Bible Quotation for today/The Word of Life/God Is Light
01 John 01and 02: " We write to you about the Word of life, which has existed from the very beginning. We have heard it, and we have seen it with our eyes; yes, we have seen it, and our hands have touched it. When this life became visible, we saw it; so we speak of it and tell you about the eternal life which was with the Father and was made known to us.  What we have seen and heard we announce to you also, so that you will join with us in the fellowship that we have with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.4 We write this in order that our joy may be complete.  Now the message that we have heard from his Son and announce is this: God is light, and there is no darkness at all in him.  If, then, we say that we have fellowship with him, yet at the same time live in the darkness, we are lying both in our words and in our actions.  But if we live in the light—just as he is in the light—then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us.  But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make a liar out of God, and his word is not in us.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources For February 20/14
Lebanon's Cabinet Policy Statement: Quick and concise/Daily Star/February 20/14
Al-Qaeda's chilling jihadist video of Mouin Abu Dahir/By: Diana Moukalled/Al Arabyia/February 20/14
On Syria, a spymasters’ conclave/By David Ignatius/Washington Post/February 20/14

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources For February 20/14
Lebanese Related News
Twin suicide car bombings kill eight in Beirut
Lebanese Army releases photo of suspected suicide bomber
Lebanese Officials Condemn Dahiyeh Attack, Vow to Confront Terrorism
Ministerial Lebanese Policy Statement Committee Avoids Controversial Issues in Race against Time
Report: Cabinet to Pave Way for Series of Settlements Including Hizbullah's Withdrawal from Syria
Hale Meets Bassil: U.S. Support New Govt., People, Army in Comnbatting Terrorism
West Denounces Dahiyeh Twin Bomb Blasts
Tension Rises in Tripoli as Gunfire Targets Jabal Mohsen Resident
Five Rockets Fired from Syria Land in Brital Towns
Iran Blasts Beirut Bombings, Blames Israeli 'Agents'
New Govt. Will Pave Way for Withdrawal of Hizbullah from Syria
Israeli Soldiers Recover Surveillance Drone's Fuselage Near Mays al-Jabal
Jarba Says Hizbullah Pullout from Syria Guarantees End to Internal Discord
Suspect in Security Forces Custody Says Monitored Movement of Hizbullah Officials
Lebanon’s Saad al-Hariri meets Sisi in Cairo
Man Hurt as Syrian Helicopter Raids Arsal Outskirts
Lebanon's humble aspirations for its new cabinet
Miscellaneous Reports And News
New high-tech IDF Bashan Division on Golan. Syrian mortar shells miss visiting Israel leaders
German-Iranian Arrested for Shipping Missile Parts
Iran Guards Commander Gives Nuclear Talks Warning
Syrian regime using ‘new cluster munitions’
As Syria Threat Expands, Obama Mulls Options
HRW Says Syria Using Powerful New Cluster Munitions
More Civilians Evacuated from Syria's Homs
Syria Rebel Chief's Sacking Sparks Dissent
U.N. Condemns Bombing near Syria School that Killed 18
Sways Sword during Saudi Dance
Jewish Extremists Damage 30 Palestinian Cars in E. Jerusalem
Ukraine Announces Nationwide 'Anti-Terrorist' Operation as Europe Condemns Violence

Twin suicide car bombings kill eight in Beirut
February 19, 2014/By Dana Khraiche, Kareem Shaheen/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Twin suicide car bombings targeting the Iranian Cultural Center in a busy Beirut suburb Wednesday killed at least eight people, including the bombers, and wounded 128 others, a security source said.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility for the deadly explosions, describing the attacks as a "raid" against the center in retaliation to Hezbollah and Tehran's role in the Syrian war.
The same group also claimed the Nov. 19 twin suicide attack outside the Iranian Embassy that killed dozens, including an Iranian diplomat.
The blasts, which occurred at 9:25 a.m. during rush hour, are the second attack in less than four months targeting Iranian interests in Bir Hasan. The commercial and residential neighborhood is home to the Iranian and Kuwaiti embassies and several television stations.
Ambulances and Civil Defense trucks rushed to the scene of the explosion which was powerful enough to be felt several kilometers away.
The twin attack killed eight people, including a policeman and the two suicide bombers, the source told The Daily Star, adding that several wounded were in critical condition.
A security source identified the member of the Internal Security Forces as Mohammad Dandash.
Tawhid party, headed by Wiam Wahhab, said one of the victims of the blasts was a member of the group identified as 56-year-old Hamzi Sobh.
Al-Manar Television reported that the soldier grew suspicious of one of the bombers inside the vehicle and stopped him. The bomber then blew up the car.
The Lebanese Army urged citizens whose relatives went missing in the attack to head to Al-Rasoul Al-Azam Hospital to undergo DNA tests in order to identify human remains found on the site.
The military said the "simultaneous attacks" were caused by two vehicles that exploded seconds apart: a Mercedes exploded outside the Iranian Cultural Center while a BMW blew up near the European exhibition center.
“The Military Police unit as well as a number of experts began investigating the site of the explosion and human remains found near the attack site,” the Army said in a statement.
In a separate statement, the Army reported that the Mercedes had a fake license plate and contained 75 kilograms of explosives and shells distributed in the car.
The second vehicle, BMW X5, contained 90 kilograms of shells placed in the four-wheel vehicle, which was stolen from Beirut’s southern suburbs on the Airport road.
The Army added that the BMW was originally registered under the name of Mohammad Ali Issa and was later sold to Mustafa Ismail.
A number of buildings and vehicles were damaged and human remains were seen scattered at the site of the attack.
“I was walking near the Kuwaiti Embassy and I heard what sounded and felt like an earthquake,” a passerby told The Daily Star.“I immediately rushed to check on my sister who works nearby,” the distraught man said.
A family living in one of the damaged buildings said they woke up to the sound of the explosions.
“My children were terrified. I went down stairs to see what happened,” another Bir Hasan resident said.
The Islamic Orphanage, located meters away from the Iranian center, said 11 children and one supervisor were slightly wounded. The children were in the playground when the explosion occurred, a statement from the institution said, adding that the building, which houses some 260 orphans, was severely damaged. “We were playing tug-of-war when the explosion happened,” said one of the children.
“May God punish them and not allow them to go to Heaven,” another shouted. “Please God!”Newly appointed Interior Minister Nuhad Machnouk expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and said Lebanese authorities should crack down on stolen vehicles in Lebanon.
“There are Lebanese passageways sending stolen vehicles to Syria where they are being rigged with explosives,” Machnouk told reporters at the site.
“We should crack down in areas like the Bekaa and others where thieves live and where stolen vehicles are taken,” he added. Machnouk also said that some Lebanese were facilitating the work of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades.
The Iranian Embassy in Beirut said there were no serious injuries among its staff at the cultural center.
“Only a few employees suffered minor injuries from broken glass,” an embassy spokesman said.
Lebanon has been rocked by a series of bombings mostly targeting predominantly-Shiite neighborhoods in the capital’s suburbs and east Lebanon.
Radical groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility for the explosions, saying the attacks were in retaliation to Hezbollah’s military involvement in Syria.
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stood defiant Sunday, saying his group would remain fighting "takfiri forces" in Syria and would only withdraw if Arab countries stop meddling in the war-torn country.
Wednesday’s attacks come days after Prime Minister Tammam Salam announced the formation of his “National Interest” Cabinet, bringing together the Hezbollah-led March 8 and the Future Movement-led March 14 coalitions. -With additional reporting by Rima Aboulmona

