LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 11/15

Bible Quotation For Today/
Luke 06/12-19: "Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God.And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.
And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them."

Bible Quotation For Today/
First Letter to the Corinthians 12/28-31//13/01-07: And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

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Geagea about Dialogue with FPM: Better Late than Never
Naharnet/10.06.15/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has said that the dialogue between his party and the Free Patriotic Movement should have started a long time ago. “But it's better late than never,” Geagea said in an interview to be published on Thursday, according to his press office. “We are trying to overcome the current political differences although the two parties' political plans sometimes contradict each other,” he told Il Mattino newspaper. Last week, Geagea held a landmark meeting with FPM chief MP Michel Aoun after which a joint document was announced. In the so-called declaration of intent, the two parties called for the election of “a strong president who is embraced by his (Christian) community and capable of reassuring the other components of the country.”Both the LF chief and Aoun have announced their candidacies for the presidency. But their differences, in addition to the rivalry between the March 8 and 14 alliances, have caused a vacuum at Baabda Palace since May last year. Geagea warned in the interview that the “vacuum not just affects the post of the presidency but also the political life in the country.”“The paralysis of institutions has many repercussions whether on the general situation or on the Lebanese economy,” he said. The LF chief described the vacuum as “very dangerous and harmful,” but stressed that he is “seeking and working hard” to resolve the presidential deadlock as soon as possible. Asked about the situation in Lebanon as the Middle East is engulfed in turmoil, he said: “Given what's happening across the region, mainly Iraq and Syria, we could say that Lebanon is still stable despite the absence of a president.”“That's why the Lebanese should distance themselves from the fire of tension and conflict in the region,” he said. Geagea added that the Lebanese army is playing an essential role in safeguarding Lebanon.

U.S. Blacklists 'Key Hizbullah Support Network'
Naharnet/10.06.15/The U.S. Treasury placed on its sanctions blacklist Wednesday three Lebanese men and companies they are tied to, calling them part of a "key Hizbullah support network."The Treasury placed asset freezes and restrictions for doing business on real estate businessman Adham Tabaja and his al-Inmaa group of companies, Kassem Hejeij and Husayn Ali Faour, and the company he manages, Car Care Center. It said Tabaja is a member of Hizbullah, which is officially labeled a "terrorist organization" by Washington, and that al-Inmaa is used by Hizbullah for investment and holding properties. It said that al-Inmaa Engineering and Contracting has recently obtained oil and construction projects in Iraq that "provide both financial support and organizational infrastructure to Hizbullah."Hejeij, the Treasury said, works with Tabaja and also provides financial support to Hizbullah. It said that Faour is a member of Hizbullah's operations unit Islamic Jihad, and the company he runs, Car Care Center, helps Hizbullah with transportation. The Treasury said the sanctioned individuals and companies are examples of Hizbullah's "continued exploitation of the legitimate commercial sector for financial, organizational, and material support... which enable the group to carry out acts of terrorism." France Presse

Army Arrests 9 Syrians on Terror Charges
Naharnet /10.06.15/The army arrested on Wednesday a number of Syrians on suspicion of their links to terrorist groups. It said in a communique that nine Syrians were detained in al-Hinnieh in the southern city of Tyre and in al-Labweh-Arsal region in the Bekaa. Palestinian refugee Mohammed Khalil Hammoud was also arrested for taking part in fighting against the military in Arsal. In Beirut, continued the communique, the army arrested two Lebanese on shooting charges. They had in their possession two rifles, a handgun, a quantity of ammunition, three wireless communication devices, and various military gear. In the Ruweisat al-Jdeideh area in al-Metn, the military detained 13 Syrians for not having valid legal documents. All the detainees have been referred to the concerned authorities for investigation. The army had in recent months intensified its efforts to maintain stability in Lebanon by making a number of arrests against a number of suspects connected to various security incidents that had taken place in the country.

Israeli Army Removes Lebanese Flag Lifted on Barbed Wire
Naharnet/10.06.15/An Israeli infantry unit combed Wednesday the heights of Jabal Sadana and removed a Lebanese flag hoisted the day before on a barbed wire fence, which was newly erected by Israel. The state-run National News Agency reported that the flag, which was lifted by Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc MP Qassem Hashem and Shebaa town residents, was removed by an Israeli army unit accompanied by an armored vehicle. NNA said sounds of explosions and heavy gunfire was heard in the eastern part of the occupied Shabaa Farms. An Israeli surveillance drone was also flying over Mount Hermon (Jabal el-Sheikh) Heights and the adjacent al-Arqoub villages. Hashem and the demonstrators had reached the area to protest the works carried out by the Israeli army and the installation of a new fence.

