Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July 20/12
Israeli PM reveals: South Africa attack against Israelis thwarted
A Hizballah suicide terror revival launched by the Burgas bus bombing
Report: Burgas bomber an Algerian-Swedish Islamist
Report: U.S. Officials Say Hizbullah behind Bulgaria Attack
March 14 to Boycott Dialogue over 'Hizbullah Refusal to Discuss Arms'
Special Tribunal for Lebanon spokesman Marten Youssef : New Evidence Needed to Change STL Trial Date
Harb urges Hezbollah to quit shielding would-be assassin
Telecoms data available to Lebanese security services: Qortbawi
Jumblat Rejects Raad Claims that Hizbullah in Liberation Stage, Calls on State Role
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat Sympathizes with March 14 in its Telecom Data Request
FPM Refuses to Apologize over Aoun’s Remarks on Abdul Wahed: He Has the Courage to Say the Truth
Aoun slams Dar al-Fatwa, insists sheikh had alcohol in car
Lebanon's Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji : We Will No Longer Remain Silent over Any Verbal Attack against us
Report: Franjieh Mediating to End Berri-Aoun Spat
Mufti Qabbani announces the Ramadan begins today
FPM supporters attack MTV crew
At Least 14 Killed in U.S. Cinema Shooting
General Hisham Ikhtiyar, the head of Syrian national security dies of blast wounds, state TV says
Syria Denies Russia Envoy Claims on Assad Exit
U.N.: Up to 30,000 Syrians Flee into Lebanon in 48 Hours
Muslim Brotherhood Gets Ready for Post-Assad Era, to Launch Political Party
Syria National Security Chief Dies of Blast Wounds
UNHCR grappling with influx of Syrian refugees
Syrian borders in rebel hands, battles in Damascus
Fierce fighting in Syria's Aleppo: NGO

A Hizballah suicide terror revival launched by the Burgas bus bombing
DEBKAfile Special Report July 20, 2012/The suicide bombing attack in Bulgaria that left five Israelis dead and more than 30 injured Wednesday, July 18, is seen by Israeli and Western intelligence and counter-terror sources as marking Hizballah’s regression to its old tactics. After a 17-year break in major international attacks, the Lebanese terrorist group is again sending suicide killers to murder Israelis and Jews. In the 1980s, Hizballah was notorious for its massive bomb attacks against US Marines in Lebanon and the US embassy in Beirut, which left more than 300 dead. In the early 1990s, the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina was blown up killing 29 people, followed by the destruction of the Jewish center in the city leaving 85 people.
It is now evident that the old Hizballah is back and fully equipped with suicide killers standing by for action worldwide at the bases of its far-flung terrorist, espionage, dope-smuggling and money laundry networks. Western counter-terror experts give Israel’s Mossad, Shin Bet and Military Intelligence a failed mark for missing those preparations and not appreciating the significance of the bungled Iranian-backed Hizballah bomb and assassination plots over the past year or two in India, Turkey, Azerhianjan, Thailand, Georgia, Kenya and Cyprus. They were experienced ought to have realized that Hizballah planners were testing the ground and their own methods and analyzing their performance, before concluding that suicide attacks would get them the optimal results, namely, maximum fatalities.
The experts estimate that it will take Israel’s intelligence and counter-terror agencies time to get organized for catching up with Hizballah’s plots and developing preventive measures. As one said, “It may take weeks or even months before Israel is able to come to grips with the new Hizballah terror deployment. Iran’s external terrorist arms and Hizballah planners will try and take advantage of Israel’s vulnerability in that period for repeated attacks.In any case, they warn, the Bulgarian bombing was a first shot. Hizballah must be put down firmly by a strong Israeli deterrent. Its terror offensive must be nipped in the bud before it spills over into Israel. Iran’s al Qods and its Lebanese surrogate have planted a network of sleepers on the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and among certain Arab Israeli communities, who may be called into action at any time. Israel’s response to the attack in Bulgaria so far has been feeble and hesitant, a frustrated counter-terror official told debkafile. A complaint to the UN Security Council on Thursday, July 19, the day that international body demonstrated its irrelevance for halting the Syrian bloodbath was worse than useless; it was a sign of weakness.
This type of reaction will serve only to encourage Tehran and Hizballah to keep going. Indeed, The Security Council did more harm than good by condemning the bombing attack and the Israeli deaths, without naming the perpetrators. Iran and Hizballah got off scot-free.

Israeli PM reveals: South Africa attack against Israelis thwarted
Itamar Eichner 07.20.12, 14:09 / Ynetnews/Following meeting with senior intelligence officials PM discloses that over 20 terror attacks abroad have been thwarted In the past year Israel successfully prevented numerous terror attacks against Israeli targets abroad – most of which were not reported.Yedioth ahronoth reported Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday revealed never before published information about one of the foiled attacks. He said that an attack against Israelis was prevented in South Africa, but did not disclose any further details.Netanyahu held a situation assessment attended by the IDF chief of staff, and heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet. The discussions dealt with the attack in Bulgaria and the situation in Syria. A very senior defense official said that since May 2011 more than 20 terror attacks have been prevented, including in Azerbaijan (twice), Kenya, Turkey, Thailand Cyprus and Bulgaria (prevented at the beginning of the year) and in Turkey (an attempt to attack the Israeli Consul in Istanbul). "Iranians and Hezbollah members are incarcerated in jails throughout the world, the senior security official said. “We don’t know how long the wave of terrorism will continue – it's global.”The official said that when a terror state that supports and organizes terror such as Iran joins forces with with an organization that is prepared to take the risks like Hezbollah, no country is safe from possible attacks.“It is clear to us that this is not an isolated case,” he added. The official noted that Israel has intelligence information that ties the attack in Bulgaria to the attack that was prevented in Cyprus. In both cases the modus operandi was the same. The official explained the reason why no travel advisory was issued for Burgas: “When we have information we announce it and when we don’t have information we don’t announce it,” he said. “We felt that something was in the works but we could not connect it with a time or place. Therefore we did not issue an advisory.”

Report: U.S. Officials Say Hizbullah behind Bulgaria Attack
Naharnet/U.S. officials say the suicide bomber who targeted Israeli tourists in Bulgaria this week was part of a Hizbullah cell, the New York Times reported, after Israel made similar allegations. The Times on Thursday cited two U.S. officials as saying that Hizbullah was behind the attack, which killed six people, including five Israeli tourists.
It cited a third official as saying that the bomber was "acting under broad guidance" from Hizbullah and its main sponsor Iran to strike Israeli targets of opportunity.
Israeli officials have publicly accused Iran and Hizbullah of carrying out the attack, though observers say it is unlikely to take military action against either Iran or Lebanon in response to it.
The bombing on Wednesday of a bus at Burgas airport on the Black Sea killed five Israeli tourists and injured more than 30, Israel's foreign ministry said, in what was the deadliest attack on Israelis abroad since 2004. U.S. President Barack Obama condemned the "barbaric terrorist attack" shortly after it happened on Wednesday but did not mention Iran in his statement.
The attack came on the anniversary of an attack on a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994 that killed 85 people and wounded 300. That attack was also blamed on Iran, which denied the charge. Iran said Thursday it condemns "all terrorist acts in the world" and dismissed Israeli allegations of responsibility for the Bulgaria bombing. Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov told a news conference on Friday that the bomber is not a Bulgarian citizen. Authorities looking for clues as to the identity of the man are using his fingerprints, his DNA and his fake Michigan driver's license.
Security camera footage from before the attack showed the suspected bomber wandering in and out of the terminal, wearing a baseball cap over long hair, and a T-shirt, and plaid shorts, with a bulky backpack believed to contain the bomb. Prosecutor Kalina Chapkanova said in a TV interview that before the attack a man believed to be the bomber tried to rent a car in the town of Pomorie, near the site of the bombing. She said the owner of the rental agency, whom she would not identify, become suspicious of his license and refused to conclude the deal.
SourceAgence France PresseAssociated Press

