White House Condemns 'Nasrallah's Game in Syria' as FSA Threatens of Move Battle to Lebanon
Naharnet /The White House on Tuesday condemned Hizbullah's involvement in Syria's war, expressing that the party's leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah is “playing a dangerous game,” as the Free Syrian Army threatened to move the battle to Lebanon. "We are deeply concerned by the continued fighting in (the Syrian border town of) al-Qusayr and condemn the indiscriminate killing of civilians by Assad's forces and his proxies, including Hizbullah fighters," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.Carney raised disquiet about the recent spillover of violence into Lebanon, which he said could spark risks of regional instability.“Nasrallah is playing a dangerous game by sending fighters to support Assad in Syria,” the spokesman remarked. He elaborated: "Hasan Nasrallah is risking Lebanon's stability and the security of the Lebanese people in order to preserve Assad's rule.”
Carney reiterated the United States' support for Lebanon's policy of dissociation from the conflict in Syria. “We urge all parties to avoid actions that will involve the Lebanese people in the conflict.”
Meanwhile, the Washington-based al-Hurra television station announced on Tuesday that the FSA informed the United Nations that it plans on moving the fight against Hizbullah from Syria to Lebanon “if the party does not stop its invasion of Syrian territories.”Al-Arabiya television had reported earlier that the party on Tuesday held funerals for four fighters who died in Syria's battles. The military support of Hizbullah has helped Syrian regime forces gain the upper hand in the battle for control of Qusayr, a key town for both the regime and the insurgents, where an army assault began last month, amid a Lebanese, regional and international outcry.
Nasrallah had previously justified the group's involvement in Syria by saying they were defending Lebanese-inhabited border villages inside Syria and Shiite holy sites.
But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria.He said: “If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the United States, the resistance will become under a siege and Israel will enter Lebanon. If Syria falls, the Palestinian cause will be lost.”

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states action against Hezbollah
Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed /Asharq Alawsat
http://www.aawsat.net/2013/06/article55304368
Hezbollah’s interests in Arab countries, particularly in Gulf ones, are not insignificant. The party—which has perhaps become more hated than Israel—has deeply rooted connections in the region through dealing with trading companies that serve as various covers.US prosecutions of Hezbollah have exposed its diverse commercial activities—from smuggling cigarettes to transferring money—and complicated networks of individuals that are used for economic or political gain. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are dissimilar with regard to their treatment of Hezbollah’s commercial activities. Of these countries, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE are stricter than the others, monitoring transactions far more thoroughly. Kuwait is the most lenient Gulf country, and is home to economic groups that operate in Hezbollah-controlled areas of Lebanon. Qatar does not have huge, multi-national companies—as is the case in other Gulf countries—but it has supported Hezbollah, financially and politically, for an entire decade. However, that was before the Syrian revolution; it is unlikely that any aspect of this special relationship still exists. In general, out of all the GCC states, Oman is the most cautious in dealing with suspicious countries. While Hezbollah is involved in terrorist operations against Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain—and has been for decades—these countries have not engaged in activities against it. Hezbollah was fully involved in an assassination attempt against Kuwait’s emir, who survived a car bombing in 1985. The major culprit in that crime is Mustafa Badreddine. He was the perpetrator, and is also wanted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in their investigation of the assassination of Rafiq Hariri. The irony is that Saddam Hussein released him five years later, after the invasion of Kuwait. Hezbollah also hijacked a Kuwaiti airplane in Muscat and killed two Kuwaiti passengers.
Several Hezbollah terrorist plans have been uncovered in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and the group was not punished for any of them. Only the US, which classified Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 1995, placed Hezbollah on the list of sanctioned organizations. The Gulf States chose to remain silent over Hezbollah’s crimes against their own governments and citizens, because it was seen as a resistance organization that had popular support among Arabs. In fact, it was merely an arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Gulf countries also wanted to maintain the balance of power in Lebanon, and maintaining minimal relations with Hezbollah supported civil peace in Lebanon. Gulf countries have finally decided to categorize Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, because it became a major party fighting alongside Bashar Al-Assad’s regime and is involved in the murder thousands of Syrians. Although the move comes late, I doubt that it will become anything more than a political decision, or that it will be applied on different levels.