Sources: Salam's Procrastination on Cabinet Session Aimed at Avoiding Clash
Naharnet/10.06.15/Prime Minister Tammam Salam is aware that the cabinet can convene despite the absence of Free Patriotic Movement ministers but is procrastinating on calling for a session to avoid a clash, sources close to the PM said. The sources told al-Liwaa newspaper published on Wednesday that Salam does not want to hit the political balance in the government. “That's why he dragged his feet on calling for a session on Thursday,” they said. The cabinet fell in a crisis last week when FPM officials said they would not discuss any issue before ministers first address the controversial issue of the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials. On Tuesday, the Change and Reform bloc of FPM chief Michel Aoun said following its weekly meeting that it will continue to stop the cabinet from taking decisions that violate the constitution. Salam is hinging on the efforts exerted by Speaker Nabih Berri and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat to limit the timeframe of the so-called cabinet paralysis, the sources told al-Liwaa. Jumblat met with Berri in Ain el-Tineh on Sunday after which he said that he will seek with Berri “to overcome political obstacles and consolidate stability.”

Lebanese Man Arrested at Lagos Airport for Smuggling Drugs in Underwear
Naharnet/10.06.15/A Lebanese man has been arrested in the airport of the Nigerian city of Lagos for trying to smuggle drugs to Lebanon in his boxer shorts, the head of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said Wednesday. Yves Awad, 23, was apprehended by officials of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) with about 260 grams of cocaine at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport. The suspect was about to board a Middle East Airlines flight to Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport when the arrest took place. Awad, who holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and Lebanon, said he was born in Nigeria, but had his university education in Lebanon. He told security operatives that a friend asked him to buy the drugs for him. NDLEA Commander at the Lagos airport Hamza Umar said the drugs were “hidden inside Awad's boxer shorts.” “He was found to have traveled to Nigeria from Lebanon six times since January 2015,” he said. Umar added that the suspect would soon be taken to trial for the unlawful possession and exportation of cocaine, which carries an imprisonment of 15 years if found guilty.

STL defense grills Mitsubishi Canter van salesman
The Daily Star/Jun. 11, 2015/BEIRUT: The unnamed car salesman who is believed to have sold the Mitsubishi Canter Van used in the assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri continued his testimony before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Wednesday.
The salesman, who has received protective measures from the court to shield his identity from the public, detailed the circumstances surrounding the sale of the van and his brief detention by security forces who were investigating Hariri’s murder.
Defense counsel Thomas Hannis quizzed the witness about his treatment while in custody. The witness said he had no idea why he was being detained by the Internal Security Forces when he was approached by officers at his Tripoli car lot in April 2006.
During the 14 months between Hariri’s assassination and his arrest, the witness said he never suspected that he had sold the Mitsubishi van to Hariri’s murderers. The witness admitted that he had been blindfolded the first time he was interrogated by the security services.
Hannis suggested that the witness revealed information about the sale of the van under duress and indicated that he would consider filing a complaint with the relevant authorities.

Lebanon's Judiciary/Judging the judiciary
The Daily Star/Jun. 11, 2015 /The importance of having an “independent judiciary” in Lebanon is one of those things that are supported, rhetorically at least, by political parties and civil society groups of all stripes. The phrase has become a mantra that shows up in formal statements, speeches at rallies, and media appearances – but if the group in question is actually involved in a judicial case, expect to hear that the judiciary is biased, sectarian and politicized. This disappointing contradiction has been highlighted recently by the Order of Physicians, which like many other professional associations has its own code of conduct and internal regulations to govern the conduct of its members. When these groups are in danger of running afoul of the law they feel that they’re fully entitled to take the law into their own hands, and decide whether the judiciary should get involved, or make pronouncements even before a judicial investigation has been completed. They end up acting more like a mafia than a professional association and stress how their members – like MPs, or religious figures – enjoy an immunity that the rest of the public lacks.The groups who call for an independent judiciary in the abstract but have the audacity to complain that their rights are being violated whenever they might be taken to court – even when an individual has admitted wrongdoing – are why so few people have a respect for the law and state institutions in the first place. The spectacle of an order of physicians threatening to go on strike because of a legal dispute is as lethal to sick people as it is to respect for the law.