Report: Burgas bomber an Algerian-Swedish Islamist
Yitzhak Benhorin Latest Update: 07.19.12/Ynetnews
Bulgarian media name Mehdi Ghezali as suspected terrorist who blew up Israeli tour bus, say he spent two years in Guantanamo Bay. Stockholm denies he was Swedish national
WASHINGTON – Sweden denied Thursday reports in Bulgarian media suggesting that that Mehdi Ghezali, the suspected suicide bomber who executed the terror attack on Israeli tourists in Burgas, was a Swedish national. Meanwhile, new details on the suspect contiune to emerge. Bulgarian media named Ghezali as the terrorist saying he was an Algerian-Swedish Islamist who spent two years in Guantanamo Bay. We don't know this name", Swedish Security Service Chief Claes Ohison said, but would not elaborate. Earlier, ABC News published a photo of a fake Michigan driver's license that belonged to the man who was identified by Bulgarian authorities as the suicide bomber. According to the image obtained by ABC, the "Michigan Operator's License" with the name "Jacque Felipe Martin" showed that the suspect included a fake Louisiana address as his permanent residence. The address is actually that of a Baton Rouge, Louisiana casino, called the Belle of Baton Rouge.
The suspected bombers true identity has yet to be revealed. Bulgarian officials quoted by bTV said the terrorist was aided by several people in Bulgaria – Lebanese citizens or local radical Islamists who planned the operation. The explosives were manufactured inside Bulgaria, according to reports. Bulgarian prosecutors said that the suspect spent some time in the Ravda resort south of Burgas, where he tried to rent a car. This attempt failed as his fake driver's lisecnce aroused the suspicion of the car rental firm. Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov said the man had been in the country for four to seven days and was about 35 years old. "From what we could see on the (security) video cameras, we think it's a person who was a suicide bomber," a Bulgarian official in Burgas told ABC News. "The investigation is still going on in close cooperation with the Israelis and Americans." Bulgarian television aired security camera footage Thursday showing the suspected bomber wandering in and out of the terminal shortly before the blast. He was dressed as a tourist himself, wearing a baseball cap, T-shirt, plaid shorts and sneakers with short white socks. He carried a large backpack with wheels. Officials said the bomb detonated in the luggage compartment of the bus as the attacker mingled among his victims. The body of the man seen in the video sustained the most severe damage in the blast, leading investigators to believe he was the suicide bomber. An American passport (Michigan), which was apparently fake, and other personal documents were found in his belongings. Officials were using DNA samples to try to establish his identity. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov told reporters that a Michigan driver's license was retrieved, but he said US officials reported that "there was no such person in their database." Michigan is home to one of the largest Arab communities in the US.

Did Hezbollah Do It?
Matthew Levitt /Daily Beast/July 18, 2012/Washington Institute
Earlier today, on the 18th anniversary of the Hezbollah bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, a busload of Israeli tourists was bombed in Burgas, Bulgaria, a popular summer vacation destination among Israeli tourists. Early reports indicate several people were killed, and many more injured. Hezbollah is the leading suspect, and for good reason.
A similar plot targeting Israeli tourists in Bulgaria was thwarted in January, just weeks ahead of the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah operations chief Imad Mughniyeh, when a suspicious package was spotted on a bus carrying Israeli tourists from Turkey to Bulgaria. Israeli officials requested the Bulgarians provide enhanced security for buses carrying Israeli tourists, which they did. Additional security was reportedly put in place at the country's premier ski resort as well. At the time, however, Israeli officials deemed airport security sufficient. That no longer appears to be the case.
Today's attack also comes just days after the arrest of a suspected Hezbollah operative accused of plotting an attack on Israeli tourists in Cyprus, an attack eerily similar to the one just executed in Bulgaria. On July 7th Cypriot authorities raided the hotel room of a 24 year old Lebanese man traveling on a foreign passport. Reportedly based on Israeli intelligence, Cypriot police tracked the suspect for a day before arresting him on terrorism charges. The suspect had in his possession photographs of Israeli targets, including information on tour buses carrying Israeli tourists and Israeli flights to and from the island nation. Authorities believe the planned target was a tour bus or airplane. According to press reports, the suspect initially denied ties to terrorist activity but later admitted being a Hezbollah operative.
These are just the latest in a long list of Hezbollah terrorist plots attributed to Hezbollah since Mughniyeh's assassination in Damascus, Syrian, in February 2008. The past few years have seen Hezbollah plots thwarted across the world, including three plots in Turkey, two in Cyprus, two in Azerbaijan, among others.
None of this comes as much of a surprise. Speaking at Mughniyeh's funeral, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah threatened Israel with an "open war." In an emotional eulogy, Nasrallah warned Israel, "You have crossed the borders. With this murder, its timing, location and method -- Zionists, if you want this kind of open war, let the whole world listen: let this war be open." Nasrallah pledged that "Mughniyeh's blood will lead to the elimination of Israel." Israeli officials quickly took preventive action to contend with what they deemed the three most likely scenarios for a Hezbollah revenge attack: an attack on current or former senior Israeli officials traveling abroad; an attack on an Israeli embassy or other diplomatic mission abroad; or an attack targeting a location affiliated with a Jewish community abroad, like the 1994 AMIA bombing.
Mughniyeh's assassination led to the resurrection of Hezbollah's international operations arm, which Hezbollah leaders actively paired down in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in an effort to keep the group out of the crosshairs of the "global war on terror." The drawdown helps explain why Hezbollah's Islamic Jihad Organization experienced so many failures when it first set out to avenge Mughniyeh's death. Not only was the terrorist mastermind Mughniyeh no longer there to quarterback operations, but the group lacked the resources and capability to carry out a successful operation abroad. In light of the far tighter security environment now in place in the Western world since 9/11, Hezbollah has also generally shied away from trying to carry out attacks in the West, opting instead to operate in places where security is still relatively lax and where the group has cells and supporters (of its own or belonging to its Iranian patron). Thus, attacks in places like Baku, Bangkok, and now Burgas. In Bulgaria, Hezbollah may have relied on Lebanese drug and other criminal organizations that have long provided funds to the group. A 2008 Bulgarian government commission concluded that profits from drug trafficking through the country supports Hezbollah and other militant groups. This was likely on the agenda when then Mossad chief Meir Dagan paid an official visit to Sofia in 2010 to meet with the Bulgarian Prime Minister.
Hezbollah and Iran each have their own reasons for executing terrorist attacks targeting Israeli or other Western targets -- Iran seeks to avenge attacks on its scientists and sanctions targeting its nuclear program, and Hezbollah seeks to avenge Mughniyeh's death. This convergence of interests strengthens their long-standing and intimate relationship, making their combined operational capabilities that much more dangerous. Such was the case back in 1994 as well. At the time, Tehran was furious over Buenos Aires's decision to cease all nuclear cooperation for fear that Iran's nuclear program was not limited to peaceful purposes. Hezbollah, meanwhile, sought to avenge Israel's capture of Hezbollah ally Mustapha Dirani in Southern Lebanon in May, 1994. Sound familiar?
*Matthew Levitt is director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon spokesman Marten Youssef : New Evidence Needed to Change STL Trial Date
Naharnet /Special Tribunal for Lebanon spokesman Marten Youssef hailed on Friday a decision by an STL judge to set March 25 as the tentative date to start the trial in absentia of four suspects and stressed new evidence should be provided to ask for a change in that date. In remarks to al-Joumhouria daily, Youssef said Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen’s decision “is a unique opportunity for the international tribunal and the Lebanese people and is an important step on the road to trials.” “This step would come two years after the release of the indictment which gives enough time for the defense and the prosecution to get ready for the trials,” the spokesman of the Tribunal that is set to try ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s Feb. 2005 suspected assassins said. But he told the newspaper the involved parties have the right to appeal Fransen’s decision by proving that they have new evidence that would justify the change of the tentative date. The STL said in a press release on Thursday that the date may be subject to change pending further developments, such as the possibility of the Prosecutor filing a request to amend the indictment, or the arrest of an accused. It is also subject to the Trial Chamber's decision on the Tribunal's jurisdiction and their rulings on other preliminary motions. The STL is the only international court that allows trials in absentia. The four suspects are Hizbullah members Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra.