Lebanese Army releases photo of suspected suicide bomber
February 19, 2014/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: The photo of a "dangerous" fugitive published by the Army Wednesday is a suspect in Wednesday’s twin suicide bombings targeting the Iranian Cultural Center, according to a security source. The Army issued a statement along with the photo urging citizens with information to come forward by heading to the nearest Army center, calling the hotline 1701 or using the LAF Shield mobile application.
Double suicide car bombings in the Beirut suburb of Bir Hasan killed eight people including the bombers and wounded 128 others, the second attack in less than four months targeting Iranian interests in Lebanon. The Army said the two vehicles, a BMW X5 and a Mercedes, used in the attack contained a total of 165 kilograms of shells and explosives. Al-Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the bombings were in response to Hezbollah’s role in Syria and the continued detention of Muslim men in Lebanese prisons. The group, which also claimed the Nov. 19 suicide attacks against the Iranian Embassy, vowed to carry out more bombings unless their “just demands” are met.

Six killed in southern Beirut blasts
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/02/19/Blast-heard-in-south-suburn-of-Lebanon.html
By Staff writer | Al Arabiya News/Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Six people have been killed and at least 100 injured after two explosions hit a southern area of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Wednesday, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
The al-Qaeda linked Sunni extremist group Abdullah Azzam Bridages have claimed responsibility for the twin attacks on its Twitter account. "The brothers of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, of the Hussein bin Ali Brigades claim the attack against the Iranian cultural centre, which was a double martyrdom operation," the group's Twitter account said. The blast, which used 160kg of explosives, hit near the Kuwaiti embassy and 20 meters (yards) from the Iranian Cultural Chancellery in Beirut. Blast walls were set up in front of the Iranian cultural center recently apparently for fear of such attacks. The Iranian ambassador in Lebanon said the dead included a Lebanese policeman who had been guarding the cultural center, but none of its staff were wounded. The explosion also occurred near an orphanage run by an Islamic charity, blowing out the building’s windows. While children were reportedly included in the casualties, it was unconfirmed if they were from the orphanage. Prime Minister Tammam Salam, whose Cabinet was formed on Saturday, said the blast is "a message by forces of terrorism to continue in their plan to spread death in Lebanon." "We got the message and we will respond to it with solidarity and our commitment to peace," he said.
Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of the militant movement Hezbollah, have been hit by seven bomb attacks since July, the most recent of which occurred on Feb. 3.
Wednesday's attack marks the second time an Iranian property has been targeted. In November, a pair of suicide bombings at the Iranian embassy killed at least 25 people, including a diplomat.
Making clear its targets were intentional, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades said its statement via Twitter that "The attack on the Iranian cultural center is a response to the fighting by the Party of Iran (Hezbollah) side by side with the criminal regime in Syria.”Iran is a major backer of Hezbollah. Both are allies with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The series of attacks are linked to the civil war in neighboring Syria with Syrian rebels vowing to strike against Hezbollah in retaliation for its active involvement in the war. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Nasrallah on Sunday said his group would continue to fight in Syria, describing Hezbollah's involvement there as necessary to stop the spread of radical Sunni militancy. Abdullah Azzam Brigades also expressed its staunch pursuit of targeting Hezbollah strong holds in its statement following Wednesday’s attack.
"We will continue, with God's strength, to target Iran and its party in Lebanon ... to achieve our two just demands: One, getting the fighters of the Party of Iran out of Syria; Two: releasing our prisoners from the oppressive Lebanese prisons." The Syrian war has deeply divided Lebanon along sectarian lines and helped fuel a surge in violence that has rattled the already fragile country.
(With Reuters)

