Sunday, 25 January 2015

Mawlawi fled camp to join jihadis on border: report


Lebanon in the heart of new Saudi King: Berri


Lebanon will remain in the heart of Saudi King Salman, Speaker Nabih Berri quoted the new ruler of the Saudi Arabia as...



Lebanon in the heart of new Saudi King: Berri


Lebanon in the heart of new Saudi King: Berri


Lebanon will remain in the heart of Saudi King Salman, Speaker Nabih Berri quoted the new ruler of the Saudi Arabia as...



Police officer gunned down in north Lebanon


Police officer gunned down in north Lebanon


A police officer was found shot dead in his car outside his home in the northern Zghorta village of Miryata early...



Ras Baalbek stands united against ISIS


RAS BAALBEK, Lebanon: The streets of Ras Baalbek, in northeast Lebanon, were eerily calm, intercepted at times by the sounds of the Lebanese Army’s military vehicles cruising by, the four-by-fours of Hezbollah’s Resistance Brigades not far behind. Most residents had opted to stay indoors while clashes ensued over the weekend between the military and Islamist militants in the town’s outskirts. Some of the elderly, as well as business owners, had gathered around the village square. Those who ventured outdoors after the altercation denied the quiet of Ras Baalbek’s streets was due to fear.


Elie Mourad, a teacher from the town, says residents are not afraid of ISIS or the Nusra Front, whose members are believed to be hiding in caves just beyond the town, which borders Syria. Instead, he said, they are ready to fight them.


“The residents are strong because they trust the Lebanese Army’s ability to thwart the terrorists and prevent them from gaining control of any part of Lebanese territory, including our village,” Mourad said.


The Syria-based militants, mostly ISIS members, launched a surprise attack on the Army’s military post in Tallet al-Hamra early morning Friday, prompting clashes that endured for over 16 hours. The militants briefly overran the post, but the Army was able to regain control after calling for reinforcements.


The attack posed a serious threat to the village of Ras Baalbek, which lies a mere 5 kilometers from the post. The fighting left eight Lebanese soldiers killed and wounded at least 22. There are believed to be around 40 militants positioned in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek.


On a given day, there are about 1,500-2,000 people in Ras Baalbek. The majority of the town’s total population of 7,000 live in Beirut. Mourad said few return home during the weekends, while others only visit during the summer months.


He added that the role of the Resistance Brigades – a group of Ras Baalbek youth trained by Hezbollah – was to monitor the entrances to Ras Baalbek to prevent suspicious individuals from entering.


Mourad does not believe that ISIS was targeting Ras Baalbek for its predominately Christian population; rather he believes the strategic location of the town would help the militant group gain the one thing it needs the most: a foothold.


Mourad’s father, Shehadeh, in his 80s, supports this view.


Shehadeh said Tallet al-Hamra and the surrounding valleys act as a natural passage between Lebanon and Syria. He added that decades earlier, shepherds would use the route to transport their herd from the Syrian desert to the mountains of Kesrouan. It became the principal smuggling route when the town still had a Syrian military presence.


Shehadeh said that whoever controls Tallet al-Hamra controls this vital route into Lebanon. The area also connects Ras Baalbek’s outskirts to those of Arsal and Al-Qaa.


The elderly man also said the militants were attracted to the relatively good living standards enjoyed by the residents of Ras Baalbek. If infiltrated, ISIS and Nusra could hypothetically seize cars, property and money from residents, he said.


Baalbek MP Walid Sukkarieh said he believed the militants were not seeking to control the town, but rather the steep hill on which Tallet al-Hamra is perched. The small number of militants who attempted to overrun the post during the battles was evidence of this strategic aim, he added.


Sukkarieh, a retired Army general, speculated the raid might even have been a reaction to the Interior-Ministry-backed decision to raid Roumieh Prison’s Block B earlier this month.


He raised the question of how the government could conduct negotiations with the militant groups, which are still holding 25 Lebanese servicemen captive following clashes in Arsal in August, while they seek to undermine Lebanon’s stability by attacking its soldiers.


But while the majority of Ras Baalbek’s residents expressed a willingness to fight the militants, not all here live without fear. Marie Barakat, a housewife, said she has had enough and wants to leave Lebanon as a result of the precarious security situation.


“I’m losing the passion I had for this country and I’m preparing to immigrate with my four children and husband to Canada where my sister lives,” she said, while leaving the local church.


“I see the pictures and watch the videos of what ISIS does, the killing, beheading and holding women captive. Isn’t this what they will do if they enter this village?”


These concerns were echoed by a high-ranking member of the Resistance Brigades.