General Hisham Ikhtiyar, the head of Syrian national security dies of blast wounds, state TV says
July 20, 2012 /Now Lebanon /General Hisham Ikhtiyar, the head of Syrian national security wounded in a Damascus bomb blast that killed three senior officials, died of his wounds on Friday, state television announced."The leadership of the [ruling] Baath party offers its condolences to the people on the death of the comrade, General Hisham Ikhtiyar, chief of national security, who succumbed to his wounds before noon," the broadcaster said. Ikhtiyar was wounded along with Interior Minister Mohammad al-Shaar in the Wednesday bombing at National Security headquarters, which was claimed by the rebel Free Syrian Army. There was still no official word on Shaar's condition, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier said it was "unstable."Defense Minister General Daoud Rajha, Assad's brother-in-law Assef Shawkat and General Hassan Turkmani, head of the regime's crisis cell on the uprising, were all killed in the explosion. Ikhtiyar, aged 71, was a key figure in the Assad regime's repression of an uprising that erupted last year and has claimed more than 17,000 lives. On May 20, he and a number of other senior officials survived an attempt to poison him. Three days later, he was included in a new list of people on which the European Union imposed sanctions. State funerals were being held on Friday for the three officials who died on Wednesday.-AF

Harb urges Hezbollah to quit shielding would-be assassin
July 20, 2012/By Dana Khraiche/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: MP Butros Harb urged Hezbollah Friday to cease providing political cover for the suspect involved in the attempt on his life, and affirmed that the March 14 coalition is adamant on boycotting the National Dialogue. “We are asking Hezbollah to lift its cover from this person who is a high-ranking party member,” Harb told The Daily Star, claiming that the man refused to be interrogated merely because he belonged to the resistance party. Harb, who survived an assassination attempt earlier this month, also said that he obtained the information about the suspect from the investigation into the attempt on his life. “If they do not let him be interrogated, that means they’re protecting him,” Harb said of Hezbollah. Two detonators were found on top of the elevator inside the building housing Harb’s Beirut office on July 5. Police were unable to arrest anyone at the scene. Batroun lawmaker Harb, a leading figure in the March 14 coalition, was the second politician to be the target of an assassination attempt this year. In April, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said snipers had fired at him but missed while he was outside his Maarab home. Harb has accused the majority March 8 faction of Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government of providing the plotters with political cover. His accusation springs from the Cabinet’s failure to agree by consensus on transferring telecommunications data needed for the investigation to the security agencies. The Cabinet decided last week to form a committee, headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati, to look into demands by security bodies for telecoms data. Asked whether his statements would raise the level of tension in the country, Harb said he was well aware of the consequences of his words. As for the March 14 coalition’s announcement that it will boycott National Dialogue sessions, Harb said the decision would be final unless the demands of the party are met.
The March 14 coalition announced its boycott Thursday in protest at Hezbollah's refusal to discuss its arms within the framework of a national defense strategy, as well as the government's failure to provide security agencies with telecommunications data. “I don’t think that national dialogue is more important than the safety of those who would be sitting at the dialogue table,” Harb said, ruling out the possibility that the dialogue session scheduled for Tuesday would convene.

Telecoms data available to Lebanese security services: Qortbawi
July 20, 2012/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi said Friday that the dispute over much-needed telecoms data that would help police track down the suspects in recent assassination attempts against March 14 officials has been resolved. “An agreement was reached during a meeting in early June to provide all telecoms-related data,” Qortbawi told the Kataeb-run Voice of Lebanon radio station. He went on to say that the only exception would be IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), access to which would be restricted to requests for specific information. He said the June meeting brought together judicial officials, police and army officers as well as officials with General Security and engineers from the Telecoms Ministry.Qortbawi said data requested for the regions of Kesrouan, Byblos and Beirut had already been provided.“All 768 data requests made during the month of June were approved,” Qortbawi said.

Lebanon's Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji : We Will No Longer Remain Silent over Any Verbal Attack against us
Naharnet /Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji stressed on Thursday that the criticism and praise issued against the army by various political sides will not affect the unity of the institution or the morale of its troops.He said before the Army Command and top officers: “We will no longer remain silent over any verbal, media, or moral attack.” He stated that political figures are making the attacks out of political or electoral purposes. “The army has long maintained silence out of its keenness to prevent the institution from being dragged into pointless debates, however due to the incitement against officers and soldiers, the army will no longer remain silent against any attack,” declared Qahwaji. “Some sides have unfortunately interpreted the army’s silence as a weakness,” he noted.
“The army is keen against getting embroiled in internal disputes because it is too busy focusing on greater issues in light of the dangerous regional developments and constant fears of an Israeli assault against Lebanon,” he stressed. In addition, he said that the army “will never alter its convictions and national role.” On the regional situation, Qahwaji remarked: “These developments, especially those in Syria, require the army to exert exceptional efforts to overcome this critical phase with as little damage as possible, in particular because it is one of the primary powers concerned with averting the repercussions of these events.” The army commander stressed the importance of exercising caution while defending Lebanon’s southern border against Israel and controlling the border with Syria in a manner that would preserve the security of the residents of those areas. Qahwaji stressed the need to “immediately retaliate against any attack against the army, regardless of who launched the assault.” The army has recently come under criticism since the death of Sheikhs Ahmed Abdul Wahed and Mohammed Merheb at an army checkpoint in the northern region of Kweikhat in May. Lebanon has witnessed in recent days protests by the families of the officers and soldiers detained for their connection to the case. Supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement and families of the detainees have blocked roads in support of the army.