Jumblat Describes Christian Leaders 'Delusional', Insists on Helou's Candidacy
Naharnet/10.06.15/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat described Wednesday some Christian leaders of being “delusional” to think that they will become the new president, stressing he will not withdraw the candidacy of his nominee MP Henri Helou. “The main dispute is over the illusion of some Christian leaders that they will become the next head of state,” Jumblat said in the second part of an interview with al-Akhbar newspaper published in segments. Both Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea have announced their candidacies for the presidency. Their differences, in addition to the rivalry between the March 8 and 14 alliances, have left the presidential post vacant. President Michel Suleiman's term ended in May last year. The Druze chief, who is seeking with Speaker Nabih Berri to prevent cabinet paralysis over the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials, stressed that the matter could wait until September when the tenure of Army Chief General Jean Qahwaji ends. “It's better amid the current circumstances not to tackle the controversy of the army as it harms it and its interests,” Jumblat told his interviewer.
He described the speaker and Prime Minister Tammam Salam as “safety valves,” noting that he is seeking a solution with the two officials to avert cabinet collapse. The government plunged in a further crisis last week when it failed to agree on the appointments of high-ranking security and military figures. FPM chief Aoun has bluntly rejected any attempt to extend the terms of the officials. He has been lobbying for political consensus on the appointment of Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz, his son-in-law, as army chief as part of a package for the appointment of other top security officers. Roukoz's tenure ends in October while the term of army commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji expires at the end of September. Jumblat considered the presidential election became a “minor interest” as citizens are only concerned with their daily affairs. “Everyone has his own immunity that protects him, which at the same time paralyzes the flow of justice, and fortifies violations against law and provokes violence.”
Asked if the withdrawal of the presidential candidacy of Democratic Gathering bloc lawmaker Helou, who received 16 votes in the first round of the polls, would facilitate the elections, Jumblat criticized the comment, saying: “He is not the one obstructing the elections and backing down on his nomination will not resolve the dispute.” “They will not” reach the Baabda Palace but they are “not convinced about that yet,” he stressed. “It is our right, since we have 11 votes, to have a candidate,” the PSP chief noted. Jumblat told the daily that the country is “divided,” accusing Christians of “insulting the Maronite sect if they consider that there are only two candidates the Lebanese should agree on.”He refused to tackle the names of other candidates, holding on to Helou's nomination. “I will consider discussing with (French President Francois) Hollande the return of his country's mandate on Lebanon to elect a new head of state,” Jumblat said sarcastically. The French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon was a League of Nations Mandate created at the end of World War I, when the Ottoman Empire was formally split up in 1920. However, Jumblat hailed Wednesday talks between the FPM and LF in comments published in al-Mustaqbal newspaper, considering them “useful.” He stressed that “any effort that stimulates dialogue among local rivals is beneficial and positive.”Last week,Geagea held a landmark meeting with Aoun after which a joint document was announced. In the so-called declaration of intent, the two parties called for the election of “a strong president who is embraced by his (Christian) community and capable of reassuring the other components of the country.” Since independence, Lebanon's leadership posts have been distributed among its largest religious sects: Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims and Christians, for whom the presidency is reserved.

Nasrallah vows to eradicate terrorists on Lebanon border
Hussein Dakroub| The Daily Star/Jun. 11, 2015
BEIRUT: The battle with ISIS in the Qalamoun region and on the Lebanese-Syrian frontier has kicked off, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said Wednesday, pledging to uproot terrorist and takfiri groups based in areas near Lebanon’s border.
As Nasrallah spoke, Hezbollah and the Syrian army seized fresh territory from Nusra Front militants outside a northern Qalamoun town Wednesday, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV station reported, while clashes continued unabated for a second day between party fighters and ISIS on Lebanon’s northeastern border. “The battle with ISIS in Qalamoun, the eastern mountain range and the Lebanese-Syrian border has begun,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech addressing a conference on the intellectual interpretation of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei which was held at the Lebanese University in the southern suburb of Hadath. “They [ISIS] started the battle. No problem. But we will continue this battle to the end. We are determined to terminate this malicious terrorist and takfiri presence on our border no matter how precious the sacrifices,” he said. “For us, this decision is final.”“I confirm our determination and our firm and strong will that we will no longer accept any terrorist or takfiri to remain on our borders, our outskirts and close to our villages,” Nasrallah added.He said it was a matter of time before Islamist militants entrenched on the outskirts of Lebanon’s northeastern border are defeated.
Nasrallah added that hundreds of ISIS gunmen, backed by a large number of military vehicles, Tuesday attacked several Hezbollah positions on the outskirts of the village of Ras Baalbek on the Lebanese-Syrian border, assuming that this front was calm because the party was fighting Nusra Front militants on the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal. “Yesterday’s attacks had several targets at the psychological, moral, media and military levels. But Hezbollah fighters bravely confronted them, killing and wounding scores of Daesh gunmen and destroying a number of their vehicles,” he said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. Nasrallah said Hezbollah also suffered “a number of martyrs” during the fierce fighting with ISIS, but he did not say how many. ISIS militants launched surprise attacks on four Hezbollah posts early Tuesday on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek, located about 7 kilometers north of Arsal, sparking the deadliest clashes on the border with Syria since the start of the Qalamoun offensive last month.
A security source told The Daily Star that eight Hezbollah fighters and 48 jihadis died in the initial attack and ensuing clashes. The deaths brought to 39 the number of Hezbollah fighters killed since May 4, when Hezbollah and its Syrian army allies launched an offensive to oust jihadis from the Qalamoun mountain range along the border. Until Tuesday, the offensive mostly targeted Nusra Front-led jihadis who controlled most of the Qalamoun region stretching from Arsal’s eastern outskirts down to the outskirts of Tfail.
But Tuesday’s battle marked ISIS’ participation in the battle. ISIS, which is hostile to both Nusra and Hezbollah, controls the outskirts north of Arsal. Nasrallah said Hezbollah had achieved major victories against the Nusra Front, Syria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate, since it entered Arsal’s outskirts more than a week ago, capturing important peaks and mountains. “In the past few days, major achievements have been made in Qalamoun,” he said. “Major progress has been made in the past few days on the outskirts of Arsal. The Nusra Front has been dealt a real and humiliating defeat.”“The important development is the beginning of the battle and confrontation with Daesh. It’s good that they started the fighting,” Nasrallah added. A militant source in Qalamoun said ISIS initiated the attacks because Hezbollah had pulled its members from Josieh and Qusair toward the outskirts of Qalamoun, areas where it was easier to attack them. He claimed that ISIS, whose members have dwindled in the past few months, were looking to capture some of Hezbollah’s ammunition and other spoils in the attack. The battle was ongoing between ISIS and Hezbollah on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and Al-Qaa, as well as the countryside of the Syrian village of Josieh, the source said. Meanwhile, Hezbollah and the Syrian army captured fresh territory from Nusra militants outside a northern Qalamoun town, Al-Manar TV reported.
It said the allied forces took over the areas of Shaabat al-Tasme and Shaabat Wadi al-Ahmar on the southern outskirts of government-held Jarajeer, destroying three military vehicles and a bulldozer. The TV station said jihadis suffered “dozens of casualties” in the clashes, while the areas of Ras al-Koush and a section of al-Qadoumi Valley, were now under their firepower. However, a security source told The Daily Star that 10 jihadis were killed in the battle. The clashes took place on the southern outskirts of Jarajeer, located about 8 kilometers northeast of the Syrian village of Flita. A later report said the allies also took areas identified as the Bloksat heights, which lie 2,400 meters above sea level and overlook the outskirts of Jarajeer, Qara and Arsal. Hezbollah fighters clashed for a second day with ISIS militants on the eastern outskirts of Ras Baalbek, about 20 kilometers northwest of the fighting near Jarajeer. Al-Manar TV said Hezbollah rocket fire destroyed two military vehicles belonging to ISIS on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek, killing the militants inside.
Footage provided to Al-Manar showed one of the attacks, in which a Hezbollah fighter fires a Russian Kornet anti-tank missile at an ISIS vehicle that appeared to be at least a couple kilometers away, striking it with pinpoint accuracy. Separate footage taken at the site of Tuesday’s clashes showed several ISIS corpses strewn on the rugged ground along with a variety of weapons seized from them. The weapons included grenades, explosives, rifles, ammunition and military fatigues. Al-Manar said that Tuesday’s fighting, sparked when ISIS militants attacked four Hezbollah posts on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek, left 50 militants dead and 80 others wounded.Al-Manar reported this week that the Nusra Front has lost 90 percent of the territory it had controlled in Qalamoun before the start of the offensive, which began in southern Qalamoun and moved north toward Arsal. Tensions with ISIS may prevent Nusra from fleeing north amid the Hezbollah push. – Additional reporting by Samya Kullab

