Lebanon Army shells militant positions, killing gunmen
The Lebanese Army says it killed a large number of gunmen after shelling militant positions on the outskirts of the...
Saturday, 20 September 2014
Terrorists seek Sunni-Shiite strife: Hariri
Terrorists seek Sunni-Shiite strife: Hariri
Militant groups holding Lebanese soldiers captive are seeking strife between Sunnis and Shiites in Lebanon, former...
Lebanese Parliament likely to convene in two weeks: MP
BEIRUT: Parliament is expected to convene soon to address pressing draft laws, Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan said Saturday, in an attempt to break the months long legislative deadlock.
“The secretary general of Parliament will convene next week to set the agenda for a Parliament session,” Adwan told reporters after meeting Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh.
He said he expected Parliament to convene a legislative session in two weeks after Prime Minister Tammam Salam returns from New York. Parliament will most likely discuss the issuing of eurobonds and a draft law to retroactively legalize extrabudgetary government spending since 2005.
Adwan also said he and Berri discussed efforts to amend items related to the parliamentary election deadlines in terms of the period in which the government should call for the poll and the creation of the election committee.
The Cabinet has not yet approved the decree calling for the formation of a election supervisory committee, which the government should create 90 days before the scheduled poll.
“The amendments would guarantee that no one submits a challenge to the election in case they took place,” he said, referring to disputes over a proposal to extend Parliament’s mandate once again in less than two years.
Adwan said lawmakers had made progress in the draft law to raise the salaries of public sector employees and teacher, a long-waited proposal that civil servants and teachers have been protesting for.
“The legislative session is to legislate pressing matters ... because we do not want to hold anyone hostage to the fact the absence of a president,” he said.
Lawmakers with the March 14 coalition and other Christian MPs have refused to attend legislative sessions that Berri had called for, arguing that the legislative branch should only convene for urgent matter in the absence of a president.
Texas Gubernatorial Candidates Go The Border To Court Voters
Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis shakes hands with state Attorney General Greg Abbott after their debate in the Rio Grande Valley on Friday. Gabe Hernandez/AP hide caption
itoggle caption Gabe Hernandez/AP
Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis shakes hands with state Attorney General Greg Abbott after their debate in the Rio Grande Valley on Friday.
Gabe Hernandez/AP
The candidates running for Texas governor, Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott and Democratic State Sen. Wendy Davis, held their first televised debate on Friday in heavily Hispanic South Texas, in the border county of Hidalgo in the Rio Grande Valley.
The county is 90 percent Hispanic. It was the first gubernatorial debate on the border since 1998.
Republicans have won every statewide office in Texas for 20 years, but the fast-growing Hispanic population tends to vote Democrat, and many Republicans believe their survival lies in recruiting Hispanic supporters.
Carlos Sanchez, editor of Hidalgo's largest newspaper, The Monitor, calls the event the Rio Grande Valley's debut.
"I think this election cycle is a demonstration that smart statewide candidates are taking the valley and Hispanic voters very seriously," Sanchez says.
The Davis-Abbott debate follows a summer in which Hidalgo County made national headlines. Thousands of undocumented children from Central America came over the border, filling detention centers. Gov. Rick Perry deployed 1,000 Texas National Guard troops to the border.
In their debate, Abbott and Davis both supported the surge in law enforcement, because Washington hadn't secured the border.
Then Davis called Abbott insensitive to the citizens here. She recalled a speech he gave linking border crime to "third-world corruption."
"Comments from my opponent calling this area third-world are inappropriate," Davis said. "They label a community."
"I made that statement about corruption across the state of Texas — not targeting the Rio Grande Valley," Abbot answered.
Abbott said he in fact feels a personal responsibility to root out anti-Hispanic rhetoric, because he has a personal stake in the community.
"I've been married into a Hispanic family for 33 years now," he said. "My wife and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary last month."
Abbott has made more than a dozen trips to the valley during his campaign, and broadcasts ads in Spanish. In a region with higher-than-average unemployment and many immigrants, though, Davis' backing of a higher minimum wage and drivers licenses for undocumented people have a welcome ring. Abbott opposes both.
Latino voters alone probably won't swing this governor's election, but candidates clearly believe they're an important part of winning.
At Friday's debate, Sanchez said he hopes the hoopla over the debate gets more valley residents to the polls.
"The notion they can show up and demonstrate that their political clout can be transferred through numbers is the most exciting thing that's happening in this auditorium tonight," he said.
