Israeli troops violate border, try to kidnap Lebanese citizen

Al Manar

A Zionist infantry unit abruptly violated on Saturday the Blue Line in the Wazzani River region south of Lebanon on the border with Occupied Palestine trying to kidnap a Lebanese man, Al-Manar correspondent reported.

The kidnapping attempt came after a series of provocations carried out by the enemy troops in the area over the past months through wandering by the Merkava tanks on the border and passing the technical fence dozens of times.

Al-Manar correspondent said that six Zionist soldiers entered the Lebanese territories bypassing the Blue Line at a point called “Lowaizeh” on the Wazzani banks, and crossed the river to the west bank of the river, which is a property owned by one of the parks’ owners.

Upon their infiltration, the Zionist troops chased the citizen Fadi Abdullah, who was hunting fish. However, he managed to escape them before they fired in the air.

The enemy soldiers stayed in the Lebanese territory for about twenty minutes, while three soldiers were waiting for them inside the Blue Line and Hummer vehicles standing behind the technical fence.

Before they leave Lebanon’s territory, the troops robbed the fishing gear carried by the citizen Abdullah.

The Zionist violation happened amid neglect by international forces (UNIFIL) that did not make any step before the Lebanese army filed a complaint about the Zionist breach.

The kidnapping attempt was followed by a Zionist Merkava violating the technical fence near Wazzani parks amid a number of Hummer vehicles wandering in the area near the barbed wire.

Sayyed Nasrallah: ‘Mistaken who thinks that takfiris can change our position’

by Marwa Haidar, Al Manar

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stressed that the resistance will be where it should, assuring that the struggle in Syria is between two projects and not between two sects.

During a ceremony held by Hezbollah for the occasion of the Injured Fighter Day, Sayyed Nasrallah said that post-Qusayr stage is the same of pre-Qusayr since no change in developments taking place in Syria.

In this context, he stressed that the accusations of unbelief launched by Takfiris will not change the position of the resistance, and “who thinks that he can force us to change our stance through killing and terrifying is mistaken.”

As he said that the resistance is not interested in the battle taking place in Syria, Sayyed Nasrallah said that Hezbollah should be engaged in this battle since it is aimed at destroying the whole region, not only Syria.

His eminence pointed out that Hezbollah is the last side to take part in the Syrian fight, since there are many Lebanese parties, including al-Mustaqbal party, who were engaged in the struggle before.

Clear View for the Crisis in Syria

Sayyed Nasrallah said that since the start of the crisis in Syria Hezbollah had a clear view that there was a scheme that has repercussions on Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, the region, the Muslims, the Christians, the Sunnites and the Shiites.

His eminence pointed out that the resistance through its decisions is defending Lebanon, its land and its state.

The resistance leader stressed that what’s coming on in Syria is not between a regime and people, saying: “This issue is over. There are sides who don’t care for the people killed, they just want for the regime to fall. They imagine that the alternative for this regime is another one. However the alternative is the chaos.”

His eminence noted that the Syrian people are parted, some is with the regime and the other is against it, adding: “And we are with the regime. We are also with reforms.”

“We are with people who call for reforms, whether they are with the regime or against it. However we are against those who are destroying Syria,” Sayyed Nasrallah told crowds.

On the other hand, he said that talks about starting to arm the Syrian opposition is false since providing arms to the foreign-backed militants who are fighting the Syrian government is taking place since long ago.

Hezbollah The Latest Side to Take Part in Syria Fight

Meanwhile, Sayyed Nasrallah said that Hezbollah was the latest Lebanese side to take part in the Syrian fight, noting that many other parties have been engaged in the Syrian crisis even before Hezbollah was.

“We didn’t keep our participation in the Syrian fight a secret. We didn’t say that we are offering milk and blankets,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, referring to al-Mustaqbal party MP Oqab Saqr who denied that his party is engaged in the Syrian crisis.

“… And if our fighters are killed in the battle in Syria we don’t burry them there and silence their families in Lebanon,” Sayyed Nasrallah added.

Sayyed Nasrallah also assured that the struggle in Syria is not sectarian, noting that those who are presenting it as a sectarian struggle are weak. He called for exerting efforts in a bid to face some Arab channels which are inciting for sedition and giving the struggle sectarian explanations through fabrications.

“We won’t change our position through fabrications, killing and terrifying,” his eminence said, noting that post-Qusayr is the same stage as pre-Qusayr.

He said that the other side of the struggle is determined to go ahead with it, stressing that the resistance is to be where it should be as it will hold the responsibility it had held from the beginning of the crisis.

Sayyed Nasrallah also pointed out that Hezbollah is ready to debate over Syria, noting in this context that some sides are offering initiatives that need to be discussed.

Call for Self Restraint

Talking about the Local issues, the resistance leader said that there nothing new concerning the issue of the elections, noting that the Lebanese are awaiting the decision of the constitutional council to know if the elections are to take place or not.

His eminence urged the utmost degrees of self restraint and the avoidance of any form of fight and tension.

“We urge the Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians who are in the Lebanese territories to practice the utmost degrees of self restraint, especially the crowds of the resistance.”

He also slammed what some Lebanese people are doing of shooting bullets in the air, saying that this action is being a noticeably increasing in Lebanon. His eminence called for the halt of this phenomenon, saying it’s rejected since it harm and bother others.

“The phenomenon of shooting in the air has noticeably increased nowadays and during every occasion,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding: “we asked clerics across Iran and Iraq about the issue of shooting in the air. The only answer was that it is forbidden to do so.”

Concerning the rockets fired on some Bekaa towns, Sayyed Nasrallah said that some media outlets are circulating rumors that these rockets are fired from the town of Ersal, in a bid to explain the issue by sectarian means.

Hi eminence stressed that rockets fired on Sareen, Baalbeck and Hernel were not from Ersal, saying that armed groups in Syria are who are firing them and promising that this issue will be over soon.

He warned in this context that media outlets along with intelligence services are working hard to incite sedition between Sunnites and Shiites.

Resistance Saved Lebanon

Talking about the occasion, Sayyed Nasrallah saluted the injured fighters along with their families who sacrificed for the sake of their country, stressing that Lebanon was liberated thanks to resistance and its fighters.

“The resistance, with this sacrifice, liberated Lebanon from the Israeli occupation. It saved Lebanon and its history should not be forgotten.”

In this context his eminence warned that “there is a huge media campaign which is working to defame the image and the history of the resistance.”

The resistance leader dismissed talks about uprooting Hezbollah of the Lebanese structure as saying: “We were born here, we were grown up here, we lived here and we will be buried here… No one can root us up.”

“One of the most powerful armies in the world was crushed by our fighters in Bint Jbeil, Maroun Ras… Who are these stupid people who are talking about rooting us up?”

Iranian Elections: Festival of Democracy

Meanwhile, Sayyed Nasrallah congratulated the Iranian leadership and the nation for the high public turnout in the Islamic Republic 11th presidential elections.

“I want to congratulate Imam Khamenei and the Iranian nation for this festival of democracy, because this democracy strengthens the right positions in the region,” he said.

“Through this democracy, the Leader with all his powers has only one vote and the other Iranian citizens of different ethnicities are also at the same level. They participate in the election for the future of their country.”

His eminence hoped that some Arab countries witness similar democracy.

Poland, Czech Republic reluctant on blacklisting Hizbullah & Qusayr battle caused a rabid campaign

Poland, Czech Republic reluctant on blacklisting Hizbullah

Al Ahed news

Poland and the Czech Republic expressed “reservations” about blacklisting Hizbullah as an alleged terrorist organization at a session in Brussels earlier this month, the “Israeli” Jerusalem Post mentioned.

As for the Dutch representative, he had expressed unreserved support for the British proposal to blacklist Hizbullah.

The Wall Street Journal has also reported that Austria is opposed, while The Jerusalem Post quoted unnamed “Israeli” officials as saying that Ireland was also against.

