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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Miyeh Miyeh Clashes Subside after Two Wounded

2018-10-26

[An Nahar] Heavy festivities erupted Thursday at the Miyeh Miyeh Paleostinian refugee camp near Sidon between the mainstream Fatah Movement and the Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... -backed Islamist faction Ansarullah. The sounds of shelling and gunfire were being heard across the city of Sidon, the National News Agency said. The agency later reported that the fighting had subsided following Lebanese and Paleostinian political contacts and meetings. It also reported that two people had been injured -- a Fatah member and a civilian. NNA said stray bullets from the festivities reached areas that neighbor the camp such as the town of Hlaliyeh east of Sidon, where one of the gunshots penetrated the glass facade of one of the houses without causing casualties. The fighting also sparked panic among the region's residents, who have urged authorities to put an end to the recurrent festivities, the agency added. MP Bahia Hariri of al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... Movement meanwhile had held a series of phone calls aimed at reaching "an instant ceasefire," NNA said. Hariri's contacts involved Fatah's most bigwig in Leb Fathi Abu al-Ardat, Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",' top official in Leb Ahmed Abdul Hadi, the chief of Lebanese military intelligence in the South Brig. Gen. Fawzi Hamadi, and the head of military intelligence in Sidon Brig. Gen. Mamdouh Saab. The festivities between the two movements had first erupted on October 16, leaving several people dead. Lebanese Army units had on Wednesday redeployed around the camp in order to "bring the security situation under control," the army said in a statement. An army force had deployed Tuesday at the camp's entrance before withdrawing abruptly for "logistic reasons," the National News Agency said.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Early Results Emerge in Lebanon's Parliamentary Vote

2018-05-07

[AnNahar] Preliminary results started emerging around mmidnight Monday after Leb voted in its first parliamentary elections in nine years. Media reports said the Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... -AMAL Movement coalition won all seats in south Leb's second and thirds electoral districts. The coalition's campaign meanwhile said its list won four seats in Beirut's second district -- one for Hizbullah, one for AMAL, one for al-Ahbash and one for the Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... According to media reports, the list of Prime Minister Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's assassination. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. 's al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... Movement won six seats in the district as the businessman Fouad Makhzoumi won a Sunni seat. In Beirut's first district -- Ashrafieh, Saifi, Rmeil and Medawar -- the list backed by the Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... and the Kataeb Party won three seats as three seats went to the list backed by the Free Patriotic Movement and the Tashnag Party Socialist party representing the Armenian diaspora in Leb. They're Christians, but they try to remain neutral, which means they get shot at without shooting back... and two went to the Kollouna Watani civil society coalition -- Joumana Haddad and Paula Yagoubian. Also according to media reports, MP Bahia Hariri retained her seat in Sidon as Popular Nasserite Organization chief Osama Saad won the city's second Sunni seat and his ally Ibrahim Azar won a Maronite seat in Jezzine. The FPM meanwhile won two seats in Jezzine, including that of incumbent MP Ziad Aswad. Elsewhere, FPM chief Jebran Bassil announced that he won a Maronite seat he ran for in Batroun and that the FPM has won a seat in Akkar. The Marada Movement the personal militia of Suleiman Franjieh, president of Lebanon at the outbreak of the civil war, currently Syrian toadies, but you never know when that could change... meanwhile announced that it won four seats in the Batroun-Koura-Bsharri-Zgharta district as three went to the coalition of the Free Patriotic Movement, al-Mustaqbal Movement and Michel Mouawad and three other seats were clinched by the Lebanese Forces-Kataeb Party alliance. In Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... -Minieh-Dinniyeh, the lists of ex-PM Najib Miqati, al-Mustaqbal Movement and ex-minister Faisal Karami were leading the vote count. In Baabda, the Hizbullah-FPM coalition won four seats as the LF and the Progressive Socialist Party managed to win two seats. In northern Metn, the leading candidates at 12:30 am were Sami Gemayel, Ibrahim Kanaan, Eddie Abi al-Lamaa, Michel Murr, Hagop Pakradounian and Elias Bou Saab. Low Turnout in Lebanon's First Parliamentary Vote in 9 Years A Look at the Key Players In the Lebanese Elections