What Happens In A 50-50 Senate? Even More Joe Biden
Vice President Biden laughs as he is introduced by DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., at the DNC Women's Leadership conference in Washington, Friday. At the event, Biden praised former GOP Sen. Bob Packwood, who resigned from the Senate in 1995 after allegations of sexual misconduct. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP hide caption
itoggle caption Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Vice President Biden laughs as he is introduced by DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., at the DNC Women's Leadership conference in Washington, Friday. At the event, Biden praised former GOP Sen. Bob Packwood, who resigned from the Senate in 1995 after allegations of sexual misconduct.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
If you didn't get enough Joe Biden this week — choose your favorite gaffe, " Bob Packwood reference — there's good news.
With Senate polling that shows toss-up races in as many as eight states, there's a decent chance that 2015 could showcase the vice president even more.
Because while the Senate could end up, say, 51-49 in favor of Democrats or 48-52 in favor of Republicans, it's equally likely right now that it will wind up exactly 50-50.
What that 50-50 split might mean for Washington gridlock is unclear — after all, it pretty much takes 60 votes in the Senate to move legislation that's the least bit controversial. The one thing it would definitely mean is a higher profile for the free-talking, Amtrak-riding Delawarean.
As we might recall from grade-school civics, the vice president of the United States also serves as president of the Senate, and is able to cast tie-breaking votes. From the standpoint of Senate process, this is obviously good for Democrats. It would keep them in control of the agenda and let them continue to approve President Obama's executive and judicial appointees.
But what about from the standpoint of Biden — particularly if he winds up running for president in 2016?
Well, there are pros and cons:
On the one hand, he would instantly have a more relevant role in government – he would be more a player, and less a sidekick. He would be able to cast votes on important legislation supporting the president's agenda. And as a more relevant player, even more of what he says will make the news.
The downside: His new role in government would be in the United States Senate, which is technically a part of Congress and highly unpopular. And as a more relevant player, well, more of what he says will indeed make the news.
White House Alarm: Man Jumps Fence, Enters Residence
A Secret Service police officer stands near an entrance to the White House complex during an evacuation, minutes after President Barack Obama departed Washington for Camp David aboard Marine One. A man scaled a fence and reached the residence last night. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption
itoggle caption Evan Vucci/AP
A Secret Service police officer stands near an entrance to the White House complex during an evacuation, minutes after President Barack Obama departed Washington for Camp David aboard Marine One. A man scaled a fence and reached the residence last night.
Evan Vucci/AP
The Secret Service is looking into how a Texas man was able to get inside one of the world's most secure buildings, after apprehending an intruder who had scaled a fence and opened a door to the White House last night. The man was not armed.
The agency says Omar J. Gonzales, 42, ignored warnings from security personnel and was apprehended at 7:20 p.m. Friday — but not before he entered the White House's North Portico doors. The incident, which took place shortly after sunset in Washington, sparked an evacuation and led agents to scramble around the property, some of them with guns drawn.
President Obama and his family were not at home when the security breach occurred.
"He and his daughters had departed from the South Lawn on Marine One just minutes before to head to Camp David in Maryland for the weekend," ABC News reports. The White House says that Michelle Obama traveled separately to Camp David.
Video of the scene shows the man running toward the residence as officers posted at the perimeter tell people to get back from the fence. Citing a Secret Service official, The Washington Post reports, "the official said that at least part of the reason that the man managed to get so far was that he did not appear to be armed or carrying anything. In addition, the official said, first family members were not inside."
After he was taken into custody, Gonzales was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
CBS News says the episode was immediately criticized:
"Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who chairs the House subpanel on national security oversight, called it 'totally unacceptable' but said the incident was just one of a string of security failings on the Secret Service's watch.
"'Unfortunately, they are failing to do their job,' Chaffetz said. 'These are good men and women, but the Secret Service leadership has a lot of questions to answer.'
"'Was the door open?' he added incredulously."
Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said the security breach is "not acceptable to us and it's going to be closely reviewed."
He said the review will include a check to be sure all agents followed their security protocols.
The AP reports:
"It was unclear whether any other fence-jumpers have ever made it into the White House, one of the most highly protected buildings in the world. But Friday's incident was just the latest setback for an elite agency whose reputation has suffered a succession of blows in recent years."
Lebanon to ask Turkey's help with hostage crisis
Lebanon's Arabic Press Digest - Sept. 20, 2014
The following are a selection of stories from Lebanese newspapers that may be of interest to Daily Star readers. The...
Father of slain soldier dies
SIDON: The father of soldier Ahmad al-Kharrat who was killed in a bomb attack on an Army vehicle died Saturday, the National News Agency said.
Relatives told The Daily Star that Hamadi Kharrat, who had been in a coma for a month, died Saturday morning, hours after the military handed over the body of his son who sustained fatal wounds to his head Friday.
A roadside bomb targeted an Army patrol unit, killing Kharrat, 37, and another soldier from north Lebanon, in the northeastern town of Arsal as they were headed to Wadi Hmeid.
Kharrat and his father will be buried during a joint funeral ceremony in the afternoon in their hometown of Sidon.
