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Bible Quotations For Today
So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 17/10-13: "And the disciples asked him, ‘Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ He replied, ‘Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.’Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist".

We did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you. God shows no partiality
Letter to the Galatians 02/01-07: "Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain. But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. But because of false believers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you.
And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality) those leaders contributed nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised".

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 24/16
Hezbollah uses the Palestinian cause as a pretext/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/February 23/16
Hezbollah Fatalities in the Syrian War/Ali Alfoneh/Washington Institute/February 22, 2016
Canada Friday Sermon Delivered In Edmonton, Alberta By Imam Shaban Sherif Mady: Rome Will Be Conquered Like Constantinople Was/MEMRI/February 23/16
Will Syrian rebels get surface-to-air missiles/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/February 23/16
Saudi Arabia’s devastating war/Jamal Khashoggi/Al Arabiya/February 23/16
International system disintegrates as Syria burns/Baria Alamuddin/Al Arabiya/February 23/1
Will Rafsanjani’s tactics succeed in Iran elections/Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Al Arabiya/February 23/16
The New Danger To Europe Isn’t ISIS. It’s Assad’s Thugs/By Ben Davies/Tablet/Fevruary 22/16
Abu Mazen rebuffs Kerry’s appeal to cool Palestinian terror against Israelis/DEBKAfile Special Report February 23, 2016
Syria Druze movement forming autonomous security force/Albin Szakola & Ullin Hope/Now Lebanon/February 23/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on February 24/16
Hezbollah uses the Palestinian cause as a pretext
Saudi, UAE, Bahrain Advise Their Citizens against Travel to Lebanon
Israeli city frets about chemical depot after Hezbollah threat
Diplomat Says Lebanese Government Should Issue Apology before Gulf Tour
Report: Riyadh Informed Paris that it Won't End Contract on Arms Delivery to Lebanon
Saudi Urges Its Citizens to Leave Lebanon over 'Safety' Concerns
Asiri: Those Tarnishing Beirut-Riyadh Ties Do Not Represent Lebanese People
General Security Arrests Suspected Syrian Terrorist
Al-Rahi Backs Cabinet Statement, Says Lebanon at 'Heart of Arab League'
Fears over Closure of Karantina Dumpster Threaten Capital
Rifi Slams Cabinet, Says Lebanon's Arab Identity Won't Change under Force of Arms
Berri from Brussels: We Reject Naturalization of Refugees, Govt. Will Stay
Mustaqbal Says Hizbullah Policies Have Become 'Real Threat' to Lebanon after Saudi Move
Change and Reform: No One Can Challenge us in our Support for Saudi Arabia
Geagea: Cabinet is Better Off Resigning if it Can't Resolve Hizbullah's Fighting Abroad
Jumblat Urges 'Real Dissociation' Policy, Hariri Says President Presence Resolves Problems
Hezbollah Fatalities in the Syrian War

Saudi, UAE, Bahrain Advise Their Citizens against Travel to Lebanon
Naharnet/February 23/16/Saudi Arabia advised its citizens Tuesday against travel to Lebanon and urged those already in the country to leave it, citing “safety” concerns, a few days after it halted military aid to Lebanon over Hizbullah stances and recent diplomatic positions. “The Foreign Ministry calls on all citizens not to travel to Lebanon for their own safety,” the Saudi news agency SPA quoted a ministry official as saying. “It also urges citizens residing in Lebanon or visiting it to leave and not to stay there unless for utmost urgency while observing vigilance and caution,” the official added. The ministry also called on Saudis in Lebanon to contact the kingdom's embassy in Beirut for “the necessary help and attention.”The United Arab Emirates swiftly followed suit, banning its citizens from traveling to Lebanon and reducing its diplomatic presence in Beirut. In the evening, Bahrain also advised its nationals against "all travel to Lebanon" over safety concerns and called on Bahrainis already in the country to "leave immediately." Saudi Arabia decided last week to halt a $4 billion grant to the Lebanese army and security forces and to review its diplomatic relations with Lebanon. The stance came after Lebanon's foreign ministry declined to vote in favor of Saudi-backed resolutions against Iran during two meetings of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers.It also followed fierce anti-Saudi statements by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Announcing its decision on Friday, the kingdom deplored "political and media campaigns inspired by Hizbullah against Saudi Arabia," as well as what it called the group's "terrorist acts against Arab and Muslim nations." In a statement, Hizbullah said Saudi Arabia stopped the military aid because of economic pressures from the war in Yemen, where it leads an Arab military coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels, and lower oil revenues.The $3 billion deal funded military equipment provided by France and was to ship vehicles, helicopters, drones, artillery and other equipment to Lebanon.

Hezbollah uses the Palestinian cause as a pretext
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/February 23/16
Hezbollah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah uses every trick in the book in an effort to cement his militia’s credibility within the Sunni Arab world and to justify its existence. His speeches are deliberately crafted to con Arabs, specifically Palestinians, into thinking he is the hero who will defend Jerusalem and free the occupied territories. Not content with turning Lebanon into an Iranian vassal state, using the pretence he puts Lebanese interests first even though he has triggered war with Israel, turned his guns on his compatriots, and dragged his country into the Syrian conflict. Nasrallah has cynically ramped up his pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel rhetoric to lure Palestinians and their sympathisers into his camp. As several Middle East commentators have noted, he is out to win a place in the Palestinian good books with anti-Israel threats at a time when he is viewed throughout the region as a betrayer for propping up the brutal Bashar Al-Assad regime. Nasrallah’s latest rant boasts that Hezbollah has the capacity “to cover the entirety of Israel with missiles” adding that the militia would be the victor in any coming war with nuclear-armed Israel. He was even more specific concerning his plans. An ammonia plant in Haifa would be targeted in order to cause a nuclear bomb type explosion. Those threats are mere flimflam, empty of substance, because, if carried out, Israel would adopt a scorched earth policy in retaliation while every Palestinian would have a target placed on his back. To prove how nonsensical they are in the event Israel were in danger of being obliterated, no American president would sit on his hands witnessing its destruction. That is just a fact which this big-mouthed paper tiger knows only too well.
Nasrallah has cynically ramped up his pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel rhetoric to lure Palestinians and their sympathisers into his camp
Until now, neither Iran nor Hezbollah have done anything tangible to aid the Palestinians other than throw them a few dollars and low-grade missiles. They merely hold out the freeing of Jerusalem as a recruitment carrot, one that offers hope to Muslims and, of course, Palestinians in areas where hope is becoming a rare commodity. He vows to support the Palestinians year-upon-year and so far he has done nothing tangible to that effect. Instead, he has ordered attacks against Saudi Arabia; one example is the attack on the Khobar Towers residential complex near Dhahran carried out by Hezbollah’s branch in the Kingdom. Moreover, Cairo alleges that Hezbollah, together with other groups, murdered guards to release tens of thousands of prisoners during the 2011 revolution, many of them convicted terrorists.
Palestinian state
I have advocated for a Palestinian state throughout my adult life. I feel deeply for the suffering of the Palestinians and their frustration in the absence of even a small chink of light. I understand why a small minority may be tempted to grasp at Nasrallah’s straws, but have no doubt that they are being set up for disappointment. I am sure President Mahmoud Abbas understands Hezbollah’s ruthless game. I do not doubt his patriotism for a second, but I do wonder at his silence. He should dissuade his people from being fooled by Hezbollah with propagandist statements designed to attract recruits who will no doubt be farmed-out to fight elsewhere. Nasrallah’s agenda is clear. Last year, he called upon all Palestinians and their supporters to rally behind the Islamic Republic of Iran on such duplicitous reasoning as “Iran’s enemies are the enemies of Jerusalem”. He was later to claim Iran and its backing of “resistance movements” was “the only hope left for this region, after God.” When he is not thumping his chest against Israel, he is slamming Saudi Arabia for its “aggression” against Yemen, which is a legitimate, lawful intervention carried out to reinstate the democratically-elected government and to preserve the Kingdom’s security.
On Sunday, Lebanon’s Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi resigned his post saying Nasrallah should be “ashamed” of his attacks on Saudi Arabia while describing Hezbollah as “a mere tool” of Iran. “Hezbollah is turning Lebanon into an operations room to spread Iranian hegemony”, he said. Never a truer statement has been said. That is exactly what he wants Palestine to become – an Iranian puppet enclave. Hezbollah has been bleeding popularity among Palestinians, many of whom were outraged when in December 2015 he spoke against the backdrop of a map of Palestine superimposed with the Iranian flag. That speaks volumes as to his hidden agenda. He does not care about the Palestinians; his interests lie with extending the so-called Shiite Crescent.
Walking the walk
I would urge President Abbas to encourage our Palestinian brothers to reject Nasrallah’s blatant lies designed to hijack their just cause and he should emphasise strongly that Hezbollah talks the talk but has never once walked the walk. The U.S. may have scratched Hezbollah from its threat list while it was courting Iran to sign up to the nuclear deal, but history does not lie. It remains a terrorist organisation with both Arab and Western blood staining its hands. I would also counsel Lebanon’s Palestinian residents to assist those of their Lebanese friends struggling to reclaim their country from Hezbollah’s domination which is alienating Saudi Arabia, the majority of Gulf states and other predominately Sunni countries. Hezbollah’s control of the country both politically, diplomatically and militarily has resulted in Saudi Arabia freezing $4 billion set to bolster the Lebanese army and domestic security services because it cannot continue indirectly funding its enemy’s proxy militia.Palestinians, wake up! You are being played. Disassociate yourselves from Hezbollah and its master. Reject false partners for those who have stood shoulder to shoulder with you rather than those with silvery tongues and anti-Sunni agendas. If you let him, Nasrallah’s weasel words will lead you down a hellish path with no return.

Israeli city frets about chemical depot after Hezbollah threat
Reuters, Jerusalem Tuesday, 23 February 2016/The mayor of Haifa implored Israel’s prime minister on Tuesday to remove an industrial chemical depot from the northern city, saying a veiled threat by Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia to shell the site put as many as a million people in danger. Israeli worries about the toxic risks posed by the four-storey ammonia vat in Haifa port were stoked by Hezbollah rocket salvoes in the 2006 Lebanon war. In 2013, Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet said the depot would shut down as part of a planned new ammonia storage and production plant in the southern Negev desert. Lags in the plan’s implementation, and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s description last week of the Haifa depot as a makeshift weapon of mass-destruction should it be attacked, prompted Mayor Yona Yahav’s call on Netanyahu to take action. “We are alone in this battle,” Yahav told Israel’s Army Radio. “There are a million people around this depot here. It is a gaseous material. It is very, very dangerous material.”Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond. The Environment Ministry referred Reuters to a statement it put out after Nasrallah’s threat, in which it said that by the end of next month it expected bids for construction of the Negev site. “Currently, the main issue delaying construction of the plant is the high price of gas, since the plant needs gas to produce ammonia,” said the statement, which also acknowledged the Haifa depot was “an environmental and security risk”. Yahav argued that it was incumbent on the Netanyahu government “to put up the money and not wait for the business sector. Health and danger are more important, the residents are 100 times more important, than any economic consideration.”The depot belongs to Haifa Chemicals Ltd., a private company, the Haifa municipality said. The company was unavailable for comment. A decade ago, Israel relocated a gas depot from Pi Glilot, near Tel Aviv, after a bomb set off by Palestinian militants at the site almost caused a major conflagration.Yahav said the Pi Glilot move also freed up lucrative real estate -- a motive that would not apply for the Haifa depot. “They (government authorities) don’t really take us into account, because we are talking about a depot that is in a port and to my regret there is no great property value,” he said. Haifa is home to many other large industrial plants including Oil Refineries, Israel’s biggest refinery. In his Feb 16 speech, Nasrallah said Hezbollah had spared the Haifa depot in 2006 but might not do so in the future. “We don’t have a nuclear bomb,” he said. “The intended ‘nuclear bomb’ is the combination of several rockets and the ammonia storage tanks in Haifa, the result of which would be like a nuclear bomb.”