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

3 Dead, 10 Hurt in Ain el-Hilweh Clashes, Shelling Reaches Areas outside Camp

2017-04-08

[An Nahar] At least three people were killed and ten others were maimed Friday after armed festivities erupted at the Paleostinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hellhole in the southern city of Sidon, media reports said. "The casualty toll has risen to three dead and over 10 maimed," MTV said, adding that "gunshots have reached the Sidon-Zahrani highway and the sounds of shells are echoing across the city of Sidon." The fighting erupted during a deployment by the Joint Paleostinian Security Force on the camp's al-Fawqani street, the National News Agency said. It said the clash erupted with a hardline Islamist group led by the murderous Moslem Bilal Badr and that rocket-propelled grenades and machineguns were being used in the fighting. Clashes intensified in the evening amid Lebanese and Paleostinian political contacts aimed at reaching a ceasefire, the agency reported. It said several shells had reached areas outside the camp such as the Siroub area, the area near the Officers Club, and al-Hamshari. The agency said the Joint Force was insisting on deploying in three locations it had specified amid continued opposition by Badr's group to the move. Media reports meanwhile said a lot of families were fleeing the area of the festivities. NNA said Sidon MP Bahia Hariri was conducting intensive contacts with the national and Islamist Paleostinian factions in a bid to reach a ceasefire. Several similar festivities have erupted in Ein el-Hellhole in recent months, mainly pitting Islamist murderous Moslems from Badr's group and members of the secular Fatah Movement.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hariri’s movement ‘bows to Hezbollah’ -- Rifi

2017-01-25

[Gulf News] Continuing his vocal opposition to any accommodation with Hezbollah, Ashraf Rifi -- Leb’s former head of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) and former Minister of Justice -- told Kuwait’s Al Qabas daily that his former allies in the Future Movement and the moribund March 14 coalition "bowed to Hezbollah." In what was a dramatic accusation, Rifi declared "the party has 17 [out of 30] ministers in this government [led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's assassination. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. ] and this is a major national crime against the cause," which implied that except for Future (7), Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... (3), Progressive Socialist Party (2) and a sole independent minister, all of the others -- those that belonged to the Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... (8), Amal (3), Hezbollah (2), and one each for the Tashnag Party Socialist party representing the Armenian diaspora in Leb. They're Christians, but they try to remain neutral, which means they get shot at without shooting back... , the Marada Movement the personal militia of Suleiman Franjieh, president of Lebanon at the outbreak of the civil war, currently Syrian toadies, but you never know when that could change... , the Lebanese Democratic Party and the Syrian National Socialist Party -- were beholden to Hezbollah. Rifi accused his erstwhile Future allies, declaring: "Corrupts cannot build a state and those who surrender cannot build a state. We are against corruption and surrender," adding that it was better to remain principled than to kowtow to pragmatism. In what was a direct attack against Hariri, a potential rival in the upcoming parliamentary elections, Rifi stated that pragmatists "might cooperate with the occupier in a certain period while principled individuals shun any post or personal gains," concluding with an open declaration of war: "the approach of pragmatism sometimes leads to high treason." The increasingly popular Rifi announced that he would be a candidate in the next elections as he anticipated to field candidates in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , Minieh, Dinniyeh, Akkar, central and western Bekaa, Iqlim Al Kharroub and Beirut’s second and third electoral regions. These are all Future strongholds where Sunni constituents lead. "We will not engage in Sidon’s electoral battle out of respect for Bahia Hariri and Fouad Saniora," two leading Sunni parliamentarians, Rifi added, but vowed to fight for all other seats. Unabashed, he affirmed that his contenders "will not allow a win for any of Hezbollah’s candidates in [these] electoral strongholds," underscoring that the party’s military might did not scare him. "Hezbollah cannot overlook or eliminate me, even if it possesses 200,000 rockets," he hammered, because he insisted that he was "not engaged in a military confrontation." Far more important, and perhaps for the first time uttered by a leading Sunni figure, Rifi clarified that Sunnis and Shiites "are equal demographically and ... present on the same land."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Asir Appears in First Video after Abra Battle, Slams Qahwaji as 'Criminal'

