Mariam Bassam from NEW TV: You always keep your promises. Today you vowed having the hand cut. Were you obliged to break your word i.e you’ve promised that the arms of the Resistance aren’t to be used internally; will we see the resistance fighters, who have been at the front, in the internal alleys? If you are going to defend the arms militarily, what kind of home will remain, will
Alalam reports: BAGHDAD, May 10–The movement of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said Saturday it had reached an agreement with Iraqi officials to end weeks of fighting in Baghdad. Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi, the spokesman for the cleric’s office in the central shrine city of Najaf, said the deal reached with a government delegation would be effective from Sunday. “This agreement will be executed from tomorrow. The Sadr movement has agreed to
According to Press TV: Situation in the southern port city of Sidon– where two people were killed in the clashes – is now normal and Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party has surrendered its offices in Alia and Shweifat to the army.
by Mohamad Shmaysani for al-Manar The former head of Israel’s intelligence Aaron Zeevi Farkash said that he had warned Washington against relying on its allies in Lebanon. “We advised the CIA not to rely on Walid Jumblatt or Saad Hariri because we tested them in 2006 and they proved helpless in the face of Hezbollah.” In an interview with Filkka-Israel site on the internet, Zeevi stressed “Israel has given Lebanese
The Washington Pravda (a.k.a. the Washington Post) just published an article entitled “Fighting in Beirut Threatens a Top Bush Administration Priority”. Carefully wrapped into a lot of Neocon bull, there are some interesting admissions in this piece. Judge for yourself: (Pravda text in italics) On the eve of his trip to the Middle East next week, President Bush faces the collapse of one of his three top priorities in the
(original photos contributed to this blog by Abdul Latif Fawaz from Beirut) Press TV reports: Fresh clashes have reportedly erupted between supporters of rival political camps in Lebanon after a brief lull on Friday evening. Fierce armed clashes broke out between supporters of the Lebanese government and the opposition in the neighborhoods of al-Jadida, Kornish al-Mazra and Cola Bridge. Gunmen also attacked the residence of Omar Karami, the former Lebanese
Press TV reports: Al-Qaeda has reportedly called on its operatives to go to Lebanon and defend what it called the “Sunni community of the country”. The report came while some Arab media outlets described the current clashes in Lebanon as a fight between Sunni and Shia communities. In an interviews with Sunni clerics with links to Saad Hariri’s pro-government bloc, Al-Arabiya TV network described the ongoing clashes as a sectarian
Excerpt of the press conference held by the Secretary General of Hezbollah Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah The content of this press conference which we are holding for the first time after July 2006 is for sure about the latest, crucial and dangerous developments taking place in the Lebanese arena. In the beginning, I have to say after the decisions of the authority group on that dark night that a new phase
(AFP) Convoys of gunmen firing celebratory shots into the air and flashing the victory sign took to the streets on Friday after the Hezbollah-led opposition seized control of west Beirut following fierce firefights with Sunni pro-government supporters. Motorcycles, jeeps and cars crammed with militants hanging out of the windows roamed otherwise deserted streets of the Lebanese capital, wildly firing machine guns. Many gunmen also posed for each other, taking photographs
Here is a photo from the website YaLiban (a pro-government website). In a section devoted to pictures from the fighting in Lebanon they also posted this photo with the following caption: A Nation of Opposites: A lingerie fashion show taking place on Wednesday in Dbayeh, north of Beirut. Yeah, you could call that a “Nation of opposites” I suppose… (I am not kidding you – check on the original website!)
I have just listened to the BBC news about the events in Lebanon. I was baffled to see that it did not even pretend to report objectively about the events in Beirut. Basically, it was “open mike” for the supporters of Siniora, Hariri, Jumblatt and the rest of the CIA stooges. If that is how the BBC presents the events I can’t even begin to imagine what the “idiot box”
U.S.-backed security forces protect government buildings but avoid street clashes. “The situation is chaotic,” says one official. By Raed Rafei and Borzou Daragahi for the Los Angeles Times BEIRUT — The Shiite militia Hezbollah today handily took over much of the capital in a dramatic escalation of the months-long confrontation with the Western-backed government, security officials said. As Hezbollah swept through West Beirut, Lebanon’s security forces, which received more than
Press TV reports: The Lebanese army has taken control of the pro-government Future TV station and al-Mostaqbal newspaper as radio al-Sharq has gone off air. The TV station is owned by Saad al-Hariri, leader of Lebanon’s Western-backed ruling coalition. Amid ongoing clashes in Beirut, some 800 gunmen affiliated to Hariri’s al-Mostaqbal (Future) Movement surrendered to the army last night. The opposition has reportedly taken full control of key neighborhoods of
AFP via al-Manar: The Lebanese National Opposition announced western Beirut under its control, according to AFP. Calm has prevailed in most areas in the Lebanese capital Beirut, after the latest incidents saw the mercenaries of the Mustakbal militia flee from most neighborhoods. Residents as well as National Opposition loyalists forced Mustakabal gunmen to lay down their arms and surrender. From the Watwat area to Zaydaniyeh, Tamer Mallat neighborhood, Tallet al-Khayyat,
Alalam news reports that General Aoun said in a televised speech on Thursday: “I place all the blame on the government.” Aoun voiced support for comments earlier made by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah that the political divide had a “political rather than a sectarian dimension to it.” Nasrallah warned on Thursday that a Lebanese government crackdown on his group was tantamount to a “declaration of war” on behalf of
Hizbullah secretary general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said during a press conference Thursday that Lebanon has entered a new phase of its political crisis and warned that a government crackdown on his party was tantamount to a “declaration of war.” Nasrallah stressed that Hizbullah was ready to return to dialogue, linking talks to a government back-track regarding measures taken Tuesday. The eruption of violence is immediately rooted in a Cabinet decision
According to a Press TV correspondent in Lebanon, opposition forces have now taken full control of west Beirut. Opposition forces have stormed the Ras al-Naba area which is a key stronghold of the western-backed ruling coalition. They have detained gunmen loyal to the government and handed them over to the Lebanese army. Reports also say guards have now fled the offices belonging to coalition leader Saad al-Hariri’s Future Group. Informed
Think Progress Thursday, May 8, 2008 In a Fox News interview this afternoon, former UN Ambassador John Bolton discussed his desire to bomb camps inside Iran that are reportedly training and arming Shiite insurgents who fight in Iraq. Fox host Martha McCallum asked, “Can you imagine a scenario where President Bush would do that before the end of his term?” Bolton responded, “I think so, definitely.” He added later, “This