Meqdad Says Hizbullah Fighters Set to Storm Aleppo
Naharnet/Free Syrian Army's Political and Media Coordinator Louay Meqdad revealed on Tuesday that there are currently around 4,000 Hizbullah members fighting alongside the Syrian regime in Aleppo.The pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat quoted Meqdad as saying that the fighters are deployed in the Academy of Military Engineering near the province of Aleppo. He pointed out that the fighters are getting ready to storm the province, which the opposition controls more than half of it. Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has promised his fighters will help deliver “victory” in the battle, seen as pivotal in Syria's drawn out civil war in which more than 94,000 people have died.Syrian rebel chief Salim Idriss warned last week that if Hizbullah fighters do not stop their aggression in Syria within 24 hours, “we will take all measures to hunt” them, “even in hell.” Hizbullah's men are fighting alongside Syrian government troops in a fierce battle to retake the strategic Syrian town of Qusayr from mostly Sunni rebels.
The party, a close ally of Iran and the Syrian regime, has already lost dozens of its men in the battle for Qusayr.

Raad Says Qusayr Rebels Wanted to 'Attack Resistance from Behind'
Naharnet /Hizbullah on Tuesday accused the Syrian opposition of seizing control of the Syrian town of Qusayr with the aim of "attacking the resistance from behind its back.""The thing that is immunizing and strengthening the resistance is the harmony among all the political forces that have embraced the path of resistance, and this is what's bothering the other partners in the country, who have been trying to drive a wedge or stir discord in order to infiltrate through and achieve their plot,” head of Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad said. "The rifle of the resistance is still pointed at the same Israeli enemy, but the enemy has created a new frontier behind our backs, near our Bekaa and North, with the aim of stabbing us in the back, employing a bunch of Takfiri remnants through conspiring with regressive oil countries that have nothing to do with democracy,” Raad added during a memorial service marking one week since the death of Hizbullah fighter Abbas Hallal in Syria. The Hizbullah official explained that “the mission of the town of Qusayr was to attack the resistance from behind amid the slogans of self-dissociation and noninterference in Syria.” Raad added: "Hizbullah did not intervene in Syria, we rather intervened in Lebanon to defend Lebanon and its resistance and to protect the country." "We only point our rifle at any target we believe is allying and conspiring with the Zionist enemy, because our rifle only fires on those who are allied with Israel or conspiring with it," Raad said. The military support of Hizbullah has helped Syrian regime forces gain the upper hand in the battle for control of Qusayr, a key town for both the regime and the insurgents, where an army assault began last month, amid a Lebanese, regional and international outcry. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had previously justified the group's involvement in Syria by saying they were defending Lebanese-inhabited border villages inside Syria and Shiite holy sites. But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria. He said: “If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the United States, the resistance will become under a siege and Israel will enter Lebanon. If Syria falls, the Palestinian cause will be lost.”

Sabra Urges Berri to Open 'Humanitarian Corridors' in Qusayr: Delaying Aid Leads to Massacre
Naharnet/Caretaker leader of the Syrian National Coalition George Sabra on Tuesday urged Speaker Nabih Berri to open “humanitarian corridors” to evacuate the wounded in the neighboring country's border town of a-Qusayr."There are more than 1000 wounded persons in al-Qusayr, 400 of them are in critical conditions, and we do not have enough support in the town to heal these people,” Sabra explained in a videotaped speech posted online.  “Most of these are civilians, particularly women and children.”He warned: "Their lives are in danger and if aid was delayed, a massacre would take place.”
"We urge Berri, as the speaker of the parliament and as a national, Shiite and popular leader, to quickly interfere and open safe corridors to evacuate the wounded to Lebanese or Syrian territories” the SNC's caretaker chief stressed.  "It is a humanitarian, social national responsibility before being a political one,” he said addressing the speaker. “Even in the midst of the most violent wars and under the conditions of enmity, the wounded get wide attention and evacuating them becomes a priority.” Sabra continued: “I cannot imagine that you (Berri) might not be concerned about the lives of Syria's people. If we are unable to stop the fighting and the killing of both Lebanese and Syrians, at least we should try saving people's lives instead of leaving them to face death.”"It is a Syrian call to a Lebanese patriot, we have shared the past and the present together and we will also share the future.”The military support of Hizbullah has helped Syrian regime forces gain the upper hand in the battle for control of Qusayr, a key town for both the regime and the insurgents, where an army assault began last month, amid a Lebanese, regional and international outcry.