Introducing himself as Tanious, he said that the Brigades were helping to guard and defend Ras Baalbek by taking night shifts to protect the eastern side of the village, all under the supervision of Hezbollah.


“If we didn’t carry weapons, wouldn’t we have the same fate as the Christians of Iraq and Syria?” he asked.


Tanious said he joined the Brigades last summer when jihadis began positioning themselves by the village outskirts and kidnapping residents for ransom, in particular quarry workers.


He added Hezbollah was a natural ally for the Christians of Lebanon after ISIS became a common enemy.


Ras Baalbek’s Mayor Hisham al-Arja said the extremist militants had wanted to overrun the town, adding that locals had the right to carry weapons to protect themselves against another attack.


Arja conveyed the relief of residents after the Army summoned its airborne regiment and reinforcements. He also said that residents had not left their village during the clashes, and many of village’s Beirut residents returned home over the weekend to check on their belongings.



Ras Baalbek stands united against ISIS


RAS BAALBEK, Lebanon: The streets of Ras Baalbek, in northeast Lebanon, were eerily calm, intercepted at times by the sounds of the Lebanese Army’s military vehicles cruising by, the four-by-fours of Hezbollah’s Resistance Brigades not far behind. Most residents had opted to stay indoors while clashes ensued over the weekend between the military and Islamist militants in the town’s outskirts. Some of the elderly, as well as business owners, had gathered around the village square. Those who ventured outdoors after the altercation denied the quiet of Ras Baalbek’s streets was due to fear.


Elie Mourad, a teacher from the town, says residents are not afraid of ISIS or the Nusra Front, whose members are believed to be hiding in caves just beyond the town, which borders Syria. Instead, he said, they are ready to fight them.


“The residents are strong because they trust the Lebanese Army’s ability to thwart the terrorists and prevent them from gaining control of any part of Lebanese territory, including our village,” Mourad said.


The Syria-based militants, mostly ISIS members, launched a surprise attack on the Army’s military post in Tallet al-Hamra early morning Friday, prompting clashes that endured for over 16 hours. The militants briefly overran the post, but the Army was able to regain control after calling for reinforcements.


The attack posed a serious threat to the village of Ras Baalbek, which lies a mere 5 kilometers from the post. The fighting left eight Lebanese soldiers killed and wounded at least 22. There are believed to be around 40 militants positioned in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek.


On a given day, there are about 1,500-2,000 people in Ras Baalbek. The majority of the town’s total population of 7,000 live in Beirut. Mourad said few return home during the weekends, while others only visit during the summer months.


He added that the role of the Resistance Brigades – a group of Ras Baalbek youth trained by Hezbollah – was to monitor the entrances to Ras Baalbek to prevent suspicious individuals from entering.


Mourad does not believe that ISIS was targeting Ras Baalbek for its predominately Christian population; rather he believes the strategic location of the town would help the militant group gain the one thing it needs the most: a foothold.


Mourad’s father, Shehadeh, in his 80s, supports this view.


Shehadeh said Tallet al-Hamra and the surrounding valleys act as a natural passage between Lebanon and Syria. He added that decades earlier, shepherds would use the route to transport their herd from the Syrian desert to the mountains of Kesrouan. It became the principal smuggling route when the town still had a Syrian military presence.


Shehadeh said that whoever controls Tallet al-Hamra controls this vital route into Lebanon. The area also connects Ras Baalbek’s outskirts to those of Arsal and Al-Qaa.


The elderly man also said the militants were attracted to the relatively good living standards enjoyed by the residents of Ras Baalbek. If infiltrated, ISIS and Nusra could hypothetically seize cars, property and money from residents, he said.


Baalbek MP Walid Sukkarieh said he believed the militants were not seeking to control the town, but rather the steep hill on which Tallet al-Hamra is perched. The small number of militants who attempted to overrun the post during the battles was evidence of this strategic aim, he added.


Sukkarieh, a retired Army general, speculated the raid might even have been a reaction to the Interior-Ministry-backed decision to raid Roumieh Prison’s Block B earlier this month.


He raised the question of how the government could conduct negotiations with the militant groups, which are still holding 25 Lebanese servicemen captive following clashes in Arsal in August, while they seek to undermine Lebanon’s stability by attacking its soldiers.


But while the majority of Ras Baalbek’s residents expressed a willingness to fight the militants, not all here live without fear. Marie Barakat, a housewife, said she has had enough and wants to leave Lebanon as a result of the precarious security situation.


“I’m losing the passion I had for this country and I’m preparing to immigrate with my four children and husband to Canada where my sister lives,” she said, while leaving the local church.