Policy Statement Committee Avoids Controversial Issues in Race against Time
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 February 2014/The ministerial committee tasked with drafting the new government's policy statement will avoid discussions on controversial issues and instead focus on the principles of the Constitution and the resumption of the national dialogue to resolve the differences between the rival parties, An Nahar daily reported on Wednesday. The newspaper said that the members of the seven-minister committee, which is headed by Prime Minister Tammam Salam, were handed copies of a draft statement that includes major noncontroversial issues. The committee is composed of State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammed Fneish, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb, Health Minister Wael Abou Faour, Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi, and Interior Minister Nuhad al-Mashnouq. It will meet at the Grand Serail under Salam at 6:00 pm Wednesday amid an unofficial deal among its members, which represent the three different camps forming the government, to draft the policy statement within days before the cabinet can seek a vote of confidence from the parliament. An Nahar quoted al-Mashnouq as saying that the members of the committee would be able to agree on a blueprint acceptable by all political parties. “We should be able to agree on a plan that backs the role of the state and stresses that only the state would be responsible for the Lebanese in political, military, economic and security issues,” he said. As Safir newspaper also said that Salam will propose to the committee a “blueprint that satisfies everyone.” It quoted several unidentified ministers as saying that the policy statement would focus on “the Lebanese government's commitment to all the principles that were consolidated by the Lebanese cabinets since the Taef Accord.”Such wordings would avoid a controversy on the “people-army-resistance” equation which Hizbullah was holding onto before the formation of the cabinet.
They would also appease the March 14 alliance that was sticking to its call for the adoption of the Baabda Declaration as the basis of the policy statement. Hizbullah's al-Manar TV confirmed that neither the “people-army-resistance” equation nor the Baabda Declaration would be mentioned in the blueprint, a sign that both the March 8 and March 14 camps have agreed to steer themselves clear of a dispute inside the committee. The new government's main task will be the preparation for the presidential elections. It was formed on Saturday after a ten-month deadlock and has only a few months of authority before the polls to choose a new president by the time Michel Suleiman's term expires in May

Lebanese Officials Condemn Dahiyeh Attack, Vow to Confront Terrorism
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 February 2014/Lebanese officials strongly denounced on Wednesday the double suicide attack that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs, which killed at least four people and injured 100 others and was claimed by al-Qaida affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades. President Michel Suleiman condemned the attack, saying: “There can be no salvation from terrorism except through complete solidarity among the people regardless of their political affiliations.”“Terrorism does not differentiate between regions and religions, but it only seeks death and destruction,” he added. Earlier the president had contacted Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Rokn-Abadi to offer his condolences over the bombing that took place near the Iranian Cultural Center. He also contacted Interior Minister Nuhad Mashnouq and Kuwaiti Ambassador to Lebanon Abdul Aal al-Qinai.
Speaker Nabih Berri meanwhile urged the “greatest level of vigilance and caution” in confronting the series of bombings that have targeted Lebanon.
Prime Minister Tammam Salam slammed the twin bomb blasts, considering them a “message by the terrorist groups to continue its plot in spreading absurd deaths in Lebanon.”“Amid the positive political stances... Terrorism once again hit Lebanon by bombing a safe neighborhood in a message that reflects the insistence of the evil powers to harm Lebanon and the Lebanese and to create sedition.”He noted that the Lebanese will “respond to it with more unity, solidarity, by holding on to our civil peace and supporting our army and security forces.”
Bir Hassan is surrounded by neighborhood that are strongholds of the Hizbullah and have been targeted in multiple bomb attacks killing civilians. Lebanon has been rocked by a string of car and suicide bomb attacks in recent months, many targeting strongholds of Hizbullah in apparent retribution for its role in Syria.The group has admitted sending fighters to the neighboring country to battle alongside Syria's President Bashar Assad against an uprising.
For his part, Hizbullah's Industry Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan called on the Lebanese to tighten their grip on national stances and to confront terrorism.
Interior Minister Mashnouq said from the blast scene that the explosion targets all the Lebanese people and the government will take the necessary measures to tackle the situation. “The cabinet will take all the necessary measure to end the phenomena of suicide attacks,” Mashnouq added. Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil stressed that “terrorism is targeting all the Lebanese. We must put an end to it.”
Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi said that the suicide bombings that targeted the area aims at destabilizing Lebanon, stressing that security should be a priority. He called on the Lebanese people to be aware of the dangerous stage the country is passing through and to unite in order to confront terrorism. Head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun said via twitter that “terrorists were bothered by the formation of the cabinet after they became convinced that it would fight them.”Al-Mustaqbal Movement Chief Saad Hariri said that “if the aim behind the attack is to inform the Lebanese that their country isn't immune to terrorism despite the formation of the cabinet then we will hold on to our unity today more than ever.” “We condemn the attacks with the strongest rhetoric,” Hariri said in a statement, calling on security forces to pursue the culprits. He urged the Lebanese for more solidarity and to allow the cabinet to carry out its responsibilities during this delicate situation. Hariri reiterated calls on the Lebanese to dissociate itself from the conflict in Syria and on Hizbullah to withdraw its fighters from the ongoing war in the neighboring country and to abide by the Baabda Declaration. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea later condemned in a statement the Bir Hassan bombing, calling for Hizbullah to withdraw its fighters from Syria.
“We had previously predicted that the situation in Lebanon will not change with the formation of a new government,” he added.
“The situation will change when the policies of previous governments are altered,” he explained. He demanded that the border between Lebanon and Syria be controlled in order to thwart the flow gunmen, offering his condolences to the victims of the blast. Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani also denounced the attack, calling on Salam's cabinet to “swiftly control the situation in Lebanon and reduce tension and all forms of incitement to confront the upcoming stage as a one hand. Head of the Phalange Party Amin Gemayel said: “The Bir Hassan bombing is a bloody message aimed at terrorizing the new cabinet that is an embodiment of national will.”“The best way to respond to the bombings lies in activating government work and seizing control of the security situation,” he added.