Mansour Heads to Cairo: We Can't Accept that Hizbullah be Labeled Terrorist
Naharnet/Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour on Tuesday stressed that Lebanon cannot accept that Hizbullah be labeled as a “terrorist organization,” noting that Lebanon is still committed to the so-called self-dissociation policy. Ahead of leaving Beirut for Cairo, where he will take part in an extraordinary meeting for Arab foreign ministers on Wednesday, Mansour said: “The meeting will be focused on the Syrian issue and the latest developments in this regard.” Asked about his response if some countries raised the issue of labeling Hizbullah as a “terrorist organization” during the meeting, Mansour said: “The issue is settled. We cannot accept such a proposal, because Hizbullah is an indispensable part of the national and political Lebanese fabric.”“It belongs to a national resistance that confronted the Israeli enemy and is still confronting its attacks, and as I said, it is a political party and it cannot be labeled as a terrorist party in any manner,” Mansour added. On Sunday, Gulf states warned that they could take measures against Hizbullah in the near future.
The Gulf Cooperation Council "decided to look into taking measures against Hizbullah's interests in the member states," GCC chief Abdul Latif al-Zayani told reporters at the end of a ministerial meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah. But the council noted that placing Hizbullah on the GCC's "terror" list was "a technical and legal matter that needs to be further studied." Answering a reporter's question, Mansour said: “As for the events in Syria and the Arab League resolutions over the situations in Syria, we had dissociated ourselves and we're still embracing this policy – the policy of dissociating ourselves from the events happening there.” He also confirmed that he will raise in Cairo the issue of Israeli violations against Lebanon, after President Michel Suleiman tasked him with filing a U.N. complaint over Israel's acts. The military support of Hizbullah has helped Syrian regime forces gain the upper hand in the battle for control of Qusayr, a key town for both the regime and the insurgents, where an army assault began last month, amid a Lebanese, regional and international outcry. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had previously justified the group's involvement in Syria by saying they were defending Lebanese-inhabited border villages inside Syria and Shiite holy sites.But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria.He said: “If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the United States, the resistance will become under a siege and Israel will enter Lebanon. If Syria falls, the Palestinian cause will be lost.”

Hezbollah decries Future Cabinet stance
The Daily Star /BEIRUT: A senior Hezbollah official criticized the Future Movement's latest Cabinet stance, saying it would not allow the movement to determine its role in the new government.
“We hear that the Future Movement is trying to set some rules, but this movement forgot that it is in no position to distribute roles or say who should be or not be in the government,” Deputy Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said in remarks released Tuesday. Future Movement officials have called for a non-political Cabinet that excludes Hezbollah politicians. Hezbollah is in favor of a national unity government that represents the various political parties and has previously called for holding a veto share of power in the next government. Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam is at an extended impasse over what type of government he can form that will win support from Lebanon's diverse political parties. “Relax and let your people relax from making a new failure following years of failure,” Qassem said. Qassem said that previous Future Movement governments were unconstitutional and corrupt and should not have excluded Hezbollah. He slammed the party for declining to take part in the current caretaker government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati.“You refused to participate and you tried to ruin and burn the country,” Qassem said of the Future Movement. He accused the Future Movement of betting on the crisis in Syria, “thinking your people will win and that the American-Israeli scheme in Syria will succeed.”
“But your bet has gone wrong,” he said.“I advise you [Future Movement] to be Lebanese in both your mentality and behavior and to extend a hand to fellow partners so that we can all cooperate in order to build [Lebanon] together,” Qassem said.“No one thinks that one team will run [Lebanon] without the other parties,” he warned.Qassem also accused the Future Movement-led March 14 coalition of relying on developments in Syria and making stances on domestic issues based on Washington’s dictates.“Why?,” he asked. “America has not fulfilled its promises and is often unable to do anything ... they intervened in Syria, but the Syrian people do not want the American project.”Qassem also slammed March 14 politicians for rallying behind U.S. President Barack Obama as well as the U.S. and some European ambassadors on the recently delayed elections. “They come to us, saying we must hold elections on time,” he said. “Then in their own hands they sign [Parliament’s] extension and elections are not held in a timely manner. Where did these foreign instructions go?” he asked.