The source also reported that a Bulgarian representative said the link between Hizbullah and the Burgas explosion was “weak,” and earlier this month, Bulgaria stated it only had an “indication” not solid proof that Hizbullah was behind the Burgas bus bombing in July, which does not justify any European Union move to list it as a terrorist group.

“It is important that the [EU] decision be based not only on the bombing in Burgas because I think the evidence we have is not explicit,” Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin, whose government took office last week, told national state radio BNR.

According to the source, representatives from the Baltic nations were among several envoys who stayed silent during the discussion.

On Wednesday, EU spokesman David Kriss responded to various accounts of the June 4 meeting with a general statement, saying that “any decision requires the unanimous support of all of 27 EU member states.”

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What Has Hizbullah Done in Qusayr to Earn such a Rabid Campaign?

by Ibrahim Bayram – Annahar newspaper, source

Hizbullah has been in the eye of the storm ever since it saw the light. Undoubtedly, the current political and media campaign leveled against it is unprecedented in different terms.

As intransigent and rabid as could be, this campaign involved the Gulf Cooperation Council, now waving sanctions against Hizbullah supporters. This is an unfamiliar measure by the Gulf which usually does not go that far in its animosity when it is a political party that is targeted.
Hizbullah was certainly expecting this storm, with all its implications and dimensions, ever since it decided to seriously engage in the battles in Qusayr and especially in Homs countryside.

Some sources communicating with Hizbullah command mentioned that an internal rival had secretly sent a message to the party shortly before Qusayr’s battle, hereby saying, “You demand the ‘guaranteeing third’ in the government which formation is underway. We are ready to meet this demand under the condition that you don’t go to the battlefield in Homs countryside.”
Moreover, the party received more messages from the concerned European states hereby imploring it not to partake in the military confrontation in Qusayr if it wished to maintain stable relations with Europe and to be off the terrorism blacklist.

Still, Hizbullah could not care any less about the tempting leverages. It instead turned a cold shoulder to the threats and dispatched its best fighters to Qusayr to lead a fierce battle that has tipped the strategic power balance on the Syrian arena, flaming since two years and three months, and caused an uninterrupted series of reverberations.

But what is it that Hizbullah has done in confrontations it knew they would give the chance to its rivals to level a concerted sectarian, political, and economic campaign? The party knows well that it has broken the course of equations most of Arabs and the West were endeavoring to impose in Syria. More specifically, Hizbullah’s decision to participate in Qusayr has three consequences:

1- The party has defied all the equations and red lines its rivals were seeking to clinch around it. It has even crossed the frontiers of Lebanon to become a regional power to be taken into account now and in the future.

2- The participation in Qusayr battles begot a crushing defeat that was not considered by the enemies of the Syrian regime.

A lot has been written and said about the strategic importance of Qusayr and its surroundings. Yet the military outcome has just surprised everyone.
Oppositionists of the Syrian regime have sought to make of Qusayr the next “Stalingrad” as they sent more than 4000 professional fighters underground geared up with weaponries and arsenals so that they resist for months. Major losses have been incurred upon them instead.

The city fell in less than ten days, leaving 1500 dead and thousands wounded. The rest were either captured or managed to escape.

In counterpart, less than 80 Hizbullah fighters were killed and 160 were injured, while the party was expecting the casualties toll to be way more than this and the battle, aiming to liberate what is tantamount to fifth the area of Lebanon, to last longer.

For their part, countries linked to the opposition considered that Hizbullah participation in the fights has wasted, within few days, the tremendous efforts that were made for more than 18 months.

3- The outcome of Qusayr’s battle has changed the equations on the Syrian scene and even in Lebanon. After talks behind closed doors focused on the party’s fate following the regression of the Syrian regime, attention has become fixed on what Hizbullah would do to rivals after the fresh headway of battles. Concerned parties are wondering now about what to do when the party moves its fighters to Aleppo.
It is no more a secret that building on the results of Qusayr’s battle, international calculi, especially in Moscow, have changed. Hizbullah has made of itself a regional linchpin after many have thought that the UN resolution 1701 would tighten the noose around the party and then lead it to lose its internal role after July war in 2006.

Therefore, Hizbullah and observers understand well the rabid attack against the party, who is now making the headlines in the Gulf.

Zionist troops violate Lebanon’s sovereignty, pass technical fence at Abbasiyah

Al Manar

A Zionist military unit passed the technical fence between Lebanon and the Occupied Palestine on Wednesday and entered the Lebanese border town of Abbasiyah, Al-Manar Website correspondent reported.

The Zionist unit was guarded by two Merkava tanks and one military bulldozer.

Enemy troops arrived close to the town residential units in a disputed area amid alert at the Lebanese army side, the correspondent added.

The violation was followed by a UNIFIL call for extra force to the Abbasiyah in order to separate between the enemy and the Lebanese army during the exchanged alert.

Last April, the Lebanese Army Command foiled an attempt by another Zionist unit to perpetuate the occupation of the northern part of the border town of al-Ghajar.

The Zionist troops tried to fence the three-direction town perimeters by barbed wires, which the Lebanese Army rejected and warned of severe reactions.

Since the 2006 July war on Lebanon, the Zionist entity has spared no chance to violate the Lebanese sovereignty in flagrant breachings of the UN resolution 1701.

McCain meets leaders of terror brigade in Syria. The NGOs that made it happen

(File photo)

by Phil Greaves, source

The recent furore surrounding US senator John McCain’s illegal trip inside Syria, and the supposed ‘rebels’ he was seen posing with alongside Supreme Military Council (SMC) Chief Salim Idriss, have shed further light on what appears to be another corrupt ‘NGO’ enterprise.

After the worldwide publication of the photographs, McCain was quick to try to dispel rumours that the Syrian ‘rebels’ were the very people responsible for the kidnapping of 11 Lebanese pilgrims inside Syria, who still remain in captivity to this day. Contrary to McCain’s – and his media apologists – desperate attempts to refute the claims; many reports suggested it was indeed the kidnappers he was seen posing with. Furthermore, in one report in Lebanon’s Al Akhbar, it is claimed McCain even went so far as to ask the kidnappers to hold some of the captive pilgrims, as they are suspected members of Hezbollah. According to a source who had previously been in contact with the kidnappers, McCain was allegedly there “to obstruct the efforts… to secure the release of the hostages.” Lebanon’s the Daily Star also reported on the “crossing of paths” between McCain, Mohammad Nour and Ammar Al-Dadikhi (a.k.a. Abu Ibrahim), who are members of ‘rebel’ group the Northern Storm; alleged to be holding the 11 Lebanese pilgrims.

In a report by Josh Rogin of the Daily Beast, it is claimed the ‘rebels’ McCain was seen posing with were not those responsible for the kidnapping, stating: (my emphasis)

The man said to be Nour by the Lebanese press never identified himself to McCain or to anyone else and that man was not inside McCain’s meeting with the rebels, two American NGO workers who were there on the scene told The Daily Beast on Thursday.

The first of these American ‘NGO’ workers responsible for setting up the McCain meeting and illegal trip into Syria is one Mouaz Moustafa, who is named as the Executive Director of ‘non-profit’ organisation the ‘Syrian Emergency Task Force.’ (SETF). Moustafa has previously worked as a staffer at the US House of Congress and Senate. He was also an ‘activist’ during the US/NATO- led illegal war in Libya and overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. Moustafa is listed as an ‘expert’ at the Wasington Institute for Near East Policy, (WINEP), the sub-branch of the huge Israeli lobby: the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee AIPAC; which regularly lobbies for US militarism and ‘intervention’ in the Middle East to uphold Israeli ‘interests’.

Moustafa, in his ‘expert’ role, has also recently addressed a WINEP conference on the Syrian conflict. (since these suspicious links were highlighted by an investigative reporter they have been removed from WINEP’s website.) Anyone with a passing knowledge of Israeli/Syrian relations and the power and influence these lobbying groups hold in Washington and within corporate US media, knows these affiliations are dubious to say the least. In a report by investigative journalist Maidhc Ó Cathail on the Passionate Attachment blog, it is also revealed:

Even more intriguingly, one of the web addresses for Moustafa’s nonprofit is “syriantaskforce.torahacademybr.org.” The “torahacademybr.org” URL belongs to the Torah Academy of Boca Raton, Florida whose academic goals notably include “inspiring a love and commitment to Eretz Yisroel.”