Nasrallah: Nusra Suffered Major Defeat in Arsal Outskirts, Battle with IS Has Begun
Naharnet/ 110.06.15/Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah declared Wednesday that the Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front has suffered a “major defeat” at the hands of his group's fighters in the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, as he announced that the battle against the Islamic State group has started in the border region. “In the past few days, major achievements were made in (the Syrian border region of) Qalamoun, and I can say that the strategic hills and mountains in that area are now under the control of the Syrian army and the men of the resistance,” said Nasrallah via video link to a conference about Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “As for Arsal's outskirts, huge advances have happened and al-Nusra Front suffered a major defeat,” added Nasrallah.
He also noted that “the battle against the IS in Qalamoun and the Eastern Mountain Range has started.” Since last week, Hizbullah has made a series of military advances in Arsal's outskirts, seizing several strategic posts from al-Nusra's hands. Nasrallah announced Friday that the party managed to "liberate dozens of square kilometers" of land in Qalamoun. On Tuesday, the party repelled an IS attack on the outskirts of the north Bekaa border areas of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek. Hizbullah has also managed to link the outskirts of the Syrian border town of Flita with the edges of Arsal. “We are determined to eradicate the takfiri presence on our border no matter the sacrifices, and we stress that we will no longer accept the presence of takfiris near our villages,” Nasrallah underlined on Wednesday. He noted that it was the IS that began the battle on Monday by attacking Hizbullah's posts. “It is better for us when a certain group begins the battle against us,” said Nasrallah. “The IS tried to attack us in an attempt to undermine our morale and advance in the al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek regions, but the brothers in the resistance repelled them, killing and wounding dozens of them,” Hizbullah's chief added.

Al-Rahi Laments Presidential Vacuum, Says Linked to Armed Clashes in Region
Naharnet/10.06.15/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi expressed concern Wednesday over Lebanon's deviation from its role, warning of linking it to the armed and sectarian clashes in the region. “Due to violations of the Constitutional and the National Pact, we are witnessing Lebanon's deviation, which reached the maximum by obstructing the presidential elections and by linking the armed and sectarian clashes in the region with the polls,” al-Rahi said at the opening of the annual retreat of the Synod of Maronite Bishops. “It is painful to see Lebanon deviating from its role as a nation for coexistence, equality between Muslims and Christians, and as a system based on freedom and democracy,” he added. He called on political leaders to return to their conscience and “realize the harm inflicted against Lebanon, its people and institutions.” “Fourteen months have passed since the paralysis of the presidential elections... the parliament and recently the cabinet.”Vacuum striking the presidential post since May last year is having a tough impact on the cabinet and the parliament as the state is threatened with further crises over ongoing rows between the rival parties.