March 14 to Boycott Dialogue over 'Hizbullah Refusal to Discuss Arms'
Naharnet /The March 14 forces on Thursday announced their boycott of the upcoming national dialogue session over “the refusal of Hizbullah’s leadership to discuss the issue of arms.”
“The conferees discussed the latest stances voiced by Hizbullah’s leadership, which rejected to discuss the issue of the party’s arms and blocked the possibility to seriously address the issue of illegal weapons,” the March 14 forces said after a broad meeting at the Center House in downtown Beirut.
The conferees criticized “the state’s impotence in the face of the Syrian army’s violations, the blocking of roads, the sit-ins, the deliberate propagation of chaos and the occupation of public institutions.” “Since the first dialogue session until today, dangerous security developments have taken place, the gravest of which was the assassination attempt against MP Sheikh Boutros Harb following the assassination bid against (Lebanese Forces leader) Dr. Samir Geagea,” said the statement. “Plots to target March 14 leaders, including MP Sami Gemayel and others, were also unveiled, amid the presence of a security incubator created by the government’s refusal to provide security and judicial authorities with the complete telecom data,” the statement added. The conferees also accused “political sides who are part of government of preventing the interrogation of individuals suspected of involvement in the assassination bid against MP Boutros Harb, despite the unveiling of their identities and places of residence.”
The March 14 forces announced three preconditions to take part in any upcoming dialogue session: “Handing over the complete telecom data, including the IMSI, to the security agencies; lifting the political and factional cover off the suspects; and abiding by the Lebanese Constitution which underlines the exclusive authority of the state over arms.”
“The March 14 forces announce their boycott of the upcoming dialogue session until the aforementioned conditions are met,” said the statement.
The conferees also held the government responsible for the security of “the March 14 figures who are facing a threat,” urging it to “provide immediate and serious protection for them.”

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat Sympathizes with March 14 in its Telecom Data Request
Naharnet /Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat supported the demand of the March 14 coalition for the government to provide the so-called telecom data to security agencies to prevent future plots against Lebanese politicians. In remarks to As Safir daily published Friday, Jumblat justified the opposition’s demand to hand over all telecom data including the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) to security bodies by saying “they have witnessed assassination attempts and the involved (telecom) minister (Nicolas Sehnaoui) is obstructing the data.”In other remarks, Jumblat said: “It is unacceptable for a minister to block data.”He told a delegation that it was the primary duty of Sehnaoui to provide a three-member judicial committee with the data to decide whether they can be handed over to the security forces. MP Butros Harb escaped a murder attempt earlier in the month when security forces found detonators in the elevator of his office building. Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea also escaped sniper fire at his residence in Maarab in April. March 14 held the government responsible for the plots against two of its members for withholding telecom data necessary for security agencies to uncover such plots. Following a meeting held at Center House by top opposition officials and politicians on Thursday, the coalition announced the suspension of its participation in the national dialogue at Baabda palace pending the handing over of the data, including IMSI, lifting the political cover off wanted people, and abiding by the Constitution which underlines the exclusive authority of the state over arms, a reference to Hizbullah’s arsenal.A high-ranking March 14 source told An Nahar daily on Friday that the statement issued a day earlier was among the first steps that the opposition will take to pressure the government into meeting its demands.“There is no going back on the decision to suspend the participation in the next dialogue session unless all our requests are met,” he said.
The source threw the data ball in the government’s court, saying the alliance will review its decision only if the cabinet agrees to hand all data to security bodies.

Syria National Security Chief Dies of Blast Wounds
Naharnet/General Hisham Ikhtiyar, the head of Syrian national security wounded in a Damascus bomb blast that killed three senior officials, died of his wounds on Friday, state television announced. "The leadership of the (ruling) Baath party offers its condolences to the people on the death of the comrade, General Hisham Ikhtiyar, chief of national security, who succumbed to his wounds before noon," the broadcaster said. Ikhtiyar was wounded along with Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar in the Wednesday bombing at National Security headquarters, which was claimed by the rebel Free Syrian Army.
Defense Minister General Daoud Rajha, Syrian President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law Assef Shawkat and General Hassan Turkmani, head of the regime's crisis cell on the uprising, were all killed in the explosion. Ikhtiar, aged 71, was a key figure in the Assad regime's repression of an uprising that erupted last year and has claimed more than 17,000 lives. On May 20, he and a number of other senior officials survived an attempt to poison him. Three days later, he was included in a new list of people on which the European Union imposed sanctions

Jumblat Rejects Raad Claims that Hizbullah in Liberation Stage, Calls on State Role
Naharnet /Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat criticized Hizbullah for announcing that it is premature for political leaders to discuss the national defense strategy because the party is still in the liberation stage. “I’ve heard a statement from MP Mohammed Raad that there would be no surrender of arms before liberation. I object to that because the Lebanese state is the side that decides the liberation of Shebaa farms and Kfarshouba hills through the means that it sees fit,” Jumblat told a delegation of Arab journalists.
“We had agreed during (national) dialogue sessions in 2006 to verify the ownership of the farms through demarcation … which should have been done with the Syrian state,” he said.
Not a single party can make a unilateral decision to liberate occupied land and then join the state, Jumblat, who is a centrist, said. “It doesn’t make sense.”A proposal made by President Michel Suleiman during the last national dialogue session at Baabda palace states clearly how the authorities could take advantage of Hizbullah’s arsenal to defend Lebanon “and not the Islamic Republic or any other person,” the PSP chief stressed. Raad’s remarks on Monday also drew harsh criticism from the March 14 opposition alliance. On the crisis in Syria, Jumblat said a bombing in Damascus that killed three of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s aides does not mean Assad would surrender or leave the country.“He will continue to confront” the rebels that have been fighting him since March last year. “That’s why speeding up the arming and funding of the Free Syrian Army would relieve the country from a lot of destruction.”

FPM Refuses to Apologize over Aoun’s Remarks on Abdul Wahed: He Has the Courage to Say the Truth
Naharnet /The Free Patriotic Movement refused on Friday to apologize over MP Michel Aoun’s remark that slain Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahed had liquor bottles in his car at the time of his death, rejecting Dar al-Fatwa’s demand for the apology. The FPM press office said in a statement: “God has granted Aoun with the courage to say the truth and the courage to apologize when he has made a mistake.”
“God has also granted him with an education that calls for respecting the other and the other’s right to be different,” it added.
He believes in coexistence among the peoples of one country, it stressed. “He hopes that God would grant the others the same courage to say the truth even if it hurts and apologize when they have committed an error or when they wrong someone,” said the FPM. It hoped that those powers would not employ their sect as a political cover for their actions.
Furthermore, it suggested that Dar al-Fatwa examine the security forces’ report on the items found in Abdul Wahed’s car in order to confirm Aoun’s statements.
The lawmaker had stated on Tuesday that liquor bottles were found in Sheikh Abdul Wahed’s car. Dar al-Fatwa accused Michel Aoun on Thursday of killing Sunni Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahed twice by claiming he was carrying liquor bottles in his car when he was killed at an army checkpoint in Kweikhat in Akkar in May. “Aoun should apologize for publicly insulting Muslims and Ulemas in particular,” it said in a statement.