Security official: Tripoli fast becoming like Kandahar
The Daily Star /The security situation in Tripoli is more serious than some may think, according to a security official who warns that the northern city’s alleyways are on the way to resembling the notorious lawless city of Kandahar in Afghanistan.“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to deter or control the gunmen in Tripoli. It requires – in deeds, not in words – that all political parties in Lebanon and the city’s leaders lift their political cover from those gunmen before it’s too late,” the official said.Kandahar, one of the most volatile and lawless cities in Afghanistan, was the birthplace of the Taliban movement in the 1990s and it remains a hotbed of the Taliban insurgency against Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai’s U.S.-backed government. The official said local and regional parties had entered Tripoli’s alleyways by setting up armed networks, exploiting the poverty of local residents.
Individuals of very modest means have now become local military commanders who decide on behalf of the city and its population, the official said. He added that it was no exaggeration to say that one of the front commanders is as powerful and influential as most of the city’s traditional or mainstream leaders.
Another development is just as troubling, the official continued. The Lebanese Army and other security bodies, due to the lack of true political cover by the Lebanese state, have now found themselves resembling a mere buffer force, resembling the U.N. peacekeeping force in the south, UNIFIL.
“The Army has the information and sufficient capabilities to put an end to the state of insecurity if it is granted [political] cover [to act],” the source said.
He warned that if the current fighting in Tripoli persisted, it would be difficult to deal with the situation without leaving negative repercussions on society, and also on the country’s political and even sectarian composition.
Five people were killed Monday in a fresh bout of violence in Tripoli between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Last month, 30 people were killed and more than 200 wounded in fierce fighting pitting gunmen in the Jabal Mohsen neighborhood, whose residents support the Assad regime, against rivals in the Bab alTabbaneh district, whose residents back the uprising in Syria.
The security official pointed out that the rise of the Salafist movement inside Tripoli’s neighborhoods was much more dangerous than the fighting that erupts in the city every now and then. Military and security forces in Tripoli have noticed the rising number of Muslim religious schools and universities specialized in this field, in addition to gunmen who gather almost daily around Salafi sheikhs who call for jihad in Syria.
Political sources in Tripoli made a comparison between the Tawhid Movement, set up in the 1980s by the late Sheikh Said Shaaban in the city with the support of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and the Salafi movement’s actions today. The Tawhid Movement, which imposed the veil and other strict measures, fell apart with the PLO’s withdrawal from Lebanon. But the Salafists believe that the more than 2-year-old conflict in Syria is directly linked to the future of the Sunnis in the region and that what is happening is not something accidental that will vanish with the end of the battles in Syria, the sources said.
They added that the precise number of gunmen in Tripoli, including local residents, Syrians and foreigners, remained unknown. The uncontrolled Lebanese-Syria border, in addition to Salafist calls for jihad, have prompted a number of young men in Tripoli to join Syrian rebels in the fight against government troops in Syria, as arms smuggling and the flow of money to gunmen continue unabated.
Although the clashes are still confined to certain neighborhoods in Tripoli, the sources warned that the situation could spin out of control and fighting could engulf the entire city unless measures are taken promptly to halt the violence and declare Tripoli an arms-free city.