Thousands of US paratroops head for Iraq. Tehran braces for onset of ISIS terror attacks on cities
DEBKAfile Special Report June 10, 2015
The United States this week began transferring to Iraq and Gulf bases elite units of the US 82nd Airborne Division. debkafile’s military sources report that the first batch of 500 officers and men will be deployed in Baghdad and the Kurdish republic’s capital of Irbil, followed by another 500 in July and 250 in December. Altogether, by the end of 2015, the US will have posted another 1,250 officers and men to augment the American force already present at a base ner Habbaniya in the western Iraqi Anbar province. This force, roughly the same size as the incoming contingents, came from the US 3rd Division’s Combat Team which set up the base six months ago to train Iraqi troops to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – ISIS. By the end of the year, therefore, the number of US troops on the ground in Iraq will rise to several thousand. Our military sources define their mission as being to intensify raids on ISIS commanders, command centers and bases and striking columns on the move. Their operations will draw on the successful attack mounted by SEAL commandos on May 16 in the heart of the Islamist stronghold in eastern Syria. The group’s chief of finances was killed in that raid and, according to American sources, the troops carried off a rich intelligence trove of digital and telephone data on the Islamist State’s tactics and structure.
The 82nd division has abundant experience of combat in the Iraqi arena. Between the 2003 US invasion and up until 2009, its members fought in critical engagements, especially in Anbar province, which ISIS has made the its main depot for large military concentrations and a launching pad for attacks across Iraq.
The figure of 3,000 American soldiers in Iraq understates the case by far. A much larger pool of combat forces is available close at hand for inserting into the cycle of war on ISIS.
Posted in Jordan just across the border from Anbar is a sizeable number of US special operations forces, and air units of F-16 fighter bombes and UH-60 Black Hawk assault helicopters. Their numbers have never been released. Another several thousand troops are stationed in Kuwait. The Pentagon therefore has a reserve force present and available for a directive to go into action, oncef a decision for the US military to step into combat against the Islamists in Iraq and Syria is confirmed by President Barack Obama.
All these units are geared to fighting in the two arenas in the framework of the 82nd Airborne Division.
This week, too, the Pentagon started pumping new weapons to the Iraqi army under the US commitment of $1.6 billion from the Iraq Train and Equip Fund – ITEF - to equip its units with appropriate arms for combating ISIS.
Tuesday, June 9, ISIS appeared unfazed by the United States inching ever closer to a direct confrontation. Iranian cities included Tehran were placed on terror alert, debkafile’s intelligence and counter-terror sources report, after intelligence discovered that the Islamic State had started sending squads of terrorists and lone suicide bombers to execute Baghdad-style terrorist attacks on urban areas in Iran.
ISIS tacticians were said to be so encouraged by their success in blowing up two Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province in recent weeks that they decided to have a go at Iranian cities too.
Also Tuesday, ISIS claimed in a new video that it had come up with a new strategy for taking Baghdad, not to conquer, but to “liberate” the Iraqi capital.

Turkey’s Erdoğan open to all coalition possibilities: opposition MP
Wednesday, 10 Jun, 2015/Ankara, Reuters—Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appears open to all coalition possibilities after the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost its parliamentary majority in weekend polls, according to a senior opposition lawmaker who met with him on Wednesday. Deniz Baykal, who headed the secular opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) until 2010, also told reporters after a two-hour meeting with Erdoğan that the president understood the importance of forming a government quickly. “I got the impression that he is open to all coalition solutions. I have the impression that he will have a positive approach to all models in this sense,” Baykal told reporters. Baykal is the oldest member of parliament and as such will lead its first session when it reopens following Sunday’s election. He was meeting with Erdoğan to discuss the reopening. The parliamentary polls ended more than a decade of single-party rule by the AKP, dealt a blow to Erdoğan’s ambitions for a US-style presidency, and plunged Turkey into political uncertainty not seen since the 1990s. The AKP’s top brass held a third day of meetings on Wednesday to consider its options and will either seek to form a coalition government with a junior opposition partner, or attempt to rule as a minority government.