Report: Franjieh Mediating to End Berri-Aoun Spat
Naharnet/Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh is mediating between Speaker Nabih Berri and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun to bridge their differences, As Safir daily reported on Friday. The newspaper said that Franjieh visited Berri in Ain el-Tineh on Thursday following talks he held with Aoun in Rabieh. Differences between the two men grew after Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc and other Christian blocs boycotted a parliamentary session to protest the approval of the joint parliamentary committees’ proposal to employ Electricite du Liban’s contract workers. The lawmakers argued that the permanent employment of those workers would create a sectarian imbalance at the state-run firm as around 80 percent of them belong to non-Christian sects and most of them support Berri, who is a Shiite. Energy Minister Jebran Bassil, who is Aoun’s son-in-law had previously proposed to allow 700 contract workers to stand for an official exam, out of some 2,500 employees, while the rest would become employees at private companies under a three-month probation period. The approval of the full-time employment led to accusations by the FPM that Berri violated the protocol. While sources close to Aoun did not confirm Franjieh’s initiative, highly-informed sources told As Safir that efforts are exerted by the Lebanese authorities to find a consensual solution to the open ended-strike launched by the contract workers to appease the EDL administration, parliament, the energy minister and the bill collectors. The workers have been demanding the cabinet to pay their June and July salaries and to publish their permanent employment decision in the official gazette.

At Least 14 Killed in U.S. Cinema Shooting
Naharnet/At least 14 people were killed and some 50 wounded Friday when a gunman opened fire at a crowded cinema premiere of the latest Batman movie in the U.S. state of Colorado, police and media said. Witnesses interviewed by local media described a scene of chaos at the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," saying the gunman had set off tear gas bombs and opened fire in the packed theater in Aurora, a suburb of Denver.
"Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister," said Aurora police chief Dan Oates. "They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire."
Ten people were killed at the scene and another four died later at local hospitals, he said, adding that police had arrested the alleged gunman and that there was "no evidence" of a second, after earlier reports of two shooters. Oates said the suspect had claimed to have explosives at his residence and that the apartment complex where he lived had been evacuated and was being searched.
Police spokesman Frank Fania told CNN the suspect was in his 20s, wearing body armor and armed with a rifle and two handguns, adding that he had set off some kind of smoke device in order to sow panic. Witnesses described chaos chillingly similar to that depicted in the Batman films -- in which maniacal villains terrorize Gotham City -- suggesting the movie could have inspired the shooting spree.
They said several audience members had shown up in costumes, which could have allowed the gunman to blend in with the melee and complicated the arrest.
Police did not provide details about the killed and wounded, but the PG-13 film would have attracted scores of teenagers.
One witness cited by the Denver Post said he was watching the film when he heard a series of explosions. Bejamin Fernandez, 30, said people ran from the theater and there were gunshots as officers shouted "Get down!" Another witness described how, during one of the action scenes, there was gunfire and what sounded like firecrackers, but people thought it was coming from the movie.
"So we just kept watching the movie for a little bit," the witness, identified only as Jack, told ABC television. Then it became clear that there was a real gunman in the theater.
"Everyone started panicking after that, because people were getting hurt," he said.U.S. President Barack Obama said he was "shocked" by the mass shooting.
"Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado," he said in a statement, adding that federal and local law enforcement officials were still responding to the incident.
Aurora is barely 20 miles (32 km) from the scene of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, in which two students shot dead 13 people and wounded 24 before committing suicide. The attackers had plotted the killings for a year.
SourceAgence France Press

Syria Denies Russia Envoy Claims on Assad Exit
Naharnet /Comments by Russia's envoy to Paris that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is ready to give up power in a "civilized manner" are "totally baseless," Syrian state television said on Friday. "The comments attributed to the Russian ambassador to Paris on the fact that President Assad would agree to relinquish power in a civilized manner are totally baseless," the broadcaster said. The denial came after Russia's envoy to Paris Alexander Orlov told Radio France International (RFI) in an interview that Assad was ready to cede power but only in a "civilized manner." Orlov said Assad had accepted a transition plan agreed by world powers in Geneva and named a representative for talks with the opposition. "That is to say, he is accepting to go -- but to go in a civilized manner," he said. Asked if Assad's departure was only a matter of time, Orlov said: "Personally I share your opinion. I believe it will be difficult for him to stay after everything that has happened."*Agence France Presse

U.N.: Up to 30,000 Syrians Flee into Lebanon in 48 Hours
Naharnet /Up to 30,000 Syrians have fled into Lebanon over the past 48 hours, the U.N. refugee agency said on Friday.
"Thousands of Syrians crossed into Lebanon yesterday. Reports vary between 8,500 and 30,000 people having crossed in the past 48 hours," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told reporters in Geneva. "People continue to arrive in Jordan, Turkey ... they are flooding into Lebanon and increasingly into Iraq," she said. In Thursday's fighting, more than 300 people were killed, the majority of whom were civilians, making it the heaviest toll yet in 16 months of fighting, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday. The release of the refugee figures came as the U.N. agency's High Commissioner expressed concern for Syrians forced to flee the country and those displaced within the country's borders. "With the spread of deadly violence, I am gravely concerned for the thousands of Syrian refugees who have been forced to flee their homes," he said. "I fear for the civilians caught up in the violence in Damascus, including the large Iraqi population residing there."
The U.N. agency said it was unable today to give an exact number of displaced people in Syria but estimated last week that "one million people may have been forced to flee inside the country since the conflict began".Lebanese authorities were on Friday scrambling to brace more Syrian refugees in light of the influx. An Nahar daily quoted informed sources as saying that more than 20,000 have crossed the Masnaa border in eastern Lebanon alone since Wednesday. Most of them came from Damascus which witnessed a dramatic situation following the bombing that killed three of Syrian President Bashar Assad's top aides. The Syrian army resorted to tank fire in the capital for the first time in its efforts to root out rebel fighters a day after the blast. Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour told An Nahar that some refugees came on foot from illegal crossings on the mountains that separate eastern Lebanon from Syria. Abou Faour said he asked Premier Najib Miqati to give instructions to Education Minister Hassan Diab to shelter the refugees at public schools. Two schools in al-Marj and Majdel Anjar were opened for them on Thursday night ahead of finding an alternative location, the minister told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3). An Nahar also quoted a military source as saying that the army command has given instructions since the first refugees began arriving in Lebanon to provide them with humanitarian aid.
SourceAgence France Presse