6 Dead  and 124 Injured as Qaida Claims Suicide Blasts in Beirut's Southern Suburbs
News Agencies/.At least four people were killed on Wednesday in two suicide bombings that went off near an Iranian cultural center in Beirut's southern suburbs, an attack claimed by the al-Qaida linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades. Six people died and 124 were injured in what the Lebanese army stated were two simultaneous suicide bombings at around 9:25 am in the Bir Hassan neighborhood in locations with a distance of only 100 meters from each other. Abou Faour said human remains found in the area likely belonged to the bombers. But the army command asked the families of those missing in the double bombing to head to al-Rassoul al-Aazam hospital on the airport road to carrying out DNA tests. Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said one of the suicide bombers set off his explosives when police corporal Mohammed Dandash felt suspicious of him at a checkpoint in the area. Dandash argued with him when the bomber tried to search for a location to park his car. The corporal was among the four people killed in the blast. The other suicide bomber, who was in another vehicle, was driving in the opposite direction and immediately triggered his explosives when the first blast went off, VDL said. The army said the first blast was caused by around 75 kilograms of explosives and mortars stashed in a Mercedes carrying the fake license plate of Z121363. The second explosion went off in a BMW X5, which was loaded with 90 kilos of explosives and mortars. Its license plate is S158298, it said, adding the car was stolen from the airport road.
The Kuwaiti embassy, which lies in the area, said none of its staff was injured in the attack. The Iranian Embassy said there were "no severe injuries among the diplomats and the staff at the cultural center."
The blasts took place close to the Beirut offices of Iran's official news agency, IRNA, and Iranian television IRIB. A thick smoke billowed in the sky when the blasts went off as several vehicles went in flames.
Buildings in the area were also heavily damaged as seen on TV footage. At one point, the army opened fire in the air to disperse the crowds that gathered in the area and pave way for ambulances and firefighters to transport the wounded and douse the blaze. The Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed the attack on its twitter account. “The brothers of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, of the Hussein bin Ali Brigades claim the attack against the Iranian cultural center, which was a double martyrdom operation," it said. The group said that the attack came in response to Hizbullah's fighting in Syria's war. "We will continue... to target Iran and its party in Lebanon, in its security and political and military centers, until our demands are achieved," it said. "First: that the party of Iran withdraws its forces from Syria. Second, that our prisoners are released from Lebanese prisons."
The same neighborhood witnessed near simultaneous attacks in November when suicide bombers linked to the Brigades targeted the Iranian embassy. The blasts were the latest to hit a predominantly Shiite area.
Military prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr tasked the army intelligence with cordoning off the area and looking for evidence after he inspected the scene of the attacks.

Iran blames Israel for deadly Beirut bombing in Hezbollah stronghold
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4490036,00.html
News Agencies/Published: 02.19.14, 10:20 / Israel News
Iran on Wednesday blamed Israel for a double suicide bombing in Beirut that killed four people near an Iranian cultural center in earlier in the day.
A statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry "strongly condemned" the attack in a Hezbollah-controlled Shi'ite stronghold, and accused Israel of carrying out the bombing in an attempt to destabilize Lebanon after the recent formulation of a new government. However, the twin suicide bombing was claimed by an al Qaeda-linked group, which said it was a response to the military intervention of Iran and Hezbollah in the Syrian war. The army said the rush hour attack in the Shi'ite southern suburbs of Beirut was carried out by two suicide bombers driving cars packed with explosives. Similar tactics were used in a twin suicide attack on the nearby Iranian embassy in November.The Abdullah Azzam Brigades, a radical Sunni group, claimed responsibility for the latest attack, which wounded more than 100 people and was described by Lebanon's Sunni Prime Minister Tammam Salam as an act of terrorism. In a post on Twitter, the Brigades said the Iranian culture center was the target. It described the "twin martyrdom operation" as retaliation for Hezbollah's role in Syria and pledged more attacks. The judge investigating the attack said a total of 160 kg of explosives had been used in the bombing. The Iranian ambassador in Lebanon said the dead included a Lebanese policeman who had been guarding the cultural center, but none of its staff were wounded. The area is controlled by the Shi'ite movement Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's forces in neighboring Syria in a conflict that has fuelled tensions between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in Lebanon. Three years of civil war in Syria has spilled over into Lebanon, exacerbating Sunni-Shi'ite tensions and triggering violence, including frequent clashes between armed groups in the northern city of Tripoli. The war has also affected Lebanese politics, leading to paralysis in government. The explosions went off about 20 meters (yards) from the Iranian center, blowing out the windows of a nearby orphanage run by a Sunni charity.
Children were peering out and screaming "bomb, bomb." Some were crying. A man working at a sweet shop opposite the bomb site said the blast shook the entire area.
"We heard one explosion and then another," he said.Human remains were found nearby. The casualties included a number of children.