“I see the pictures and watch the videos of what ISIS does, the killing, beheading and holding women captive. Isn’t this what they will do if they enter this village?”


These concerns were echoed by a high-ranking member of the Resistance Brigades.


Introducing himself as Tanious, he said that the Brigades were helping to guard and defend Ras Baalbek by taking night shifts to protect the eastern side of the village, all under the supervision of Hezbollah.


“If we didn’t carry weapons, wouldn’t we have the same fate as the Christians of Iraq and Syria?” he asked.


Tanious said he joined the Brigades last summer when jihadis began positioning themselves by the village outskirts and kidnapping residents for ransom, in particular quarry workers.


He added Hezbollah was a natural ally for the Christians of Lebanon after ISIS became a common enemy.


Ras Baalbek’s Mayor Hisham al-Arja said the extremist militants had wanted to overrun the town, adding that locals had the right to carry weapons to protect themselves against another attack.


Arja conveyed the relief of residents after the Army summoned its airborne regiment and reinforcements. He also said that residents had not left their village during the clashes, and many of village’s Beirut residents returned home over the weekend to check on their belongings.



Ras Baalbek fighting part of militants’ major battle against Army


Last week’s fierce clashes between the Lebanese Army and Syria-based jihadis near Lebanon’s eastern frontier with Syria were part of the militants’ major battle against the military, a senior ministerial source said.


Eight soldiers, including an officer, were killed and at least 22 others were wounded in the clashes that erupted last Friday after the militants briefly overran an Army post in Tallet al-Hamra on the outskirts of the village of Ras Baalbek near the eastern border with Syria. More than 40 militants were discovered on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek, most of whom were killed in Army airstrikes on their vehicle convoy.


Referring to the Army’s war against terrorism, the source said: “The battles being fought by the military establishment [against terrorism] have produced three results. First, the need to bolster the Army with modern arms and necessary equipment to enable it to continue the battle against terrorism. This was manifested with the arrival of a quick shipment of sophisticated arms [to the Army] in the wake of the Ras Baalbek battle.”


“Second, the Ras Baalbek battle is part of the major battle for which the gunmen have been preparing. Security agencies have information that those [militants] have brought reinforcements into the outskirts of the eastern mountain range [near the border with Syria] after bringing in more gunmen from Syria’s Qalamoun region,” the source told The Daily Star.


“Third, creating a collective political environment for the Army’s action, which can be secured with the launch of dialogue among the Lebanese parties, be it through the intra-Christian dialogue or the intra-Muslim dialogue,” he added.


However, parliamentary sources in the March 14 coalition have a different assessment. According to these sources, boosting the country’s immunity against the threat of terrorism begins with removing pretexts used by terrorist organizations to attack military posts and residential areas.


“On top of these pretexts is Hezbollah’s fighting in Syria, holding the presidential election in order for the state to restore its head, and the expansion of the mandate of [U.N. Security Council] Resolution 1701 [in south Lebanon] to cover the eastern border [with Syria],” a parliamentary source said.


“This can ensure a protective shield in the face of the terrorists’ schemes aimed, among many other goals, at securing a safe haven inside the Lebanese arena,” the source added.


The ministerial source ruled out the election of a new president before March, three months before the June deadline for Iran and Western powers to reach a comprehensive agreement over Tehran’s nuclear program.


The White House’s announcement that there is a 50 percent chance of reaching an accord with Iran over its nuclear program, and the meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Davos, Switzerland, two days ago, signaled a sort of flexibility in the relations between the two countries that might reflect positively on the conflicts in the region.


Contrary to the negative attitudes declared by the American and Iranian sides indicating that differences still hinder a nuclear deal, an agreement between the two sides has to some extent been reached, but promoting it is encountering French, Saudi and Israeli objections, in addition to objections by the Republican Party, which won the midterm elections in the U.S. Congress, the source said.


He added that the meetings held in Paris with the participation of Kerry and Zarif, which came a day after their talks in Geneva, focused on overcoming the French objections over the Iranian nuclear issue, which are less complicated than the Israeli, Saudi and Republican objections.


According to information available to the ministerial source, the ongoing U.S.-Iranian dialogue goes beyond the nuclear issue to discussing a package of solutions to regional conflicts, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Bahrain.


This dialogue is focused on the limits of Iran’s role in the region and the roles of other countries, especially since Washington had promised its Arab and regional allies that any agreement to be reached with Tehran would take into account their vital interests in the first place, the source said.


He added that Washington would sooner or later be able to convince its allies who oppose an agreement with Iran to accept this agreement as long as they cannot afford to disobey it for long.