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Prime Minister: Lebanon's fate hinges on its unity
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s fate in the face of terrorism relies on the ability of the Lebanese to unite and rally behind the Army, Prime Minister Tammam Salam said Saturday.
“Our fate hinges on our unity,” Salam warned, after holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss the government's response to the ongoing hostage crisis. “We are in need of cooperation with each other and to be a single unified front and never give terrorists the chance to divide us.”
The prime minister called on the Lebanese to rally behind the government’s decision in supporting the Lebanese Army and the various security agencies in their battle against terrorism “in Arsal, outside of Arsal and on the border.”
“We sought to negotiate to secure the safety of our sons, but our numerous attempts to reach positive results had no effect and you saw what they did last night,” Salam told reporters, referring to the execution of soldier Mohammad Hammieh at the hands of Nusra Front. “If we were to negotiate and pave the way for these efforts, we cannot reactivate that while killing continues.”
“So long as the situation remains as such, our options are clear and it is to confront [terrorism] by uniting behind the Lebanese Army, its leaders and state institutions,” he said, in a veiled warning to both Nusra Front and ISIS who are holding at least 21 soldiers and policemen captured during last month’s battle with the Army.
Asked about the ongoing negotiations via the Qatari mediator, Salam said all options were on the table but the government “refuses to negotiate at the expense of the country’s dignity.”
The radical groups are demanding the release of Islamist detainees held in Roumieh Prison since 2007 without trial. While the government has rejected a swap deal, judicial authorities have vowed to speed up the trials and finalize the cases of some 92 detainees.
Lebanon Army shells militant positions, killing gunmen
Father of Lebanese soldier denies execution
The father of a Lebanese captured soldier who Nusra Front said it executed denied that his son was killed, saying...
Weekly Address: The World Is United in the Fight Against ISIL
President Barack Obama tapes the Weekly Address in Map Room of the White House, Sept. 19, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
In this week’s address, the President thanked Congress for its strong bipartisan support for efforts to train and equip Syrian opposition forces to fight ISIL. This plan is part of the President’s comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy to degrade and destroy the terrorist group, and does not commit our troops to fighting another ground war. America, working with a broad coalition of nations, will continue to train, equip, advise, and assist our partners in the region in the battle against ISIL.
In the coming week, the President will speak at the United Nations General Assembly and continue to lead the world against terror, a fight in which all countries have a stake.
Transcript | mp4 | mp3
Nusra releases video of Lebanese soldier's execution
BEIRUT: Nusra Front released Saturday a video allegedly showing the execution of a Lebanese soldier while threatening to kill a second one in retaliation to stalled negotiations with the government, according to Anadolu news agency.
The report said the video shows Mohammad Hammieh being shot in the head as another soldier, Ali al-Bazzal, asked his family to take action or he would be the second victim.
Nusra Front said that Hammieh was "the one who paid the price" for Hezbollah's attempts to obstruct negotiations as well as the Lebanese Army's arrest of "civilians and shelling of Qalamoun."
The statement, which was circulated on social media, also warned that the radical group was preparing to execute another soldier.
While Twitter accounts affiliated with Nusra reported the execution of Hammieh Friday evening, the soldier's father maintained that his son was still alive during a news conference Saturday.
"Figures in Arsal and security and government officials have told us that what had been circulating about the death of our son is untrue and that such claims were part of threats and intimidation," Maarouf Hammieh said in a news conference in his hometown, the Baalbek village of Taraya.
He said that Nusra Front claims that they had executed Mohammad Hammieh with gunfire had not yet been verified, holding the government fully responsible if the news was accurate.
"In case news of our son's death is true, I blame the government for his killing because they deliberately were slow in the negotiations and were not serious about them."
Following a bomb attack against Lebanese troops in Arsal that killed two soldiers, the military launched raids in search of gunmen with some media reports saying that some 200 people were arrested.
The Nusra Front first threatened to kill Hammieh Tuesday, saying that he might be the first “to pay the price” of failed negotiations with the Lebanese government and Hezbollah’s continued crackdown on Syrian refugees in Arsal and along the town’s borders.
The government has been engaged in indirect negotiations through a Qatari-sponsored mediation with militants over the release of the abducted security personnel.
Nusra Front and ISIS are both demanding the release of Islamist prisoners from Roumieh Prison in exchange for the Lebanese hostages. They are holding at least 22 soldiers and policemen captured during last month's clashes between radical militants and the Lebanese Army in the northeastern region of Arsal.
While Nusra has released seven policemen as a sign of goodwill, ISIS has beheaded two soldiers.
Jumblatt: Lebanese Army's terrorism battle requires political backing
Two rockets crash in Bekaa Valley
Two rockets crashed on the outskirts of the town of Labweh in the Bekaa Valey late Friday, according to Labweh Mayor...
