Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for October 10/12
Turkey warns Syria, Homs hammered by army
In shifting Syria conflict, Assad assumes command of forces
Opposition to set up inside Syria 'in days'
Official: Pentagon team in Jordan for Syria crisis
Israel air traffic 'briefly halted over unidentified object'
Anti-Islam film producer headed back to court
Netanyahu’s dilemma: Campaigning on a security ticket when Iran calls the shots
Iran rulers eye currency mess from protected perch
Iran minister shrugs off tougher sanctions
UN chief says sanctions affecting Iranians
Khamenei: Iran can overcome 'barbaric' sanctions
US to help Jordan deal with Syria refugees
Marten Youssef Says Tueni Case May Fall within STL Jurisdiction as Berri Slams Campaign against Hizbullah
Tehran, Hezbollah aiding Yemeni Huthi rebels to manufacture missiles - Source
Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Oct. 10, 2012
FSA threatens to take fight to Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut
March 14: Revelations in Tueni's Assassination Should Not Be Treated as Another WikiLeaks Report
Mustaqbal Rejects FSA Threat against Dahiyeh, Urges Probe into Death of Hizbullah Members
400 Syrians Flee Qusayr Bloodshed for Lebanon
Siniora Urges for an Initiative to Stop Hizbullah from Slipping into Syria's Conflict
Lebanon's teachers, public sector strike over pay raise bill
Judge interrogates Samaha over audio recordings
Siniora calls on Hezbollah to stay out of Syria
Concealed drugs bound for Arab country seized in east Lebanon
Aoun says he backed 1960 poll rules as one-time law
Hariri, Geagea in full agreement at Saudi meet
Hariri Holds 'Positive' Talks with Geagea in Jeddah
Tueni family sues Syrian officers implicated in MP’s murder
HRW: Lebanon Must Punish Army Attacks on Migrants

Marten Youssef Says Tueni Case May Fall within STL Jurisdiction as Berri Slams Campaign against Hizbullah
Naharnet/ 10 October 2012/Spokesman for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Marten Youssef stated that certain conditions need to be met in order for the assassination of MP Gebran Tueni to be added to the cases tackled by the tribunal, reported An Nahar daily on Wednesday. He told the daily that the date of the assassination falls within the timeframe of the crimes that may be addressed by the STL.
In order for the tribunal to be allowed access to the case, he said that tribunal Prosecutor Norman Farrell must present to Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen the sufficient evidence on the matter.
The pre-trial judge would then determine whether Tueni's case is in fact linked to the February 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, added Youssef. Should the conditions be met, then Fransen would request Lebanese authorities to refer Tueni's case to the STL, but until then it will remain in their hands, said the tribunal spokesman. Journalist, MP, and chairman of the board of directors of An Nahar newspaper Tueni was assassinated on December 12, 2005. On Saturday al-Arabiya television broadcast a report with a document alleging that Syria and Hizbullah intelligence were linked to the crime. The party on Sunday issued a statement denying the report and accusing the March 14 camp of taking advantage of the “baseless accusations fabricated by the Saudi network Al-Arabiya and attributed to Syrian opposition activists, including those related to the assassination of MP Gebran Tueni.”
Attorney for the Tueni family MP Butros Harb demanded on Tuesday that the case be referred to the STL, revealing that a lawsuit had been filed against the Syrian officials linked to the crime and mentioned in the document. MP Nayla Tueni, the late lawmaker's daughter, had written an article in An Nahar on October 8, requesting that Hizbullah clarify or deny its position on al-Arabiya's report, renewing her commitment to the STL. She also said on Tuesday that her family is not seeking to politicize her father's murder, stressing that it is only seeking the truth.
“The positive thing about Hizbullah's statement on the affair is its announcement that it is awaiting the results of the investigation,” she noted. Speaker Nabih Berri, meanwhile, praised to An Nahar on Wednesday Tueni's position, questioning however the media campaign against Hizbullah. “The party stated that it is awaiting the results of the investigation, but some side are unfortunately seeking to exploit the issue and others to achieve various goals,” he said. “It seems that such a campaign is directed against a national and central party in Lebanon. The AMAL movement and Free Patriotic Movement may be next,” he noted. “The current phase in Lebanon requires us to steer away from such campaigns because the country is in need of national unity,” he explained.