“Therefore, the dialogue between the Future Movement and Hezbollah, which is emanating from these regional and international developments, is intended to create a fertile ground to benefit from any regional agreement and invest it in internal efforts aimed at setting the Lebanese house in order, starting with the election of a new president,” the source said.



Lebanese Army bolsters positions in country’s east


BEIRUT: Lebanese Army troops reinforced their positions in east Lebanon Sunday to repulse new possible attacks by Syria-based jihadis as the military vowed to eradicate terrorism from Lebanon.


Separately, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut issued “a security message” over the weekend warning its citizens against traveling to Lebanon. According to the embassy’s Information Officer Geraldine Gassam, the statement sent to U.S. citizens stemmed from recent reports of alleged targets by suicide bombers in Lebanon. She said the message was not to be considered a travel advisory but instead “a security message.”


The Army’s pledge came two days after eight soldiers, including an officer, were killed and 22 others were wounded in fierce clashes with ISIS militants on the outskirts of the village of Ras Baalbek near Lebanon’s eastern frontier with Syria.


“We are fully confident of our capability to eradicate the phenomenon of terrorism from our national map no matter how long the road is and regardless of blood and sacrifices,” officers said in speeches during memorial ceremonies held for three of the slain eight soldiers in their hometowns.


“We are the people of this land, as in the past, present and in the future. Our prime duty is to defend it and safeguard its unity, sovereignty and independence,” the officers said, representing Defense Minister Samir Moqbel and Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi at the mourning ceremonies held for slain soldiers Ahmad Dana, 27, in the town of Saadnayel in the Bekaa; Hasan Wehbe, 24, in the town of Niha in Baalbek; and Army recruit Mujtaba Amhaz, 22, in the town of Hadath, south of Beirut.


Referring to militants who have attacked Army outposts, the officers said: “As for terrorists, they are gangs of strange mercenaries who have no cause, no religion, no identity and no affiliation. We are the sons of right and truth. They are the sons of wrong, illusion and the unknown. Anyone who is armed with right is inevitably destined for victory.”


More than 40 militants were discovered on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek, most of whom were killed in Army airstrikes on their vehicle convoy. The fighting erupted after ISIS militants attacked and briefly overran an Army post in Talet al-Hamra on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek. Friday’s was the most serious attack since ISIS and Nusra Front militants fought a five-day fierce battle with the Army in the northeastern town of Arsal in August. The two militant groups still hold 25 soldiers and policemen hostage on Arsal’s outskirts after capturing more than 37 during the Arsal fighting. Four have been killed, while some others have been released.


Security sources said the Army would reinforce its strategic outpost in Talet al-Hamra with the military’s airborne regiment in order to forestall any attacks by the militants.


The outpost, overlooking an area 2 kilometers deep into the Ras Baalbek outskirts, will become a strategic point to monitor the movements of militants entrenched on the rugged outskirts bordering Syria, the sources said.


There was a strong Army presence in the Ras Baalbek area Sunday. Soldiers, backed by the military’s airborne regiment, fanned out over the hills surrounding the outpost.


As part of its crackdown on terror cells, the Army said Sunday it had arrested 17 Syrians over suspected terror activities and illegal entry into Lebanon.


Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri praised the Army’s heroism in its battle against “terrorist extremist groups.”


“I call on all the Lebanese to unite and rally behind the Lebanese Army and security forces so that they can fulfill their duties and face the attacks that Lebanon is subjected to,” Hariri said in a statement Saturday.


Five soldiers, including an officer, killed in the Ras Baalbek fighting were laid to rest Saturday in their hometowns in the Bekaa, the north and the south after they were mourned by their families and Army colleagues.


First Lt. Ahmad Mahmoud Tabikh, 28, in a Lebanese-draped coffin, was buried in his hometown of Douris in Baalbek.


In addition to Tabikh, the Army announced the deaths of Sgt. Mohammad Niazi Nasreddine, 32; soldier Bilal Khodor Ahmad, 29; soldier Mohammad Ali Alaaeddine, 20; and soldier Hasan Ramadan Deeb, 23.


Speaking at memorial ceremonies for the five soldiers, an Army officer praised the victims who died in the battle against terrorism.


“The martyrdom of our hero comrades is a shining landmark in our open battle against terrorism,” he said. “This battle will have to be decided eventually in favor of the Army and Lebanon.”


U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag expressed “grave concern” over Friday’s attack on the Army. “The special coordinator lauded the efforts of the Lebanese Armed Forces to protect Lebanon’s borders and said the U.N. would continue to fully support Lebanon to maintain stability and security in the country,” said a statement released Sunday by Kaag’s office.