Diplomat Says Lebanese Government Should Issue Apology before Gulf Tour
Naharnet/February 23/16/An Arab diplomatic source has said that the Lebanese government should issue an apology to Saudi Arabia before forming a ministerial delegation to tour Arab countries. The source told the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper published on Tuesday that Riyadh might not welcome the delegation led by Prime Minister Tammam Salam in case Beirut does not apologize for its failure to back Saudi Arabia in its spat with Iran. Salam said on Monday that he will head the delegation to visit Gulf states in the near future after Saudi Arabia halted security assistance deals worth $4 billion. The PM insisted Beirut stands by Arab countries, and said it is necessary to rectify relations between Lebanon and its "brothers.”He also called for "removing the stains" that surfaced recently. Riyadh's decision to halt the aid to Lebanon came after Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, who heads the Free Patriotic Movement that is allied with Hizbullah, declined to support Saudi resolutions against Iran during two recent meetings of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers.

Report: Riyadh Informed Paris that it Won't End Contract on Arms Delivery to Lebanon
Naharnet/February 23/16/French officials are hoping to stir the issue of the Saudi decision to halt military aid to Lebanon during the upcoming visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef to Paris, although they have received promises not to break the contract on the delivery of French arms to the Lebanese army, a source said. The French source told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published on Tuesday that the crown prince, who is also interior minister, will visit France on March 4. “Paris is also looking forward for the efforts exerted by the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Awad Asiri, to convince the Saudi leadership to review its decision,” he said. The Saudi government confirmed on Monday that it has stopped all military aid to Lebanon. There are deals worth $4 billion aimed at equipping and supporting the Lebanese army and security forces. One of the Saudi-financed deals is worth $3 billion under which France would provide arms and equipment to the Lebanese army. In April, Lebanon received the first shipment of the $3 billion worth of French arms to boost the country's defensive capabilities to combat terror threats, along its northeastern border in particular. France was expected to deliver in the coming months and years 250 combat and transport vehicles, seven Cougar helicopters, three small Corvette warships and a range of surveillance and communications equipment as part of the $3 billion modernization program.The contract also promises training for the 70,000-strong Lebanese army and 10 years of equipment maintenance. But the Saudi decision brought the delivery of the remaining weapons and equipment to the Lebanese army to a halt. The military is in dire need of aid because since the conflict in neighboring Syria broke out in 2011, Lebanon has faced mounting spill-over threats, first from the millions of refugees pouring across the border and increasingly from jihadists. According to al-Hayat's source, Riyadh confirmed to French authorities that the contract signed between Saudi Arabia and France will not be annulled and that the arms and equipment would be manufactured and stored. But Paris has expressed concern that the Saudi decision to halt the deals would encourage political parties that are affiliated to Hizbullah to further control Lebanon, said the source. The French Foreign Ministry spokesman, Romain Nadal, said on Monday that Paris “continues to engage in dialogue with the Saudi and Lebanese authorities for the purpose of protecting Lebanon.”“France's commitment to protect Lebanon from the repercussions of the situation in the region is part of our Middle Eastern strategy,” he added. The Saudi aid halt came after Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil declined to support Saudi resolutions against Iran during two meetings of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers. Bassil is the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, which is one of the strongest allies of the Iran-backed Hizbullah.

Saudi Urges Its Citizens to Leave Lebanon over 'Safety' Concerns
Naharnet/February 23/16/Saudi Arabia advised its citizens Tuesday against travel to Lebanon and urged those already in the country to leave it, citing “safety” concerns, a few days after it halted military aid to Lebanon over Hizbullah stances and recent diplomatic positions. “The Foreign Ministry calls on all citizens not to travel to Lebanon for their own safety,” the Saudi news agency SPA quoted a ministry official as saying. “It also urges citizens residing in Lebanon or visiting it to leave and not to stay there unless for utmost urgency while observing vigilance and caution,” the official added. The ministry also called on Saudis in Lebanon to contact the kingdom's embassy in Beirut for “the necessary help and attention.” Saudi Arabia decided last week to halt a $4 billion grant to the Lebanese army and security forces and to review its diplomatic relations with Lebanon. The stance came after Lebanon's foreign ministry declined to vote in favor of Saudi-backed resolutions against Iran during two meetings of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers. It also followed fierce anti-Saudi statements by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Announcing its decision on Friday, the kingdom deplored "political and media campaigns inspired by Hizbullah against Saudi Arabia," as well as what it called the group's "terrorist acts against Arab and Muslim nations."

Asiri: Those Tarnishing Beirut-Riyadh Ties Do Not Represent Lebanese People
Naharnet/February 23/16/Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh Asiri stressed on Tuesday that Lebanon is “stronger than the scheming taking place against it.”He stated: “The sides that are seeking to tarnish ties between Beirut and Riyadh do not represent all the Lebanese people.”He made his remarks before a delegation of Mustaqbal Movement officials, who visited the embassy in a show of support in wake of the kingdom's decision to halt its aid grant to the Lebanese army after criticism that was directed against it by Hizbullah and the stances of Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil at Arab League meetings. “Saudi Arabia is keen on Lebanon's security and enabling its state to practice its duties,” continued Asiri. The diplomat said that the kingdom had demonstrated its intentions towards Lebanon through actions, adding: “The delegations that have visited us are a reflection of the Lebanese people's keenness on Lebanese-Saudi ties.”All the Lebanese are keen on preserving their country's Arab identity, remarked the diplomat. Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that it has halted its aid grant to the army, drawing a wave of condemnation in Lebanon against Hizbullah and Bassil. The foreign minister had abstained from voting on Arab League and world Muslim body statements condemning attacks by protesters on Saudi Arabia's embassy and consulate in Iran. The minister had objected to a phrase describing Hizbullah as “terrorist” in the Arab League statement. Hizbullah has meanwhile been virulent in criticizing Saudi Arabia's role in the region, blaming it for the unrest in Yemen and Syria.

General Security Arrests Suspected Syrian Terrorist
Naharnet/February 23/16/The General Security Department announced on Tuesday the arrest of a Syrian man who has admitted to belonging to a terrorist organization. The Syrian has also told investigators that he had fought alongside terrorist groups in Syria and had smuggled gunmen and wanted individuals from Syria to Lebanon, said the communique issued by the agency. On Monday, General Security said it referred to the judiciary a Lebanese who has set up a gang that forges documents and smuggles people, mainly Syrians, from and to Lebanon. It warned foreigners “not to fall in the trap of such fraudulent activities,” advising them to get in touch with Lebanese authorities through a call center.

Al-Rahi Backs Cabinet Statement, Says Lebanon at 'Heart of Arab League'
Naharnet/February 23/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi backed on Tuesday a statement issued by the government to reassure Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states of Lebanon’s commitment to Arab unanimity. “I support the statement of the cabinet. Lebanon has throughout its history been known as a country with friendly ties with all states,” said al-Rahi at Rafik Hariri International Airport before traveling to Rome. “In his nature, the Lebanese (citizen) does not have an interest in antagonizing any state,” he said. “Things should be resolved politically and diplomatically in case there is a dispute with another country,” added the patriarch. The government voiced on Monday its unanimous and constant support to Arab countries, stressing Lebanon's Arab identity and its role as a founding member of the Arab League. “We are committed to Arab consensus on the common issues," said a statement read by Prime Minister Tammam Salam after an extraordinary cabinet session held at the Grand Serail. The premier stressed that Lebanon must bolster its ties with Arab countries and overcome various obstacles that have recently arisen. He revealed that he will hold a series of contacts with Arab figures before embarking on a tour of Gulf states. Al-Rahi told reporters at the airport that Lebanon's Constitution is clear on its identity. “Lebanon is one of the founding members of the Arab League,” he said. “It is also one of the founders of the United Nations and is active in it.”He lamented that some stances and statements are “killing Lebanon's position at the heart of the Arab League.”Saudi Arabia announced last week that it stopped all military aid to Lebanon. The aid halt came after Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil declined to support Saudi resolutions against Iran during two meetings of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers. Bassil is the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, which is one of the strongest allies of the Iran-backed Hizbullah.

Fears over Closure of Karantina Dumpster Threaten Capital
Naharnet/February 23/16/Lebanon's capital will likely once again witness the piling of garbage on its streets if a substitute for the Karantina dumpster, which reached its maximum capacity, is not found, al-Akhbar daily reported on Tuesday.February 24 is the deadline when the waste contractor for Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon Sukleen will stop removing the trash from the streets after the disposal ground began to run out of space, as per Sukleen officials. The company said that two weeks ago it has sent a letter to Governor of Beirut Ziad Shbib informing him that the location which receives the waste of Beirut is flooded but received no feedback from his part. Since the eruption of the July 2015 trash crisis, Sukleen has been cleaning the streets of Beirut and stacking the garbage in Karantina, awaiting a government agreement on a solution for the crisis. Communications Director at Sukleen, Pascale Nassar told the daily that the company has not received any notice from the Governor on a substitute location. “Therefore we will stop removing garbage on Feb. 24.”After contacts with Shbib's office, the daily said it was informed that the Governor has sent a letter to the Council for Development and Reconstruction on February 20 asking it to “expand the capacity of the current space on the property number 1343 in al-Mdawwar parallel with efforts to find another location to store the garbage.”Sukleen sources said that since the eruption of the crisis, the company has been sending letters to related authorities informing them of the quantities of garbage it has been collecting and the areas that can still accommodate. But the “concerned authorities were not interested because the export plan was supposed to kick off before February 24,” they said. For his part, Shbib told the Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) later on Tuesday: “I reassure the citizens that there will be no garbage piling on the streets of Beirut after the set date. We hope that the quick solution is found for the trash crisis.” A trash management crisis erupted in July 2015 following the closure of the Naameh landfill that receives the waste of Beirut and Mount Lebanon. Sukleen and Mount Lebanon municipalities had to find alternatives and have therefore disposed of the waste in makeshift dumps inside populated areas and forests. A plan to export Lebanon's garbage has been abandoned early this week when a scandal broke out revealing that Britain’s Chinook Urban Mining company, which was selected by the government in December to manage the export scheme, may have fabricated its permits.

Rifi Slams Cabinet, Says Lebanon's Arab Identity Won't Change under Force of Arms
Naharnet/February 23/16/Former Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi slammed the government on Tuesday over a statement it issued a day earlier following a spat with Saudi Arabia over Lebanon's failure to support it against Iran. “There is a big problem if we waste seven hours to write only seven lines,” Rifi said mockingly about the statement issued by the cabinet following an extraordinary session. He made his remark to reporters after holding talks with Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh Asiri. After the marathon session on Monday, Prime Minister Tammam Salam said his government is “committed to Arab consensus on common issues.” The cabinet, which convened following Riyadh's decision last week to halt $4 billion worth of aid to the Lebanese army and security forces, also voiced its unanimous and constant support to Arab countries, stressing Lebanon's Arab identity. Riyadh's stance came after Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil declined to support Saudi resolutions against Iran during two recent meetings of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers. But the Lebanese government faced severe criticism from several politicians for failing to condemn Hizbullah's involvement in Syria's war. “There should either be fairness at the cabinet or else the table will be turned,” said Rifi, who resigned last week. He apologized to Saudi Arabia over Bassil's stance, stressing that “the force of arms would not change Lebanon's Arab identity.” Rifi reiterated that he is on good terms with al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri despite his resignation from the government.“We are on a single path no matter what,” he said. Rifi said later Tuesday that he had agreed with Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq for both of them to resign, but the latter changed his mind. Al-Mashnouq snapped back at Rifi, saying: “I am committed to the leadership of the movement that I represent in the cabinet.”