Tehran, Hezbollah aiding Yemeni Huthi rebels to manufacture missiles - Source
10/10/2012/By Mohammed Jameh
London, Asharq Al-Awsat – Well-informed Yemeni sources have confirmed that Yemeni authorities halted and seized a cargo ship travelling from Iran carrying suspected military equipment at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah on Saturday. The source revealed that the Iranian military hardware on this cargo ship included equipment to manufacture missiles and ammunition, and that ultimately the objective was to transport and reassemble this equipment to establish a secret arms factory in the mountainous Saada border province of Yemen, which is controlled by the Shiite Huthi rebels.
Asharq Al-Awsat spoke to Yemeni political and security sources, who confirmed that the Iranian ship had been halted in the port of Hodeidah earlier this week. The Yemeni sources, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, revealed that “the ship was headed to the port of Hodeidah in north-west Yemen, however it was stopped and boarded and the military equipment was discovered.”
As for where this equipment was headed, the Yemeni military source revealed that “the objective of this military equipment, which was seized last Saturday in Hodeidah, was for this to be transferred to establish a factory to manufacture short-range missiles and deploy these in mountainous regions of the Saada governorate that are controlled by the Huthi rebels, which is close to the port of Hodeidah.”
The source confirmed that “the Huthis are manufacturing short-range missiles to increase their [military] capabilities, with the help of Hezbollah experts and technicians.”
The Yemeni political and military sources also confirmed that “over the past period, Hezbollah experts have aided the Huthi rebels to manufacture and assemble some missiles in assembly workshops in the mountainous regions" adding "these experts have trained some Yemenis on how to assemble [missiles].”
As for the objective of deploying short-range missiles in northern Yemen, the sources said “it is likely that Tehran believes that there is an impending Israeli or American military strike [on Iran], and it wants to store these missiles close to the Yemeni shoreline to use them to attack international power lines in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea”
Yemeni security sources previously revealed that Tehran has been attempting to utilize Yemeni territory as a “way-station” to manufacture and store missiles and arms. This was revealed following investigations into “espionage rings” working for Tehran uncovered by the Yemeni security authorities.
A high-ranking Yemeni security source, speaking to CNN, revealed that Tehran had planned to establish a secret weapons factory in Yemen. The source added that he had personally seen equipment that could be used to manufacture and assemble missiles and ammunition.
For his part, during his recent visit to Washington, Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi announced that Tehran was providing support to some political and armed movements in Yemen, as well as recruiting clandestine espionage rings. The Yemeni Ministry of Defense revealed that Yemeni authorities had recently uncovered and dismantled a spy ring, including Iranian citizens who had entered the country posing as investors looking to set up a factory. Reports claimed that Iranian, Syrian and Yemeni nationals had been arrested. Sources also revealed that Iranian citizens had begun importing illegal "military" equipment through the port of Aden that could be used to make missiles and other weapons. Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Hadi has accused Tehran of “supporting some armed and political movements in Yemen”, adding that “five spy networks working for Iran have been discovered and referred to justice, whilst a sixth network was recently dismantled.” The Yemeni President also accused Tehran of attempting to “derail the political process in Yemen”, and even backing factions of Yemen’s separatist Southern Movement which is seeking to secede from Yemen by force of arms.
For its part, Iran strenuously denied the accusations, summoning the Yemeni ambassador to Tehran and handing him an official letter of protest, describing the Yemeni president’s accusations as “baseless.”

Siniora Urges for an Initiative to Stop Hizbullah from Slipping into Syria's Conflict
Naharnet /10 October 2012/Head of the Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc Fouad Siniora urged religious and political figures to take an initiative and stop Hizbullah from sliding into the armed conflict fanning out in Syria, the state-run National News agency said Wednesday. Siniora held separate meetings with President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Sheikh Abdul Amir Kabalan, acting chairman of Lebanon's Highest Shiite Council, Former Parliament Speaker Hussein Husseini and other figures where discussions touched on the latest developments in Lebanon. Head of the Al-Mustaqbal bloc highlighted the possible dangers that could be inflicted on Lebanon if Hizbullah continued to slip into the military conflict in Syria. He called on the religious and political figures to exert all possible efforts in that regard. He said: “Stemming from the inter Lebanese-Chritian-Muslim partnership I ask you to take an initiative and move hand in hand to stop Hizbullah from involving Lebanon, the Arabs and Muslims in the conflict in Syria. “I am sure that Hizbullah and the Shiite community have wise leaders who refuse this military involvement that could drive Lebanon to the abyss. Let the Syrian people handle their own problems,” he said. Moreover Siniora reiterated the stance of his bloc denouncing Syrian breaches against Lebanon's north and east borders. He also denounced the threats of some Syrian rebels warning to target the southern suburb of Beirut over assumptions that Hizbullah is participating in the ongoing fight against the Syrian regime.