Saudi policy toward Lebanon unchanged


BEIRUT: Saudi Arabia’s policy toward Lebanon will not change under King Salman, both Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri confirmed over the weekend.


“There is no sign or cause to think that Saudi Arabia will change its policies toward Lebanon as the kingdom holds all the respect and appreciation to Lebanon and the Lebanese people,” Salam told his visitors Sunday.


Salam, Speaker Nabih Berri and a large delegation of ministers and MPs joined hundreds of world leaders and dignitaries in Riyadh to offer their condolences for the passing away of King Abdullah.


Salam said Saudi Arabia was a strong supporter of Lebanon’s security and stability and has made generous contributions in that realm, notably by granting the Lebanese Army $3 billion toward the purchase of equipment from France to buttress the capabilities of the military.


In the summer of 2014, King Abdullah granted another $1 billion to the Army and all other Lebanese security services to boost their capabilities in their fight against terrorism.


Lebanese Army commander Jean Kahwagi flew to Riyadh Sunday to pay his respects.


Also, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt traveled to Riyadh Sunday to pay condolences, heading a PSP delegation that included his son Taymour.


Salam said Saudi Arabia was a solid and strong state which plays a key role in Lebanon and the region.


“Saudi Arabia’s role is present and ongoing,” he added. “We wish King Salman all the best and our relationship with the [new] Saudi leadership is solid and continuous.”


In addition to the official Lebanese delegation, and upon the invitation of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a large delegation made of Lebanese MPs, politicians, Islamic and Christian religious leaders, businessmen and journalists traveled to Riyadh Saturday to offer their condolences for the passing of King Abdullah.


The delegation included among others former President Michel Sleiman, former President Amine Gemayel, former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Deputy Speaker Farid Makari, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and his wife MP Strida Geagea.


According to a statement issued by Hariri’s media office, the members of the delegation and Hariri headed to the Royal Court, where they offered their condolences to King Salman and to the Crown Prince Muqrin and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef.


Hariri met during the condolences with Berri and Salam. He also shook hands with a number of heads of Arab and foreign delegations, including the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates Prime Minister and Dubai Governor Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum, and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.


The delegation later visited Hariri at his residence in Riyadh where he held a dinner in their honor. Discussions tackled the political situation in Lebanon and the region, according to the statement.


Echoing Salam, Asiri, who received condolences over the weekend from hundreds of Lebanese at the Mohammad al-Amine Mosque in Downtown Beirut after the death of King Abdullah, said Riyadh’s policy toward Lebanon would not change and support would continue with the new rule.


The ambassador told a local radio station Sunday that the late King Abdullah had “sensed the threat to Lebanon” and believed that only its people and its Army could preserve the country.


“This belief led him to pledge $3 billion to the Lebanese Army that when implemented would make it one of the strongest armies in the region,” the ambassador said.


Saudi Arabia and France signed a $3 billion grant last November aimed at further equipping the Lebanese Army for its fight with jihadis in the north and along its border with war-torn Syria.


King Abdullah passed away late Friday at the age of 90 and was succeeded by his half-brother Salman.


Kahwagi, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt and U.S. Ambassador David Hale were among those who paid their respects over the king’s passing at the Mohammad al-Amin Mosque Sunday.



Mawlawi has left Ain al-Hilweh, Palestinian factions confirm


SIDON, Lebanon: Sheikh Jamal Khattab, spiritual leader of Islamist factions in Sidon’s Ain al-Hilweh, said Sunday that terror suspect and wanted fugitive Shadi Mawlawi had left the camp, providing the first official confirmation of the news after it emerged over the weekend.


“Mawlawi’s case is a political one,” Khattab said during a protest of the families of Palestinian prisoners in Roumieh Prison in front of the camp’s Joint Security Forces headquarters. “[The case] was resolved in the north [Tripoli] and in the same way in Ain al-Hilweh camp.”


It is not yet known how and from where he left Ain al-Hilweh, but according to rumors circulating in the camp, he was on his own – i.e. not with his partner in crime Osama Mansour, the location of whom remains unknown.


Mawlawi’s exit from Ain al-Hilweh is believed to have happened at the same time that negotiations were taking place over the weekend between Lebanese officials and factions from the camp over how to extricate him from his hiding place, according to a Palestinian source who has been following the talks.


There will not be an official announcement about Mawlawi’s departure from groups in the camp, one source said. Instead, the fugitive is expected to issue a statement, a voice recording or even a video from outside of Ain al-Hilweh.