Berri from Brussels: We Reject Naturalization of Refugees, Govt. Will Stay
Naharnet/February 23/16/Speaker Nabih Berri stressed Tuesday that Lebanon rejects any naturalization of Syrian or Palestinian refugees in the country and reassured that Prime Minister Tammam Salam's government is not facing an imminent resignation or collapse. “With all due honesty and in line with our Constitution, Lebanon will not accept the naturalization of anyone, not even of Arab brothers,” Berri said in a speech before the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee in Brussels. The speaker also held talks on Tuesday with Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders and attended a session held by the Belgian parliament's foreign affairs committee. “This is not the first time that Lebanon's governments witness resignations and I don't believe that the government will stop functioning due to this resignation,” said Berri when asked by Belgian legislators about justice minister Ashraf Rifi's resignation. “The government will stay and this issue will not affect it,” Berri stressed, noting that the government “has managed to take a unified stance on a sensitive issue,” in reference to the statement it issued in the wake of Saudi Arabia's decision to halt military aid to Lebanon. Rifi, a fierce opponent of Hizbullah, said Sunday he was resigning over what he called the group's "domination" of the government. Rifi's decision came two days after Saudi Arabia announced it was suspending $4 billion in aid to Lebanon's army and security forces in protest over "hostile" positions it said were inspired by Hizbullah. His resignation statement also cited alleged Hizbullah interference in the case of Lebanon's former information minister Michel Samaha, who is facing charges of having planned "terrorist" acts in collaboration with Syrian officials. Rifi accused Hizbullah of blocking his efforts to transfer the case against Samaha, a former close confidante of Damascus, to Lebanon's highest court, the Judicial Council. Samaha is currently free on bail as he faces a retrial.

Mustaqbal Says Hizbullah Policies Have Become 'Real Threat' to Lebanon after Saudi Move
Naharnet/February 23/16/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday slammed Hizbullah's policies as a "real threat" to Lebanon and to the interests of the Lebanese, amid a growing row with Saudi Arabia over Hizbullah's anti-Saudi stances and Lebanon's recent diplomatic positions. “Hizbullah's growing practices in terms of imposing hegemony over the State's administrations, institutions and decisions, and sabotaging Lebanon’s foreign relations in general and Arab ties in particular have started to pose a real threat to Lebanon's freedom and sovereignty and to the interests of the Lebanese at home and abroad,” the bloc said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. “This continued sabotage has taken political, economic and social forms, and it has recently taken a dangerous aspect after the policies of the party and its allies started to undermine Lebanon's relations with its Arab brothers,” it warned. “Those destroying the Lebanese-Arab and the Lebanese-Saudi relations must immediately stop the practices that are harming Lebanon and the interests of the Lebanese,” Mustaqbal urged. It called on the Lebanese to protect the country's ties with the Arab nations and “not to leave the Lebanese arena to the policies of Iran, which has not hesitated to show its ambitions in several Arab states including Lebanon.”Echoing remarks by al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, the bloc also called on Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz to “reconsider the decision that suspended grants aimed at backing and arming the Lebanese army and security forces.”Separately, Mustaqbal called on the parliamentary blocs to “seize the chance” of the March 2 electoral session in order to elect a president and end the country's lengthy presidential vacuum. “There are three candidates now and one of them can be elected,” it added, referring to Michel Aoun, Suleiman Franjieh and Henri Helou. Earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia advised its citizens against travel to Lebanon and urged those already in the country to leave it, citing “safety” concerns. The UAE swiftly followed suit, banning its citizens from traveling to Lebanon and reducing its diplomatic presence in Beirut. Saudi Arabia decided last week to halt a $4 billion grant to the Lebanese army and security forces and to review its diplomatic relations with Lebanon. The stance came after Lebanon's foreign ministry declined to vote in favor of Saudi-backed resolutions against Iran during two meetings of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers.It also followed fierce anti-Saudi statements by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Announcing its decision on Friday, the kingdom deplored "political and media campaigns inspired by Hizbullah against Saudi Arabia," as well as what it called the group's "terrorist acts against Arab and Muslim nations."In a statement, Hizbullah said Saudi Arabia stopped the military aid because of economic pressures from the war in Yemen, where it leads an Arab military coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels, and lower oil revenues. The $3 billion deal funded military equipment provided by France and was to ship vehicles, helicopters, drones, artillery and other equipment to Lebanon.

Change and Reform: No One Can Challenge us in our Support for Saudi Arabia
Naharnet/February 23/16/The Change and Reform bloc defended on Tuesday the stances of Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil at the Arab League and rejected criticism that Lebanon violated Arab consensus on regional affairs linked to Saudi Arabia.
Former Minister Salim Jreissati said after the bloc's weekly meeting: “No one can challenge us in our support for Riyadh.”“Our statements on this issue should not be taken out of context,” he demanded. He made his remarks after Saudi Arabia's decision last week to halt a $4 billion aid grant to the Lebanese army and security forces in wake of Hizbullah's role in the region and Bassil's stances at Arab and Muslim conferences. “We are Arab in our identity and Lebanon is a founding member of the Arab League. The constitution explains our Arab identity,” declared Jreissati. “The stance taken at the Arab League summit does not contradict Arab consensus,” he stressed. “We always seek Arab consensus and hope this issue will be kept away from the media spotlight,” he continued. In January, Bassil had abstained from voting on Arab League and world Muslim body statements condemning attacks by protesters on Saudi Arabia's embassy and consulate in Iran. The minister had objected to a phrase describing Hizbullah as “terrorist” in the Arab League statement. Hizbullah has meanwhile been virulent in criticizing Saudi Arabia's role in the region, blaming it for the unrest in Yemen and Syria. Addressing the crisis on Monday, the cabinet said that it adheres to Arab consensus, while voicing its support for Saudi Arabia and acknowledging the positive role it has played in Lebanon. Soon after the statement was issued, Bassil announced that given the choice between “Arab consensus and national unity, we side with national unity.”
Commenting on the months-long waste disposal crisis, Jreissati called for the establishment of landfills, including the reopening of the Naameh dump.
He also demanded that officials seek the country's interests instead of seeking to make financial profits out of the problem. Lebanon has been suffering from a waste management crisis since the July closure of the Naameh landfill and officials' failure to find an alternative for it. A plan to export Lebanon's garbage has been abandoned early this week when a scandal broke out revealing that Britain’s Chinook Urban Mining company, which was selected by the government in December to manage the export scheme, may have fabricated its permits.

Geagea: Cabinet is Better Off Resigning if it Can't Resolve Hizbullah's Fighting Abroad
Naharnet/February 23/16/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea criticized the statement issued by the cabinet on Monday on Lebanon's crisis with Saudi Arabia, saying that it “failed to hit the nail on the head” regarding Hizbullah's involvement in foreign conflicts. He said during a press conference on Tuesday: “The cabinet is better off resigning if it cannot properly resolve Hizbullah's fighting in conflicts abroad.” He noted that the party is playing a “strategic” role in the war in Syria, while meddling in the affairs of Iraq, Bahrain, and Yemen, “all against Saudi Arabia's policy in the region.”This has led Hizbullah, and consequently Lebanon, in a confrontation with these countries. “Cabinet spent hours and hours wrangling over a word here and a word there as if our entire fate hinges on a word. I consider yesterday's statement just poetic phrases,” said Geagea. The reality is that there are great differences between what the cabinet described and what is taking place on the ground. It spoke highly of Saudi Arabia's support of Lebanon over the years, but “it has left a Lebanese party free to wage foreign battles,” added the LF chief. The cabinet called for respecting the policy of disassociation, “but how can that be possible when a member of government, is taking part in the fighting in Syria?”“A state should operate with the least amount of logic,” Geagea remarked sarcastically. “The situation in Lebanon is going from bad to worse, partially because of Hizbullah's foreign meddling and mainly due to the usurpation of the state's voice,” he lamented. The cabinet said that Lebanon's ties with Arab countries should be rectified. This demands that Hizbullah withdraw its forces from these countries, he stressed. Commenting on the debate during the session on phrasing the statement and the use of the term “Arab unity” as opposed to “national unity,” Geagea said: “National unity means all members of the country, not one and not the other.” “How can we reconcile the needs of national unity when we disregard the views of some parties. This equation cannot be applied given the current state of affairs,” he noted.
“If the issue is about national unity, then where is national unity on Hizbullah's fighting in Syria? Where is national unity on criticizing Saudi Arabia?” he asked. “National unity is being manipulated to justify certain policies,” he stressed. “Our crisis is much greater than the one that was described in cabinet's statement,” Geagea remarked. He said it should have more direct in tackling Hizbullah involvement in foreign conflicts, saying that the government alone is qualified to address this issue. It should resign if it cannot carry out this mission. Saudi Arabia on Friday announced that it was halting a $4 billion aid grant to the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces in wake of Hizbullah's actions in the region and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil's stances at Arab League meetings. The foreign minister had abstained from voting on Arab League and world Muslim body statements condemning attacks by protesters on Saudi Arabia's embassy and consulate in Iran. The minister had objected to a phrase describing Hizbullah as “terrorist” in the Arab League statement. Hizbullah has meanwhile been virulent in criticizing Saudi Arabia's role in the region, blaming it for the unrest in Yemen and Syria. Addressing the crisis on Monday, the cabinet said that it adheres to Arab consensus, while voicing its support for Saudi Arabia and acknowledging the positive role it has played in Lebanon. Soon after the statement was issued, Bassil announced that given the choice between “Arab consensus and national unity, we side with national unity.”

Jumblat Urges 'Real Dissociation' Policy, Hariri Says President Presence Resolves Problems
Naharnet/February 23/16/Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat held a meeting Monday with former president Michel Suleiman at his Yarze residence. The meeting was also attended by the ministers who represent Suleiman in the cabinet – Samir Moqbel, Alice Shabtini and Abdul Mutalleb Hennawi – in addition to Minister Wael Abou Faour of the PSP and Hariri's adviser Nader Hariri. “Lebanon is going through a very difficult period in the absence of a president and, in my opinion, this is the real problem in the country,” said Hariri upon his arrival. “Had there been a president, things would've been different, addressing them would've been easier and the cabinet would've been more efficient,” Hariri added. Turning to the issue of the row with Saudi Arabia over Lebanon's recent diplomatic stances and Hizbullah's verbal attacks, Hariri described the Lebanese foreign ministry's decision to refrain from voting on an Arab League statement condemning Iran as a “sin against Lebanon and the Lebanese.”“The foreign minister (Jebran Bassil) must stop saying that he coordinated his stance with the prime minister,” Hariri added. Jumblat meanwhile described a statement issued Monday by the Lebanese government on the ties with Saudi Arabia and the Arab countries as “beneficial,” noting that it was issued after a “compromise” by the parties that are represented in the cabinet. “We do not want to be in a certain axis against another and we want to stress the importance of the policy of real dissociation (from regional conflicts) that was carved out by president Michel Suleiman,” Jumblat added.