Geagea Calls On Suleiman, Salam, Berri to 'Assume Responsibility': Hizbullah Is Getting out of Control
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated on Tuesday that Hizbullah is “getting out of control,” urging the president of the republic and the premier-designate to “announce that they are in charge of things.”
"We are in front of two options which are either to go along with Hizbullah or to act taking into consideration the Lebanese people's higher interests through the formation of a salvation cabinet,” Geagea said in an interview with the Central News Agency. He elaborated: “Hizbullah has become out of control and totally believes in what it is doing. All its strategic considerations have become linked to Iran.”
"But Hizbullah will not succeed in making the Lebanese people submissive.” "We must reform the constitutional institutions in Lebanon, on top of this is forming a salvation cabinet to secure Lebanon's higher interest. A salvation cabinet can save the country.” Geagea urged Suleiman, PM-designate Tamman Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri to “assume their responsibilities in this matter.”"The situation cannot take any further postponement.”The LF leader slammed any initiative to hold dialogue session as “unreal.”“We wish that the security events happening in Lebanon can be resolved through dialogue. The Lebanese factions convened in national dialogue sessions about a year ago and we agreed on a a very important accord which is the Baabda Declaration,” Geagea said."But this accord remained only ink on papers.”
The military support of Hizbullah has helped Syrian regime forces gain the upper hand in the battle for control of Qusayr, a key town for both the regime and the insurgents, where an army assault began last month, amid a Lebanese, regional and international outcry. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah had previously justified the group's involvement in Syria by saying they were defending Lebanese-inhabited border villages inside Syria and Shiite holy sites. But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria. He said: “If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the United States, the resistance will become under a siege and Israel will enter Lebanon. If Syria falls, the Palestinian cause will be lost.” Geagea said the last attempt by Bkirki to reconcile Christian leaders was “shocking.”"(Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel) Aoun betrayed us hours after our meeting with him,” he revealed to the CNA. He continued: “We discovered that our political foes do not want consensus. Instead, they were conducting a maneuver to gather popular support.” "We can no longer discuss serious matters with them.”
Regarding the extension of the parliament's term, the Christian leader revealed that the Lebanese Forces will support the decision of the Constitutional Council “without any objection or comments.”"We had a choice between extending the parliament's term or adopting the 1960's law in the elections. Going with the second option would have closed all doors to reach consensus over a new electoral law.” “I cannot understand how Aoun, who has mourned the 1960's law four years ago and who considers it to be the worst option, can back it today?" Geagea asked. A delegation from the FPM submitted on Monday before the Constitutional Council a challenge against the parliament''s term extension. The parliament's decision to postpone the upcoming elections and extend its term 17 months was officially announced and published in the official gazette on Saturday. Friday's extension decision comes after rival blocs in the legislature failed to agree on a new elections law. Both pro- and anti-Syrian blocs in parliament agreed on the extension, with one exception being the FPM, which has the second largest bloc in parliament.President Suleiman also submitted on Saturday an appeal to challenge the parliament's decision to extend its mandate, calling on the Constitutional Council to “legally and neutrally” study this file.
 