Erdoğan remains the better regional option
 Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat
Wednesday, 10 Jun, 2015
How the Turkish electorate has voted in its most recent general election is its own private matter, nobody else’s.
This is democracy, where at the end of the day the decision lies with those who are eligible to vote, have paid their taxes, and are in good standing. They are the ones who for the next few years will live under a government of their own choosing.
Still, the choice of the Turkish voter will, one way or another, affect their neighbors in a region in turmoil and under the threat of partition, disintegration, and falling under foreign hegemony due to Iran’s sectarian project and blooming aspirations of Kurdish independence. These two developments now unmistakably enjoy American support.
Before discussing our own interests or worries, as Arabs, regarding the results of the most recent Turkish elections, we must acknowledge that the phenomenon of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Islamist trend have managed to change the rules of the game in Turkey since Mustafa Kamal Atatürk established the secular–nationalist Republic of Turkey. However, erasing Ataturk’s heritage in the modern state he built according to his dreams and beliefs is no easy task. In spite of the steady growth of political Islam in Turkey since the days of former prime minister Necmettin Erbakan, secular, liberal, leftist as well as extreme Turanist nationalists have maintained a noticeable presence on the Turkish political scene. Finally, in addition to the fact that ethnic, linguistic, and sectarian minorities have actually found their voices in the last few years, Erdoğan’s tough political “persona” has not even assured him the full support of the country’s Islamists. Indeed, one of Erdoğan’s most bitter adversaries is the prominent Islamist Fethullah Gülen, now in exile in the US.
Considering all of the above, it was domestic political and economic issues that dominated the election campaign between Turkey’s main parties, a campaign which was bitterly fought in the media amid heated accusations and counter-accusations. However, this time around the exceptional situation that is playing out in the Middle East has—now more than ever before—linked what is happening on Turkey’s domestic front to the regional and international scene.
The tragic situation in Syria has had a strong impact on Turkey. Hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have proven to be a huge economic burden as well as a contentious political issue. The long Syrian–Turkish borders are now a battlefront, and may soon become part of a new state rising from the ashes of present day Syria. Then, there are the extremist terrorist groups which are murdering people and uprooting communities under the false banner of Islam in both Syria and Iraq—Turkey shares a border with both these war-torn states. Syria and Iraq are also providing the strategic depth and reserve to Kurdish separatists in Turkey, who during these elections managed to achieve a remarkable victory.
Erdoğan’s strident Sunni Islamist discourse has added to the tense climate by alienating not only the secular nationalists, liberals and leftists, but also non-Sunni sects led by the Shi’ite Alevis (primarily Bektashis and Qizilbash) who have expressed solidarity with Syria’s ruling Alawites, making sectarian tension within Turkey even more likely.
On the other hand it is only natural that the international community should take the outcome of the Turkish elections seriously. Turkey is the largest Muslim country bordering Europe, and during the “Islamist” Ottoman era its relationship with Christian Europe was not always cordial; moreover, there are fairly large Turkish communities living in the heart of the continent.
In spite of their much-trumpeted commitment to the democratic process, serious and respectable European and American newspapers launched bitter attacks on Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Thus, if the media in democratic Europe and the USA finds no problem in interfering in what is supposed to be the Turkish electorate’s democratic choice, then we, as Arabs, have every right to express an opinion on what is at stake in Turkey, for the following reasons:
First, Turkey is a major influential neighbor. Its geographic proximity affects the Arab world, whether we are talking issues of ideology, water resources, economy, or factionalism. With regard to religion and history, there is no escaping the fact that Sunni “Islamist” Turkey (under the guise of the Ottoman Empire) governed most of our (Arab) countries for around 400 years, ending only with its defeat in the First World War.
Second, the multifaceted challenges confronting our region have taken us far outside of our “comfort zone.” Hence, it is no longer acceptable to keep dreaming while shunning realities and failing to address the situation on the ground. We are now threatened by two major dangers: Takfirist terrorism in the name of Islam, and those who have long been exploiting it and are currently using it as an excuse to impose their hegemony over the Middle East with clear international blessings.
Third, the successive crises created by the above-mentioned regional threats, have or should have, put paid to convictions that have been clearly misplaced. This applies to certain global superpowers we thought were forever committed to regional security and historical alliances, some major Muslim countries which many thought were trusted allies in times of need, and brotherly Arab countries whose position vis-à-vis regional threats has been disappointing. The Syrian crisis, in particular, has revealed these countries are unconvinced that creeping Iranian hegemony from Iraq to Lebanon via Syria, and later encircling the Arabian Peninsula through controlling Yemen, is a strategic threat to the Gulf Cooperation Council, if not pan-Arab security.
Fourth, there are several common geopolitical interests between the Arab world and Erdoğan’s Turkey—provided the latter agrees to be an ally and partner, and not a “guru” or “master.” Arabs and Turks have a common interest in checking the Iranian onslaught and stemming the tide of sectarian agitation it is nurturing and exploiting. In fact, just as Iran is blackmailing us by forcing us to choose between either accepting its hegemony or destroying our countries through the murderous terror of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), its projects also threaten Turkey’s national unity and stability.
Therefore, from a strategic standpoint, Erdoğan’s Turkey and the Arab world are fighting the same battle—we should fight this together, on the condition that Ankara respects our sovereignty and interests.