Ali Alfoneh/Washington Institute: Hezbollah Fatalities in the Syrian War
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/02/23/ali-alfonehwashington-institute-hezbollah-fatalities-in-the-syrian-war/
Hezbollah Fatalities in the Syrian War
Ali Alfoneh/Washington Institute/February 22, 2016
Analysis of funeral reports and other open-source data offers potentially revealing insights into the militia’s combat losses in Syria, its shifting role in the war next door, and the security of its position back home in Lebanon.
Lebanese Hezbollah’s entire raison d’etre is founded on the doctrine of al-Muqawama, or resistance against Israel. Since at least 2012, however, the Shiite militia has fought fellow Arabs in neighboring Syria on Iran’s behalf, in an attempt to secure the survival of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and thereby maintain its own overland lifeline to Tehran. Unsurprisingly, this awkward conflict between theory and practice has resulted in contradictory statements from Hezbollah’s leadership concerning the extent of the group’s presence and participation in the war next door. During the conflict’s early years, they dismissed all such claims as enemy propaganda, yet they have acknowledged and even boasted of their involvement as the war drags on.
Hezbollah’s funeral announcements, in particular those appearing on www.southlebanon.org, and www.yasour.org, provide useful insight into the actual nature and extent of the group’s participation in combat. Comparing this data with Persian-language open-source material regarding fatalities among Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also illuminates an apparent shift in how Tehran views Hezbollah’s role in the war.
WHAT THE FUNERAL DATA TELLS US
According to the above sources, at least 865 Hezbollah fighters were killed in combat in Syria between September 30, 2012, and February 16, 2016. Since the group’s leadership has every reason to downplay losses, this figure must serve as an absolute minimum number killed — the actual toll is likely higher. Indeed, over the same time period, these sources reported a seemingly high number of young Lebanese males dying from traffic accidents or sudden heart failure; such announcements could be an attempt to hide the real number of Hezbollah fatalities, though neither this conclusion nor the veracity of the traffic/cardiac death tolls can be established with certainty.
The sources further identify 49 of the deceased as “al-Qaid al-Shahid” (martyred leader/commander) or “al-Qaid al-Maydani” (field leader/commander). This indicates they served as commanding officers, distinguishing them from rank-and-file fatalities.
The open-source material is extremely secretive about where exactly these fighters died in Syria; of the 865 known fatalities, place of death was disclosed for only 32. And in several cases, this information was extracted from Persian-language material rather than Lebanese sources.
The data also shows several fatality peaks: May 2013 (88 fighters killed), July 2014 (36), February 2015 (34), and a relatively high average of 36 fatalities per month from May 2015 to January 2016. The December 2013 peak shown in figure 1 is misleading because the sources announced nearly a hundred fatalities all at once, even though the actual month of death/burial for many of them occurred earlier.
Figure 1. Hezbollah and IRGC Combat Fatalities in Syria
These fatality spikes might also indicate place of death for fighters even when that information is not openly disclosed, since the peaks in funerals tend to coincide with major battles in Syria:
In May 2013, Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched a joint offensive against the city of al-Qusayr, strategically located between Damascus and the Mediterranean coast and close to the Lebanese border.
Although there is no record of Hezbollah operations in July 2014, the increased fatalities that month coincided with the Islamic State’s seizure of the Shaer gas field in Homs governorate on July 17, and its capture of the 17th Army Division’s base near Raqqa on July 25.
The February 2015 fatalities likely reflect the joint offensive by the rebel Free Syrian Army and al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra against Hezbollah strongholds in western Qalamoun, near the Lebanese border.
The high monthly fatality rate in the last half of 2015 includes the battle for Zabadani last July; it also marks the run-up to and aftermath of the first Russian air campaign in Syria, which began in late September 2015 and ushered in a period of increased offensives by regime forces and their allies.
HEZBOLLAH LOSSES VS. IRGC LOSSES
The fluctuations in Hezbollah and IRGC fatality rates appear to reflect the Islamic Republic’s shifting tactical considerations in Syria. Initially, Tehran preferred to have Hezbollah play the direct combat role in Syria rather deploying large-scale IRGC forces there, which could have provoked other external actors to follow Iran’s example. This resulted in large Hezbollah fatality rates and very few IRGC fatalities.
Eventually, however, increased Hezbollah fatalities in Syria threatened to upset the military balance in Lebanon and even tempt outsiders to exploit Hezbollah’s preoccupation abroad in order to teach the group a lesson back home. As a result, the IRGC apparently began deploying many more of its own troops to Syria, as reflected by the sharp decrease in Hezbollah fatalities and the simultaneous sharp increase in IRGC fatalities after September 2015. Not coincidentally, this was also when the Russian air campaign began — all of which suggests that there are limits to how much Hezbollah can do in Syria to advance Tehran’s objectives.
WHERE DID THESE SLAIN FIGHTERS COME FROM?
Despite Hezbollah’s secretiveness regarding many aspects of its Syria deployment and fatalities, its funeral announcements provide detailed information about the native governorate, district, and village of origin for most of the fighters killed in combat. That information in turn provides limited but valuable insights into the militia’s recruitment base in Lebanon and force composition in Syria.
Of the 865 fighters reportedly killed, 682 hailed from the Nabatiyah, Beqaa, and South governorates. No governorate was indicated for 136 fighters; 10 others originated from villages on the Syrian side of the border, while the remainder were born in the Mount Lebanon, Beirut, and North governorates.
Figure 2. Total Hezbollah Combat Fatalities by Native Governorate
Lebanon lacks an official census, so it is impossible to analyze these numbers relative to the total populations or Shiite composition of each governorate. In general, however, most of Hezbollah’s combat fatalities seem to have originated from Shiite-majority governorates and subdistricts. Several districts showed particularly high rates: Baalbek (158 fatalities) and Hermel (43) in Beqaa governorate; Bint Jbail (79), Marjeyoun (52), and Nabatiyah (122) in Nabatiyah governorate; and Sidon (37) and Tyre (137) in the South governorate. (Note that for the purposes of this study, Beirut governorate, which is not subdivided, counts as both a governorate and a district.)
Figure 3. Hezbollah Combat Fatalities by Native District, January 2012-February 2016
A further breakdown of the data shows that some districts had a mixed pattern of city dwellers and village dwellers killed in combat:
In Baalbek district, 44 of the 158 fatalities were natives of Baalbek City, 13 were from Brital, 9 from al-Khraibe, 8 from Younine, and 6 from al-Bozalieh. The remaining 78 were recruited from 36 distinct villages.
In Hermel district, the majority of the 43 combat fatalities were city dwellers: 23 were from Hermel City, 14 from al-Nabi Shayth, and the remainder from al-Qasr and Zita.
In other districts, however, most slain Hezbollah fighters hailed from the countryside, with fatalities more or less evenly distributed among various villages and smaller towns:
In Bint Jbail district (79 fatalities), Aita al-Shab (12) and Beit Lif (11) suffered the most losses. Bint Jbail City lost 7 fighters, while the remaining 49 fatalities originated from 19 distinct villages.
In Marjeyoun district (52), Majdel Selm (10) and Meis al-Jabal (10) suffered the most losses; the remaining 32 fatalities hailed from 7 other villages.
In Nabatiyah district (122), Nabatiyah City suffered 14 combat fatalities; the remaining 108 were distributed among 42 villages.
In Sidon district (37), only 3 originated from Sidon City itself; the remainder were distributed among 16 villages.
In Tyre (137) too, only 5 originated from Tyre City, while the remainder came from 42 distinct towns and villages. Only Shahabia (12) and Majdel Zoun (10) suffered double-digit fatalities.
The data therefore provides some indication of Hezbollah’s force structure. The wide distribution in place of origin for fighters killed during any given period (including the peak periods discussed above) indicates a mixed force composition. This stands in contrast to the provincial force structure of the IRGC, in which entire units are often composed of personnel from the same area.
Figure 4. Monthly Hezbollah Combat Fatalities by Native Governorate
Again, lack of official, reliable information about Lebanon’s demography prevents firm conclusions regarding the impact that these combat fatalities might have on Hezbollah’s ability to defend its positions back at home against adversaries. However, to the extent that its losses are more or less evenly distributed among rural villages and small towns, with few communities suffering double-digit losses, then the militia may have preserved its manpower base.
Ali Alfoneh is the author of Iran Unveiled: How the Revolutionary Guards Is Turning Theocracy into Military Dictatorship (AEI Press, 2013).

Canada Friday Sermon Delivered In Edmonton, Alberta By Imam Shaban Sherif Mady: Rome Will Be Conquered Like Constantinople Was
MEMRI/February 23/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/02/23/memricanada-friday-sermon-delivered-in-edmonton-alberta-by-imam-shaban-sherif-mady-rome-will-be-conquered-like-constantinople-was/
Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/5342.htm
During a Friday sermon delivered in Edmonton, Alberta, Sheikh Shaban Sherif Mady said that just as Byzantine Constantinople had been conquered, Rome would be conquered, as the Prophet Muhammad had prophesized. The sermon was posted on the Internet on February 16.
Imam Shaban Sherif Mady: "The Prophet Muhammad told us that Constantinople would be conquered. This was the capital city of the Byzantine Empire. I am talking about prophecies from the sunna. Where is Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire? Today, it is in Turkey.
"Turkey, Montenegro, Kosovo, all the way to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia... All these countries were ruled by the rightly guided Caliphate, the last Caliphate of the Muslims. [It ruled] about half of Europe, in the East, and then the other half, in the West, the countries of Al-Andalus: Spain, Portugal, and part of France, all the way to the Ural Mountains. All this was an Islamic Caliphate.
"Constantinople will be conquered. It is the Prophet Muhammad who said so. And what was Constantinople? Just like the Vatican today, it was the capital of all the Christians in the world. It was conquered and became Turkey. The Hagia Sophia became a great mosque, where Allah is worshipped.
"The prophecies of the Prophet Muhammad came true. But some prophecies have not come true yet. Look forward to it, because the Prophet Muhammad said that Rome would be conquered! It will be conquered. Constantinople was conquered. Rome is the Vatican, the very heart of the Christian state. When and how? You and I, who suffer of psychological defeatism, cannot fathom that. But people of faith have will, power, and understanding, and they know that the Prophet's hadith is true, for he does not speak on a whim."

Syrian opposition mocks Assad call for election in April
Al Arabiya/Tuesday, 23 February 2016/Riyad Naasan Agha, spokesperson of the Supreme Commission for Negotiations, former Syrian Minister of Culture, told Al Arabiya’s Last Hour, that Assad’s call to parliamentary elections in April, 13 is nonsense.

ISIS attack shuts Syrian govt supply route for 2nd day
Reuters, Beirut Tuesday, 23 February 2016/An important Syrian government supply route to Aleppo was shut for a second day on Tuesday because of an ISIS attack, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A rebel fighter told Reuters that the ISIS assault on the road linking Aleppo to government-held cities further south had relieved pressure on insurgents confronting Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes in Aleppo.A Syrian military source told Reuters army operations were continuing in order to repel the ISIS assault on the road linking government-held cities of western Syria with Aleppo. Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters: “The clashes are ongoing, the regime recovered four of seven (lost positions). It is still cut.” The Syrian government has been using the desert road running through the villages of Khanaser and Ithriya to reach Aleppo because rebels still control the main highway to the city.

How fortified bunkers protect Saudi border soldiers
Al Arabiya/Tuesday, 23 February 2016/Saudi Arabia's military command has built thousands of bunkers along its borders. Known by their military name, HESCOs are engineered to withstand attacks from small arms fire and heavier artillery shelling.

Turkey Insists on Syrian Kurd Link to Attack amid Confusion
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 23/Turkey insisted on Tuesday there was an indisputable link between Syrian Kurdish fighters and last week's deadly attack in Ankara, amid growing confusion over the identity of the bomber. After the February 18 suicide car bomb attack on a convoy of military buses in the capital that left 29 people dead, Turkish officials insisted the bomber was a Syrian Kurd working on behalf of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).Fearing the ambitions of the PYD and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, Ankara has been keen to play up the links between the Syrian Kurdish fighters and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. But the radical Turkey-based Kurdish group that claimed the attack said the bomber was a Turkish Kurd, an assertion reportedly supported by DNA tests. "Whatever the judicial inquiry concludes over the identity of the bomber, it is clear that the bomber came from Rojava, the area of the PYD," Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters, referring to Kurdish-controlled northern Syria. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had said the bomber was a Syrian Kurd named Salih Necar who had entered Turkey under the guise of being a refugee. But the group which claimed the attack, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), said the bomber was a homegrown Turkish Kurd named Abdulbaki Sonmez with the nom de guerre Zinar Raperin. "We are trying to work out if this person is a Turkish citizen or not. It appears not to be the person who was initially presented" as the bomber, Kurtulmus acknowledged. "But this does not change at all the base fact that this was an attack committed in collaboration between the PKK and YPG," he said. Kurtulmus argued that the bomber had indeed entered Turkey from PYD-controlled Syria in the summer of 2014. The Hurriyet daily said that while the bomber's real name was Abdulbaki Sonmez, he had re-entered Turkey with false papers under the name Salih Necar. Meanwhile, the death toll from the attack rose to 29 from 28 after another victim died in hospital, media reports said. Turkey's insistence that the PYD and YPG are the Syrian branch of the PKK has provoked a rare rift with its NATO ally the United States. The United States works with the YPG as the most effective fighting force on the ground against jihadists in Syria. Washington has also shown no sign of giving into Ankara's pressure to list the organization as a terror group, as it does the PKK.