A statement purporting to be from Shabab al-Muslim, an Islamist group with particularly strong ties to Mawlawi, that was distributed in Ain al-Hilweh Saturday called on Mawlawi and Mansour to quickly provide proof they are outside the camp so as to defuse tensions and anger directed at the Palestinians over the matter. It is not clear why Mansour was mentioned in the flyer.


According to a security source in the camp, Mawlawi’s suspected residence in Ain al-Hilweh was calm Sunday, leading the majority of Palestinian officials in the camp to suspect he had left. “There are no lights in the house, and there are no gunmen gathered around it,” the source said.


Not all Palestinian factions were willing to confirm Mawlawi’s absence, however.


The Islamist group Osbat al-Ansar said it would not make an official statement on the issue until it had factual proof he was no longer in the camp, and warned of the possibility Mawlawi might have moved from one area in the camp to another.


Mawlawi fled Tripoli after the Lebanese Army cracked down on Islamist militants in the northern city in October.


He was wanted for his alleged links to the perpetrators of a Jan. 10 double suicide bombing in Jabal Mohsen district killed at least nine people and wounded more than 30.


He was also wanted in connection to a series of suicide bombing plots that were foiled by the Army.


Ain al-Hilweh, the largest of Lebanon’s 12 Palestinian refugee camps, was being closely monitored following the attack on Jabal Mohsen, and his presence there was confirmed after he was found to be connected to the bombers.


The news comes two days after Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of the Fatah Movement’s Central Committee, held talks with Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk detailing the readiness of the Palestinian factions to cooperate with Lebanese authorities in finding a peaceful solution to the problem of fugitive criminals being sheltered in the camp.


Talks on the issue are being led by a mini-committee that was formed by the Higher Palestinian Security Committee – which polices the entire camp, and also involve representatives of the Islamist factions there.


It appears that the Palestinian factions, led by the Islamist groups, succeeded in convincing Shabab al-Muslim of the need for Mawlawi to go in order to avoid a large security crackdown by the Lebanese Army.



Will We See Veto Battle On Capitol Hill?



Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.





With President Obama promising to vetoes, what are the possibilities of a few veto overrides during the next two years? NPR's Arun Rath puts that questions to the National Journal's Fawn Johnson.




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Bill Nye Has Spoken: Bill Belichick's Deflategate Story 'Didn't Make Any Sense'


We've turned to Bill Nye for everything from macabre bowtie stories to how to teach evolution to tweens, and now the renowned Science Guy has weighed in on the latest physics-related controversy dominating the news cycle: During a recent appearance on Good Morning America, Nye responded to Bill Billicheck's claim that rubbing footballs down affects their air pressure. That science, according to Nye, "doesn't make any sense."


"By rubbing the football you can't really change the pressure," he went on. "To change the pressure, you need one of these, an inflation needle."


Concluded Nye: "Go Seahawks!"


[H/T: SB Nation]



Tripoli market restoration bears fruit


TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The once embattled Souq al-Khoudar market in Bab al-Tabbaneh reclaimed its bustle Sunday, after rehabilitation efforts revived the stores and infrastructure destroyed by the latest rounds of clashes in the northern city.


A month ago, the Tripoli market was a tattered narrow strip. The walls were punctuated with bullet holes and craters, and the doors of stores were wooden shards on the street.


After just 35 days of renovation - made possible by donations amounting to $80,000, mostly from the U.S. Agency for International Development - Souq al-Khoudar, which in English translates to "the Vegetable Market,” has witnessed a fruitful revival.


Merchants have set up stands outside their shops, displaying a myriad of fresh fruits and vegetables. The walls in each of the stores have been replaced with white stone, and the market's roof has been completely restored.


Customers filled up the narrow street, gathering around the stands to peruse the assorted produce.


Elias Khalat, the general coordinator for The Gathering of Civil Campaigns Against Violence in Tripoli, an NGO that was overseeing the restoration, told The Daily Star that “the neighborhood was a warring area during the clashes and the damages [to the market] were great.”


“Today when you enter the market you see it in new light. Everything in it has changed,” he added.


Khaled Shakhsheer, who was also overseeing the market's restoration, said that the condition of the market after the clashes was “frightening.”


The coordinated efforts between NGOs and area's residents have led to Souq al-Khoudar's swift revival, he added.



A GOP Weekend, Courtesy Of The Koch Network And Citizens United



Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, leaves the stage after speaking at the Iowa Freedom Summit on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.i i



Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, leaves the stage after speaking at the Iowa Freedom Summit on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall/AP hide caption



itoggle caption Charlie Neibergall/AP

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, leaves the stage after speaking at the Iowa Freedom Summit on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.



Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, leaves the stage after speaking at the Iowa Freedom Summit on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.


Charlie Neibergall/AP


Republican presidential hopefuls are turning out this weekend for two big events, but just one of them, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, plans to be at both.


Cruz is among seven possible contenders who spoke Saturday at the Iowa Freedom Summit, cosponsored by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) and the group Citizens United. Sunday night, Cruz is scheduled to join two possible primary rivals, Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., at a semi-annual conference of the Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce.


Freedom Partners is a central part of the powerful conservative network assembled by billionaires David and Charles Koch.


Cruz, Rubio and Paul are to appear Sunday in a "national policy forum" moderated by ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl. The discussion is to be livestreamed to news organizations, although not to the general public. The conference runs through the weekend, providing well-heeled donors in the Koch network a chance to get acquainted with likely candidates.


The livestreaming marks the first break in barring reporters from covering the conferences. But in recent years, the conferences have been beset by leaked documents and surreptitious audio recordings. Last June, someone recorded Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, then running for re-election, saying the day the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law was signed was "the worst day of my life." Another audio clip, in which Iowa Republican Joni Ernst praised the Koch network, was used in an attack ad in her Senate bid, which she won.


There are indications that the Koch network may engage in the GOP presidential primary — a step it's previously avoided taking. As a measure of the network's clout, the Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks political advertising, estimates that in the 2014 midterm elections, four Koch groups ran more than 12,000 TV ads, at a cost exceeding $25 million. The groups were the business association Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, the superPAC Freedom Partners Action Fund, and the social welfare groups Americans for Prosperity and Concerned Veterans for America.



UN coordinator Kaag expresses ‘grave concern’ over Ras Baalbek attack



BEIRUT: The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag Sunday condemned a weekend ambush that killed eight Lebanon soldiers and injured almost two dozen.


According to a statement published Sunday, Kaag expressed her “grave concern” over the attack on the Lebanese Army Friday and extended her condolences to the families of the victims, the Army and the government.


The special coordinator lauded the efforts of the Army in protecting Lebanon's borders and said that the United Nations would continue to fully support Lebanon in maintaining stability and security.


The statement comes two days after militants briefly overran the Tallet al-Hamra post in an early-morning ambush Friday.


Eight Lebanese soldiers were killed and at least 22 were wounded as the Army fought for more than 16 hours Friday, using heavy artillery and helicopter gunships to ward off the attack. The military announced later in the day that it had retaken control of the area as it pounded militant gatherings and roads they were using to retreat further into the outskirts.


More than 40 militants were discovered in the rugged outskirts of Ras Baalbek, most of whom were killed in Army airstrikes on a vehicle convoy.



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Lebanese Army arrests 17 Syrians over terrorism, illegal entry



BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army arrested 17 Syrian nationals over suspected terror activities and illegal entry into Lebanon according to statement released Sunday.


The Army statement said that 12 of the Syrians were arrested under suspicion of forming a terrorist organization following a raid in the Al-Marj district of the Bekaa.


A further five were arrested over entering Lebanon illegally, the statement added.


All suspects were referred to the relevant authorities.



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Lebanon’s Tawaji stuns on France’s The Voice


BEIRUT: Prominent Lebanese singer Hiba Tawaji’s dazzling debut Saturday on the French version of The Voice granted her a standing ovation from all four judges, who showered the performer with praise.


Tawaji, who shot to fame after collaborating with renowned composer Oussama Rahbani in 2007, hushed the crowd after starting her audition with a sultry performance of Michel Legrand’s Les moulins de mon cÅ“ur (The Windmills of my Heart).


Judges Mika and Zazie shot up to their feet and pressed the buzzer the moment the Lebanese signer shifted in to a melodious Arabic rendition of the song. Not long after the other two judges followed suit.


The singer capped her performance by holding a twenty-second long falsetto note that brought all four judges to their feet.


“I’m blushing because you are a great singer,” Mika, who is coincidentally of Lebanese origin, told the singer. The judge lauded the contestant for an “audacious” performance that defied the conventional approach to Arabic music.


Zazie hailed the singer for her style and technique, while Jennifer said: "We want to hear from you again and again, and it's too much."


After being showered in praise by all four judges, the Lebanese singer chose to stick close to home and went with Mika as her mentor. The famous mastermind behind songs like “Relax,” was the most vocal of all the judges in his praise for Tawaji, acknowledging that he had followed her progress on the Lebanese music scene for years.


Tawaji is widely known in Lebanon for her sultry voice and has three albums produced by Rahbani: the most recent album was released in 2014 titled “Ya Habibi.”