Lebanon's Cabinet Policy Statement: Quick and concise
February 19, 2014/The Daily Star/After 10 debilitating months waiting for the formation of a new government in Lebanon, politicians Monday got down to the business of drafting a policy statement. So far, the rhetoric by the various sides is positive, but the public is in desperate need of results – on many occasions during the Cabinet formation process people heard similar, upbeat spin, which would then quickly evaporate.
The government of Prime Minister Tammam Salam has only a limited time in office, due to May’s presidential election, and thus only a limited amount of time to achieve results. Under such circumstances, the Cabinet is expected to focus on a few key priorities – security, the economic situation, processing aid to Syrian refugees and ensuring that the presidential election goes smoothly. Looking ahead to this year’s scheduled parliamentary elections, an agreement on a new election law would also contribute greatly to political stability. This is why the policy statement debate should be short and to the point, just like the end product. Compromises were made by both sides to form the new government, and compromises should be expected if the policy statement is to be completed quickly, and implemented forcefully. No one is prepared for another drawn-out political saga, after Salam was finally able to begin work at the Grand Serail. And no one is waiting to hear the usual, long laundry list of policy items put forward by a short-term executive branch team. People have no interest in hearing about wide-scale, ambitious plans – they want quick action, focused on the three or four most critically important national problems. And they need results.

Lebanon's humble aspirations for its new cabinet
Wednesday, 19 February 2014/Nayla Tueni
So you've fulfilled your “historical” achievement and a government was formed. And here we are, welcoming it and cheering for it. But not because we are convinced that it has any remarkable characteristics.
While we do appreciate ministers among it who are worthy of gratitude, the real reason welcome it is because, like the rest of the Lebanese people, we believe in legitimacy of the state, constitutional order, and the regulation of institutions. We will no longer drown in the futile controversy over who won and who lost as this only yields further useless gossip. In the end, it's an inevitable settlement like all other political compromises which the Lebanese have become used to. It has yielded reactions similar to those that accompanied the birth of Tammam Salam's cabinet; happiness and frustration at the same time.
Getting back on track
What specifically concerns us now is that this cabinet proves that it's the body of the entirety of Lebanon and that it's a legitimate tool that firstly achieves the interests of the country and its people.
The cabinet, no matter how new or old, must protect citizens and help them restore confidence in the country’s institutions. It can do so by proving how its March 8, March 14 and centrist ministers can work together to thwart threats resulting from the Syrian war and the involvement of some Lebanese parties.
What is important to us is that the new ministers represent the entire spectrum of Lebanese people and not one specific party or sect.
What is important is that this cabinet will eliminate that hideous characteristic in of ministers pursuing goals that only benefit themselves or their sect. We dream of witnessing an experience that eliminates the concept of parasitic, corrupt politicians, or "cheese eaters," as former president Fouad Chehab described them.
Optimism for modest progress
Perhaps you know better than us that the Lebanese people have lost hope in a transparent, sovereign and independent authority. Perhaps you know better than everyone else that the image of the current political class has never reached this extent of regression and gloom.
Lebanon's people tolerated and continue to tolerate all the country's misfortunes and have been more patient than any other people in the world. It's thus their right to dream of change - even of a limited change - that begins with this government which is said to be the first step in altering its gloomy predicament. This is also our first step in preparing for the presidential elections and putting an end to tampering with institutions and their regularities.
These are not big dreams. They are humble aspirations. All we're saying is let this government be the one that respects the constitution and addresses the miseries, pains and crises of the Lebanese people. Is this possible?
**This article was first published in al-Nahar on Feb. 17, 2014.

Al-Qaeda's chilling jihadist video of Mouin Abu Dahir
Wednesday, 19 February 2014/By: Diana Moukalled
The video recently released by the Abdullah Azzam Brigades entitled “The Iranian Embassy Raid” may not be able to give us much information. It shows Lebanese suicide bomber Mouin Abu Dahir from Sidon, who was raised in a depressed, marginalized environment. He later became a fighter in Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir’s group, which led to his eventual death after he blew himself up in a suicide bomb, targeting the Iranian embassy in Beirut. The attack killed 23 people, mostly civilians. The video follows the same format consistently used by al-Qaeda in introducing its youth before driving them to their deaths with sectarian discourse in place of reason.
This is the first Lebanese video and it has been late in coming out, months after the attack on the Iranian embassy.
Recruiting jihadists
In it, Abu Dahir threatens that more suicide attackers will target Hezbollah. The recording, which is embossed with the emblem of the Al-Awza’i Foundation—the Lebanese version of al-Qaeda’s media wing, Al-Sahab—looked like a Lebanese production. The producers of the video were keen to highlight the atrocities committed by Iran in a section called “Iran’s crimes and its tools against Sunnis.” It showed pictures of murdered Syrian civilians who had been killed in the war torn country, accompanied by speeches by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vocalizing support for his party’s fight alongside the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
However, the most worrying part of the video is when Dahir addresses Sunni clerics: “I call on our scholars to urge our youth to commit to jihad, because it is a duty, and if you move, the youth will move with you.”
In fact, just as the video appeared, journalists in Amman following the trial of extremist religious cleric Abu Qatada reported his support for suicide attacks in Lebanon. [The video] showed pictures of murdered Syrian civilians who had been killed in the war torn country, accompanied by speeches by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vocalizing support for his party’s fight alongside the Bashar al-Assad regime. When a journalist asked Abu Qatada about the civilians who were killed in the explosions, he said: “Hezbollah is responsible and the indisputable religious opinion is that they all met what they deserve, according to their intentions.”Qatada issued a fatwa to kill in the 1990s, which terrorist groups in Algeria used to kill civilians, including children. Some call on journalists to re-think the broadcasting of videos that call for sectarian killings and include statements by extremist clerics, saying they might increase the susceptibility of troubled youth such as Dahir and persuade them to join the on-going killing spree.
Fighting back
However, the ability of news, photographs and videos to reach people is greater than the attempts to control them, and doing so is not a deterrent to those actions in the first place. Here, we must admit that attempts to contain extremist ideology do not work without the admission of the greater sin which was committed, and is still being committed, by Hezbollah in its participation in the fight alongside the Syrian regime and its contribution to intensifying sectarian tensions. Attempts at fighting extremism or ‘takfir,’ a Muslim calling another a non-believer, must target both the internal and external causes of the phenomenon, represented on the inside by people like Qatada and his ‘takfirist’ ideology, and on the outside, by Hezbollah.
Anything less than this and we will continue to receive videos and statements while we live through daily explosions and deaths.
*This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Feb. 18, 2014.