Iraqi Kurdish troops rescue Swedish teen from ISIS
Associated Press, Erbil Tuesday, 23 February 2016/The Iraqi Kurdish government says its troops have rescued a Swedish teenager from ISIS near the city of Mosul, which is controlled by the extremists. A statement from the regional government, released on Tuesday, says the rescue operation by the Kurdish anti-terrorist forces took place on Feb. 17 near the ISIS-held city of Mosul in Iraq. The statement identified the young woman by name, saying she is a 16-year-old from the town of Boras who “was misled” by an ISIS member in Sweden to travel to Syria and later to Mosul. It also says the Swedish authorities and the teenager’s family had asked the Iraqi Kurdish government for help in the case. The young woman is currently in Iraqi Kurdish territory and will be transferred to Sweden.

Iraq Kurds Free Teenage Swedish Girl near Mosul
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 23/16/Iraqi Kurdish forces have rescued a 16-year-old Swedish girl who was tricked into traveling to areas controlled by the Islamic State group, a statement said Tuesday. Kurdish counter-terrorism forces rescued the girl near Mosul, the jihadist organization’s main hub in Iraq, the statement from the Kurdistan Regional Security Council (KRSC) said. "She was misled by an ISIL member in Sweden to travel to Syria and later to Mosul," the statement said, using another acronym for the jihadist group. "The Kurdistan Regional Security Council was called upon by Swedish authorities and members of her family to assist in locating and rescuing her from ISIL," it said. The teenage girl from the Swedish town of Boras was rescued on February 17, the statement said, without specifying exactly where that happened. But a senior Kurdish security official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the operation took place in Mosul instead of near the northern city. "The operation was carried out secretly in the center of Mosul... without clashes or the arrest of any gunmen," according to the official. "Swedish authorities were in continuous contact with the girl and organized the operation to rescue her in cooperation with regional authorities," the official said. There was no immediate confirmation of the incident from the Swedish authorities, to whom the KRSC said the teenager would shortly be transferred.

Pro-Govt. Fighters Make Key Gains in Libya's Benghazi
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 23/16/Fighters loyal to Libya's internationally recognized government said Tuesday they were close to seizing the center of second city Benghazi after gains against Islamist militias including the Islamic State group. "We entered most of the sectors controlled by terrorist groups in Lithi" in central Benghazi, a military source told AFP. The press office of Libya's General Command, which supports the recognized administration, said it would announce the liberation of Lithi, a bastion of Islamist militias including IS, "imminently". Libya has had rival administrations since the summer of 2014 when the recognized government fled Tripoli after a militia alliance including Islamists overran the capital. Fighting has flared periodically in Benghazi as security forces try to wrest neighborhoods from armed groups including IS and Ansar al-Sharia, which is close to Al-Qaida. At least 19 pro-government troops were killed over the weekend in clashes that saw loyalists seize Al-Marayseh port in western Benghazi and Al-Hawari hospital in the south. Medical sources in Benghazi said Tuesday that more than 20 loyalist fighters had died in the operation to retake the city. Earlier this month the military announced that one of its fighter jets had been shot down as it carried out air strikes on opposition positions in the coastal city. Chaos engulfing Libya since the fall of dictator Moammar Gadhafi's regime in 2011 has fostered the rise of IS which has based itself in the former dictator's hometown of Sirte in eastern Libya.

Israeli Soldiers Ordered to Take Guns Home when Off Duty
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 23/16/Israeli soldiers have been ordered to take their guns with them when off duty to allow them to intervene in the event of Palestinian attack, the military said on Tuesday. The decision comes after off-duty soldier Tuvia Weissman, 21, was stabbed to death at a supermarket in an Israeli industrial zone in the occupied West Bank on Thursday. His wife told Israeli media that Weissman, who was a dual Israeli-American citizen, had asked his superiors if he could carry his gun with him to protect himself, but they refused and required him to leave it at his base's armory. Israeli military chief of staff Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot has now "ordered that soldiers carry their weapons even outside of their service," including while going home for leave, an army spokeswoman told AFP. Soldiers had not previously been allowed to take their guns with them while on leave out of fear they could be stolen or used to commit suicide.All Jewish Israelis are required to perform military service after they reach the age of 18. Thursday's attack was part of a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming assaults that erupted in October. The violence has claimed the lives of 27 Israelis, as well as an American and an Eritrean. In addition, 176 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks but others during clashes and demonstrations.

Netanyahu Pledges 'Terrorism' Cooperation with Africa
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 23/16/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday pledged his country's cooperation with African nations against "terrorism" as he met Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. "Israel is willing and prepared to work with African countries in our common battle against militant Islamic terrorism," Netanyahu said as he went into talks with Kenyatta, whose country has long been a strategic ally of Israel. "I have to say that more and more African countries recognize what you recognize – that Israel is a unique partner against this extremism". The Kenyan leader said "we both live in challenging neighborhoods with similar security concerns and the cooperation between our two governments since the time of our independence has been formidable". He said he hoped his visit would further strengthen ties with Israel. The United States, Britain and Israel have all had close military and intelligence ties with Kenya. Israel reportedly warned of plans to attack Israeli property ahead of the 2013 massacre at Nairobi's Westgate mall. The mall was part owned by Israelis and had long been considered a prime potential target. Israeli agents reportedly assisted Kenyan security forces in their response to the mall attack by Shebab gunmen who killed at least 67 people. Israeli businesses in Kenya have been targeted in the past, including the Al-Qaida claimed bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa in 2002, in which 18 people died, as well as a failed missile strike on an Israeli charter plane at the same time.

Israel razes Palestinian homes in the West Bank
AFP, Jerusalem Tuesday, 23 February 2016/Israel has destroyed the homes of two Palestinians accused of separate attacks that left five people dead, the army said Tuesday, the latest in a series of punitive demolitions that have drawn criticism from rights groups. The overnight demolitions west of Hebron targeted the homes of two men said to be behind November 19 knife and car-ramming attacks in Israel’s commercial capital Tel Aviv and at a junction in the occupied West Bank.Mohammed al-Harub is accused of opening fire at a junction near Israeli settlements in the West Bank then ramming his car into a group of pedestrians. An Israeli, a Palestinian and an American were killed. The same day, Raid Masalmeh stabbed two Israelis to death at an office building and car park in Tel Aviv. It was one of the deadliest days for Israelis since a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks erupted in October. Harub’s home was in Dayr Samet while Masalmeh’s was in Dura, both west of Hebron in the southern West Bank. The two men have been arrested. The wave of violence since October has claimed the lives of 27 Israelis, as well as an American and an Eritrean. In addition, 176 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks but others during clashes and demonstrations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under political pressure to halt the violence, has moved to expedite demolitions of alleged attackers’ homes as a punitive measure. Human rights groups say the measure amounts to collective punishment, with the suspects’ families forced to suffer for others’ alleged acts.

Israeli Who Burned Palestinian Alive Ruled Sane
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 23/16/A psychiatrist has ruled that an Israeli found to have led the burning alive of a Palestinian teenager in 2014 was responsible for his actions, the lawyer for the victim's family said Tuesday.
The court found that Israeli settler Yosef Haim Ben-David, 31, was the ringleader of the chilling attack, but his lawyers submitted last-minute documents saying he suffered from mental illness. The court appointed a psychiatrist who "concluded that the principal accused lied about his mental state to avoid judgement," lawyer Mohannad Jbara said. Israeli media also reported the psychiatrist's assessment. Ben-David's next court hearing is scheduled for March 22. On February 4, a court sentenced his two young Israeli accomplices to life and 21 years in prison for the killing, which was part of a spiral of violence in the runup to the 2014 Gaza war. The two were minors at the time of the attack in which they snatched Mohammad Abu Khdeir, 16, from an east Jerusalem street and then killed him. His murder was seen as revenge for the killing of Israeli teenagers Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach, who were abducted from a hitchhiking stop near the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron. Israeli authorities said the suspects had decided to kill an Arab and equipped themselves with cables, petrol and other materials before randomly choosing Abu Khdeir. Ben-David's case comes with tensions once again high, with a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks since last October. The violence has claimed the lives of 27 Israelis, as well as an American and an Eritrean. In addition, 176 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks but others during clashes and demonstrations. The last-minute legal manoeuvres on behalf of Ben-David were harshly condemned by Abu Khdeir's family, who expressed doubt they would get justice.

Lack of Quorum Scuppers Libya Confidence Vote
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 23/16/Libya's internationally recognized parliament was unable to hold a vote of confidence in the U.N.-backed unity government Tuesday because it lacked a quorum, amid concerns over increasing jihadist expansion. "The required quorum (89 members of parliament) was not reached, so the president of the chamber adjourned the session," MP Mohamed al-Abbani told AFP. Another parliamentarian, Ali Al-Qaidi, confirmed that "the necessary quorum was not reached, and the session for the vote was adjourned until next week". Qaidi said there were differences between MPs on the proposed new government's program. Another member, Khalifa al-Daghari, spoke of disagreements over the order of the day, with some MPs also wanting to vote on the political agreement reached in December in Morocco on the 2011 constitution before holding the vote of confidence. Oil-rich Libya has had rival administrations since the summer of 2014 when the recognized government fled Tripoli after a militia alliance including Islamists overran the capital. That alliance has established its own administration and parliament called the General National Congress, while the internationally recognized legislature is based in the eastern city of Tobruk. The recognized parliament had wrapped up debate on Monday on the line-up and policies of the new government. The United Nations has been pushing both sides to back a unity government. A Presidential Council, born of an agreement in December under U.N. auspices between representatives of the rival parliaments, last week put forward a unity government of 18 members. A previous cabinet line-up of 32 ministers proposed by premier-designate Fayez al-Sarraj was rejected by the Tobruk parliament as being too large. The United Nations Libya envoy took to Twitter early Tuesday to push for the vote of confidence to be held. He wrote that House of Representatives endorsement of the unity government "in its entirety is crucial. Fate of #Libya is at stake. National interest should override any other."
In addition to having rival administrations born of the chaos following the 2011 revolution that ousted Moammar Gadhafi, oil-rich Libya also has a growing problem caused by the Islamic State group. Western governments concerned over the jihadist IS establishing a bridgehead on the coast just 300 kilometers (185 miles) from Europe have said they are ready to help restore security to Libya as long as it has a unity government. On Friday, U.S. warplanes flying from a Royal Air Force base in Britain attacked an IS training camp in the western city of Sabratha, killing more than 40 people including two Serbian diplomats being held hostage. The Pentagon said the raid probably also killed top jihadist operative Noureddine Chouchane whom officials say helped plot attacks in Tunisia last year that killed 59 foreign tourists. Since the revolution in Libya five years ago, it has also expanded as a base for people-smugglers dealing in live cargo paying for the privilege of a perilous sea journey to Europe which they may not even survive.