What Is Israel’s ‘Red Line’?
By P. David Hornik /October 10, 2012 /Frontpage
Why, in his speech to the UN General Assembly late last month, did Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu push back the crunch time for Iran’s nuclear program to next spring or summer? The extended deadline came as a surprise considering that Netanyahu and his defense minister Ehud Barak had been saying for almost a year that time was running out fast, and implying that 2012 was the year of decision.
Since Netanyahu’s speech it has been variously claimed that he pushed back the deadline because of successful sabotage of Iran’s Fordo enrichment plant; because of too much opposition to a strike in the Israeli cabinet and top brass; or because Netanyahu expected Barack Obama to win on November 6 and saw improving relations with him as Israel’s cardinal strategic interest at the moment.
On Tuesday Amos Harel, defense analyst of Haaretz, offered still another take on the matter. Iran, he said, has been diverting enough of its enriched uranium for scientific purposes—specifically, making fuel rods for producing medical isotopes—that it won’t have enough bomb-grade uranium for another eight months.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s report in August had already said Iran was diverting enriched uranium for that other purpose. Now, says Harel, “defense sources” have further information to confirm that. If so, why would Iran be slowing down its bomb program? Harel says it’s “an attempt to reduce international pressure”—thereby allowing Netanyahu and Israel to breathe a tad easier for now.
Typically, though, another report appearing on the same day puts Iran much closer to the finish line—though with a catch. Washington’s Institute for Science and International Security now says Iran could have enough material for a bomb in two to four months—definitely sooner than Netanyahu’s spring deadline.
And if the centrifuges at Fordo—now idle—start operating again, Iran could even, says the ISIS, have enough enriched uranium in three or four weeks.
On the other hand, the ISIS believes that, in any case, it would take Iran much longer to come up with a warhead: Iran would need “many additional months to manufacture a nuclear device suitable for underground testing and even longer to make a reliable warhead for a ballistic missile.” In still another piece appearing on Tuesday, nuclear-weapons expert Prof. Graham Allison of Harvard takes a similar line. While Netanyahu’s timeline of next spring is “essentially correct,” Allison claims Iran would then have to launch a crash program to build the other components of a weapon. That, in turn, would entail ejecting the IAEA inspectors and giving the U.S. and Israel plenty of time—a few months—to act.
A scenario that, in Allison’s view, would make no sense for Iran; instead it would “wait until it has amassed enough material for a half-dozen bombs—allowing it to test one and credibly claim to have a nuclear deterrent against attack.” For that, says Allison, Iran would need at least two years. In claiming, then, in his UN speech that the West’s red line should be enough Iranian enriched uranium for a single bomb, was Netanyahu being unduly alarmist? The answer may lie in an interview that appeared in Foreign Policy’s The Cable on Friday with Netanyahu envoy Zalman Shoval, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Shoval reaffirmed to interviewer Josh Rogin: “Israel doesn’t set dates, but if by a certain point the sanctions have not achieved the desired results, then other measures will have to be very practically considered…. We talk in terms of 6 to 8 months.”He added: “Israel doesn’t pretend that it can totally eliminate Iran’s nuclear program…. But the general view in Israel is that we could stop the Iranian effort for 3 to 5 years. Well, in the Middle East 3 to 5 years is not such a short time, as we have seen. And the Americans could get into the game if they want to, within that delay.”
Most revealingly, Rogin reports that Shoval said Israel’s red line “is when the Iranians have produced enough fissionable material from which they can produce at least a dirty bomb within a short time….”
Setting off a dirty bomb in a city, of course, would not require the additional components mentioned by the ISIS and by Allison. For large countries, that threat may seem tolerable. For Israel—where a single dirty bomb could cause widespread panic in Tel Aviv and make much of it uninhabitable for years—it would not be.Netanyahu’s announcement Tuesday night that Israel, too, is going to elections—which he’s expected to win handily—can put him in a stronger position, with a stronger coalition, to act against Iran later in 2013 if it proves necessary. And, it should be added—since much remains speculative—if it hasn’t been done already.