Syria and the Brotherhood after Erdogan’s decline
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya
Wednesday, 10 June 2015
It’s true that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan angered us by interfering in Arab affairs, but he isn’t a rival – the dispute with him was merely over details. The results of the recent parliamentary elections in Turkey came as a surprise as they ended the dominance of Erdogan and his party, though they are still the biggest victors. His rivals occupy around 60 percent of parliamentary seats, enabling them to obstruct government decisions. The implications of this are worth studying.
Most of the reasons for the poorer showing by Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) are not related to foreign affairs. One of the main reasons is the long time spent in governance. AKP rule lasted for 12 consecutive years, and it is normal for time to disintegrate its popular base. Regardless of who the next Turkish president will be, Syria will be a core Turkish interest, and it is unlikely that the new government will alter its stance
During these 12 years, the party lost its most important ally, Islamic leader Fethullah Gulen. It also became at odds with social and economic parties that once supported it. Meanwhile, protests and criticism have increased. AKP is no longer as coherent as it once was. All this is normal in democratic disputes and competition. AKP is still the most capable of forming a new government by allying with another party. Erdogan will continue to be an influential politician. However, parliamentary life and governance will not be easy. This is how liberal democracy works: you win some, you lose some. How does this affect Turkey’s role regarding Syria, or its relations with Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, and particularly Egypt? For the past four years, Erodgan’s government had not do much militarily to fight the Syrian regime, but it aided millions of refugees and kept its borders open for fighters.
A core Turkish interest
Regardless of who the next Turkish president will be, Syria will be a core Turkish interest, and it is unlikely that the new government will alter its stance. We also expect Turkey to continue avoiding direct involvement in the war, especially amid the presence of Iranian forces and militias inside Syria. However, it will continue to influence the Syrian opposition. Ankara will maintain its alliance with Saudi Arabia and Qatar because it enhances its influence and strengthens its stance in the West. Turkey’s importance in the Syrian war has increased as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has weakened. The war will require Turkish involvement to confront the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar will continue to demand the removal of the Assad regime or at least Assad himself.
I do not expect a change regarding relations with Iran, because Erdogan has maintained a good relationship with Tehran throughout his years in office. Another significant reason is that Iran’s relations with the West are improving, and Turkey is a member of NATO.
What about the Brotherhood, which has found a comfortable haven in Istanbul especially after being exiled from Qatar? Erdogan has adopted the Brotherhood as his cause, putting him at odds with much of his party, mainly with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who resigned this week and who has repeatedly voiced his dissatisfaction with Erdogan’s interference in Egyptian affairs. The Brotherhood is expected to lose Turkish protection, as it has failed in Egypt and become a political burden on Turkey. AKP is no longer interested in looking after it. The Brotherhood failed in replacing their imprisoned leaders in Egypt, and has failed to mobilize the street, so their political weight will decrease.

As Aleppo’s barrel bombs fail to make headlines, children suffer
Wednesday, 10 June 2015
Diana Moukalled/Al Arabiya
Have you seen the photo of the boy hanging from a destroyed concrete roof in Aleppo while holding a barrel bomb that fell on his house? The photo shows the upper part of a young covered in dust. It showed him hanging through a concrete roof which apparently fell due to the barrel bomb that landed in his arms. Look closely at his small powerless hands. We may not find a picture that reflects the Syrian situation as much as this one does: There’s a boy from Aleppo who narrates the story of all Syrians and there’s a barrel bomb that represents the regime’s killing machine. We are stuck here, between the child and the barrel bomb. We wouldn’t be exaggerating if we consider this photo an absurd lesson to he who wants to learn the ABC’s of the Syrian tragedy. Didn’t the Syrian revolution begin with children drawing graffiti, only to be later punished by the regime who allegedly pulled out their nails and imprisoned them? We are humans who suffer from frustration and can even have enough of images of death and pain. Perhaps many have really had enough of photos depicting Syrian death. However, this photo of the child and the barrel bomb in Aleppo takes back the Syrian formula to its main essence: What has the Baathist regime done to the Syrian people?
Collective murder
Syrian intellectuals and authors currently discuss the fact that the past four years have become tantamount to a memory of collective murder and death documented by photos. It’s true as no other case is documented via footage as much as the Syrian one has been. The photo of the boy from Aleppo represents a direct and clear cut message to those who have been turning a blind eye.
Yes, the regime’s barrel bombs are said to be falling on the heads of real people.
It’s a painful photo that depicts the terror which most of us cannot even imagine.
Around 100 people died due to barrel bombs’ shelling on Aleppo in the past few days. News of these barrel bombs and victims are no longer interesting enough to be headlines of newspapers and highlights of news bulletins. We got used to death and became familiar with the associated photos. We’ve even gotten used to images depicting extremely graphic content. Death itself is no longer an important piece of news or detail. Let’s resume our preoccupation with analyzing the movements of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds unit, who travels between Iraq and Syria. Let’s continue to follow up on the series of statements made by al-Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani as we try to figure out why he hides his face. As for the father of that child from Aleppo, he sits in tears near that destroyed building for hours as he holds his hands to his heart where his unbearable pain lies.