Muslim Brotherhood Gets Ready for Post-Assad Era, to Launch Political Party
Naharnet/Syria's Muslim Brotherhood, a key opponent of President Bashar Assad's regime, announced plans Friday to launch an Islamist political party, saying it was ready for the post-Assad era.
"The decision has been taken to create an Islamic party," the head of the Brotherhood's political wing, Ali Beyanouni, told journalists after the group completed a four-day conference in Istanbul. The new party would be "open to all Syrians" and will promote a "democratic and pluralist" vision of the state based on the equality of all citizens, Beyanouni said. "We are ready for the post-Assad era, we have plans for the economy, the courts, politics," said Mulhem al-Droubi, the Brotherhood's spokesman. The Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamist political movement founded in Egypt in 1928 and has branches and affiliates around the world. The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood was banned there in 1963. Many of its members fled Syria following a revolt that was violently suppressed in 1982, leaving nearly 20,000 people dead according to estimates. Spokesman al-Droubi acknowledged the group's current reach was limited."My opinion is that in case of free elections the Muslim Brothers wouldn't have more than 25 percent of the votes," he said. But the group's leader, Mohammad Riad al-Shakfa, said the Brotherhood was still "present everywhere in Syria.” The Brotherhood plays a key role in the Syrian National Council, the opposition coalition opposing Assad.
Agence France Presse

The one-trick pony
July 19, 2012 /Now Lebanon
Using the 6th anniversary of his party’s disastrous 2006 war with Israel, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah sought to reinforce the idea that Israel is still public enemy number one and convince us that the rapidly crumbling Syrian regime is made of up of stout-hearted fellows who have sacrificed much to help the Resistance and the wider Arab cause. It is a narrative that is wearing thin in a speech that was once again riddled with statements that highlight the fact that the party is fundamentally at odds with Lebanon’s ambitions to achieve a full sense of statehood. That the occasion commemorated one of the most shameful and reckless acts of adventurism in our short history only added to the stench.  It also reminded us that Hezbollah is a one-trick pony. Everything the party preaches is seen through the lens of Israeli skullduggery and the idea that if it weren’t for Hezbollah and its readiness to blow up anyone and everything at the drop of a hat we would be a nanosecond away from annihilation.
It has to do this because Hezbollah offers little else. Its performance in government has been a disaster, and the reputation it cultivated as the party that gets things done has been dented. We can only dream of the day when Nasrallah tells us that he wants to use the party’s legendary efficiency to run the country and create prosperity. Instead, he can only remind us of his apocalyptic arsenal. Hezbollah is a party predicted on conflict and little else. And now Nasrallah is forced to weave into this dogma his defense of a Syrian regime that has basically behaved like Israel, or arguably even worse than Israel, toward its own people. Nasrallah has been put in the embarrassing position of watching his ally murder innocent men, women and children – essentially the oppressed that the party is committed to defending – and offer nothing but spin: These are the people that helped us fight the Zionist enemy. They are fighting a foreign-backed rebellion, so we must give them time. The litany of excuses is endless. But one fact is inescapable: Damascus, in its supposedly noble dealings with Hezbollah, has always undermined the authority of the Lebanese state. If we also consider Syria’s conduct during much of its three-decade presence in Lebanon between 1976 and 2005, there is little for which we should be thankful.
Nasrallah speaks of the Resistance’s ability to hit back at any Israeli threat but forgets that his party has no legitimate mandate to lead the country into a war. This is the capital difficulty with the party’s presence in the Lebanese political arena, and it is why we must never lose sight of the fact that, despite putting up a creditable performance against the strongest national army in the Middle East, the 2006 July War and the death and destruction that came with it was Hezbollah’s doing. If we are to commemorate that sad month, it must not just be to bask in Hezbollah’s smugness but to remember the loss of life and ensure that such a blunder, for that is what it was, must never happen again. Nasrallah’s comments come on the back of a statement made on Monday by Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad, who admitted that his party “did not want a national defense strategy at the present time,” adding that Hezbollah was “still in the liberation stage and [would] have ample time to talk about a defense strategy after liberation.”
We have heard it all before. We heard it in 2000 when we were sold the idea of the Shebaa Farms, and we have heard it many times since. Nasrallah may be a canny politician—arguably Lebanon’s most skillful—but his party and what it stands for is a cancer (the prime minister’s words, no less) at the heart of Lebanon. Period.

Lebanese dissidents
Hazem al-Amin, July 20, 2012
Now Lebanon
The uprising in Syria seems to have ushered in the era of declarations of dissidence from the Baath regime in Damascus, and this era is different from the time the uprising started and from that of the regime’s violent and bloody repression. We have a share of this new era in Lebanon, as it would be fun – and even useful – to perform a mental exercise about the potential cases of Lebanese dissidence from the Syrian regime. The bombing of the [Syrian] National Security headquarters makes it even more pressing to entertain such fantasies. The funerals of Syrian officials and their relatives have represented for a long time a social event for their Lebanese counterparts. The absence of any Lebanese official from the funerals of the Syrian ministers who died in the Damascus bombing today will amount to a symbolic or implicit act of dissidence, and all we have to do is to wait and see. For starters, it is worth noting that the probabilities of Lebanese dissidence from the Baath regime in Damascus are far more complicated from what they are like in Syria. The relationship between the Syrian regime and Syrian officials is actually clearer than the one between this regime and its Lebanese cronies. Damascus is characterized by security, sectarian and regional circles of influence that rule these relations and, accordingly, cases of dissidence.
Sings of dissidence are harder to spot in Lebanon, as declaring one’s dissidence would be tantamount to saying that one is part of the Syrian regime, which – in itself – is political suicide and will, after a while, mean social suicide as well. Some people and parties in Lebanon are closer to the Baath regime than the Baath regime itself but at the same time, they are free from the load of official and legal relationship.
For instance, Wiam Wahhab is closer to the Syrian regime than many Syrian ministers, but Wiam Wahhab is the chairman of the Lebanese Unification Party.
Michel Samaha is regarded as “the regime’s media mind,” but he is a consultant working on an outsourcing basis.
The same thing can be said about Nasser Qandil. The man is merely an “Arab intellectual” who is helping the Syrian regime in its struggle with Israel and the Future Movement. An intellectual does not declare its dissidence and when Azmi Bechara did it, he became a “former intellectual”.
It is really confusing because we Lebanese are better than not to get involved in the time of dissidence declarations, since the Lebanese parties whose influence in Beirut was consolidated by the Damascus regime will not succeed in declaring their dissidence. Indeed, how can the “Lebanese” Amal Movement declare its dissidence vis-à-vis the “Syrian” Baath regime? Amal will predictably split from it without any fuss, such as by progressively tuning down its officials’ speeches, which glorify the relationship with the Syrian regime and even stop making such speeches altogether (as is already the case). Meanwhile, it is betting on the Lebanese people’s short memory as it believes – probably rightly so – that they will forget, especially since Amal’s waning in favor of Hezbollah’s [stronger] influence has limited its presence to a mere pragmatic one. It will be harder for the Free Patriotic Movement to declare its dissidence compared with the Amal Movement. The recent character of the FPM’s relation with the Baath regime will limit its freedom of maneuver, and the successive dates mentioned by General Michel Aoun for the end of the revolution in Syria turned out to mark the escalation of the struggle rather than its end. Therefore, the Aounists’ dissidence will truly be tragic and the only way we can imagine it will happen is for General Aoun to wake up one day and hold a press conference during which he reveals that he was behind the Syria Accountability Act as proven by the “Orange Book”, which was taken off the market for passing considerations only to be offered today as a gift from General Aoun to Syrian protesters in their cities and villages. Still, imagination in this respect runs wilder when it comes to the “micro-relationship” with the Syrian regime, as the relationship between the regime and its figures is more attractive than the relationship between the regime and groups and parties. It is necessary here to perform a quick review of the future of Lebanese figures whose only representativeness is derived from Damascus’ reliance on them, such as Michel Samaha, Nasser Qandil, Wiam Wahhab and others.
Personally, I believe that Michel Samaha will likely succeed in returning to the Kataeb as there is something in Samaha that resembles the party. Furthermore, the Kataeb hierarchy and family character needs a shadow man like Samaha to help liquidate its estate.
The doors to Mukhtara will not be closed to the “imaginary dissident” Wiam Wahhab. Walid Jumblatt himself has declared his dissidence more than once, and Wahhab and company have many functions to perform at the palace. The Druze community is under Jumblatt’s aegis, and Jumblatt is an expert in civil relations and aware of the benefits of protecting the prodigal son. A small exchange of jokes between the two men would be enough to make a fresh start.
Imagination will not do in the case of Shia dissidents, as imagining the dissidence of Shia individuals, such as Nasser Qandil and Jamil as-Sayyed, calls for imagining a broader case of dissidence, i.e. Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.
In Sayyed’s case, the dissidence of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah will not be of any help for him. When he was in office, he was actually imposed on the Amal Movement and he was no Hezbollah supporter. The only solution for him would be to allow his beard to grow and declare his affiliation with Hezbollah, and those who know the man say that this is unlike him at all. Nasser Qandil, on the other hand, is an “Arab intellectual” and intellectuals are mystics lost in their own world.
*This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic site on Wednesday July 18, 2012