Netanyahu’s dilemma: Campaigning on a security ticket when Iran calls the shots
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis October 9, 2012/Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced an early general election in January, 2013. Most pundits agreed he would lead his Likud party’s campaign for reelection on the security ticket, namely the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran. Netanyahu explained his decision by his coalition partners’ refusal to make do with a “responsible budget” and said he would rather have his government fall than increase the deficit, especially when the country’s top priority was stopping Iran gaining a nuclear bomb.
Running on the Iran ticket subjects him to three major difficulties:
1. Tehran can be safely guaranteed to place every possible obstruction in the prime minister’s path to an election win because his failure in the polls would not just suit Iran but be popular in the Arab world where he is portrayed as a fire-eating militarist although he has delayed attacking Iran for three and-a-half years.
2. Tehran, helped by its proxies, the Lebanese Hizballah and the Palestinian Hamas and Jihad Islami, will dig up every possible stratagem to tarnish his performance, such as the unmanned helicopter flyover which Saturday, Oct. 6 showed Israeli air defenses in a poor light , and the salvo of 55 missiles and mortars from the Gaza Strip two days later.
Until recently, it was generally believed that the Israeli government’s military decisions were motivated solely by considerations of national security without political undertones.
But that was only so long as the prime minister and the defense minister were of one mind.
However, the falling-out between them of late means that neither trusts the other’s decisions any longer. An election campaign in these circumstances could have disastrous fallout.
3. President Barack Obama’s campaign for reelection in less than a month will no doubt play into the Israeli election contest. The US president, who has accused Netanyahu of interfering in his race for a second term, will no doubt bring his weight to bear on the Israeli poll. Last-minute cancellation of joint exercises, for example, or other such steps could reflect negatively on Netanyahu’s prospects.
Obama will be swayed most of all by his prospects against the Republican Mitt Romney. This consideration might persuade him to play the Iranian card and thereby indirectly affecting how the Israeli prime minister comes out of his election. In this respect, Obama has three options: a) To exercise the American military option and blowing away Iran’s nuclear program – with or without Israel. b) To meet Iran’s leaders halfway for a diplomatic breakthrough that would amaze the American voter and be inimical to Israel and set back Netanyahu's chances or reelection; or c) To do nothing.
It is hard to say at this time whether or not Mitt Romney if elected would give Netanyahu a leg up before he takes the oath of office.
The rumor mills in Jerusalem, Washington and Tehran are buzzing with speculation about what to expect in the days ahead. The new players in the Israeli ring, Labor’s leader Shelly Yacimovich who has never before faced a general election and Yair Lapid who has just founded “Yesh Atid” (There Is a Future) and whose platform is still an enigma, are unlikely to have cruckal effect on the eventual outcome of the high-stakes game of strategy in progress between Obama, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Hassan Nasrallah, and Binyamin Netanyahu.

American message to Iran
By: Ron Ben-Yishai/10.10.12/ynetnews
Analysis: Sources close to Pentagon say US attack on Iran before elections would not hurt Obama's chances
Washington has been hinting recently that President Obama and his aides are considering launching a pinpoint attack on Iran's nuclear installations even before the November 6 presidential elections.
An article suggesting this is the case was published in the credible Foreign Policy magazine, which has reliable sources within the administration. Meanwhile, similar remarks are being heard from people who are close to the White House and the Pentagon. According to these sources, who currently visiting the Middle East, the US has a plan of action in place for an aerial bombardment of a number of Iranian nuclear sites, and the preparations for such an operation have already been completed. According to one of the American sources, such an attack can be launched "at any moment." It is safe to assume that these statements and hints are aimed at making it clear to the Iranians that their foot-dragging on the nuclear issue may cost them dearly. The American government wants to let the Iranians know that if they continue to stall for time, the US may act even before the elections. An American strike on Iran would not hurt Obama's chances of getting reelected because the full effect of the increase in the price of oil would not be felt until after the elections. Moreover, the American people tend to rally around their president in times of crisis, so even if Iran responds by attacking Israel and American targets in the Gulf, this would only help the Obama administration secure more votes. The Americans' new stance is most likely the result of cooperation with Israel, which has improved significantly over the past few days, after it was almost non-existent before Netanyahu's address at the UN General Assembly. Meanwhile, the naval forces of the US and 12 other countries are conducting a mine-sweeping exercise in the Gulf. The deployment of a Patriot surface-to-air missile battery in Haifa can be seen as part of the preparations for the joint Israeli-American military exercise, but it may also be a part of Israel's preparations for a possible Iranian response to an American attack. Needless to say, American news outlets are following this issue closely. An article by Newsweek's Jerusalem-based reporter Dan Ephron, which focused on various "war game" scenarios, said that "although in recent weeks it has looked like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is backing away from an attack, an October surprise cannot be ruled out. In some ways, the perception that an Israeli operation is no longer imminent makes the coming weeks a more appealing window for Netanyahu to order military action.
