argue for arming rebels
Meanwhile, the Syrian Interior Ministry said the reformed constitution, which could keep Assad in power until 2028, had received 89.4% approval from more than 8 million voters.Syrian dissidents and Western leaders dismissed as a farce Sunday's vote, conducted in the midst of the country's bloodiest turmoil in decades, although Assad says the new constitution will lead to multi-party elections within three months.
Officials put national voter turnout at close to 60%, but diplomats who toured polling stations in Damascus saw only a handful of voters at each location.
The outside world has proved powerless to halt the killing in Syria, where repression of initially peaceful protests has spawned an armed insurrection by army deserters and others.Qatar joined Saudi Arabia in advocating arming Syrian rebels, given that Russia and China have twice used their vetoes to block any action by the UN Security Council.
"I think we should do whatever is necessary to help them, including giving them weapons to defend themselves," Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said in Oslo.
Arab countries should help lead a military force to provide a safe haven for anti-Assad forces inside Syria, he added.
Juppe: Assad to be brought to justice
Assad says he is fighting foreign-backed "armed terrorist groups" and his main allies - Russia, China and Iran - fiercely oppose any outside intervention intended to add him to the list of Arab autocrats unseated by popular revolts in the past year.
China called US policy in the region "super-arrogant" and Russia's Vladimir Putin warned against any action that bypassed the UN Security Council.
International "impotence" was described by French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe as "hugely frustrating". But, accusing the Syrian authorities of "massacres" and "odious crimes", he said Paris would keep on pressing for action at the Security Council and warned Assad that he would be brought to justice.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton predicted that Assad's regime will eventually fall when enough soldiers, business leaders and minorities desert him.
"(…) I cannot tell you when that will happen," Clinton said in an interview Sunday with Morocco's 2M television. "But the Syrian army, which is largely a conscript army, is not going to continue to carry out these brutal assaults on the Syrian people."
*AP, Reuters and AFP contributed to the report

Suicide Bomber Kills Three Christians At A Nigerian Church
Washington, D.C. (February 27, 2012) – A member of a radical Islamic group, Boko Haram, killed three Christians in a suicide bomb attack in Jos, Nigeria yesterday. The Islamist drove a car packed with explosives into the compound of a church, killing two women and a one-year-old child.According to ICC sources, the bomber carried out the attacks at 7:20 a.m. local time, while Christians were worshipping at the headquarters of the Church of Christ (also known as the Cocin). “I was at the gate and saw this blue car drive furiously at the gate. It is my responsibility to carry out a metal detector search at the gate, and I was waiting to do so when this man didn’t stop and drove his way into the gate. I watched him knock down a motorcycle and continue driving towards the church building, when all of a sudden there was a blast and some pieces of flying metal injured my arm,” John Zafian, the gate keeper and an eye witness said.Following the attack, Christian youth took to the streets and killed two Muslims and burned down several Muslim-owned shops.Boko Haram is a radical Muslim group that is fighting to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, where a strict form of Sharia law would be applied. According to the report by the Human Rights Watch, the group has killed 935 people since 2009.Jonathan Racho, ICC Regional Manager for Africa, said, “The continuous killing of Christians and the lack of effective protection for innocents is driving Nigeria into chaos. We ask the Nigerian government to bring all Christian and Muslim perpetrators of violence to justice.”
Please call the Nigerian embassy in your country and ask Nigerian officials to protect Christians from the on-going attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Nigerian Embassies:
USA: (202) 986-8400
UK: 0207 839 1244
Canada: (613) 236-0521/3 Email: chancery@nigeriahcottawa.com
Germany: +49-(030) 21230 Email: info@nigeriaembassygermany.org

Aoun: No Settlement Has Been Reached Yet over Administrative Appointments
by Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stated on Tuesday that no appointment has yet been reached over the appointments of top civil servants.
He said after the Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting: “An agreement over this issue has not been reached with President Michel Suleiman.”
No disputes over this issue will erupt if all sides adhere to the constitution, he stressed.
“I think all sides have been convinced to respect the constitution,” said the MP.
On his ties with Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Aoun commented: “Time will reveal the reasons for the tensions between us.”
“All reports on my relations with Miqati are true. Reasons for objections over a proposal should be justified otherwise such action can be deemed as spiteful,” added the FPM leader.
On the government’s preparation of a new history book to be taught at schools, Aoun voiced his objection to the omission of some historic events in Lebanon’s history.
Asked by a reporter about the omission of the events of October 13, 1990, the MP responded: “The current history book that is being assessed by government is not suitable for schools.”
“No one can eliminate a single historic development,” he stressed.
The new history book has created an uproar after it omitted the 2005 Cedar Revolution that led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon after a nearly 30-year presence in the country.
The book also requires that an hour be dedicated to teaching students about the resistance, meaning Hizbullah, while disregarding the “Lebanese resistance,” which MP Sami Gemayel mentioned during his press conference earlier on Tuesday.
On October 13, 1990, Syrian fighter jets conducted raids on what was then called eastern Beirut, which forced Aoun, who was then the head of the military government, to leave the presidential palace and seek refuge at the French embassy before leaving for exile in Paris.