The second ‘NGO’ worker quoted in the Daily Beast is one Elizabeth Obagy, named as Political Director of the same ‘NGO’ the SETF. The name Elizabeth Obagy immediately rang alarm bell’s. Obagy is also a “Syria analyst” at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The ISW in its mission statement describes itself as: (my emphasis)

The Institute for the Study of War advances an informed understanding of military affairs through reliable research, trusted analysis, and innovative education. We are committed to improving the nation’s [the US] ability to execute military operations and respond to emerging threats in order to achieve U.S. strategic objectives. ISW is a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organization.

Upon reading ISW’s Board of Directors and donors from their 2011 annual report, it becomes rather obvious as to what the ISW is designed for and whose ‘objectives’ it is designed to propagate. A quick glance of the ISW’s main donors for 2011 is telling; the list of military (defense) contractor’s donors include:

General Dynamics, (General Dynamics is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat vehicles and systems, armaments, and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and mission-critical information systems and technology.) CACI, (CACI provides information solutions and services in support of national security missions and government transformation for Intelligence, Defense, and Federal Civilian clients. A member of the Fortune 1000 Largest Companies and the Russell 2000 Index, CACI provides dynamic careers for approximately 15,000 employees working in over 120 offices worldwide.)

DynCorp International, (DynCorp International is a global government services provider in support of U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives, delivering support solutions for defense, diplomacy, and international development.)

Palantir,(Our products are built for real analysis with a focus on security, scalability, ease of use and collaboration. They are broadly deployed in the intelligence, defense, law enforcement and financial communities.)

Northrop Grumman, (Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cybersecurity, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide.)

These companies represent just a few of the huge US corporate military contractors, ranging from hardware and logistics, to telecommunications and intelligence software that are primary donors of the ISW. The ISW describes its Corporate affiliations as a “Corporate Council”: (my emphasis)

Many of America’s top corporations are members of ISW’s Corporate Council. Corporate Council members believe that an advanced understanding of military issues results in significantly better national security policy. They recognize the relevance, accuracy, and impact of ISW’s research and analysis. Corporate Council members receive a number of benefits, including exclusive briefings with ISW’s leadership, advance publications, access to our network, tailored analysis, increased corporate visibility, and invitations to exclusive events and discussions with national security leaders.

So the ISW is providing “tailored analysis” for its Corporate clients, and also provides “exclusive briefings with ISW leadership”. Does this sound like a ‘non-profit’ organisation? Does providing “tailored analysis” for military contractors include raising the ‘need’ for such equipment and contracts? And do military contractors make money in any other way than profiting from war? One would find it difficult to put these things together and not see a conflict of interest from this alleged ‘objective’ research NGO.

The board of Directors at the ISW is also somewhat telling as to its political and corporate affiliations, some of the distinguished board members include such humanitarian adherents as founder of ISW Kimberly Kagan (Supported US ‘surge in Iraq, husband is resident scholar at Neo-Con ‘think-tank’ the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), brother is the husband to State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland) Liz Cheney, (daughter of war-criminal Dick) and leading Neo-Con mouthpiece and US militarist William Krystol, who all sit alongside many fellow US-militarism proponents, retired US Army Generals, and policy planners.

It seems that at least one of the organisers for McCains trip: Elizabeth Obagy, named as a “Political Director” of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, is also a “Syria specialist” at what appears to be a Neo-Con led US ‘NGO’ that propagates US militarism on behalf of huge military contractors and ‘defense’ corporations. So why would Liz Obagy be organising illegal trips for US Senator John McCain into Syria in her role as “political director” at the SETF, whilst also claiming to offer ‘balanced’, ‘neutral’ and ‘objective analysis’ on the Syrian conflict? One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to realise there is a massive conflict of interest here. When approached on Twitter, Moustafa of the SETF, which is based in Washington DC, claimed their funding comes from American Syrian doctors and expatriate donors. The mission statement of the SETF is as follows: (my emphasis)

To organize, mobilize and empower the Syrian American community, and our partners in order to play a positive role in public policy regarding Syria and the Middle East, supporting the democratic aspirations of the Syrian people, improving the lives of average Syrian people, strengthening the rule of law, and helping in transitioning Syria into a viable, inclusive, diverse, democratic state.

Without delving too far into Moustafa’s ties to the US Government through his previous work experience and former ‘activist’ work; it becomes clear that his current duties are at the behest of the US State Department. In a recent press release the SETF personally thanked the State Department: (my emphasis)

Washington, DC–The Syrian Emergency Task Force would like to thank all those involved in making Senator McCain’s trip to Gaziantep and to Syria a success, particularly the U.S. Department of State….It was a pleasure working with the Department of State in ensuring that the Senator’s visit went safely and flawlessly,” said SETF Executive Director Mouaz Moustafa.

Employing “political Directors”, that are affiliated with Neo-Con, and military contractor funded ‘NGO’ the Institute for the Study of War, seems somewhat contradictory to “improving the lives of average Syrian people”, and “supporting democratic aspirations” in the Middle East. Has it occurred to Moustafa and Obagy, that the vast majority of Syrian people want nothing to do with war criminals and pushers of all things US/Israeli militarism under the guise of “freedom and democracy”? One thinks this is out of the equation, and Moustafa’s ‘Syrian Emergency Task Force’ outfit is nothing more than a State Department/Neo-Con/Israel lobby initiated, propaganda outfit.

US Zionist lobby reels From resistance al-Qusayr victory

Return Palestine

by FRANKLIN LAMB, source

Beirut

Although al-Qusayr may not be the decisive battle for Syria, it is irrefutably an important turning point in the crisis which has given the regime much sought military momentum. Plenty of adjectives and some clichés are being bandied about from Washington to Beirut to describe the al-Qusayr battle results and significance. Among them are game-changer, mother of all battles, a new regime approach to fighting, altered balance of power, critical turning point in the civil war, and so on.

It does appear that the victory of the Syrian government forces at al-Qusayr, is a strategic achievement, if also a humanitarian disaster for the civilian population still waiting for the ICRC and SARCS, (Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society) emergency help. Al Qusayr is located in Homs province, an area central to the success of the Syrian government’s military strategy. It is situated along the southern route from Damascus to the coast, at a juncture where regime forces have struggled to maintain control. Rebel control of al-Qusayr had disrupted the regime’s supply lines from Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and it was open for the cross-border movement of Gulf and Libyan arms to rebels.

Government control of al-Qusayr re-establishes the regime’s line of communication from Damascus to the coast while cutting off access to cross-border weapons supplies to the rebels from Lebanon and provides a ground base for the Assad government to now move to retake control of the north and east of Syria. This cross-roads city just 6 miles from the Lebanese border has many strategic ramifications. ranging from breaking the oppositions 18 month control of much of Homs province, facilitating government forces momentum generally across Syria, to psychological– by raising the morale of exhausted Syrian forces, while energizing the Assad government and its allies to finish the conflict and focus on long promised reforms and try to heal Syria from the past nearly 27 months of hell for its people.

Perhaps less appreciated here in Beirut are al-Qusayr’s effects on the Zionist occupiers of Palestine and their currently traumatized US lobby.

Conversations and emails with former colleagues at the Democratic National Committee, on which this observer served as National Committeeman, elected from Oregon, during the Carter administration, as well as with Congressional insiders, a picture of nearly debilitating angst is sketched among those who are committed, above all else, to propping up the faltering apartheid state in the face of truly historic changes in this region that have only just begun to re-shape the region.