2014-03-24

[An Nahar] Fugitive Islamist holy man Ahmed al-Asir ...Leb Salafist holy man with the usual grouch against Shiites. Currently on the run, he seems intent on reigniting the Leb civil war. Just another Salafist holy man with a big beard and soullesss dead zombie eyes... appeared Sunday in a video that was published on his official Twitter page, his first audiovisual recording since the Abra battle. "Leb is under the full hegemony of the Iranian scheme through Halesh (Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... ) and the AMAL Movement," Asir says in the video. It was not immediately clear when the audiovisual message was recorded. It comes amid unconfirmed reports claiming that the holy man was killed or captured as the Syrian army and Hizbullah retook Syria's Yabrud area from rebel hands. The holy man described the Lebanese Army as "the first and most important tool" of Hizbullah on the Lebanese domestic scene, slamming Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji as a "criminal." "You are totally aware that there are death squads -- similar to the death squads of the criminal Maliki in Iraq -- inside the military institution, which are liquidating our youths, such as Khaled Hmayyed and Abou Mazen," Asir added, addressing the army's "Sunni" officers and soldiers and urging them to defect. Commenting on the indictments that were issued on February 28, in which Judge Riyad Abu Ghida demanded the death penalty against him and 56 other people over the Abra festivities, Asir ridiculed the charges and accused Sidon MP Bahia Hariri of suppressing the families of the Abra detainees. In a threat to Hizbullah, Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... and their supporters, Asir added: "It will be impossible to continue to coexist with you before 'your heads are smashed' and, God willing, we will exert efforts to that end." In June 2013, Asir's supporters opened fire on an army checkpoint near the holy man's headquarters in the Sidon suburb of Abra. The attack and the fierce festivities that ensued left around 18 soldiers and more than 20 gunnies dead. The gunbattles concentrated in the area of the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque and nearby buildings in Abra. Asir, a 45-year-old holy man who supports the overwhelmingly Sunni rebels fighting to topple Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... , is no where to be found along with singer turned Salafist myrmidon Fadel Shaker.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Intelligence Branch Investigating Tripoli Bombings

2013-08-26

[An Nahar] State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr tasked on Sunday the Army Intelligence and ISF Intelligence Bureau with investigating the bombings in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... . They will be responsible for carrying out the preliminary investigations, gathering evidence, and sweeping the scene of the blast sites. He called for carrying out DNA tests on the remains of the unidentified victims of the Friday's bombings. In the meantime, the army had stepped up its security measures in Tripoli in light of the twin bombings, reported the National News Agency on Sunday. It said that it set up checkpoints at the entrances of the city and within its neighborhoods and main squares. The army inspected vehicles and the identification papers of the drivers. Meanwhile, ...back at the buffalo wallow, Standing Buffalo drew a bead on his old enemy and squeezed the trigger... the Higher Relief Council began inspecting the houses that were damaged by the Taqwa mosque blast. The Ogero telecommunication company began checking the telephone lines that were damaged in the bombing near al-Salam mosque. Activists have been busy cleaning the scene of the blasts and removing the rubble. Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... MP Bahia Hariri paid a visit to the city, including the blast sites, where she condemned the attacks, linking them to the one that took place in the Ruwais area in Beirut's southern suburb on August 16. "Those committing such crimes are seeking to target the whole of Leb," she remarked. "They are targeting the country's diversity and it is time that the Lebanese people live in peace and security," she declared. Powerful boom-mobiles went kaboom! outside two Sunni mosques in Tripoli on Friday. The first bomb struck in the city center at the al-Salam mosque as worshipers were still inside. The second kaboom struck just minutes later outside al-Taqwa mosque, about two kilometers away, near the port. Judicial sources told An Nahar daily Sunday that the corpse count reached 45 with at least 500 maimed.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Asir: Mustaqbal War against Us Led to Abra Battle