Report: Cyberattack targeted Iran nuclear talks venues
Reuters/Facebook /Ynetnews
Published: 06.10.15, 18:04 / Israel News
Cybersecurity firm claims Israel-linked virus used for spying found at three hotels that hosted talks between world powers and Iran.
A computer virus was used to hack into venues linked to international talks on Iran's nuclear program, Russian computer security company Kaspersky Lab said on Wednesday. The Wall Street Journal said the virus was widely believed to be used by Israeli spies and Kaspersky had linked it to "three luxury European hotels" used in the negotiations involving Iran and six world powers.
Kaspersky said it looked into the "cyber-intrusion" after detecting the "Duqu 2.0" malware in its own systems in early spring this year, which it said was designed to spy on its technology, research, and internal processes. Other victims of Duqu had been found in Western countries, the Middle East and Asia, it said in an emailed statement. "Most notably, some of the new 2014-2015 infections are linked to the P5+1 events and venues related to the negotiations with Iran about a nuclear deal," the statement said.
"P5+1" refers to the six world powers negotiating with Iran on curbs to its disputed nuclear program -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. The talks have been held in Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux, Munich and Vienna.
In February, the United States accused Israel of using selective leaks from the talks to distort the US position. Israel has denounced the diplomatic opening to Iran, saying it doubts any agreement arising from the talks will sufficiently restrain the disputed nuclear program of its arch-enemy.
During various rounds of the talks, Israeli officials said they knew what was being discussed from various sources including intelligence gathering and information relayed by allies. The officials did not elaborate on the latter, but did assert that Israel never spied on the United States, its closest ally. The unidentified group behind the Duqu malware, according to Kaspersky, was "one of the most skilled, mysterious and powerful threat actors in the APT (advanced persistent threat) world". Advanced persistent threats typically refer to sophisticated software created by state-backed cyberspies.
Kaspersky said Duqu was previously used for an unspecified cyberattack in 2011 that bore similarities to Stuxnet, a computer "worm" that partially sabotaged Iran's nuclear program in 2009-2010 by destroying a thousand or more centrifuges that were enriching uranium.
Another Duqu attack, Kaspersky said, was carried out "in relation to" the commemoration of the 70th anniversary in January this year of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration camp in Poland.
That ceremony was attended by the heads of state of Germany, France, Britain and other nations. The targets of the Duqu attacks in 2011 and more recently were not specified by Kaspersky.

Harvard Kennedy School woos Lebanese
Ghinwa Obeid| The Daily Star/Jun. 11, 2015
BEIRUT: The number of Lebanese students enrolled at the Harvard Kennedy School, one of the most prestigious public policy institutes in the world, is not as high as it should be, according to an official from the institution.
Alexandra Martinez, assistant dean for student diversity and inclusion, visited Lebanon this week to spread the word about the programs offered at HKS. Although the number of its students from the Arab world has increased in the past decade, there continues to be a shortage of students from Lebanon.
“Over the last 10-15 years we have more than tripled the number of Arab students ... at HKS,” Martinez told The Daily Star.
“I was in Lebanon in 2011, and after that year we [saw an] increase in the number of students from Lebanon, but we’re still not where we would like it to be ... over the years ... I see there’s more of a decline from Lebanon.”
Officials at HKS remain focused on the Arab world. There has been a realization, Martinez explained, that the region is in “need of good leadership” that she said was “indicated by citizens” there.
HKS tries to target regions facing challenges; the school teaches an array of skills that can help individuals contribute to their solutions.
This means HKS is interested in bringing in students from these parts of the world to benefit from the different programs it offers in public policy and public administration, Martinez explained.
Lebanon and the surrounding area are of definite interest to the school. “There’s conflict in this region with Syria, with Israel, and so [we are] just thinking about students coming from all these countries, [who could] gain more negotiation, leadership and policy skills.”
“And so ... we’re looking through the data and see, ‘Oh, we used to have a lot more students from Lebanon, why has that number decreased? Maybe they need another visit to reinforce that it is possible to come to the Kennedy School at Harvard.’”
Some graduates from the regionspoke fondly of their experiences at the institute; Sara al-Yafi, a Lebanese, seemed excited and proud as she talked about the school.
Yafi graduated with a master’s in Public Policy in 2008, and explained that students receive well-designed quantitative training in the field. “They train you to write policies,” Yafi said, adding that they also study the potential impact and consequences of the policies.
Bringing in students from underrepresented parts of the world is part of the school’s commitment to diversity. The issue of having students from different backgrounds, regions and genders is vital.
Palestinian Asma Jaber graduated from HKS in 2014. “The best part of the experience was, hands down, my classmates,” she said with enthusiasm. Jaber also praised the leadership skills she learned and the content of the classes.
HKS aims to build students that can later become leaders within their communities. In order to be admitted, students must demonstrate that they care about service and the public good.
Martinez said prospective students should not be intimidated when applying to the prestigious program. Thought they may not be accepted on their first try, that doesn’t mean they should give up, especially if they have the will to commit to public service.
Students may be told to build their professional careers before applying, so they can contribute to HKS as well as benefitting from what it has to offer, Martinez explained.
“Because I have been doing this for 25 years, I have a way of letting people know that while it is Harvard, and it is challenging, it’s very doable, and it’s very doable if you have the passion to make a difference.”