The reactions from various elements of the pro-Israel lobby range from the Arabphobic Daniel Pipes’ in denial fantasy essay in the Washington Times this week, entitled “Happy Israel” to Netanyahu’s increased threats issued from Tel Aviv about what Israel might do if his three UN cartoon presented “ red lines” are breached, to layering more pressure on the White House via Israel’s agents in Congress who are demanding that Obama act immediately to undo “the major damage done at Qusayr”.

Several aspects of “the Qusayr rules and results” are being discussed at the HQ of the racist anti-Defamation League (ADL) which has summoned an emergency gathering of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, to craft a solution to the problem.

The tentative and remarkable agenda reportedly includes for discussion and action the following:

The twin defeats at al-Qusayr and at Burgas, Bulgaria. The latter should not be underestimated, according to one AIPAC activist who works on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, given that it substantially knocks out the props from the lobby’s project to get the European Union to list Hezbollah as a terrorist organization thus interfering with Islamist party’s fundraising. The lobby is reacting angrily to Austria’s Chancellor Werner Fayman and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger’s statement about that country’s decision to withdraw its 380 peacekeeping troops, more than one-third of the 1000 United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, (UNDOF) contingent, from the Golan Heights.

The lobby is claiming that Austrian move constituents an existential threat to Israel because it opens the Quneitra crossing, the door to the Golan, for the Syrian civil war to spill over the border into Israel. At the same time it is being argued that al Qusayr lifts pressure off Hezbollah, Iran, Syria as well as the Palestinian resistance and gain all more fighters who sense victory for the current regime and major gains for all in the political dynamics of the region.

The Israel embassy in Washington has chimed in with a statement that the Austrian withdrawal threatened the role of the UN Security Council in any future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, while at the same time encouraging Hezbollah to move into the Golan.

Israel stalwart, Eric Cantor (R-Va) told a ‘brown bag’ lunch gathering in the House Rayburn Building cafeteria late this week that the “fall of al Qusayr, will facilitate the Assad regimes advance on areas north of Homs province and will likely return to Damascus control important rebel-held areas in the north and the east. Cantor claims that the Assad regime victory effectively cuts off an important supply route to the rebels who will leave the armed opposition even more weakened and scattered. Israel is demanding an immediate US supported counter-offensive consistent with the demands made by US Senators John McClain and Lindsay Graham. The apartheid state also is demanding that the White House scrap Geneva II, claiming that Assad is now too strong for the US/Israel to benefit from such a dialogue. “If the international community is serious about seeking to enforce a negotiated settlement, they will have first to do something to decisively change the balance of power on the ground ahead of any serious negotiations”, he added.

When asked about giving US aid to Lebanon, Cantor reportedly sneered, as he expressed his shock that Hezbollah had so many troops and would be very difficult for Israel, without US boots on the ground to defeat, he reportedly replied, “Forget about Lebanon, it never was a real country anyway, just call the whole place over there Hezbollah and let’s send in the marines to finish the job.”

One congressional staffer who attended the meeting winced at the thought of US marines again being sent to Lebanon given their previous experience there nearly 30 years ago.

The Lobby is also concerned about the fact that the Arab League and the Gulf countries might be softening in their ardor to confront Syria and Hezbollah, who they view as now being in this crisis as full partners. A media source at the Saudi Embassy in Washington has complained that the six member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has spent more than a billion dollars on the opposition and have, to date, little to show for their “investment.” Nor does Israel have much to show to date for its deepening role in the crisis given that its air strikes are widely viewed in Washington and internationally as being counterproductive and helping to unite Muslims and Arabs in the face of their common global enemy.

The ADL reportedly wants the White House to act fast “to do something” in light of a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released on 5/5/13, the day of the Syrian government’s victory at al Qusayr, showing that only 15% of Americans polled advocated taking military action, and only 11% supported providing the rebels with arms. A quarter of respondents – 24% — favored taking no action, similar to the White House current position. Abe Foxman, ADL’s President for Life, and inveterate anti-Semite tracker, myopically sees antisemitism, and surely not Israel’s decades of crimes against humanity as the cause for other “anti-Semitic” polls released this week that included the recent one commissioned by the BBC. That poll confirmed that Israel is not only ranked second from the bottom of 197 countries, including as a danger to world peace, and just about the world’s most negatively viewed country, but its support globally continues to evaporate. Views of Israel in Canada and in Australia remain very negative with 57 and 69 per cent of their citizens holding unfavorable views. In the EU countries surveyed, views of Israeli influence are all strongly negative with the UK topping the list with 72 per cent of the population viewing Israel negatively.

As Ali Abunimah noted this week, “ The persistent association of Israel with the world’s most negatively viewed countries will come as a disappointment to Israeli government and other hasbara officials who have invested millions of dollars in recent years to greenwash and pinkwash Israel as an enlightened, democratic and technological “Western” country.

With the 6/5/13 National Lebanese Resistance victory at al-Qusayr, coming as it does 97 years to the month after the Triple Entente’s (UK, France & Russia) May 1916 secret Asia Minor Agreement, generally known as Sykes-Picot , the scheme to control the Middle East following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, has furthered crumbled.

Its ‘Rosemary’s baby’ progeny, the colonialist Zionist occupation of Palestine, is condemned increasingly by history to an identical fate.

According to a growing number of US and European officials and Middle East analysts, as well as ever more public opinion polls, it is solely a matter of time until, like al-Qusayr, Palestine is returned to her rightful inhabitants.

Syrian army regains Quneitra, progresses in Damascus, Daraa countryside & US condemns

Syrian Army Regains Quneitra, Progresses in Damascus, Daraa Countryside

Al Manar

Syrian army managed to regain control on Thursday over the Quneitra border crossing in the Golan Heights, a few hours after being seized by the so-called ‘free Syrian army.’

According to the Syrian news agency SANA, units of the Syrian national army inflicted the armed groups heavy losses, in a series of military operations carried out Thursday in the areas of Hujeira, Saqba, Adra and Nabek in Damascus countryside.

Several militants were killed, including mercenaries of different nationalities fighting in Syria.

Upon recapturing Quneitra, the Zionist army enforced preparedness in the occupied Golan and installed Arrow-2 missiles.

In the same context, Army units continued chasing militiamen in al-Harak and western al-Mleha neighborhoods in Daraa countryside, hitting on them direct shots.

A military source told SANA that the operations have resulted in number of militants killed and injured, along with destroying their weapons and confiscating a 90-b cannon.

“Nezar Mohammad Abdul Rahman al-Haraki, commander of the so-called ‘Martyrs’ of Western al-Mleha’ was among those killed,” the source added.

The Syrian army vowed on Wednesday to crush terrorist insurgents in every corner across Syria, after recapturing the strategic border city of al-Qusayr.

The Army launched on May 19 a large-scale operation in the city to clear the area of terrorist gangs and liberate the citizens stuck there.

Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the Syrian government accuses foreign actors of orchestrating the conflict, by supporting the militant opposition groups with arms and money.

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Washington blasts Syria, Hezbollah for liberation of strategic town

Press TV

The US has strongly condemned Syrian Army’s liberation of the country’s border city of Qusayr, which had served as the major stronghold of foreign-sponsored armed insurgents that sought to overthrow Syria’s government.

“The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the al-Assad regime’s assault on al-Qusayr, which has killed untold numbers of civilians and is causing tremendous humanitarian suffering,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney claimed in a Wednesday statement.

The apparent US rage over the success of the Syrian forces to drive out the foreign-backed militant gangs that have terrorized the nation over the past two years, comes amid widely reported US plans to offer direct military support to the anti-Damascus militants with the announced aim of overthrowing the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

The White House official further called for “safe access” to evacuate injured insurgents and provide “medical supplies,” a call that apparently was not considered worthy of a response by Syrian officials.

Washington has also blasted the Lebanese Islamic resistance movement Hezbollah for its support role behind the Syrian military triumph over the insurgents, who received massive amounts of arms and supplies from US-backed regimes in the region, including Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and even the Israeli regime.

This is while Hezbollah has described the recent military victory over Qusayr as a major blow to the US-Israeli-Takfiri triangle in Syria that sought to remove the only Arab government in the region that effectively remained behind Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation.