Lebanon’s Saad al-Hariri meets Sisi in Cairo
By Staff Writer | Al Arabiya News
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri arrived in Egypt on Tuesday to meet Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo.
The head of the Lebanese Future party is meant to discuss recent developments in Lebanon and foreign interference in its internal affairs, in addition to bilateral relations between the two countries, according to Ahram Online.
On his two-day visit, Hariri and his delegation of Lebanese officials are also scheduled to meet Egypt’s interim President Adly Mansour and foreign minister Nabil Fahmy. His delegation includes MPs Samir Jisr and Jamal Jarrah, former MPs Bassem Sabaa and Ghattas Khoury, his advisor Dr. Radwan al-Sayyed and M. Nader Hariri, said statements released by Saad Hariri's press office. The trip marks the first by the Lebanese politician since the Jan. 25 revolution. Lebanon has been rocked by a string of car and suicide bomb attacks in recent months, many of which targeted strongholds of the Hezbollah movement in apparent retribution for its role in Syria. On Feb. 15, Lebanon formed a new cabinet after nearly a year of deadlock between rival political parties. Sisi also met with high level officials in Russia last week, accompanied by Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy. The talks were meant to focus on bilateral relations and aspects of cooperation between the two countries. The Egyptian general, who has been hugely popular since the ouster of Mohammad Mursi, is expected to stand in upcoming presidential elections, which he is likely to win by a landslide. Wednesday, 19 February 2014

More Civilians Evacuated from Syria's Homs
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 February 2014/Nearly a dozen civilians were evacuated from besieged parts of the Syrian city of Homs Wednesday before the operation was halted because of shots fired by "armed men", the governor told Agence France Presse. "The operation allowed the evacuation of 11 civilians from Bustan al-Diwan and Al-Hameidiya," Governor Talal Barazi said, but it was halted because of "obstruction by armed men who opened fire at the crossing". He added that the evacuation had not been coordinated with the United Nations but with "elders and clerics". Barazi had earlier told state TV that most of those evacuated were women, children and the elderly. The United Nations and Syria's Red Crescent began operations to evacuate trapped civilians and deliver aid inside besieged parts of Homs on February 7. The operation has allowed out some 1,400 of the estimated 3,000 people trapped in Homs for more than 18 months by a government siege that forced residents to survive on little more than olives and wild plants. The work was made possible by a ceasefire that was extended twice, but expired on Saturday night. Barazi had said Sunday that "armed groups" prevented the operation from resuming. It was not possible to confirm the claim. The chaotic U.N. and Red Crescent evacuation process saw aid convoys come under fire and shelling kill more than a dozen people despite the nominal truce, with the warring sides trading blame for the violations. Following their evacuation from the besieged neighborhoods, around 400 men and boys aged 15-55 were detained by authorities for investigation, raising concern among U.N. and Red Cross officials. Barazi said Saturday that 390 male evacuees had left Homs, with 211 released so far. Last week the United Nations said 430 men and boys had been detained with just 181 released. The local ceasefire in Homs came about despite the failure of the latest round of Geneva peace talks aimed at ending the nearly three-year conflict, which has claimed an estimated 140,000 lives. Source/Agence France Presse.