2013-08-06

[An Nahar] Fugitive Islamist holy man Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir on Monday appeared in a new audio message -- the second after the Abra battle -- in which he lashed out at Hizbullah chief His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... and noted that Iran "has turned itself into an enemy of the Arabs." "Attacks against us are countless and do not need any evidence. They have attacked us in our institutions, centers and mosques, and their evil has targeted our brothers in Syria, contrary to what (Nasrallah) claimed about turning Iran and the Shiites into the enemy instead of the Zionists," Asir said. "Iran -- with its hateful, criminal Velayat-e Faqih (Iran's form of Islamic rule) policy -- has cooperated with the Great Satan™ (the U.S.) to slaughter us in Afghanistan and Iraq, and it gave you (Hizbullah) the green light to occupy Leb through your weapons and lately the mask has fallen in Syria ... Iran has proclaimed itself as the enemy of the region," the runaway holy man, on the run since the army overran his Abra headquarters on June 24, added. Criticizing Nasrallah's Quds Day speech, Asir accused the Hizbullah leader of seeking to rally Shiites behind his rhetoric "after the mask fell off in the region." "Enough with using Paleostine for your own interests, as Paleostine is cursing you, just like (Syria's) Qusayr and Homs did," Asir added. The Islamist holy man also blasted Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... leader MP Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... , accusing him of "resorting to blind incitement" and of "using his spiteful media outlets night and day to incite against the Sunni community." Asir attributed Aoun's "incitement" to his "lust for presidency" that was "blocked by (former premier) Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's assassination. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. "Remember how he has incited against the Syrian revolution and how he has stood by the butcher against the victim and how he is still justifying the crimes of Nasrallah and his murderers who entered Syria to slaughter its people, especially in Qusayr and Homs," Asir added. "When the fire reaches the Christian areas, Christians must hold Aoun accountable for these stances," he went on to say. Asir accused the army's Commando Regiment commander Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz, Aoun's son-in-law, of inspecting the conflict zone in Abra in the wake of the festivities to "steal the limelight" and "because of his ambition to become the next army commander." The runaway holy man also launched a tirade against ex-PM Saad Hariri and "some al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... leaders who did not hesitate to fight me and distort my image." "What was the harm I caused you that prompted this campaign? Ever since we rallied in downtown Beirut in support of our beleaguered brothers, Saad Hariri and his associates started to describe me as an bad turban," Asir added. "What happened in Abra was the normal result of the fierce war waged against us by the al-Mustaqbal movement. Why was this ferocious war waged against Ahmed al-Asir? Once through pressuring journalists to distort my image, once through contacting the Saadnayel Municipality to ban my demo and another through (Sidon MP) Bahia Hariri telephoning some muftis and telling them 'we want to besiege al-Asir,'" he went on to say. Asir also criticized Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... and Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... leader Samir Geagea ... Geagea was imprisoned by the Syrians and their puppets for 11 years in a dungeon in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense. He was released after the Cedar Revolution in 2005 ... over "cursing" him as part of their "cajolery and blandishment," noting that he is "confident" that their supporters "do not approve of such a behavior." In his previous audio message on July 4, described the deadly Sidon festivities as a plot aimed at ending his presence. According to an army statement, the festivities erupted after gunnies loyal to Asir attacked a checkpoint near his mosque in "cold blood" and "for no reason."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