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UN questions validity of French ‘evidence’ of Syria’s chemical weapons use

Press TV

The United Nations has questioned the validity of what the French government says is “evidence” that the Syrian forces have used chemical weapons against militants.

French officials claimed on June 4 that they were in possession of “evidence,” based on laboratory tests, that proved nerve gas sarin had been used by the government forces in Syria.

The French government said it had handed the test results to a UN chemical weapons investigation team, which is led by Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom.

The UN said in a statement on Wednesday, “Yesterday in Paris, Mr. Sellstrom received additional information related to the reports of the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria submitted by the government of France.”

The statement added that Sellstrom had cautioned that the “validity of the information is not ensured.”

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Rockets Launched from Syria Hit Lebanon’s Baalbek

Al Manar

Around 14 rockets launched from across Syria have hit the eastern city of Baalbek on Wednesday night, injuring at least two people.

The rockets and mortars landed west of Baalbek in the areas of al-Sharawneh, al-Basatine and Iaat, leaving three children injured, and damaging a house owned by Kamal Ramadan, Lebanon’s As-Safir daily reported.

The National News Agency said however that 11 rockets had landed on the city’s outskirts. It did not say whether there were casualties in the attack.

Another three rockets that hit Hezbollah bastion Baalbek landed in the city center, a security source told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that several other missiles landed in areas near the city.

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Time: Why Would Assad Want to Use Chemical Weapons At All?

Al Ahed news

The British Time Magazine, in its issue published on Thursday, believed that Syrian President Bashar Assad has no interest in using chemical weapons whether on insurgents or civilians.

“It would seem logical that President Bashar Assad would try to avoid provoking the West into agreeing on a coordinated assault against his forces,” the magazine reported.

“Why would Assad want to use them [chemical weapons] at all? Chemical weapons, at least in small quantities, would seem redundant in the conflict, since Assad’s jets have effectively pummeled rebel areas for more than two years, inflicting crippling losses,” it added.

Moreover, the article issued stressed that Syria’s closest international ally Russia is a prominent signatory to the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, and therefore there is no sense that President Assad would resort to such drastic measures.

“Russia was the country which had the most impact on Assad in terms of whether he would use chemical weapons or not,” the Time quoted Dina Esfandiary, research associate in the nonproliferation and disarmament program at London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), as saying.

“Assad would seem to have little gain by deploying them now, especially at a time when his forces are gaining ground. Perhaps because it makes little obvious sense, US and British officials seem reluctant to rush to judgment, especially since false information about Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction led the US and Britain to invade Iraq in 2003. In fact, Saddam had none,” the reporter mentioned.

The article further argued that under the terms of the international Chemical Weapons Convention, there is no legal obligation for the world to intervene to stop their use, and therefore any foreign intervention, whatever the type, is unsolicited.

Hawkish US Senator McCain met with infamous kidnapper in Syria

Hawkish US Senator John McCain (C) poses with infamous kidnapper in Syria, Mohamed Nour (seen with his hand on his chest and holding a camera)

Press TV

A new report has revealed that, in his recent trip to Syria, hawkish US Senator John McCain met with an infamous terrorist who has been involved in the abduction of a group of Lebanese pilgrims.

Eleven – pilgrims were abducted by the militants in Azaz town in the Syrian province of Aleppo in May 2012.

Two of the abductees, who were later freed, recognized the militant that had been involved in their abduction after photos of McCain posing with the abductor were released.

According to the two released captives, Anwar Ibrahim and Hussein Ali Omar, and the family members of the other nine abductees – who remain in the custody of the militants – McCain was photographed standing next to one of the kidnappers, namely Mohammad Nour.

In the photographs released by McCain’s office, Nour is seen holding a camera and wearing a blue shirt.

Following the identification of the kidnapper, McCain’s office claimed that the US senator had been unaware of the identity of the individual he was meeting with.

According to McCain’s spokesman Brian Rogers, the American politician had entered Syria through Turkey in order to visit the top commander of the foreign-backed militants, Brigadier General Salim Idris.

Speaking to Press TV, Dr. Mohammad Marandi, a professor of American Studies at the University of Tehran, pointed out, “One must be too naive to believe that McCain was unaware of the identities of the people he was due to meet.”

The political analyst stressed that the claim by McCain’s spokesman is completely unbelievable as the American senator, who has been openly supporting the militants and the Takfiri groups operating in Syria, must have normally ascertained the identities of every single individual he was planning to meet with.

McCain has never minced his words in calling for US support for the terrorists and the Takfiri militants – who accuse most Islamic sects of being infidels – in Syria.

On May 25, the US senator said that Washington would “take [Syrian President Bashar] Assad’s air power out” if the upcoming Geneva conference on Syria failed…

Syria-Lebanon: Terrorists fire more rockets on Hermel, seven wounded

Al Manar

Seven people were injured on Tuesday in a cross-border rocket attack carried out by militant mercenaries in Syria against the Lebanese northeastern town of Hermel, the state-run National News Agency reported.

NNA said nine rockets landed in Hermel and its outskirts a day after a teenage girl was killed in a similar incident.

On Monday, Loulou Awwad, 17, was martyred and another woman from the same family was wounded by rockets from the same source that targeted residential neighborhoods in Hermel.

The rockets also caused major material damage, the NNA said.

The targeted area lies just across from the Syrian town of Qusayr on the border with Lebanon, where Syrian army has been engaged in heavy clashes with terrorist takfiris seeking to topple the Syrian government, destabilize security in the region and spread panic among citizens.

Elnashra news website reported that residents in West Bekaa have heard the sound heavy thud of rockets landed in Hermel.

The Syrian Army launched on May 19 a large-scale operation to clear the area of terrorist gangs and liberate the citizens stuck there.

“Israel” pressures Scandinavian countries to enlist Hizbullah on terror list

AlAhed news

“Israel” is asking the United States and other Western countries to apply pressure on a group of Scandanavian countries to withdraw their objections to the inclusion of Hizbullah on the European Union’s list of terror organizations, according to a Monday-morning report by the Yisrael Hayom daily.

There has been significant progress in support of the “Israeli” demand in recent weeks but it has been stopped on account of an EU rule that all the decisions must be unanimous. Most of “Israel’s” pressure has been on Sweden and Denmark.

The newspaper noted that the “Israeli” foreign ministry believes the pressure is productive because of the explicit support of Hizbullah to the Asad regime.

Why aren’t Israeli F-16s over Beirut headline news?

by Moe Ali Nayel, The Electronic Intifada

Recently there has been a sound coming from the skies over Beirut triggering unpleasant recollections: the distant roar of Israeli fighter jets as one lies in bed at night.

This noise brings with it images and memories from the last war Israel waged on Lebanon, the 33-day war during the summer of 2006. Even as I write this from my office near the center of the city, the ominous rumbling of Israeli fighter jets, announcing their illegal incursions into Lebanese airspace, can be heard over the capital.

But this threatening behavior above Lebanon is non-existent, or so the Western media corporations would have us believe. While information-sharing web tools have broken the mainstream media’s monopoly over covering and analyzing world developments, there is still a long way to go. The Israeli politics of dispossession enjoy near unconditional support in the editorial rooms of New York, London and Paris, a bias still undetected by most of the Western audience they claim to serve.

On 25 April, these editors saw to it that one story dominated the front pages: reports of an alleged unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone, that flew from Lebanon to historic Palestine, with accompanying reportage and commentary treating information given by Israeli government and military sources as the definitive truth of the incident.

The Israeli Air Force said it shot down a UAV several miles off the coast of the northern city of Haifa after it entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon. Israel’s deputy defense minister Danny Danon accused Hizballah of sending the drone: “We’re talking about another attempt by Hizballah to send an unmanned drone into Israeli territory,” he told army radio (“Israel shoots down Lebanese drone,” DefenseNews, 25 April 2013).