Yet, despite all this, it is safe to assume that the Americans would not have made their intention to strike Iran public had they actually reached a decision to do so. The American sources also mentioned that among EU countries and NATO security elements there is a strong opposition to an Israeli or American strike in Iran. Elements in India and other Asian countries also oppose a military operation against the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites.

Khamenei: Iran can overcome 'barbaric' sanctions
AFP Published: 10.10.12/ynetnews
Iran's supreme leader says sanctions are 'a war against a nation' but vows to 'defeat' them; admits measures created 'problems' for Islamic Republic Iran can overcome "barbaric" economic sanctions imposed by Western countries over its controversial nuclear program, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday. "These sanctions are barbaric. This is a war against a nation...But the Iranian nation will defeat them," Khamenei said in a speech during a visit to the northeastern province of North Khorasan, broadcast on state television.He also accused the West of "lying" over its offer to lift sanctions in return for Iran furnishing guarantees to back its claims its atomic program is intended for civilian purposes only. The West suspects Iran is seeking a nuclear weapons capacity, despite repeated denials from Tehran. Khamenei said the sanctions had created "problems" for the country, and that "some mismanagement" of the draconian measures was adding to those problems. He did not elaborate. The supreme leader also rejected the notion that sanctions were linked to Iran's nuclear efforts, as the West claims they are. "The enemies - the US and some European governments - are nowadays linking the sanctions to (Iran's pursuit) of nuclear energy. They are lying," he said. He argued that his country has been targeted by sanctions since the 1979 Islamic revolution for its "independence and resistance" against world powers. Western power have tightened an economic sanctions regime against the Islamic republic over the past two years, causing a drop in Iran's oil exports and production, a collapse of its currency, slowing its economy and boosting the ranks of the jobless. Talks between Iran and major powers on the nuclear impasse have stalled for years. Tehran is also under several sets of international sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council.

Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Oct. 10, 2012
October 10, 2012/The Daily Star
Lebanon's Arabic press digest.
Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Wednesday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
An-Nahar
Marten Youssef: Tueni’s case within STL time frame
Hariri, Geagea meet for three hours, discuss issues in depth
Cabinet may postpone appointments to agree on a governing oil body
Cabinet will hold an ordinary session today under President Michel Sleiman at Baabda Palace. Parliamentary sources said it is likely that Judge Jean Fahd will be appointed as head of the Higher Judicial Council and that Judge Hatem Madi will get the post of general prosecutor. Judge Fawzi Khamis will likely get the post of prosecutor of the Court of Audit.
Fahd and Madi made separate visits to Prime Minister Najib Mikati Tuesday.
However, government sources told An-Nahar that the agreement on the judges’ names must include candidates for other positions, mainly members of the committee that will administer the oil sector.
Meanwhile, STL spokesman Marten Youssef, said in response to an An-Nahar question, that the assassination case of MP Gebran Tueni falls “within the time frame of the issues that are within the jurisdiction of the court.”
Al-Mustaqbal
Strike today ... Future warns of repercussions of Hezbollah’s "jihad duty"
Hariri, Geagea: March 14 united
Hezbollah has drowned in the quagmire of its "Jihadi duty" in defense of Bashar Assad’s regime as protests keep the pressure on the government that has sunk in a sea of promises on the issue of public sector pay raises.
From Beirut to Jeddah, all eyes were turned to a meeting between former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, who met for more than two and a half hours.
Hariri and Geagea reiterated their full agreement on national issues and the challenges facing Lebanon and stressed that the March 14 coalition remains united in the face of these challenges.
Once again, the Union Coordination Committee takes to the streets today in protest at the government’s delay in referring pay hikes to Parliament for approval.