'Brexit' Would 'Threaten Jobs', Warn UK Business Leaders
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 23/16/The bosses of more than a third of Britain's top companies on Tuesday urged voters to keep the country in the European Union, warning that an exit from the bloc would threaten jobs. Some 198 business leaders including Roger Carr, chairman of BAE Systems, BP CEO Bob Dudley and Ron Dennis, chief of F1 team McLaren, wrote a joint letter published in the Times, backing Prime Minister David Cameron's deal to reform the EU. "Following the prime minister's renegotiation, we believe that Britain is better off staying in a reformed European Union," they wrote, adding Cameron had secured important commitments on improving competitiveness within the bloc. "We believe that leaving the EU would deter investment, threaten jobs and put the economy at risk," wrote the business chiefs, who between them employ around 1.2 million people. "Britain will be stronger, safer and better off remaining a member of the EU," it concluded. Separately, Nissan, which produced 450,000 vehicles in Britain last year, issued a statement saying it "made the most sense for jobs, trade and costs" to stay in the EU. "For us, a position of stability is more positive than a collection of unknowns," said the statement. "However, this is ultimately a matter for the British people." The backing comes as a boost for Cameron, who was rocked on Sunday by the decision of charismatic London mayor Boris Johnson to back a "Brexit" in the referendum on June 23. Sterling fell to near seven-year lows against the dollar on Monday on concerns about the implications of a Brexit. While recovering somewhat the currency was still below last week's level on Tuesday. Chairmen or chief executives of 36 companies from key share index FTSE 100, including national giants such as BT, Marks & Spencer, EasyJet, Burberry and Vodafone, all signed the letter. Two leaders of U.S. firm Goldman Sachs in Europe were also signatories.
Tories 'more divided than ever'
However, critics pointed out that many large employers such as retailers Tesco and Sainsbury's and banks RBS and Barclays had not signed the letter and accused Cameron of "bullying" businesses into supporting his position. "The truth is that despite the bullying of a prime minister who has no real business experience, it is other normal commercial factors which will determine the continued success of British businesses to invest and grow," said Richard Tice, co-founder of pro-Brexit group Leave.EU. Experts also pointed out that smaller businesses were less pro-EU than their larger counterparts. "Small businesses are much less likely to export... so they would be less impacted by any changes to export patterns in the event of Brexit," Scott Corfe, Director, Center for Economics and Business Research, told AFP. Smaller businesses are less likely to be affected by a tightening of migration rules, given the local make-up of their staff, he added. Supermarket giants Tesco and Sainsbury's both said they would not pass comment on the referendum, which will take place on June 23. Despite Cameron's deal and polls showing marginal support for staying in the EU, bookmakers have slightly reduced the odds on Britain voting to leave, becoming the first ever EU member to quit the union. Rating agency Moody's threatened to downgrade Britain's AA1 rating to "negative outlook" if the "Leave" camp won. Six senior ministers have already publicly backed the "Leave" campaign and reports suggest around a third of Cameron's 330 lawmakers could do likewise. Former Conservative leader William Hague on Tuesday warned that the splits in the party over the issue could fester for years. "Not since the fierce disagreements over the euro in the 1990s have Conservatives so strongly opposed each other in public on a fundamental issue," he wrote in the Daily Telegraph. "The party is more evenly divided than it ever was then. A sustained battle within a party can open wounds that take a generation to heal."

Will Syrian rebels get surface-to-air missiles?
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/February 23/16
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir’s stated support for supplying Syrian rebels with surface-to-air missiles has raised hope for a correction to the balance of power away from the Syrian regime and Iranian and Russian forces. This will help protect civilians, since no Turkish, Arab or international forces will intervene to do so. It will also thwart a political solution that keeps President Bashar al-Assad and his regime in power despite their crimes. Regardless of whether surface-to-air missiles are provided, however, we must not underestimate the extent of regional support for the opposition. This support is rarely announced, but has played - and continues to play - an important role in helping rebels succeed in confronting Assad’s forces and terrorist organizations. Despite Russian military involvement alongside Assad’s forces, independent reports have confirmed rebel success in destroying many regime armored vehicles, more than in previous years because of the provision of more advanced weapons. Jubeir’s suggestion can be executed by providing Chinese missiles, if American ones are not made available, to target the regime’s air force, and to force the Russians to conduct fewer air raids and fly at higher altitudes to avoid being struck. This will expedite a moderate political solution acceptable to most parties.
Precautions
One of the excuses against providing the opposition with surface-to-air missiles is fear of repeating the experience of U.S. Stinger missiles that were smuggled out of Afghanistan after the confrontation with the Soviet Union. These missiles were then used to threaten countries such as the United States and Saudi Arabia, which bought them and gave them to Afghan rebels. Suspicions that the Syrian opposition may be infiltrated by the regime or terrorist groups are justified. There have been frequent discussions about this. The moderate opposition’s military leaders suggested that such advanced weapons be controlled by electronic chips that limit their use to certain purposes, but they were told this was not guaranteed or sufficient. Between getting directly involved in the war and enhancing the opposition’s military and intelligence capabilities, the latter option seems less dangerous and more urgent
They suggested that the missiles be supervised by the opposition’s elite and military leaders from countries who are present with them on the ground for intelligence purposes. This was also rejected as unconvincing. The war has expanded and become more dangerous for the Syrian people and neighboring countries. Even Europe is now threatened. Russia has granted regime forces air cover to march toward the Turkish border, while the Iranians - also thanks to Russian air support - have progressed in the south, threatening Jordan’s security. At this point, political talks are not enough. The balance of power must be shifted in favor of the moderate opposition at a time when powers meet in Geneva to approve a political plan that decides Syria’s future according to the current situation on the ground. Between getting directly involved in the war and enhancing the opposition’s military and intelligence capabilities, the latter option seems less dangerous and more urgent.

Saudi Arabia’s devastating war
Jamal Khashoggi/Al Arabiya/February 23/16
Saudis are witnessing a devastating war between conservatives and liberals, who accuse each other of being enemies of the state. I choose to withdraw from this absurd conflict. I cannot forget the image of a government official watching on TV representatives from the rival camps trading accusations and claiming to have Saudis’ best interests at heart. The official would laugh and say: “Let them fight and burn each other.”Both sides are burning their country amid this power struggle, preferring to fight about matters that have been settled by younger countries, rather than solve more pressing problems. The timing is inappropriate because the kingdom is waging a war on two fronts. The public is concerned about security and the economy as they gradually feel the burden of the cost of wars and falling oil prices. Meanwhile, a social issue erupted over a girl standing on a sidewalk and confronted by a member of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, who asked her to cover her face. She argued with him, ran away, fell on the floor and was dragged by her feet. Such an incident may have happened before, but in the era of social media someone recorded it and made it public.
The press, which broke ties with the Commission long ago, criticized it harshly. The religious movement condemned the press in response, believing that were it not for the Commission, Saudi society would become corrupted.
Although the Commission is a governmental department under the authority of the Council of Ministers, it also represents a popular movement that would impose its vision of an ideal society nationwide if it had the choice. Members of this movement are known for their intolerance, and the government had to issue dozens of directives and regulations to curb their zeal. Yet they remain enthusiastic and self-righteous and believe that they do not have to justify themselves. Saudi society should be able to take advantage of the cultural, doctrinal and legislative diversity of Islam
In another incident, the movement defamed famous TV host Ali al-Alyani by claiming he was drinking alcohol, using pictures of him handcuffed with bottles next to him as proof. Many others could have been arrested for drinking, but for point-scoring purposes it was necessary for the culprit to be a famous media figure. Medical tests proved his innocence but the harm was done, increasing the anger and war of words between the two camps.The religious side accused the media of causing enmity and division, while the media accused the Commission of violating the sanctity of homes and spying on people. Everyone called for religious forgiveness, even though they did not abide by it when fighting.
Fundamental right
A few years ago, during the reign of late King Abdullah, the Council of Ministers called for “consolidating the people’s right to disagree.” This has not yet been realized. It is time to establish a system that protects the right of people to disagree, and is based on sharia rather than common law. Saudi society should be able to take advantage of the cultural, doctrinal and legislative diversity of Islam. It can be compared to a huge, rich library where we can find the solutions to our current problems. However, we are still focusing on one shelf only. Until then, I recommend that my colleagues stop writing and debating news related to the Commission and our identity, because such articles are increasing tensions, and there is nothing more to add to the arguments. The decision-maker has listened and it is time to hear the verdict. This pause, which will sooth tensions, might be beneficial to everyone. Issues of identity, rights and freedoms will turn from a conflict between movements to a problem that must be directly settled between the state and citizens. I will take my own advice - this will be my last article about the Commission.

International system disintegrates as Syria burns
Baria Alamuddin/Al Arabiya/February 23/16
We are at a decisive moment for the international system within whose familiar contours we were all reared. European states rush to seal their borders; American presidential candidates compete over who is more xenophobic while Middle Eastern borders dissolve before our eyes. It seems that each time there has been an announcement of a breakthrough in the diplomatic efforts for Syria, progress is smashed to smithereens by another major Russian bombing campaign – shooting to pieces any prospect of an imminent political solution.
As a Security Council member mandated with upholding the international legal framework, Russia is riding roughshod over all the fundamental tenets of international law. The deliberate targeting of hospitals in Russian bombing raids, killing dozens of civilians, is only the most recent such outrage.
However, Russia is just one of the parties interfering in Syria with impunity, along with Iran and its proxies; Hezbollah and al-Hashd al-Sha’bi. A possible Turkish intervention against Kurdish entities could have further destabilizing effects. Meanwhile U.S. and Western policies appear to be continually blowing in different directions, without every leading to any significant effects on the ground. There has been relatively little interest in holding Russia and Iran to account and many deluded Western interest groups still view Russia and Assad as potential allies against ISIS.
Commentators are casually talking about the internationalization of the Syrian conflict amounting to a third world war, without us carefully considering the implications of the scenarios we are sleepwalking into. It is as if all parties suddenly believe they have the right to go wading into Syria. For those of us who have lived through bitter conflicts, we can fully comprehend the terrible consequences of the disintegration of the global conflict resolution framework.
The Aleppo assault by Russia and pro-Assad forces has sent more than 50,000 refugees fleeing to the Turkish border region. Meanwhile, over 320,000 civilians are at high risk through encirclement in rebel-held areas of Aleppo. The recent images of starving Syrians in Madaya demonstrate the regime’s willingness to use hunger as a weapon and the vulnerability of the civilian population.
While some portray these Russian-led assaults as proof of regime vitality; the Russians only intervened to prop up its ally after Syrian regular forces displayed signs of chronic demoralization and strategic exhaustion.
Even Iran seems to have been pushed to the sidelines by Russia, having lost the strategic initiative after mounting casualties. Intelligence sources claim that of the 2,000 Revolutionary Guards personnel deployed to Syria in September, just 700 remain. Of approximately 550 Iranian troops killed in the Syrian conflict, three-quarters are reportedly Afghan and Pakistani mercenaries thrown onto the front lines of the conflict. Similar sources estimate that Hezbollah has suffered even worse, losing around 1,500 fighters.
Balance of power
Experts are realizing that the Russian bombing and encirclement of rebel fighters around Aleppo is leading to a fundamental shift in the balance of power that will have significant geopolitical implications for the region.
We have to momentarily think the unthinkable – What would the region look like with a resurgent Al-Assad, bolstered by Iran and Russia? What would be the consequences of a region where pro-Iran regimes were in effective control across the whole of the Middle East region, from Lebanon, through Syria and Iraq?
If the international community had taken a stance in Syria three or four years ago, such a role would have been costly, unpopular and difficult to implement; but it would certainly have stopped the conflict spiraling out of control in a manner which puts the regional balance of power and the international system in jeopardy.
Today, there is once again a question of whether there should be international intervention and what form that intervention should take. Could combined forces from Europe, the U.S., Arab states and Turkey bring a halt to the fighting and prevent a genocidal incursion into Aleppo and other Syrian cities currently under rebel control?
I don’t profess to be a military expert, but we should at least be giving urgent thought to such options, with a view to whether the threat of a major Saudi-led incursion could deter Russia and Al-Assad from plunging forward.
The Syrian conflict and its multitude of ramifications are causing us to catch a glimpse of an altogether scarier and very different future
Standing on the sidelines is not an option. Giving Russia, Assad, Iran and Hezbollah a free hand only allows for the Syrian people to be crushed entirely. There is therefore a moral case for intervention to protect civilian areas and stop the onslaught on major rebel strongholds.
For too many years, U.S. and Western political circles viewed the Syrian conflict as a localized issue for which they had little strategic interest. The consequences of this have been catastrophic:
• The largest mass movement of refugees since the Second World War and a humanitarian catastrophe which international organizations have scarcely been able to contain.
• The emergence of the first jihadist “state”, with the resources and capability to spread its influence worldwide and stage attacks in dozens of countries around the world.
• The empowerment of right-wing, Islamophobic and xenophobic movements and regimes in Europe, the US and around the world, as a byproduct of the mishandled refugee crisis and the growth of extremism and global terrorism.
• The regionalization and subsequent internationalization of the Syrian conflict, drawing in numerous states and erasing several national borders.
• The exacerbation of regional Sunni-Shiiite sectarian tensions, proxy conflicts and a state of not-so-cold war between Iran and the GCC states, on the back of unprecedented levels of Iranian meddling in numerous regional states.
• The practice of torture, war crimes and crimes against humanity on a massive scale by the Syrian regime – with few serious attempts to hold those responsible to account.
• The undermining of the international conflict prevention system and sidelining of the U.N. Security Council.
Far-reaching consequences
Any one of these factors would be a strong indicator that we were facing a crisis at a global level. The conflation of all these factors has the potential for long-term consequences for the world.
Most of us grew up in the context of the certainties of the nation state, and the liberal consensus of progress toward better governance and closer international ties through trade and diplomacy. The Syrian conflict and its multitude of ramifications are causing us to catch a glimpse of an altogether scarier and very different future, as the international order begins to unravel.
We still have time to get to grips with the conflict that has given rise to this complex set of challenges, but it will require unprecedented international efforts to achieve this.
Russia, Iran and others must be forced to realize that continued embroilment in Syria will be prohibitively costly for their own interests and international standing. The sides and their backers must be compelled to seriously engage with the political process; and there will be a need for an international presence to enforce peace on the ground and fight back ISIS, while creating the space for a stable future for the Syrian nation.
These actions will be costly, controversial and difficult to achieve - but we must acknowledge that this is no longer a local Middle Eastern conflict. Failure to act has long term consequences for the international order and the region.
Are our leaders up to the challenge?