Shortly after the Israeli announcement, Hizballah issued a statement denying this was the case (“Hezbollah denies responsibility for drone shot down by Israel,” Al-Akhbar English, 26 April 2013).

This is in contrast to October last year, when Israel said it had shot down a drone over the Negev (Naqab). In that case, Hizballah proudly claimed the drone as its own and celebrated this demonstration of its technological prowess (“Hezbollah admits launching drone over Israel,” BBC).

For its part, a spokesperson with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced after the Israeli statement on 25 April: “We learned from the media that the Israeli Air Force has shot down a drone and we’re investigating these reports.”

As part of its peacekeeping mandate, UNIFIL has radars along the coast to monitor Lebanon’s entire airspace, and a few hours later UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said the UN force could not confirm that a drone had flown from its area of operations in southern Lebanon (“Israel shoots down drone off Haifa, Hizbullah denies responsibility,” Naharnet, 25 April 2013).

Inconvenient facts

So Hizballah denied responsibility and the UNIFIL couldn’t confirm that a drone flew over south Lebanon into Israeli-controlled airspace, but far be it for these inconvenient facts to get in the way of a good story. This newest threat to Israel burned like wildfire across the pages of major Western media outlets like The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, France 24, The Daily Telegraph and the BBC, which dutifully reported the worries over Israel’s security being breached.

Poor Israel: one of the strongest armies in the world, sitting on a nuclear arsenal.

These news reports demonstrate the systematic bias of Western corporate media when it comes to Israel. While the reports all spoke of Hizballah’s violation of Israel’s “borders” and sovereignty and the threat this posed to Israeli civilians, none mentioned the daily Israeli violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and the threat this poses to Lebanese citizens. Without this, a reader might easily mistake the aggressor for the victim.

Then there was the one-sided sourcing of “facts” to back up the story and the rush to judgment. On 26 April — the day after the alleged drone was downed — the Israeli government itself began to shift its narrative to more ambiguous finger-pointing at Iran, rather than directly blaming Hizballah (“Israel points finger at Iran over drone from Lebanon,” The Daily Telegraph, 27 April 2013).

Meanwhile, a 8 May story in Lebanon’s daily As-Safir newspaper claims it was actually an Israeli drone that had been intercepted by resistance fighters en route to Lebanon.

According to unnamed sources close to Hizballah and Western diplomatic circles cited by the paper, when the Israeli Air Force noticed that its UAV was out of its control, it shot it down over the Mediterranean. This suggestion seems at least plausible when stacked next to the UNIFIL report and Hizballah’s denial.

But taking this into account or following up on it would have required understanding Arabic, which few foreign journalists do.

Daily terror

Israel inflicts different methods of terror on Lebanon daily: F-16s and F-15s stage mock raids and drones stalk our skies — all in violation of UN resolution 1701. Lebanese citizens are kidnapped near the border, Israeli landmines and cluster bombs continue to await their victims on Lebanese soil, not to mention the Israeli army’s continued occupation of parts of Lebanon.

While the UN occasionally condemns these acts of Israeli aggression, the fact that they continue unabated reminds us in Lebanon that accountability and international law end at our southern border. So too does objective journalism, it seems, given that in the past month Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace have heavily intensified, but none of this has made it into the Western press.

As a journalist, I’ve tried to pitch stories to mainstream media outlets on the constant Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty and have been lucky enough, from time to time, for an editor to bother to reply, if only to say that the story is irrelevant.

The adage goes that real journalism is publishing what someone else does not want printed; everything else is public relations. By publishing Israel’s claims as fact, and ignoring the reality on the ground in Lebanon and Palestine, mainstream journalists show how well practiced they are in the art of PR.

‘Sayyed Nasrallah: I promise you victory again’

(May 25 Memories : The People’s Proud Day of Liberation, click to read)

by Nour Rida, Alahednews

On 25 May 2013, Hizbullah held a central celebration in the village of Mashghara, West Lebanon.

Following the recitation of verses of the Holy Quran and some hymns rejoicing the celebration, Hizbullah’s Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah appeared via video-link to deliver his speech which thousands awaited.

His Eminence recalled the leaders of the Islamic Resistance, as well as the martyrs and the Mujahideen, assuring that if it were not for their effort and sacrifices, Lebanon would have never witnessed this liberation.

Salute to the Martyrs

“In these moments, we salute all the martyrs, their families, the wounded and the detainees who were freed from prison, as well as all our peoples who remained steadfast in their land and all the Lebanese, Palestinians, and Syrians who sacrificed for the sake of the army, the people and the Resistance, and made liberation possible on top of which are Sayyed Abbas Moussawi, Sheikh Ragheb Hareb, Martyr Imad Moghnieh and all the martyrs,” he said.

His Eminence also praised the Western Beqaa region and its people who have played a pivotal role in supporting the Resistance.

Resistance Day, according to Sayyed Nasrallah is a day of Divine mercy, where Allah supported the Resistance and poured his wrath on the Zionist occupier.

“The victorious day of May 25, 2000 must remain in our memories for years to come because it held sacrifices, hopes and dreams; it is a day that must not be forgotten and should be delivered to future generations,” Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted, stressing “It is the day when “Israel” exited the Gaza strip due to the Resistance’s efforts.”

However, he emphasized that we should not forget the Nakba and the Naksa of Palestine, these sad memories that have affected all Arabs and Muslims.

“We celebrate this day while facing a number of challenges and dangers, chiefly the “Israeli” threat since the 1948 Nakba and the Syrian developments, not to mention the emerging Takfiri groups,” he stated.

According to the Hizbullah Leader, “Israel” continues to execute its project in occupied Palestine while the International Community remains silent about its activities.

“Israel” Preparing for War, Lebanon Doing What?

Since the Divine victory of the 2006 war, the Zionist enemy has been training and holding maneuvers in its interior front, he stated.

“On Sunday, “Israel” has another maneuver planned in order to have a solid interior front; they even have a ministry for their interior front. They consider themselves ready for war on all levels,” Sayyed Nasrallah noted.

He went on to say that “Israel” threatens Lebanon with war, it is gathering its forces at the borders. It has been also attacking and bombing Syria.

“To Lebanon, “Israel” has been preparing for war and resolving gaps since 2006. What have we, in Lebanon, done to prepare for any possible aggression by “Israel”?” His Eminence questioned.

Sayyed Nasrallah iterated “We face a historic moment, there is no time for compliments. It is time for us to bear responsibilities.”

He further called for a strong well equipped army that can defend Lebanon, pointing out, “What have we done to strengthen the army since 2005? They claim there is no funding and that the United States is against arming our troops. This is because they are aware that the Lebanese army will fight in the same way as the Resistance does.”

Sayyed Nasrallah explained “No Arab army is allowed to be armed if their weapons are used against “Israel”. It is forbidden to sell arms to Syria, but tremendous arms are sold to many other countries only because they guarantee not to shoot even one bullet at “Israel”.

On the Lebanese civil file, Sayyed Nasrallah wondered “What has the state accomplished since 1948? Who is responsible? In Lebanon, there are no shelters, no safe accommodations. Is the Resistance also entitled to take care of the civil needs?”

Answering his question, he said, “Our infrastructure accomplishments in the South are solely due to personal efforts by Speaker Nabih Berri and not by the government.”

Sayyed Nasrallah noted that “Israel” arm its settlers living at the borders, builds settlements on its border with Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, recruits Jews from all over the world, offers them salaries and job opportunities, and gives them military training and weapons. He underscored “Meanwhile, the arms owned by our people on the border villages are considered illegal.”

Some Want Resistance, the Only Guarantee, Gone

Stressing the role of the Resistance, Sayyed Nasrallah elaborated, “Everything done in Lebanon to confront “Israeli” threats and attacks was established by the resistance, and I do not mean Hizbullah only, but everyone who made an effort.”