On Syria, a spymasters’ conclave
By David Ignatius/Washington Post
Published: February 18/14
The spymasters’ conclave featured Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Saudi Arabia’s minister of the interior, who will now supervise the kingdom’s leading role in the covert-action program. He replaces Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi intelligence chief, who has been suffering from a back ailment and whose leadership of the program was seen as uneven.
Susan Rice, the U.S. national security adviser, met with Prince Mohammed to discuss strategy. But sources caution that President Obama is still wary of any major escalation in Syria that might involve U.S. forces directly. The U.S. opposes no-fly zones, for example, although the administration’s call for secure corridors to provide humanitarian assistance may lead it to embrace de facto safe zones if the U.N. can’t agree on a formal plan.
Prince Mohammed’s new oversight role reflects the increasing concern in Saudi Arabia and other neighboring countries about al-Qaeda’s growing power within the Syrian opposition. As interior minister, he coordinates the kingdom’s counterterrorism policy, which gives him close ties with the CIA and other Western intelligence services.
The Washington gathering was also attended by spy chiefs from Turkey, Qatar, Jordan and other key regional powers that have been supporting the rebels. Sources said these countries agreed to coordinate their aid so that it goes directly to moderate fighters rather than leeching away to extremists of the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
It’s too early to tell whether this makeover is cosmetic or signifies real changes on the battlefield. But it’s an attempt to bolster the chronically weak moderate opposition, which lost ground over the past year to both President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and the jihadist fighters close to al-Qaeda. Coordination of assistance among the different donors will be especially important. In the past, aid flows have been disrupted by political infighting between Turkey and Qatar, on the one hand, and Saudi Arabia and Jordan, on the other. The situation has been especially chaotic in northern Syria, south of the Turkish border, where the al-Qaeda affiliates have taken advantage of the confusion. The intelligence chiefs discussed whether to supply more advanced weapons to the rebels, such as shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. The Saudis have stockpiles of such weapons and are ready to ship them, but they want support from the Obama administration, which remains reluctant to give a formal okay.
The CIA has organized the training effort. Currently, the camps, mostly in Jordan, can handle about 250 fighters a month, and well over 1,000 fighters have come through this program. Though the camps are said to be supervised by CIA paramilitary operatives, the effort involves representatives of the other intelligence services. Arab countries have urged the United States to double this training capacity, but U.S. officials want to be sure the rebels can absorb these additional fighters. The Syrian rebels have reshuffled their command structure, which should fit better with the new intelligence alliance. Gen. Salim Idriss has been forced out as head of the Free Syrian Army’s supreme military command. Idriss was backed by U.S. officials because he was an articulate proponent for preserving the Syrian army and state structure, but he had limited support among fighters.
In a sign of continuing disunity among fighters on the ground, some of Idriss’s backers issued a statement Wednesday protesting his dismissal as “elected” commander. This kind of infighting has plagued the rebels in the past, and if it isn’t resolved could quickly undermine the new command structure.
The new commander is Brig. Gen. Abdul-Illah al-Bashir, who defected from the Syrian army last year and is based in Quneitra, on Syria’s southern border. He lost a son in fighting against Assad’s forces, which gives him credibility among rebels. His deputy will be Col. Haitham Afiseh from Idlib province in the north. U.S. observers credit Afiseh for leading attacks that routed ISIS jihadists from his home town. It’s hoped that Bashir in the south and Afiseh in the north can better coordinate the two fronts.
These newly appointed commanders are said to be working closely with the Syrian Revolutionaries Front, a moderate group headed by Jamal Maarouf. He met last week inside Syria with Ahmad al-Jarba, the Saudi-backed leader of the Syrian opposition coalition. Arab sources argue that Saudi Arabia’s sponsorship of both the political and military wings of the opposition is another positive sign, after so many months of discord.
Underlying these tactical changes is the fact that Saudi Arabia and the United States are working together again on Syria policy after a year of increasingly bitter disagreement. The revived U.S.-Saudi alliance won’t topple Assad, but it will reduce what had become a dangerous regional feud.

Iran, world powers work out details of nuclear talks in Vienna
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/02/19/Iran-world-powers-work-out-details-of-nuclear-talks-in-Vienna.html
Reuters, Vienna/Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Six world powers and Iran started a second day of talks in Vienna on Wednesday on Tehran's contested nuclear program, seeking to close a vast gap in expectations about what a final agreement should look like.
The meeting, which began on Tuesday, aims to set out a broad agenda for talks that could in time produce an agreement on the permissible scope of Iran's nuclear activities and lay to rest Western concerns about their possible military dimension. The negotiations, likely to extend over several months, could help defuse years of hostility between energy-exporting Iran and the West, ease the danger of a new war in the Middle East, transform the regional power balance and open up major business opportunities for Western firms. Western diplomats said Tuesday's talks were "productive" and "substantive" but had led to no immediate agreements.
"The focus on was the parameters and the process of negotiations, the timetable of what is going to be a medium- to  long-term process," one European diplomat said. "We don't expect instant results."
On Wednesday a morning session was chaired by a senior EU diplomat, Helga Schmid, and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, accompanied by senior diplomats from the six powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany. It was unclear whether talks would continue into Thursday. Araqchi was cited by Iran's English-language Press TV state television on Tuesday saying that dismantling of the country's nuclear facilities would not be part of the negotiating agenda, highlighting a key sticking point in the talks. The six powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - have yet to spell out their precise
demands. But Western officials have made clear they want Iran to cap its enrichment of uranium to low fissile purity, limit research and development of new installations and decommission a substantial portion of its centrifuges used to enrich uranium. Such steps, they believe, would help extend the time that Iran would need to produce enough fissile material for a bomb.
Length process ahead
During a decade of on-and-off dialogue with world powers, Iran has rejected their allegations that it is seeking a nuclear weapons capability. It says it is enriching uranium only for electricity generation and medical purposes.
As part of a final deal, Iran expects the United States, the European Union and the United Nations to lift painful economic sanctions, but western governments will be wary of giving up their leverage too soon.
Ahead of the talks, a senior U.S. official said getting to a deal would be a "complicated, difficult and lengthy process." "When the stakes are this high, and the devil is truly in the details, one has to take the time required to ensure the confidence of the international community in the result," the official said. "That can't be done in a day, a week, or even a month in this situation."On the eve of the talks both sides played down expectations, with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomenei saying he was not optimistic. The six powers hope to get a deal done by late July, when an interim accord struck in November expires.
That agreement, made possible by the election of relative moderate President Hassan Rowhani on a platform of ending Iran's international isolation, obliged Tehran to suspend its most sensitive atom work in return for some relief from economic sanctions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, also quoted by Press TV on Tuesday, sounded an optimistic note: "It is really possible to make an agreement because of a simple overriding fact and that is that we have no other option."Last Update: Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Iran Guards Commander Gives Nuclear Talks Warning
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 February 2014/Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday warned against crossing "red lines" in negotiations with world powers aimed at reaching a lasting agreement over Tehran's nuclear program.The warning came as Iranian negotiators took part in the second day of talks in Vienna, where they are seeking a framework for negotiations to reach an accord that would also allow Iran to maintain civilian nuclear activities."The red lines of the establishment must be preserved in the negotiations so that the national pride is not damaged," said hardline Guards commander General Mohammad Ali Jafari, ISNA news agency reported.
He did not elaborate on what the limits might be.Iranian officials have previously laid down "red lines" on the talks, saying they would not negotiate several issues, including the dismantling of nuclear facilities and reductions in the number of centrifuges at enrichment sites. But according to a senior official in the U.S. administration, Washington will seek to address these issues in a comprehensive deal.
The scheduled three-day meeting between Iran, the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany builds on an interim deal struck in Geneva in November that has put temporary curbs on Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for modest sanctions relief. According to Jafari, the lifting of sanctions topped Iran's negotiating team's agenda. "The objective of the talks is to lift the economic pressure on the people" caused by harsh international sanctions against Tehran, Jafari said. "So we must hold our breath, remain silent, and see what will happen in the talks." According to Mehr news agency, he also said: "I do not know what will happen ... it seems we will encounter problems at the talks, which I hope we will not." The Geneva deal that came after a decade of failed initiatives has been criticized by regime hardliners, including various Guards commanders, who argue Iran's gains do not offset what it has given up. On Monday, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had the final call on the nuclear issue, threw his qualified support for the negotiations.
Pointing to his deep mistrust of the United States, Khamenei said he was not optimistic about a comprehensive deal that would allay Western concerns that Iran's nuclear activities mask a military objective, despite denials in Tehran. Khamenei said he thought talks would "go nowhere" but added he was not against the negotiation process either. Jafari said with Khamenei's guidelines Iran will come out as "will be victorious either way" in the talks.
"The objectives of the talks is to lift the pressure of sanctions ... or that government officials will lose hope in the negotiations and will instead turn their focus on domestic capacities to confront the sanctions," ISNA quoted him as saying.
Source/Agence France Presse.