Army arrests Lebanese man for involvement in Arsal clashes
Two rockets crash in Bekaa Valley
Two rockets crashed on the outskirts of the town of Labweh in the Bekaa Valey late Friday, according to Labweh Mayor...
World should support Lebanese Army to destroy ISIS: UN envoy
Israeli drone crashes in south Lebanon
An Israeli drone crashes in the southern town of Marjayoun near the border with the Jewish state, a security source...
Israeli drone crashes in south Lebanon
Israeli drone crashes in south Lebanon: Al-Manar
An Israeli drone crashes in the southern town of Marjayoun near the border with the Jewish state, a security source...
Father of Lebanese soldier denies execution
TARAYA, Lebanon: The father of a Lebanese captured soldier whom Nusra Front said it executed denied Saturday that his son had been killed, saying authorities had informed him otherwise.
"Figures in Arsal and security and government officials have told us that what had been circulating about the death of our son is untrue and that such claims were part of threats and intimidation," Maarouf Hammieh said in a news conference in his hometown, the Baalbek village of Taraya.
He said that Nusra Front claims that they had executed Mohammad Hammieh with gunfire had not yet been verified, holding the government fully responsible if the news was accurate.
"In case news of our son's death is true, I blame the government for his killing because they deliberately were slow in the negotiations and were not serious about them."
The distraught father, surrounded by dozens of his relatives and Taraya residents, also held Arsal Mayor Mustafa Hujeiri responsible for the death of his son.
Twitter accounts affiliated with Nusra Front said that Hammieh was "the one who paid the price" for Hezbollah's attempts to obstruct negotiations as well as the Lebanese Army's arrest of "civilians and shelling of Qalamoun."
The statements also warned that Nusra Front was preparing to execute another soldier.
Following a bomb attack against Lebanese troops in Arsal that killed two soldiers, the military launched raids in search of gunmen with some media reports saying that some 200 people were arrested.
The Nusra Front first threatened to kill Hammieh Tuesday, saying that he might be the first “to pay the price” of failed negotiations with the Lebanese government and Hezbollah’s continued crackdown on Syrian refugees in Arsal and along the town’s borders.
The government has been engaged in indirect negotiations through a Qatari-sponsored mediation with militants over the release of the abducted security personnel.
Nusra Front and ISIS are both demanding the release of Islamist prisoners from Roumieh Prison in exchange for the Lebanese hostages. They are holding at least 22 soldiers and policemen captured during last month's clashes between radical militants and the Lebanese Army in the northeastern region of Arsal.
While Nusra has released seven policemen as a sign of goodwill, ISIS has beheaded two soldiers.
Lebanon's Arabic Press Digest - Sept. 20, 2014
The following are a selection of stories from Lebanese newspapers that may be of interest to Daily Star readers. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
An-Nahar
Three martyrs in Arsal. Salam to ask for Security Council meeting
An-Nahar has learned that the Qatari mediator who has been in Lebanon since Friday was shocked to realize that Nusra Front and ISIS were fighting alongside each other on the field but competing over demands to release the captured soldiers. A new regional conflict between some parties surfaced in recent days and affected the situation in Arsal.
The Army is implementing the political decision by the Cabinet to isolate Arsal from its highlands while militants want to keep the routes to Arsal open. The militants have also used resources and fuel to maintain their military operations at the expense of the refugees and Arsal residents.
Prime Minister Tammam Salam is expected to ask the U.N. Security Council to convene to discuss developments in Arsal following yesterday's bombing and militants on the border. The move comes 48 hours before Salam is scheduled to travel to New York to take part in the annual General Assembly meeting to discuss the refugee crisis in Lebanon.
Al-Mustaqbal
Bogdanov to Al-Mustaqbal: We reactivated the Russian grant and are ready to arm
Security sources said that the Arsal explosion targeting the Army occurred near a gas station and that the attack was in response to steps the military had taken to impose a military cordon on the outskirts, which is a safe haven for militants.
Following the attack, the Army launched raids in the Arsal region and arrested 200 people, including gunmen suspected of fighting against the Army during last month's clashes.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Al-Mustaqbal that Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk's visit to Moscow was successful, hoping to better develop a cooperation to arm the military and security forces.
Al-Joumhouria
The Army in the terror trap once again, mobilizations to control the street
A security source confirmed the killing of a soldier by Nusra Front and expected more soldiers to have a similar fate soon.
Al-Joumhouria has learned that all military, security and party efforts were mobilized last night to control the street and prevent any reactions. Relatives of the slain soldier blocked the airport road with burning tires and other Lebanese blocked streets across the country in solidarity with the family.
Another source said that yesterday's attack on the Army was dangerous because it occurred inside Arsal and not on the outskirts or in hot spots.
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