Public and private schools as well as ministries and public departments will observe a day-long strike Wednesday.
Al-Balad
Education strike today, Future rejects threat against [Beirut’s southern] suburbs
Amid the mess caused by the Union Coordination Committee decision to hold a strike today that includes schools and universities across Lebanon, the Association of Private Educational Institutions and Catholic schools rejected the move which they described as “unjustifiable.”
Meanwhile, a number of opposition parties, particularly the Future Movement, called for a massive turnout of teachers for Wednesday’s rally.
The Future parliamentary bloc also denounced threats made by the Syrian opposition against Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The bloc said it considered the threat “which hurts ties between the Lebanese and Syrian peoples as unacceptable.”
Al-Joumhouria
Showdown between UCC and the government in the street, confusion in schools,
Berri mourns “50 [districts] law”
In parallel to concerns over the security of the Turkish-Syrian border, domestic attention remained focused on the security of the Lebanon-Syria border with fears of repercussions from the Syria crisis.
Meanwhile, leaks claiming that Hezbollah was involved in the [2005] assassination of MP Gebran Tueni and reports about Hezbollah’s role in fighting alongside Assad’s forces kept drawing reactions.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stressed in remarks to Al-Joumhouria that a proposal adopting 50 small-sized electoral districts has “collapsed.”
He also warned that there were some parties who are seeking to keep the 1960 election law in place “so that when elections are due this law becomes a fait accomplished.”

Hariri, Geagea in full agreement at Saudi meet
October 10, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea reiterated Tuesday their full agreement on national issues and how to deal with the upcoming challenges facing Lebanon. During their meeting at Hariri’s residence in Jeddah, which lasted two and a half hours, the two discussed the 2013 parliamentary elections as well as regional developments.
LF lawmaker Antoine Zahra had explained earlier that the purpose of Geagea and Hariri’s meeting was to discuss the electoral law.
“The objective of the talks is also to emphasize the ongoing alliance between the LF and Hariri’s Future Movement in light of domestic and regional developments,” Zahra said. Lebanese politicians have yet to agree on an electoral law ahead of the 2013 vote. The March 14 alliance and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt rejected the government’s draft electoral law, which would divide Lebanon into 13 medium-sized districts based on a system of proportional representation. March 14’s Christian parties have proposed a law that would divide Lebanon into 50 small districts under a winner-takes-all-system. The proposal has drawn the ire of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, who backs a law stipulating that every sect elects its own MPs, under a proportional representation system with Lebanon as a single district.

FSA threatens to take fight to Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut
October 10, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Syrian rebels said they have detained 13 Hezbollah members and threatened to take the fight to Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs unless the party ends its support for President Bashar Assad’s regime.
“We [vow] to take the battle in Syria to the heart of the [Beirut] southern suburbs if [Hezbollah] does not stop supporting the killer-Syrian regime,” Free Syrian Army spokesman Fahd al-Masri told media outlets Tuesday.
He said the FSA is holding 13 Hezbollah members in a village near Homs for their involvement in the Syria conflict.
“They [the Hezbollah detainees] have confessed to killing and slaughtering [people] in Syria,” Masri said, indicating that most of the captives come from Baalbek and Hermel in the Bekaa Valley.
Masri stressed that Hezbollah is “deeply involved” in the fighting in Syria and said that the fate of the 13 detained men was “in the hands of [FSA] field commanders.”
Hezbollah “is involved in the killing of the Syrian people and in suppressing the revolution, particularly in Damascus and Homs,” Masri said.
“Hezbollah focuses [its operations] on Damascus’ Zabadani area given that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has a military base there,” he said. “They also have a huge presence in Qusayr and Talbiseh.”
Responding to Masri’s comments, Hezbollah bloc MP Kamel Rifai denied that members of the resistance group were being sent to fight alongside the Syrian army.
“The party has a basic rule that forbids fighting anyone other than Israel and thus it bans its elements from fighting in Syria,” Rifai told The Daily Star Tuesday.
“There are Shiites living in Syria, but that does not make them Hezbollah [fighters],” he added.
In an apparent response to Rifai, Masri told the Lebanese MTV channel later Tuesday that the 13 Hezbollah men were arrested in their military uniforms.
“They were armed and in military uniform when they were captured in Homs’ countryside,” Masri said.
“They were not pilgrims and not on a tour.”