The Terrorist's Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah speech text of 19 July/12
In the name of God, the compassionate the merciful. Peace be upon you. I welcome all of you at the beginning of this ceremony marking the sixth anniversary of the 2006 July War. I thank you for attending [this ceremony].
Brothers and sisters, there are many issues I wanted to to speak about, but regional developments, particularly in Syria and what happened today, forces [me] to set aside a part of my speech to [address] regional developments.
First, I want to mention something about an incident in the 2006 July War to reveal one of the Resistance’s achievements—an achievement never mentioned in the past years.
On the sixth anniversary [of the war], Israelis are still in shock over the 2006 defeat. We are not concerned about who considers [the result of the July War] a victory or not. For us, it is enough that the head of the Israeli Mossad [in 2006] to tell [Israeli] PM [at the time] Ehud Olmert that the [July] War was a national catastrophe. The final result was that 250 rockets were fired at Israel during the last day of the [July] War.
On July 14, [2006] the Israeli mini-cabinet met to discuss Operation Quantitative Weight. They [proposed] collecting accurate information about Hezbollah’s rockets and [their] platforms. The defense minister at the time said that they conducted maneuvers in the past years to shell these platforms. He told the [security] cabinet that if the operation was approved, Hezbollah will not be able to fire long and medium range rockets at Israel.
An hour after this operation was approved, more than 40 warplanes launched their attack and targeted what the Israelis said was more than 40 rockets. In 34 minutes, the operation was finished. [Israeli PM Ehud] Olmert was contacted [by an Israeli official] who told him: We won. The war is over.
The truth is that the Resistance found out about the enemy’s [intention to bombard] the platforms, and played along and helped them collect information. The first security achievement is that the Resistance knew that Israel knew where the platforms were located. The second achievement is that the Resistance was able to change the location of these platforms without allowing the Israelis to find out. [We] transferred the platforms to a different location that Israel did not know. When Israel made the decision to execute [the operation], most of the areas bombed were moved. What happened is that the platforms were re-located and they were ready to attack Tel Aviv.
The operation that [Israel] dubbed as the Quantitative Weight, we call the Quantitative Illusion. The Resistance fought until the last day of the war and was ready to continue doing so. When [Israel] realized the next day that their operation failed, Defense Minister Dan Haltuz told the mini-cabinet that it seemed Israel became involved in an operation that may last for weeks, and [then Israeli Vice Premier] Shimon Peres swallowed his tongue.
We know that the Israelis collect information about us and that it is preparing to attack us. We know what [their] first attack would be in the next war. We will surprise you when you make your first attack. We promise the Israelis of a big surprise. I want the people of the region to have faith in the Resistance’s capabilities. We were victorious in 2000 and 2006, and we can achieve better victories in any war.
If the war against the Resistance succeeded in 2006, the war would not have ended [in Lebanon] but continued to target Syria considering that it supported [us] with weapons. [The second thing they would have done was] overthrow President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and destroy Syria, not to establish democracy or reforms but to serve a US scheme. The Resistance’s victory prevented this.
If there was solidarity in Lebanon and if some daggers were not placed in our backs during the last days of the war, political negotiations would have been achieved on the national level. But there were some helping Israel on the political level to get [Israel] out of the crisis it placed itself in. We overcame this phase. And [later], there was Gaza. When Gaza [confronted Israeli aggression], the plan for a new Middle East collapsed. But does this mean that the US scheme ended? No. They are pragmatics, always looking for alternatives.
Former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Moshe Ya’alon said: It was clear that Hezbollah was a rooted phenomenon that could not be crushed through a military operation and that there is no reason for a conclusive military solution to Hezbollah’s [arms]. This is why I encouraged a political action to disarm Hezbollah [through] a domestic Lebanese operation.
Some Lebanese people do what Israel wants, whether they know it or not.
Ya’alon also said: I realized that there was no means to remove Hezbollah from the hearts of the Shia and based on this, I suggested working on a political and military manner to contain Hezbollah and eventually reach the point where Hezbollah is seen in Lebanon as illegitimate.
In Israel, they bet on Lebanese domestic developments. The Lebanese have to wake up. A war like the 2006 July War did not beat the Resistance [so] those who make offenses cannot beat us.
There is a real problem for the Americans and the Israelis in Syria. They saw that there was an important development in Syria in the past phase. First there was a new military strategy in Syria that transferred Syria into a military power and made it capable of possibly threatening Israel. Therefore, Israel viewed Syria with worry in the past years. Second, Syria is a path for the Resistance and a bridge of communication between the Resistance and Iran.
I have two [proofs] for Syria’s [Resistance] role. The first one is that the most important rockets that targeted Haifa and the center of Israel were made by Syrian military and given to the Resistance. Syria was an aid to the Resistance and gave [us] weapons that we used in the July War. Not only in Lebanon, but also in the Gaza Strip.
Israel, today, is afraid of Gaza and afraid for Tel Aviv. Who gave [Gaza fighters] the rockets? The Saudi regime? The Egyptian regime? No. They were rockets from Syria and transferred through Syria. The Syrian leadership was risking its interests and existence in order for the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine to be strong. Show me one Arab regime that does the same.
What does this mean? For Syria to give Hezbollah, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement weapons at a time when Arab regimes prevented food and money from being transferred to Gaza? Syria sent weapons and food to Gaza and took a risk to do so. This is Syria, Bashar al-Assad’s Syria, the Syria of the martyrs Assef Shawkat, Daoud Rajha and Hassan Turkmani [who died in Wednesday’s explosion in Damascus].
In a day like today, we have to say what is right. Let our words be to the liking of whoever, and he who does not like them can swear all he wants. There is a US-Israeli scheme that prevents a regional state other than Israel from having a strong army. The only army in the region which was not trained by the US and which was not equipped with the US was the Syrian army. There was work underway to destroy this army. The US, the West and their tools in the Arab region used the rightful demands of the Syrian people and engaged Syria in a war.
It is Israel’s right to be happy today because pillars of the Syrian army were targeted and killed. Israel’s aim is for Syria not to have a strong army. We call again to maintain Syria, its people and army. The only solution is to hold dialogue. We owe these prominent leaders [who died today in Syria]. We offer the Syrian leadership, army and people our condolences and we condemn this attack that only serves the interests of the enemy. We have full trust that the Syrian army has the ability to remain standing.
Let us think for a while of who benefits from what is happening in Syria. Israel’s only concern in the past years was Iran. There are dozens of Farsi television stations tasked with inciting against the Iranian people and command. These stations and [incitement] led to protests in Iran. Everything the US and the West could do to Iran, they have done. But Iran is today 100 times stronger than it was thirty years ago and it will become stronger.
Regarding Lebanese developments, when it comes to confronting domestic and foreign threats, there is a national consensus to strengthen the army. But is there really a national consensus? I doubt this. What really weakens the army these days… is to accuse it of sectarianism and [voice] doubt [over] its patriotism and neutrality. The army in the past few years have proven its patriotism and neutrality. It has proved that it is a national guarantee. But accusing the army of working for certain parties threatens it.
We must have a strong position, [and not] fear US envoys or generals. It is [only] then that we can establish a strong army. But if the army’s weapons are American, [it will not be an army], but a security force. The US will not give the Lebanese army strong weapons so it [cannot] fight Israel. They do not want the army to be strong. Iran said it will give the army weapons as donations or on sale for low prices. Iran wants Lebanon’s army to be strong. What Lebanese [official] is strong to decide to accept Iran’s donation? If [we are afraid of] the Americans, how can we [ever] establish a strong army?
I call on the Lebanese people, the cabinet and the national dialogue [committee] to [help] set up a strong army. Let the national dialogue committee recommend the cabinet to accept Iran’s donations and offers to sell [Lebanon] arms for low prices.
There are [also] domestic tensions. And media outlets are [contributing to it]. I am not discussing the media’s rights to [cover events] but there is a national duty that it has to bear.
I call on everyone, especially the Resistance’s supporters, to be patient. You have heard a lot of insults. Do not respond to any provocations that aim to drag you into fighting. Some want to cause strife and chaos in Lebanon. I call on you to be patient and to control yourselves. Some are working to divide society and cause sectarian struggles.
Some preachers have shown a toy and said that the Shia made it and that the toy says: Kill Sayyida Aisha. First, the sound that the toy utters does not say this. Second, how [did] these preachers know that the toy was made by the Shia? This reveals how we can easily get lost. What prevents Western countries and Israel from manufacturing toys that say: Kill Sayyida Aisha, Kill Imam Ali? And we believe this and kill each other.
I call on all of you to be mature. Today there is a lot of sectarian rhetoric. Preachers should confront this. If a Shia says something that insults another sect, we, as Shia scholars have to stand up in his face and silence him. And also, the Sunnis, the Christians and the Druze have to do the same.
[Regarding the cabinet] disputes happen among the current majority. March 14 said that the cabinet was Hezbollah’s when it was formed. March 14 knows that this is not true. March 14 knows about the inheritance they left [for this cabinet] as they participated in it. The cabinet today stands for Lebanon’s interest. [For example,] dissociating Lebanon from [regional developments] serves Lebanon. The cabinet components have different points of view, but [we] resolve these disputes through dialogue.
We confirm the good and strategic relations with our allies. We confirm our relation with Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun. The alliance between us for the past six years cannot be ended by a dispute or a possibility of a dispute. Allies [may] disagree. Neither of us follows the other or cancels the other. Do not expect the FPM to follow Hezbollah and do not expect Hezbollah to follow the FPM.
I hope the majority can [resolve all disagreements] through dialogue and that disputes do not last for long as this does not serve Lebanon.
[At last] we salute the souls of martyrs, officers, soldiers and everyone who supported [us]. I thank everyone who helped achieve this miracle in July 2006. I tell you that what you did will remain immortal.