March 14 Calls for Arms-Free Sidon, Says 'Statelet' Cause of Violence

2013-07-08

[An Nahar] The March 14 alliance called on Sunday for announcing Sidon an arms-free city, saying the presence of an "illegitimate statelet" was the reason behind the violence in the southern city. Following a large-scale meeting held by around 170 politicians, academics and journalists at MP Bahia Hariri's residence in Majdalyoun, the alliance said in a statement read by former politician Fares Soaid that Sidon's and Leb's wounds were "still bleeding." It is the role of the state to heal them, said Soaid, who is the March 14 general-secretariat coordinator. He said the conferees, including Hariri and al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... bloc MP Fouad Saniora, called for announcing Sidon a weapons-free city, where only the military's arms should have a presence. They also rejected the phenomenon of so-called Resistance Brigades in Sidon. "The source of the violence and strife in Leb is the presence of a statelet," they said, adding that such an "unprecedented situation" is drawing "unacceptable violent retaliation." The statement was referring to Hizbullah, which the March 14 coalition has accused of being the source of the violent festivities between the army and Salafist holy man Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir two weeks ago. The gunbattles, which have left 18 soldiers and around 20 gunnies dead, were sparked after al-Asir's followers opened fire on an army checkpoint. But March 14 officials say that al-Asir's growing frustration from Hizbullah's presence in apartments near his Bilal bin Rabah mosque in Abra were one of the reasons behind his militancy. "We reject all counter-violence and counter-extremism," they said in their statement. The conferees considered the memo handed to President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... by Sidon MPs Hariri and Saniora as a "national memo." The memo asks for the referral of the case of the Sidon festivities to the Judicial Council and the prevention of all armed activities in the city. It also calls for the removal of all political flags from the city and the closure of all offices belonging to "gangs," in reference to Hizbullah. The conferees called on the Higher Relief Council to speed up the compensation to citizens whose properties were damaged in Sidon's festivities. They also urged the judiciary to inform the public about the results of the investigation. Soaid said the officials formed a "national committee" to follow up the decisions reached during the meeting.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Mustaqbal Rejects Army's 'Threats and Preaching'

2013-07-03

[An Nahar] Al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... parliamentary bloc stated on Tuesday that Hizbullah is the "only party to be held responsible for what Leb is going through" because of its involvement in the Syrian conflict. "Hizbullah, its weapons and its militia's involvement in the Syrian war are responsible for what Leb is going through," the politicians said in a released statement after their weekly meeting at the Center House. They questioned Hizbullah's role in last month's festivities of the southern city of Sidon, accusing the party of encouraging strife in the country. "Has Hizbullah's role transformed into moving its Shabiha between (the Syrian border town of) al-Qusayr, Beirut and Sidon?," the MPs asked. "We demand answers regarding the party's involvement in Sidon through a transparent probe." Restating its support for the army in its mission of preserving security, the bloc, however, criticized the military institution's statements of "threats and preaching." "What were the measures and punishments adopted against those who assaulted (Salafist holy man Ahmed al-Asir's supporter) Nader al-Bayoumy? What is the truth behind the behavior of the head of the army intelligence's office and the military police officials in the South before and after the festivities?" On Thursday, the army handed over to the military police soldiers suspected of humiliating and beating a man suspected of ties to Asir. The body was identified as Nader al-Bayoumy, whom the Association of Mohammedan Scholars said had "handed himself in" after the Abra clash. The statement stressed: "The bloc and the Lebanese people demand honest and quick answers to these questions as well as holding parties accountable." "We reject the army's unacceptable statements of threats and preaching." Al-Mustaqbal also criticized the military institution for "preventing journalists from doing their job" in Sidon. The politicians assured that they abide by the articles of the memo submitted by Sidon MPs Bahia Hariri and Fouad Saniora to President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... "We are still waiting for a security plan to transform Sidon into a city free of arms and party slogans," they noted.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Rifi Says Franjieh Arming Jabal Mohsen: Hizbullah Set Up Artillery, Checkpoints in Sidon