Syrian regime using ‘new cluster munitions’
By Staff writer | Al Arabiya News
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
A powerful type of cluster munition rocket not previously seen in the Syrian conflict is possibly being used by regime forces, Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Wednesday.
Basing its statement on photos taken after a recent attack in the central city of Hama, HRW said the images suggested the government had deployed 300 mm 9M55K surface-to-surface rockets.
The weapon, which carries dozens of submunitions, is Russia, according to Agence France-Presse.
The rockets were identified as having been used on Feb. 12 and 13 in attacks that killed at least two civilians and wounded at least 10 others, AFP reported, citing the rights group.
"It is appalling that Syrian government forces are still using banned cluster munitions on their people," said Steve Goose, arms division director at Human Rights Watch.
"Cluster bombs are killing Syrian civilians now and threatening Syrians for generations to come."
Cluster bombs have been banned by 113 countries around the world. They are particularly controversial because they are indiscriminate and the bomblets they carry are often widely dispersed and continue to maim and kill civilians long after the initial attack. (With AFP)

New high-tech IDF Bashan Division on Golan. Syrian mortar shells miss visiting Israel leaders
http://www.debka.com/article/23690/New-high-tech-IDF-Bashan-Division-on-Golan-Syrian-mortar-shells-miss-visiting-Israel-leaders
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report February 19, 2014/Israel’s top leaders marked the second round of nuclear talks between the Six Powers and Iran opening in Vienna Tuesday, Feb. 18, with a visit to injured Syrians in care at the IDF field hospital at the foot of Tel Hazaka in central Golan. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said: “I would like to tell the world today that Iran has changed neither its aggressive policy nor its brutal character. Iran continues to support the Assad regime which is slaughtering its own people. This is the true face of Iran, The world cannot forget this.”Netanyahu was flanked by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and OC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Yair Golan. In Vienna, meanwhile, “the world” listened to Iran’s senior negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Afaqchi, who told reporters that his government would not discuss any issue related to the military aspects of its nuclear program, certainly not missiles.
“The world” had not a word to say to challenge this statement.
Israel made advance preparations for the Golan occasion Tuesday:
1. Monday, the international media were informed that 49 southern Syrian rebel militias had amalgamated and were in place in areas abutting Israeli: Their mission is twofold: To hold back from the Israeli border any Syrian government forces heading in from the north and Al Qaeda fighters approaching from the east. The Presidents of American Jewish Organizations who are on a trip to Israel were informed of this development – but not the Israeli media.
2. The foreign press were also informed of a major Israeli military redeployment on the Golan. The newly-formed Bashan Territorial Division was stationed on the Israeli side of the divided enclave in January, as a a high-tech bulwark for Israel’s Syrian border.
Part of the IDF’s Northern Command, Bashan includes a new combat intelligence collection battalion armed with the special capabilities of “geospatial technology” (ESRI) for enhancing “situational awareness.” It is equipped with the advanced mobile MARS sensor-fused intelligence system and the latest versions of the Tzayad digital C4ISR networks – both by Elbit Systems - for tracking moving targets, analyzing their patterns and threats and sharing the data at top speed with field units.
But it was sheer luck that saved Israel’s top leaders who exited Golan minutes before two mortar shells landed near the field hospital and exploded without causing any harm.
This was not thought to be a random incident. It recalled the firing of two rockets from the Gaza Strip on Jan. 13, minutes after Israeli leaders attending the late prime minister Ariel Sharon’s funeral at his farm near Beersheba had left the scene. The incoming rockets then failed to trigger any alert systems or even the Iron Dome anti-missile battery deployed nearby.