“Today, Lebanon owns a power that defeated “Israel” and drove it outside Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Sidon, Tyr, all the way to the borders, the Resistance confronted “Israeli” in July (2006 aggression), it has been training and “Israel” fears it whereas many in Lebanon are wondering how to get rid of it,” he added.
Moreover, Sayyed Nasrallah assured that no one has even thought of how to protect Lebanon from the “Israeli” threat, and that some people in Lebanon want the Resistance gone.

“If we put the Resistance under the control of the government, its power and authority will disappear. Our state cannot even protect people trying to have a funeral in Sidon, agree on an electoral law, or stop the conflict in Tripoli,” he accentuated.

Sayyed Nasrallah further called on all Lebanese to be aware since “Israel” is preparing to confront Lebanon.

“The Resistance will always defend you and you will always be able to hold your heads up high in victory. The resistance that defeated “Israel” cannot be disarmed as this cannot protect a country or deter its enemy,” he stressed, adding “listing Hizbullah on the lists of terror organizations is old news.”

Syria Events Crucial, Political Solution Required

On Syria, Sayyed Nasrallah noted that events in Syria are very crucial for Lebanon’s present and future.

“Since the beginning of Syria’s war we have said that Assad’s regime has its positives and negatives. Reform is required and the only way to reach this is through political dialogue,” His Eminence remarked.

Sayyed Nasrallah expressed, “We know very well what Syria means to the Resistance. I have contacted Assad and members of the opposition to reach a settlement. Assad accepted the suggestion whereas the opposition rejected it.”

According to Sayyed Nasrallah, “The events in the last few years have proved that there is an axis led by the US and supported by “Israel” while al-Qaeda and other Takfiri organizations from around the world were paid to take part in it.”

“Part of the Syrian opposition abroad has a vision and is ready to sit for dialogue, whereas others work under the Pentagon’s orders.”

US-Backed Takfiri Organizations Threat to All

Meanwhile, Takfiri groups dominate the Syrian Opposition on the ground and are ready to pay the price for any settlement in Syria,” according to Sayyed Nasrallah. He further elaborated, “Takfiri groups’ control over Syria and especially in border areas with Lebanon poses a great danger for the Lebanese Muslims as well as Christians.”

As for regional countries, these groups rejected many suggestions and settlements that were accepted by the Syrian regime because they do not want Assad’s regime.

The Takfiri mentality, Sayyed Nasrallah noted, killed much more Sunnis than other Muslim sects.

“What future do you expect in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine with the presence of these Takfiris?” His Eminence questioned.

“We do not evaluate matters from a Sunni or Shiite perspective, but from a perspective joining all Muslims and Christians together, since they are all threatened by this Takfiri plot financed by the US,” he emphasized.

Furthermore, Sayyed Nasrallah viewed that the Syrian crisis is an implementation of the American-”Israeli” scheme in the region.

“Syria is the resistance’s main supporter and the resistance cannot stand still and let [Takfiris] break its backbone. Since 1984, many thought that no one could change the regional equation, but we did. We believe our action to be a defense of Lebanon, Palestine and Syria,” he stated.

“If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the US, the resistance will be trapped and “Israel” will enter Lebanon. If Syria falls, the Palestinian cause will be lost,” he voiced.

We Promise You Victory Again

On a similar note, Sayyed Nasrallah noted that the Resistance’s stances subject it to wide media and political campaigns, whether it had fought in Syria or not, emphasizing, “being on terror lists is not new.”

“We actually take pride in the fact that Europe considers us as being able to change the regional equation,” he added.

Further adding on the defamation campaign launched against Hizbullah, Sayyed Nasrallah iterated, “No one can accuse us of being sectarian. Attempts to weaken our morale and will power will not succeed.”
Assuring that Hizbullah defends all just causes and defying it works on sectarian bases, he said “We have fought in Bosnia, in defense of whom? In defense of the Sunnis. There are no Shiites in Bosnia.”

Moreover, he stated “We do not force our youths to go fight in battles. We do not need to call for Jihad because by simply saying two words, thousands of Hizbullah members will be ready for battle.”
At the end of the speech, Sayyed Nasrallah concluded that “A new phase has begun to support and protect the Resistance and Lebanon and this is everyone’s responsibility.”

“Our dear and honorable people: we will continue this path, we will continue to sacrifice, and I reiterate what I had said in the first few days of the 2006 victory: As I have always promised you victory, I promise you victory again,” Sayyed Nasrallah concluded his speech, leaving the people chanting his name in loyalty.

‘What lies behind the battle for Qusair’: Opposition media lies and spreading strife

‘A handout photograph distributed by Syria’s national news agency SANA, on May 20,2013, shows a vehicle which it says is an Israeli military vehicle being used by rebel fighters in Qusair near Homs city.’ (Reuters / SANA)

by Nadezhda Kevorkova, RT

As the Syrian army and rebels fight for control of Qusair, it is necessary to realize why the town is strategically important and vital for Shias on both sides of the border, making it a military and media battleground.

There are far more elements surrounding the situation in Qusair than first meet the eye, RT’s Nadezhda Kevorkova reveals.

The army’s advance to Qusair is a key strategic operation. Qusair is near Homs, which is located on the road connecting Damascus with the Mediterranean seaport. And Qusair itself is the closest town to the Lebanese border. So taking control of it allows the forces to control the Lebanese border with the Shias living on both sides. There is an important high point between Qusair and the Lebanese village Al-Qasr. The Syrian army was forced to leave this area in the fall of 2012, so locals lost their protection. Opposition fighters took over the region and tried to chase out the Shias and take control of the high point – there were severe battles here in April 2013. (I was in Lebanon’s Al-Qasr at the time – the village came under heavy fire). But the rebels lost to the fighters from the Syrian People’s Committees. They were able to hold the high point.

Had the opposition forces won over this rather small and seemingly insignificant area, there would’ve been major consequences. The war would’ve spread to Lebanon, and Hezbollah would’ve been obligated to get involved. Jihadists would’ve been able to get into Syria from Lebanon and attack Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in the Beqaa Valley.

Opposition propaganda resources in major mass media and social networks have deployed a campaign in the Islamic world aimed at bolstering the idea that all the Shias are apostates – they are not Muslims, not native to these regions and are simply a tool that is used for proliferating Iranian policy across the Middle East. That is why jihad regards killing a Shia as noble. A number of propaganda resources that different sheikhs were using to broadcast anti-Shia sermons, were involved with the campaign.

Moreover, the mass media are thus instilling the minds of Muslims with the idea that all the Shias, including ordinary peasants, are Hezbollah militants, and Hezbollah, in its turn, is a supplement to the ‘dreadful thugs’ of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution.

Such an approach, which is used by the opposition and backed by the world’s major mass media, has a precise analogy.

The scorched-earth policy was first used in the region by the Irgun Jewish settlers in April 1948, when several Palestinian villages were wiped off the map (Deir Yassin is the most well-known). The goal was simple: the news about the massacre of 254 Palestinians – kids, women and old people would terrify all the rest so much, that they would run away voluntarily. The news about such unprecedented atrocities as, for instance, disembowelling pregnant women did strike terror into people: unarmed and unskilled in terms of war 740 thousand Palestinians fled from their home villages becoming refugees. Zionist ideologists still claim that the Palestinians are not native to Palestine and they were invited there as migrant workers, so they are either Bedouins, or nomads, or Gypsies from the Middle East who didn’t have any skills in agriculture and didn’t know how to farm.

This is also the reason that has been driving the mass-media campaign to discredit Hezbollah that has been accused of allegedly fighting against the Syrian people. Video footage and photographs of fallen Hezbollah fighters dating back to the 2006 Lebanon War have been circulated as “proof” that Hezbollah is involved in Syria and suffering losses. Back in 2006, 800 Hezbollah fighters put up resistance to the ground invasion of Lebanon by Israel, and these numbers were officially announced by the party leader Hasan Nasrallah.

I met with families that were forced to flee Syrian villages by the border. These were mostly large families who feared that their women, wives and daughters, would be raped by the opposition fighters and criminals that accompany them. Many also said that it was their strategy to intimidate the local population on purpose to have the houses vacated. Nonetheless many stayed and organized community defense volunteer squads to protect themselves from the rebel forces and mercenaries with arms in their hands.