Will Rafsanjani’s tactics succeed in Iran elections?
Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Al Arabiya/February 23/16
Normally in the days leading up to elections people are encouraged to vote and send a group of individuals to office, or other institutions such as the parliament. However, during Iran’s lead-up to two major elections this Friday (Feb. 26) a new electoral trend appears to be emerging, telling people “not-to-vote” for certain lists. The Guardian Council, as the most influential body in Iran with the authority to watchdog the elections and qualify candidates, has already disqualified many popular candidates. Six of the 12 members of this Council are appointed by the supreme leader, which means he controls this institution as well as the qualification process. Months prior to the elections, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that he would like the next parliament to very much look alike the current one. Massive disqualification of well-known reformers, or those close to them, point to his wishes with regard to those reaching the Council. All efforts are being made to block the entry of reformers to the parliament or the Assembly of Experts, with the hope that public disappointment will make these candidates stay away. It is difficult to read a good politician’s moves, especially when the individual happens to be a political veteran and also a smart operator. Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani used to be famously called “Akbar Shark” in early part of the revolution as he used to have his imprint on all political maneuvers, famously even in Khamenei becoming the supreme leader. Himself qualified to run for Assembly of Experts, he prepared a list which doesn’t include the current four ultra conservative members of Assembly of Experts. No vote to some lists is a new method for the Iranians to block the hardliners from gaining power.
'British role'
This new politics has caused a lot of turbulence so much so that semi-reformers – or “moderate candidates” – running for the parliament have even been labeled the “UK representatives”. Britain has been accused of meddling in the elections by encouraging people through their “hidden agents” to block particular lists. In order to neutralize this plan the hardliners ran a campaign with hashtag #NoToUK in the social media to mobilize support. Rafsanjani and Ali Khamenei were once good friends and have now grown old. Today they have differences and, in many cases, confront each other. These elections, however, are their last chance to leave a legacy. The chances of Rafsanjani becoming the next supreme leader is very slim but perhaps he would like to take this last opportunity to correct his mistakes.Rafsanjani would want to see the legacy of the revolution continue the way he and other early revolutionists wish for, which means the power stays in the hands of the people. Hashemi is focused mainly on the Assembly of Experts since its election is held after eight years and the time is against him and the current supreme leader. The parliament election is crucial for the Hassan Rowhani government who needs support to continue his economic and foreign policy reforms. Not many candidates running for parliament are reformers or close to them.
In the government’s opinion, perhaps a parliament with the majority of moderates and semi-conservatives are far better than ultra conservatives. They don’t want to create trouble for President Rowhani in the last two years of his presidency. However, the situation is different for Rafsanjani as a strategist.
Rafsanjani would want to see the legacy of the revolution continue the way he and other early revolutionists wish for, which means the power stays in the hands of the people. He is afraid that hardliners, with the collaboration of the militia, mainly the IRGC, will seize power if the supreme leader passes away.
Such a threat is making Hashemi fearless and he has put himself at the forefront, speaking up to prevent such a destiny for the revolution. To safeguard what he spent his life for, he needs to make his last attempt to influence this fifth assembly, which is set to take a historic decision.
The totalitarians fear losing their seats, which seems unlikely. There is always a magic wand which makes a certain name come out of the ballot box. There is no exception this time around. It is up to the people of Iran to see if Rafsanjani’s “no vote to a list” tactic will succeed or not.

The New Danger To Europe Isn’t ISIS. It’s Assad’s Thugs.
By Ben Davies/Tablet/Fevruary 22/16
http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/197787/assads-thugs-in-europe
Are suspected war criminals, forged in the crucible of Syrian bloodshed, heading West as ‘refugees’?
Since 2015 more than a million refugees have crossed into Europe; several hundred thousand are Syrians fleeing a government-sponsored program of ethnic cleansing that is organized and directed in part by Iranian commanders on the ground and supported by Russian air power and heavy artillery. The large numbers of Syrians fleeing this horror have provoked all manner of responses, from the right-wing Pegida demanding an end to the influx of migrants, to some expressing concern that Da’esh (ISIS) fighters will sneak into Europe.
Syrians guilty of war crimes are indeed inside Europe right now. Some are associated with Da’esh. In December Finland arrested two brothers for appearing in a video in which Shia Iraqi conscripts were slaughtered. In January a Moroccan (not a refugee) attacked Paris police. In 2015, an FSA member was jailed in Sweden for beating a captive.
Yet the panic-mongering narrative about Da’esh fighters being sent to infiltrate Europe to carry out terror attacks, like the coordinated attacks in Paris in November of last year, has no demonstrable basis in reality. As the refugee crisis escalated, I started going through social media accounts to seek out information on suspects. I also pored over Arabic websites, Facebook pages, and exchanged information with Syrians.
What I found was that the overwhelming majority of Syrian refugees certainly posed no national security threat. But there was a disturbing trend. Possibly as many as 1,000 pro-Assad fighters implicated in war crimes have taken advantage of generous asylum offers.
Known as shabiha (ghosts), the fighters I found in Europe were hired by Assad’s brother Maher to repress protests that erupted in 2011. Incarcerated criminals were recruited, as were locals from minorities perceived as loyal (especially Alawites and Christians). The shabiha became notorious for some of the worst war crimes as protests ballooned into civil war, notably the Baniyas and Darayya massacres (shabiha led by Mihrac Ural even discussed “cleansing” Baniyas on video). Huge cash sums and even steroids were offered in return for their loyalty. As the war went on, shabiha became a term to describe Assad loyalists in every armed group. Now, after five years of killing, the very men who caused so many to flee are cashing in on the crisis to come to Europe.
At this point people may ask why these men are any more dangerous than Da’esh? The answer is that European governments have identified Da’esh, and not the Assad regime, as their enemy. They are on the lookout for Da’esh members, who more often than not are thwarted soon after entering European states. They’re less threatening simply because they aren’t given the chance to be a threat. Like shabiha, Da’eshis idiotically plaster their faces all over the Internet, relishing in committing horrific acts in public. But since they’re actively sought out, they can be quickly neutralized before they can do damage.
Shabiha, on the other hand, are largely invisible. For this we have ourselves to blame. Europeans are obsessed with finding outwardly devout, scary-looking “Islamist” bogeymen hiding among crowds of bedraggled refugees (or worse, identifying the latter as the former). Shabiha generally aren’t religious; they dress in plain clothes, drink and smoke, and love taking vainglorious selfies and partying. Euro-bigots are looking for the opposite. Since the scrutiny is on Muslim-looking Muslims (especially refugees) they’re also not as convenient to vilify or hate. Would the Daily Mail sell as many papers if they were to focus on genuine criminals who didn’t look outwardly Muslim? The simple answer is no. Fear of the Muslim other sells. And now that the West has identified fighting Da’esh and preserving Syrian regime structures as its primary goals in the region, low-minded bigotry and high-governmental policy aims have found a perfect meeting place—one that also provides a safe haven for war criminals.
Worse, some of the shabiha I have identified bear the hallmarks of having been sent by Syrian regime intelligence (the dreaded Mukhabarat) to Europe to spy on actual refugees or to commit acts of terrorism. It has to be remembered that in 2011 the regime threatened to attack Europe, using civilian loyalists as proxies. Using my website, I created an archive of pro-regime fighters I located over social media. Here are some of the people I found:
Layth Ayman Munshdi: According to his own (since deleted) social media, Layth is a Lebanese-Iraqi who lived in Damascus. He joined one of the many Iraqi Shi’a jihadist groups that came into Syria to fight for the regime; possibly Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas (more “jihadists” fight for the regime than against it).
Layth uploaded several photographs to his Facebook profile. In one, he stands in what could be a detention facility with his rifle. Corpses of freshly killed men are scattered around his feet. In others he stands over more. His uniform carries the Shi’a slogan “We’re here for you, Zainab,” used to justify fighting Sunnis (Iranian propaganda claims they would destroy the shrine of Zainab, revered by Shi’ites). On Twitter, he wears Hezbollah’s uniform.
In 2015 Layth posted photographs in the Greek islands. Later he changed his location to Neustadt (Bremen, Germany), claiming on social media to be a “Syrian” refugee—odd, considering the fact that neither of his parents are Syrian. After his account was uncovered, Layth closed it. A notorious Hezbollah fighter in Europe is unsettling. Hezbollah has bombed civilian targets in Europe before; might men like Layth have as few reservations about killing Europeans as Da’esh?
Mohammad Kanaan: Kanaan served around Damascus. Friendly with Assad, he once met him in person, as depicted in a January 2015 propaganda video shot in Jobar. Activists online claim Kanaan tortured prisoners, robbed and killed at checkpoints, and sold stolen cars. He fought in several key battles, including around Ghouta. In these battles Assad’s army encircled various cities (including Madaya) preventing any food reaching the inhabitants under the “kneel or starve” policy.
In 2015 Kanaan turned up in Sweden, allegedly funding his trip with the proceeds. Syrians shared his photos; Kanaan claimed on his Facebook account that they’re “scum” he has to “deal with.”
Mohammed al-Abdullah: Aka Abu al-Haydriin, al-Abdullah isn’t your usual thug; his uniform as it appeared in social media implies an elite unit, possibly affiliated with the special forces. He uploaded photographs onto his now-closed Facebook account from the front lines, including images of himself trampling bodies of men in civilian dress. By 2015 he was in Sweden (near Vallingby, judging from a notice board featured in one of the social-media photographs attributed to him) as a “refugee.” What is a highly trained member of Assad’s forces doing in Europe?
Activists from mujremon.com (an Arabic website that claims to expose regime war criminals) claimed that Al-Abdullah was notorious for dismembering victims. Such atrocities weren’t pioneered by Da’esh; Assad’s forces were beheading and mutilating before Da’esh arrived. Al-Abdullah allegedly extorts refugees with threats to their families.
Houssam Alsatouf: Alsatouf is a member of Assad’s secret police, namely the Air Force Intelligence in Aleppo. A capable agent highly trusted by the regime; once he seemingly worked with Assad’s ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, pictured with him on his Facebook account.
Activists on the “Criminals, Not Refugees” Facebook group claimed Houssam was sent to Moscow to be trained as a skilled bomb-maker. In one of his Facebook photos he poses in his uniform with a Russian military certificate on his wall. Activists at mujremon.com added more, claiming Alsatouf applied for asylum in Germany. However, to get there he apparently flew from regime-controlled Damascus to Russia, several thousand miles off the refugee route, before apparently settling in Hamburg. Syrians have speculated that he was sent to stage attacks that will be blamed on refugees. Shouldn’t a possible bomb-maker flying into Europe require closer attention, as should photographs depicting him appearing at the Russian embassy and at demonstrations carrying Hezbollah iconography?
Sabri Kaku: Kaku recently arrived in the Netherlands from Aleppo as a refugee. However social media posts have questioned this, claiming without confirmation that Kaku was notorious around Aleppo as one of the first people to join the early shabiha gangs, initially sent out with knives, guns, and clubs to attack demonstrators.
In one photograph of shabiha gathering to charge at demonstrators, Kaku carries a club. In another he poses in the gym, an apparent steroid user. Kaku was likely part of a shabiha group led by Hamdi Mardli (alias Abu Salmo) who was identified as a notorious militia member on anti-regime social media and video footage as far back as 2012—and later killed in 2013. Kaku may have operated in the Sheikh Maksoud neighborhood of Aleppo, in the regime’s political security branch.
Alaa Adel Khalil: Khalil is yet another member of an elite regime unit. From Qamishli and originally a boxer, he volunteered for the regime’s “Popular Committees” (the official name for the shabiha). Khalil’s service seems to have impressed his superiors, because he was placed in the Syrian Special Forces (a force composed of elite regime loyalists). He was promoted rapidly; by 2012 he was serving as Assad’s bodyguard, notably as he gave a speech in Umayyad Square. Khalil was also linked to the Republican Guard, the almost-exclusively Alawite force tasked with protecting Assad. Khalil is accused by anti-regime activists on mujremon.com of being behind a slaughter of civilian prisoners at a checkpoint.
Khalil arrived in Germany in late-2014 as a “student” who had fled the war. However his several Facebook profiles (“Alaa Kh” and “Alaa Adel”) prove otherwise. A Syrian contact claims Alaa is currently living there, studying alongside them in Sparaachen Akademie. Khalil allegedly bragged of his service when confronted by my contact’s father, including of being trained as a sniper in Russia.
It is hard to argue that shabiha killers don’t belong in prisons—not on the streets of Europe. If these men have no reservations about bludgeoning and shooting Syrians of all ages, attacking a European or two won’t cause them to lose sleep. What’s scarier is that many shabiha I have identified appear to have the Assad regime’s connections, money, and intelligence services behind them, making them likely tools for future acts of well-organized violence that serve the ends of the Syrian state or its allies.
The shabiha are already committing crimes in their new home. Falafel Beirut Scham (a Lebanese restaurant in Berlin) was looted for hoisting the Syrian flag. The perpetrators defaced the flag and wrote “Souria al-Assad” on the walls—Assad’s Syria. Death threats were also scrawled. Some continue to terrorize their countrymen and reportedly deal drugs.
Da’esh is undoubtedly a danger. But the majority of the credible threats that the West faces now can be indisputably traced back to the Assad regime, not to its opponents. Do we really feel safe, knowing that men hired to torture, kill, and rape are freely walking Europe’s streets?
**Ben Davies is a journalist and analyst, with a focus on the Middle East and war criminals attempting to escape to Europe. He filmed a documentary in Syria in 2013.