Support for the singer surfaced across the country with #HibaIsTheVoice trending on Twitter over the weekend.


Tawaji surfaced in 2007 when she collaborated with Rahbani on several songs. She also showcased her acting skills during an acclaimed musical play in 2011 "Don Quixote," by Marwan, Ghadi and Oussama Rahbani.


Tawaji is not the first Lebanese to audition for The Voice in France. Aline Lahhoud auditioned for the third season in 2014 and won the judges over with her rendition of Lebanese song “Khdne Maak.” Lahhoud, the daughter of prominent singer Salwa al-Katrib, was eliminated in the second round.


Before Lahhoud, Anthony Touma, a French-born Lebanese, also auditioned for the show and progressed far.



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Israel tracked Iranian general via cellphone


An Iranian general killed by an Israeli airstrike on the Syrian Golan Heights last week was targeted because he kept...



Israel tracked Iranian general via cellphone


BEIRUT: An Iranian general killed by an Israeli airstrike on the Syrian Golan Heights last week was targeted because he kept his cellphone on - allowing Israeli intelligence to track his whereabouts, Al-Joumhouria reported.


The report published by Al-Joumhouria newspaper Saturday, quoted diplomatic sources as saying that investigations carried out by Hezbollah concluded that Brig. Gen. Mohammad Ali-Allah Dadi had kept his phone on in an area monitored intensively by Israeli intelligence.


The success of the Israeli operation, according to the report, was attributed to the fact that Dadi had kept his phone on while traveling from the outskirts of Damascus to join the Hezbollah convoy in the Syrian town of Qunaitra, allowing Israeli forces to determine his whereabouts.


The attack came days after building began on a joint operations room for Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah officers to manage a unit in the area, Al-Joumhouria reported.


The Israeli strike last Sunday on the convoy in Qunaitra in the Golan Heights killed the general, along with six Hezbollah members, including the son of the late Hezbollah commander Imad Mughnieh. A Lebanese security source told The Daily Star that two Syrian fighters affiliated with Hezbollah were also killed in the strike.


Iranian officials have vowed to strike back at Israel over the attack.


“These martyrdoms proved the need to stick with jihad and provided another indication about the nearing collapse of the Zionist entity. The Zionists must await ruinous thunderbolts after their crime in Qunaitra,” Gen. Mohammad Ali Jaafari, commander of the Revolutionary Guard, was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency Tuesday.


Israel has not officially confirmed it carried out the strike.



Palestinian factions claim Mawlawi no longer in Ain al-Hilweh


BEIRUT: The majority of Palestinian factions in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp Sunday claimed that one of Lebanon’s most wanted Islamist fugitives had left the south Lebanon camp over the weekend.


According to security sources in the camp, the calm presiding over the suspected residence of Islamist fugitive Shadi Mawlawi in Ain al-Hilweh has led the majority of Palestinian officials in the camp to conclude that he vacated the area early Saturday morning. “There is no light in the house, and there are no gunmen gathered around it,” the source said.


Not all Palestinian factions however, were willing to confirm Mawlawi’s absence. The Islamic group Osbat al-Ansar has said that it would not announce Mawlawi’s withdrawal from the camp until it had factual confirmation that he was no longer in Ain al-Hilweh.


Osbat al-Ansar officials have warned of the possibility of Mawlawi moving from one area in the camp to another - offering an alternative explanation as to why his alleged residence has been vacated.


Mawlawi, who fled Tripoli after the Lebanese Army cracked down on Islamist militants in the northern city in October, was wanted for his links to the Jan. 10 double suicide bombing in the Jabal Mohsen district that killed at least nine people and wounded more than 30 others. He was also wanted in connection to a series of suicide bombing attempts that have been foiled by the Army.


Ain al-Hilweh, the largest of Lebanon’s 12 Palestinian refugee camps, was being closely monitored following the bombings in Tripoli.


News of Mawlawi’s exit from Ain al-Hilweh comes two days after Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of the Fatah Movement’s Central Committee, held talks with Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk detailing the readiness of the Palestinian factions to cooperate with Lebanese authorities in finding a peaceful solution to the problem of fugitives being sheltered in the camp.


Islamist groups in Ain al-Hilweh asked their representatives Friday to contact militants, who reportedly know the whereabouts of Mawlawi, to convince the fugitive to discreetly leave the camp in order to avert a military clash with the Lebanese Army stationed at the camp’s entrances, the sources said.


Although the response to the Islamist groups’ demand was only partially positive, sources Friday had said it may bear fruit, with Mawlawi potentially leaving the camp in the next few hours in the same manner he had entered it.