A painful blow to the Syrian regime
By Emad El Din Adeeb/Asharq Alawsat
The sudden explosion at a national security building in Damascus is the largest tremor so far in the assault upon the solid body of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
This operation, which claimed the lives of the Syrian Defense Minister, General Dawoud Rajha, and other senior security officials including Assef Shawkat, has transmitted the popular revolution movement from the streets to the ruling palaces, and brought the activities of the opposition Free Syrian Army [FSA] to the regime’s inner circle. Keen observers of the Syrian file will be able to interpret the following results from this operation:
Firstly, the choice of location: This in itself is a painful blow to the security and prestige of the regime, for it was an explosion in a building located in the al-Rouda district of Damascus, near to one of the Syrian President’s palaces and always surrounded by extraordinary security measures, meaning that any important target, regardless of the surrounding security, could potentially be bombed.
Secondly, the human targets: More important than the assassination of the Defense Minister was the assassination of General Assef Shawkat, the president's brother-in-law and one of the closest figures to the al-Assad family and the regime’s decision making center, who previously served as deputy Defense Minister. The assassination of Shawkat, one of the senior planners and perpetrators of the massacres against the opposition, represents a major blow to the al-Assad regime, and sends a very clear message to the President that “you and your regime are in danger”. Assef Shawkat was part of the so-called “chosen leaders” within the regular Syrian army, who were granted the ranks of Brigadier General, Major General and First General. These men are selected by name and appointed by the “Supreme Commander”; the President. As for General Dawoud Rajha, who served as Defense Minister, he received his rank in recognition of his loyalty to the regime, and it is noteworthy that no one had received the rank of First General before him except for First General Tlass and First General Hikmat al-Shihabi.
Thirdly, this operation will be followed by others, perhaps even more daring ones, conducted by the FSA which now boasts nearly 70,000 officers, troops and armed volunteers. So far, no one knows exactly how the explosion was carried out; was it a suicide bomber or a bomb placed beforehand, and the most important question is: was it really the work of the FSA? Or was this an attack by a jihadist faction, as has been rumored and repeated? Or could it even have been the work of a security officer close to the inner circle of the regime?
Perhaps the fundamental force underlying the regime is the Republican Guard, which consists of an artillery regiment, a mobile brigade and three armored brigades. These are led by Maher al-Assad, the President’s brother and primary confidant for issues of regime security.
This painful blow prompted Sergey Lavrov to declare that there is now a genuine major battle taking place in Damascus. In turn, Bashar al-Assad has been prompted, for the first time since these events began, to face the great question that has been avoided in the past: Is it possible for the regime to impose itself by force at such an infinite cost, or is it best to make arrangements to leave?