Abu Mazen rebuffs Kerry’s appeal to cool Palestinian terror against Israelis
DEBKAfile Special Report February 23, 2016
US Secretary of State John Kerry came away empty-handed from his latest meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen) in Amman on Sunday, February 21,- which shouldn’t have surprised him as it was par for the course. debkafile’s Middle Eastern sources report that Kerry was finally persuaded that Abbas would not give Israel an inch on any political or security-related matters. The Palestinian leader has never swerved from his conviction that it was the duty of the international community to force Israel to present the Palestinians with a state of their own - without direct negotiations.
To this end, Kerry found Abu Mazen clinging to the initiative put forward by French President Francois Hollande, for an international conference that will establish a Palestinian state, while letting the Palestinians off the hook of talks with Israel.
France in fact warned Israel that without progress towards a two-state solution of the conflict, Paris would go ahead and recognize a Palestinian state on its own.
The Palestinian leader is determined to campaign on behalf of the French initiative in the coming month, undeterred by the US Secretary’s repeated warning that Washington will not go along with it, even if France puts it before the UN Security Council.
But Kerry was most of all taken aback to find himself rebuffed by Abu Mazen when he asked him to make a speech or issue some statement calling on the Palestinians to halt their terrorist attacks against Israel now entering their fifth consecutive month. Al his efforts to persuade the Palestinian leader to tamp down the violence were in vain.
A senior member of Kerry’s entourage told debkafile’s sources: “Abbas obviously thinks that terrorism in its present form serves his policy, although he won’t admit as much in public.” The source described the US Secretary’s mood after this encounter as “disappointed and shocked.”
debkafile’s military sources note that Abbas is treading a very fine line. While he finds a measure of violence useful for letting the Palestinians vent their resentments, he nonetheless instructs his security services to partially cooperate with Israel so that Palestinian violence does not get out of hand and make him their next target.
And before him is the constant sight of the consequences of Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the rise of Hamas rule. This must be prevented from happening on the West Bank avoided at all costs.
Notwithstanding this reality, the age-old controversy dogging Israeli politics erupted again this week, when
the IDF military intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevi, was quoted (or misquoted) as commenting some weeks ago at a security cabinet session that diplomatic traction between Israel and the Palestinians might cool the current wave of terror,
This theory, disproved each time a new round of peace talks sparked a fresh outbreak of Palestinian terror in the last three decades, was strikingly refuted once again in the Kerry-Abbas meeting in Amman.
Recent leaks from Israel’s security cabinet, although often taken out of context, show that intelligence evaluations are too often wide of the mark – both on the Palestinian issue and the prospects of the Syrian conflict.
This may have something to do with Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahus delay in appointing a new National Security Council Director to take over from Yossi Cohen who has been appointed Mossad Director.
Netanyahu, it appears, is not happy with the intelligence evaluations put on his table and may decide to dispense with yet another evaluator.
Also short on substance were the remarks made by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon on Feb. 22 from the deck of the American destroyer, the USS Carney, which is anchored at the port of Haifa in the framework of the joint US-Israeli Juniper Cobra 2016 missile defense.
Yaalon said, “The United States and Russia, both of which are currently active in the Syrian civil war, recognize Israel’s freedom to act in defense of its interests.”
While the two powers may indeed recognize this freedom in principle, Israel will be certain to avoid any action that makes it liable to being accused of damaging the chances of a ceasefire going into effect in Syria on Feb. 27. Both the US and Russia will also make sure that no outside power, whether Turkey, Saudi Arabia or Israel, intervenes militarily in the Syrian conflict whatever their security interests may be.

Syria Druze movement forming autonomous security force
Albin Szakola & Ullin Hope/Now Lebanon/February 23/16
BEIRUT – A Druze faction in Syria’s southern Suweida province has taken several regime security force members prisoner in response to the detention of a cleric affiliated with the group.
The Men of Dignity—which considers itself independent of both the Bashar al-Assad government and the opposition—announced Tuesday morning that Sheikh Anas Abu Hala had been detained the day before “at the Al-Masmiyeh checkpoint by the Military Intelligence [Directorate].”
“As a result security elements have been detained by the Men of Dignity [and will remain in our custody] until he is released,” the paramilitary group added.
According to the statement, a prisoner swap will take place later Tuesday between the regime and the Men of Dignity.
The administration of the Men of Dignity’s Facebook page issued a clear warning to the regime not to detain any figures linked to the faction, which the regime’s Suweida security chief said he wanted to destroy in a leaked video late last year.
“Our words were clear. Aggression against us is not allowed and nor is the detention of any person, whether they are temporal or spiritual [laymen or clerics],” the Men of Dignity Facebook page angrily declared.
“This conduct is a breach of red lines.”
A popular Facebook page based in the Suweida province went gave further details on the incident, reporting that the Men of Dignity had kidnapped Military Intelligence Directorate Warrant Officer Basel Mohammad “immediately” after the detention of the Druze sheikh on Monday. “[They] promised to set him free if Sheikh Anas Abu Hala was released,” Akhbar Suweida Awwal bi-Awwal said. The report added that the Men of Dignity had mobilized seven units in Suweida and shut down the entrance to the city near the Al-Basel roundabout “where a large number of [the Druze faction’s] members gathered as intermediaries intervened from both sides.”
Akhbar Suweida Awwal bi-Awwal noted that Sheikh Abu Hala has fought on the side of pro-regime forces along the western border of the Suweida province, taking part in “the [mobilizations] to defend [our] land and honor which terrorism tried to breach.”
Men of Dignity’s testy ties with regime
Although the Men of Dignity do not seek the overthrow of the Assad regime, they maintain a fiercely independent stance and have called for reforms in Suweida while criticizing regime figures in charge of the Druze-populated province. The announced detention of regime security members is the latest assertion of autonomy by the Men of Dignity, a part of the Druze Sheikhs of Dignity movement, which was led by Sheikh Waheed al-Balaous until he was killed in a September 2014 car bombing that his group blamed on Damascus. Prior to his death, Balaous had taken an increasingly strident tone against the Syrian regime and its intelligence chief in the Suweida, who the cleric accused of attempting to eliminate Assad’s enemies in the province. Only weeks before Balaous’s assassination, the Sheikhs of Dignity announced the formation of its own fighting force, Bayrak al-Fahd (Banner of the Leopard), an umbrella organization to oversee smaller militia formations throughout the province affiliated with the independent Druze movement.
The Sheikhs of Dignity as well as its affiliates have kept up their autonomous stance following the death of Balaous, who his brother Rafaat replaced as leader of the movement. On November 4, the Sheikhs of Dignity angrily accused the Syrian regime of “declaring war” against it after state media ran a report linking Rafaat Balaous to the killing of a top Baath Party official in Suweida. Less than a week later, the Syrian regime’s top security official in Suweida province appeared in a video with official religious representatives of the country’s Druze sect announcing a crackdown on the Men of Dignity. “The words ‘Balaous’s group,’ that phrase must be killed,” Suweida province’s Political Security Branch chief Wafiq Nasser said in a video published that circulated social media.
“It must be killed on the ground as an armed aggressing force and it must be killed as a term.” In early January, the Men of Dignity announced that its members were taking measures to “protect our internal security in most areas” of the mountainous Druze-populated province.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the group said it was conducting patrols and establishing impromptu checkpoints “after the clear failure of certain state apparatuses concerned with protecting the people… from gangs of thieves and highway robbers.”The Men of Dignity also implied it was creating its own de-facto intelligence network, calling on Suweida residents to inform them of criminal activity.
The statement comes as Suweida has been beset by increased levels of not only petty crime, but also kidnappings for ransom and other offenses. The group said the increased lawlessness was “in the interests of certain actors,” in a veiled reference to regime figures. However, the Druze group also stressed that not all regime officials in Suweida were corrupt, saying that “certain state officials have deeply patriotic intentions that serve the interests of the people and the homeland.”

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.february24.16.htm

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