He held Hezbollah fully responsible and said the Shiite group “must not drag Lebanon into lost battles.”
“Funerals were held for four Hezbollah members who died at a military training camp as well as three others who passed away in the Nabi Sheet explosion,” Rifai said.
“None of them were involved in the Syrian fighting as has been rumored.”
Last week, Hezbollah said three of its fighters were killed in an explosion at a munitions depot in Nabi Sheet in east Lebanon.
Hezbollah buried Monday one its fighters who a security source said was killed in the border area with Syria.
Hussein Abdel Ghani al-Nimr, 35, died “performing his jihadist duty,” a Hezbollah spokesman said.
Nimr’s death comes less than a week after a senior Hezbollah commander, whom Syrian rebels said was killed in Syria, was buried in the Bekaa.
Hezbollah has announced several similar burials in past month without revealing details about the deaths.
The Future Movement bloc of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri called on security and judicial authorities to look into the death of Hezbollah fighters in Syria, describing as “weak” the group’s argument that the fighters died while defending Lebanese nationals living in Syria.
A statement issued by the bloc accused Hezbollah of dragging the Lebanese and Syrian people into a conflict with dangerous consequences by siding with the Assad regime.
“A quick investigation is required, especially since Hezbollah is a key partner in the current government which claims to adopt a dissociation policy vis-à-vis the Syrian crisis,” the statement said.
The Future Movement bloc added that Hezbollah had also agreed on the “Baabda Declaration,” which stipulates keeping Lebanon away from the conflict in Syria.
“The bloc also strongly condemns threats by some members of the Syrian opposition to target Lebanese areas in the southern suburbs of Beirut,” the statement added, referring to the Syrian rebels’ threats.
The Future bloc said the death of three Hezbollah members in last week’s arms cache explosion in Nabi Sheet is an “unfortunate incident,” calling on the group to hand over all its arms depots to the Lebanese Army to avoid similar incidents that “put the lives, security and stability of Lebanese citizens at risk.”On the contrary, Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun said there is no reason to be alarmed by the weapons cache. Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah, said it is normal for the group to store its arms supplies in different areas and locations.
The FPM leader, speaking to reporters following a meeting of his Reform and Change parliamentary bloc Tuesday, refused to comment on the alleged deaths of Hezbollah fighters in Syria.
Meanwhile, a Lebanese security source said dozens of Syrian rebels have fled to Lebanon over the past two days as a result of a military crackdown by the Syrian army in the province of Homs.
“Dozens of opposition gunmen have entered the country through Mashareeh al-Qaa in the past two days since the beginning of the military operation in Qusayr [Homs province],” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar reported that a Syrian army crackdown in Qusayr forced “hundreds” of rebels to flee into Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the National News Agency said that a large number of Syrians fled to Lebanon through its northeastern border as a result of a Syrian army drive to pursue the rebels.
The NNA said the Syrians were fleeing through to Masharih al-Qaa and that the Lebanese Army had beefed up its presence along the border.

Siniora calls on Hezbollah to stay out of Syria
October 10, 2012 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora asked several Lebanese political leaders to urge Hezbollah against involvement in the violence in Syria between rebels and regime forces, the National News Agency reported Wednesday. “Hezbollah getting involved in the Syrian fighting, under the title of ‘jihadist duty,’ would risk the country experiencing unbearable consequences,” Siniora said in phone calls he held with a number of dignitaries. According to the NNA, Siniora phoned President Michel Sleiman, House Speaker Nabih Berri, and a number of Shiite dignitaries, asking them to urge Hezbollah to stay away from Syria’s battle. “Siniora asked the people he contacted to carry out initiatives that would urge Hezbollah to distance itself from Syria’s armed conflict,” the statement said.
The former PM argued that such involvement threatens co-existence in the country and could cause unprecedented sectarian tension all over the Arab world.
“Hezbollah and the Shiite community surely include wise leaders that reject such military involvement. That is why slipping into the Syrian crisis must be stopped... and [they must] let the Syrian people handle their own problems,” Siniora said. Syrian opposition forces have repeatedly accused Hezbollah of supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad regime forces in its crackdown against rebels. According to rebels, members of Hezbollah have died in Syria’s clashes before being returned to Lebanon for burial.
The party, however, has denied such accusations. It said funerals were held recently for party elements who died performing “jihadist duty,” but has not said how or where they died.