The battle of Qusair has been of strategic importance, but not only that – Qusair is the only town, however small (with 50,000 people of population ) that had been given up by the government forces in the past – while the rest of the towns in Syria are under the government’s control. Mass-media that are telling their audience that the purpose of the battle of Qusair was “to regain control over the Mediterranean coast” and “re-deploy the government forces to Aleppo” are lying. The army is already in full control of the coast. Last Sunday, the army launched a massive offensive on all transit routes for weapons and supplies coming into the country.

As of today, Qusair is surrounded by the Syrian army, which is also in control of the downtown area. An escape corridor is being kept open for the fleeing population. The militants who fail to use it are contained in town’s quarters.

As for the losses, all the numbers cited are pure speculation and part of the propaganda attack on Syria. For example, the opposition initially reported online that they had killed “90 Hezbollah militants,” yet after a while changed the number to 30, and that’s in addition to the Syrian army’s losses of 20 soldiers reported by the army itself.

Armed groups In Syria continue shelling Hermel

Moqawama

At least five rockets from the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon landed in Hermel Saturday leaving no casualties.

According to information, one rocket fell near Hermel’s Public Hospital on the eastern entrance to the city while the other three hit a hill overlooking the Assi River, a few kilometers from Hermel.

Several rockets have targeted Hermel over the past few weeks.

Meanwhile, the National News Agency reported that Saturday missiles originating from the Syrian side did not score any casualties.

However, “the shelling left behind a prevailing atmosphere of anticipation and caution in the region.”

On April 14, the armed groups’ shelling led to the martyrdom of two Lebanese civilians.

Days ago, Hizbullah Secretary General of Hizbullah His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah urged the Lebanese citizens in the region to show self-restraint in face of the armed groups continuous shelling on their region.

S. Nasrallah: We support Syrian resistance, we’ll receive game-changing arms

Al Manar

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah declared readiness of Lebanese Resistance to receive any game-changing weapons the Syrian Arab Republic might offer, stressing that Resistance stands by the side of Syrian popular resistance until liberating the occupied Golan.

During a televised speech he delivered on the Al-Nour Radio silver jubilee ceremony held at Risalat Hall in Beirut on Thursday, Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized that Syrian leadership prove its strength of nerve and its wise leadership that oversees the battle with the Zionists through a strategic mind, pointing out that this defiant and resistant axis has made achievements and toppled a lot of colonial schemes through steadfastness and prudence.

“We – the Resistance – declare we are ready to receive any game-changing weapons, and we are ready to possess and protect them, and use them to defeat the aggression against our people, our land and our holy places,” his eminence said.

Hezbollah Secretary General made it clear that the true goal behind the latest Zionist raids against Syria was to harm its capabilities, to remove it from the conflict equation against the enemy, and to tell the Syrians that continuing to supply Resistance with military aid will lead to their regime downfall.

However, Sayyed Nasrallah noted that Syria responded to the Zionist aggression by foiling all its goals through its persistent support to the Lebanese Resistance and opening the door to popular resistance in its occupied territories of Golan.

“Tell me about a single Arab regime or state of the supporters of the Arab Spring who have dared to offer the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine a rocket or a single bullet,” Sayyed Nasrallah stated.

Reiterating that Syria has long been a conduit for Iranian weapons bound for Resistance in Lebanon, his eminence went on to say that “everyone knows what Syria has offered to resistance movements, especially in Lebanon and Palestine.”

“The same as Syria stood by Lebanon, we – the Resistance in Lebanon – declare that we will stand by the Syrian popular resistance that is aimed at liberating the Syrian Golan.”

Commenting on the Russian-U.S. talks on a political solution for the Syrian crisis, Sayyed Nasrallah said “it is shameful that the U.S. is being depicted as Syria’s savior,” stating that Arabs are climbing the debris of Syria giving the Americans what they want, due to their assumption that Iran is besieged.

Turning to the Palestinian cause, the priority of Sayyed Nasrallah’s speech, his eminence indicated that Arab regimes are dealing with the Palestinians as if they are a historical burden, which they wanted to get rid of since long time but they didn’t have the courage to do so.

“For those who want to preserve al-Aqsa Mosque and the Christian holy sites, and for those who want to bring back Jerusalem to the Palestinian people and to the Ummah, resistance is their only choice. The choice is neither the Arab League nor the U.N., the choice has always been the resistance,” Sayyed Nasrallah said.

“Today, the risks threatening the Palestinian cause are the land and the identity,” he added, stressing that recognizing the Jewish nature of the Occupied Land means the battle is over, and all what’s happening in the region is helping the enemy to grab chances after the extreme state of horror it lived during the Arab Spring and peoples’ awakening.

“Unfortunately we’re a nation that wastes a lot of chances,” his eminence stated.

“Palestinian people were aspiring that Arab Spring might make Arabs more adherent to their rights, but the scene of the Arab foreign ministers making a dangerous compromise, with the U.S. secretary of state sitting in the middle, indicates that the Palestinian cause is in danger,” he added.

“Unfortunately, there are people who believe that priority is somewhere else. It is not the Al-Aqsa Mosque, but it is how to drag Syria and Iraq into war, and how to push Lebanon into the abyss,” Hezbollah Secretary General said.

“Arabs are unwilling to pay for bread for the Sunni Muslims of Somalia dying of hunger or to aid the Syrian refugees in Lebanon or to give real support for the Jerusalemites to stay in their land, but they are willing to pay compensations for the Jews,” he was quoted as saying.

Sayyed Nasrallah expressed beliefs that what required from Arab regimes “is a formal Arab recognition – not only a Palestinian one – of the Jewish nature of State, which poses cultural, humanitarian, economic, security and demographic threats.”

Praising the Jordanian Parliamentary stance regarding its vote on relations with the Zionist entity, Sayyed Nasrallah told the Palestinians that they won’t find anyone to stand by their side other than those who have stood by them since years, noting that the Palestinians benefit from any serious efforts to achieve a political settlement in Syria and prevent its fall into the hands of the Takfiris, the Americans and the Zionists.

Touching on the Palestinian resistance factions, his eminence revealed that if a day to come when Palestinian brothers unfold what they whisper in private meetings, they will say that “no one offered support for us as offered by President Bashar al-Assad.”

Addressing the Lebanese internal affairs, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that national unity requires a real national partnership cabinet to be formed and the parliamentary elections to be held on time, reiterating Hezbollah’s commitment to the Orthodox Gathering proposal and the party’s refusal of political vacuum.

On the Lebanese pilgrims kidnapped in Syria’s Aazaz around a year ago, his eminence revealed that Hezbollah has done what should be done and things will take a positive course.

“Government must shoulder the rest of the file,” he added.

Also on the rockets fired by Syrian insurgents on Lebanon and landed in Hermel northern region, Sayyed Nasrallah vowed that the party will address the issue “and God willing there will be a solution.”

Thursday’s ceremony commemorated the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Hezbollah’s al-Nour radio station, which Sayyed Nasrallah said it has been committed to credibility and honesty along its course.

“According to our experience, honesty is the power point of any psychological war we fought against the enemy,” his eminence stated.

Thanking all workers at al-Nour for their steadfastness and faith, Sayyed Nasrallah said that the radio station was launched as part of the resistance course “with emerging experience, great hope for the future and self-confidence that we are capable of making victory.”

“The most serious dilemma faced by many of the world and Arab media is the lack of credibility, disinformation and fabrication of facts, as well as lying in politics, relations and news,” his eminence said, pointing at the true mission of media outlets in reporting news without inventing or fabricating stories.

“Media of Resistance was able to help the Nation to steadfast, to indicate the right and defend Resistance against accusations of terrorism and subordination,” he noted.

“Media of Resistance will keep on performing this Jihadi duty along with all Resistance facilities looking confidently to victory,” Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah vowed in his speech.