2013-06-27

[An Nahar] Former Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi on Wednesday accused Marada Movement the personal militia of Suleiman Franjieh, president of Lebanon at the outbreak of the civil war, currently Syrian toadies, but you never know when that could change... leader MP Suleiman Franjieh of supporting the mainly Alawite Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen with weapons, criticizing Hizbullah's behavior during the Sidon festivities. "There is nothing called leaders of frontiers and Tripoli's residents will always count on the state and its institutions," Rifi said in an interview on Future TV. "Suleiman Franjieh has been backing Jabal Mohsen with weapons when necessary," he added, claiming that "arms are being sent to Zgharta through the border with Syria before being transported to Jabal Mohsen." "No one will attack Jabal Mohsen and we will protect it the same as we're protecting Bab al-Tabbaneh," he added. Commenting on reports of an alleged military role for Hizbullah during the deadly Sidon festivities, Rifi quoted witnesses as saying that "Hizbullah set up artillery positions near homes and publicly erected checkpoints." "The casualties among the ranks of the army are bigger than Ahmed al-Asir's ability and I hope the army will conduct a transparent probe," he added. He accused Hizbullah and its allies of "unacceptable practices against MP Bahia Hariri in Sidon." The army on Monday managed to overrun Asir's security zone in the Sidon suburb of Abra following fierce two-day festivities that left 17 troops and more than 40 maimed. At least 20 gunnies loyal to the Islamist holy man were also killed in the battle. Clashes erupted afrer a pro-Asir gang attacked an army checkpoint, killing several troops. Hizbullah MP Hasan Fadlallah clarified Tuesday that his party only defended its positions during the battle against attacks by Asir's group, denying that it played any role in the army's attack on the holy man's fortified security zone. Turning to the Syrian crisis, the ex-ISF chief said "everyone has been implicated militarily in Syria, as Hizbullah sent trained and organized forces while some parties sent random and unorganized groups to Tall Kalakh and other areas," adding that "everyone who did that committed a strategic mistake." He urged Hizbullah to reverse its decision because "Iran has changed and the region has changed."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Bahia Hariri: We Don't Want the Resistance Brigades in Sidon

2013-06-26

[An Nahar] Sidon MP Bahia Hariri on Tuesday said the southern port city rejects "the presence of the Resistance That'd be the Hezbullies, natch... Brigades" -- a group affiliated with Hizbullah. "We do not want the presence of the Resistance Brigades in Sidon, period," Hariri stressed in various interviews reported by the state-run National News Agency. She explained: "We are not against anyone and Hizbullah's weapons are debatable on the national level, but the Resistance Brigades has no place in the city." "We all resist Israel but we will not allow demarcation lines between the people." The al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... MP said Sidon is open to people of all religious factions: "The city welcomes Sunnis, Shiites, Christians, Paleostinians and Syrians. This is the view of the people I represent and I know it is the opinion of everyone who has affections towards Sidon." Hariri described the latest festivities in the city as a "dangerous thing." "If we do not know how to deal with people, things will go back to being scattered," she warned. "We quickly want a security plan that reassures people. We want the army to be at a single distance from everyone." Hariri continued: "We want to be protected by the state and the army to take control of our security. We do not want any other kind of security." "I will strive to make this happen this through my official post."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Jumblat: Sidon Must be Returned to its People away from 'al-Asir Phenomenon'

2013-06-24

[An Nahar] Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... on Sunday called for supporting the army in order to "foil strife," saying the festivities-hit southern city of Sidon "must be returned to its people away from the 'Asirist phenomenon'," in reference to Islamist holy man Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir. "The army and the state are our only option and I contacted everyone to tell them that Sidon must remain the capital of the resistance and must be spared the Syrian conflict," Jumblat said in an interview on al-Jadeed television, in the wake of festivities in Sidon's Abra between the army and Asir's supporters that left 10 army troops dead, among them two officers. "Why should we be dragged into the Syrian trap in Sidon and Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... ? Let us dissociate ourselves in order to foil sedition and we support the army," he added. He revealed that MP Bahia Hariri was "complaining of the presence of gunnies near her residence," adding that he contacted Hizbullah security chief Wafiq Safa and "he promised me to withdraw the Hizbullah gunnies from the area surrounding Abra." "Sidon must be returned to its people away from the 'Asirist phenomenon' and the other activities," Jumblat added. He stressed that "we cannot ask the army to negotiate with those who killed its officers and soldiers." "There is a major rift and we must not await for the Syrian crisis to be resolved as they maliciously announced in Doha that the Syrian war will be long," Jumblat said.

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