4,000 Hezbollah fighters reach rebel-held Aleppo: FSA
By Jana El Hassan/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Over 4,000 fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah have reached the northern Syrian city of Aleppo as part of military preparations to retake the rebel-held city, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army told The Daily Star Tuesday. “The number of Hezbollah members who have entered Aleppo has exceeded 4,000,” Louay Meqdad, the FSA spokesman, said. “They are stationed at the Military Engineering Academy in what seems to be preparations for an attack on the city of Aleppo,” he added. The FSA spokesman said some 800 members of the Lebanese resistance group were staying at a student campus located in Hamadanieh, southeast Aleppo.
Despite the large number of Hezbollah fighters, Meqdad said he did not foresee a change in the balance of power in the war-ravaged city, more than half of which has been under rebel control since 2012.
“Hezbollah’s participation in Aleppo’s battle will not affect the balance of power because the opposition forces are well barricaded in their positions,” he said. According to Meqdad, Hezbollah’s military involvement in Syria showed that Syrian government forces were unable to confront the FSA by themselves. “The expansion of Hezbollah’s military operations in Syria to Aleppo confirms that the regime’s troops are exhausted and need support,” he said. Hezbollah has admitted to participating in military engagements in Syria, namely against the rebel-held town of Qusair near the border with Lebanon. The party alleges its intervention in Syria aims to protect the resistance group as well as defend Lebanon from the threat of takfiri groups fighting in Syria. The number of Hezbollah fighters in Syria is unknown. France said last week its intelligence services believed between 3,000 and 4,000 Hezbollah members were fighting alongside Assad's army in Syria. Other reports have mentioned the presence of around 10,000 Hezbollah fighters in the war-torn country. Meqdad estimated the presence of about 10 to 12,000 fighters that were either members of Hezbollah or foreigners who had been trained by the resistance group. He said some of the combatants were from Iraq who had been recruited and received training by the Lebanese resistance group. On the situation in Qusair, Meqdad said Syrian rebels were vacating areas targeted by Syrian airstrikes but then soon returning to these locations to carry on with the fight. “When they return, they re-engage Hezbollah fighters and regime troops and then restore control of the neighborhood,” Meqdad said. “This is why the regime always claims it has taken control of the same neighborhood more than once,” Meqdad, noting the rebel tactic of temporarily retreating from an area, said. He also said rebels held the advantage in Qusair, given their knowledge of the town and its neighborhoods as well as support from residents. Last month, Hezbollah’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, declared his fighters were committed to the conflict in Syria."We will be the ones who bring victory," Nasrallah said.

Lebanese Army enters Jabal Mohsen, searches for snipers

The Daily Star/BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army deployed in the Tripoli neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen Tuesday, in an operation aimed at apprehending gunmen responsible for acts of sniping targeting residents of the northern city, security sources said. The sources said the Army’s 12th Brigade was dispatched to the neighborhood in the evening, adding that soldiers were entering buildings used by snipers.
 

Ibrahim meets relatives of Lebanese hostages
The Daily Star /BEIRUT: General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim met Tuesday with the relatives of the Lebanese pilgrims held in Syria concerning the latest negotiations that took place in Turkey to help free their loved ones, according to a statement from General Security. Ibrahim flew to Turkey with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel last week to discuss the release of the remaining nine Shiite pilgrims who are being held by rebels in Azaz, north Syria. Negotiations in Turkey included discussions over a list of female detainees held in Syrian prisons that the kidnappers said they want in exchange for the pilgrims. A statement issues a day after Ibrahim and Charbel returned from Turkey said the talks held with Turkish and Qatari officials had been “constructive.” Ibrahim has also made several trips recently to Syria to negotiate the release of the Lebanese hostages. Earlier Tuesday, Ibrahim received National Dialogue Party head Fouad Makhzoumi to discuss the general situation in Lebanon. Ibrahim also held separate talks with Danish Ambassador to Lebanon Jan Top Christensen.
The two, according the General Security statement, discussed developments in the country as well as issues relating to the embassy and General Security.

Sabra urges Berri to help evacuate Qusair wounded
June 04, 2013/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: The acting chief of the Syrian National Council urged Lebanon’s Parliament speaker Tuesday to help allow the evacuation of wounded from Syria’s Qusair, a rebel-held town under siege by fighters allied to President Bashar Assad, including from Hezbollah. "I urge Berri to rapidly help in [creating] access for the wounded to enter either Syrian or Lebanese territories," Sabra said in an appeal to the head of the Lebanon’s Parliament. "Our interest lies in carrying [the wounded] from death into life, or else this massacre will tarnish our history and taint our life and damage our relations for a long time.”
He said there were over a thousand wounded in the rebel-held city, of which 400 are in serious condition, including women and children. Sabra, who praised Berri for being among the most reasonable officials in Lebanon, urged him “not to let this opportunity go to waste, nor end relations between us, as our enemies would want."The acting SNC chief said that providing access to Qusair "is a humane and national responsibility of the highest caliber as well as being a social, Lebanese-Syrian-Shiite responsibility first and foremost, before it being a political responsibility.” Hezbollah fighters have been battling Syrian rebels in Qusair for three weeks alongside Assad loyalists in an effort to take control of the strategic town which lies near the border with Lebanon. Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, head of Hezbollah, confirmed last month for the first time that his group was heavily involved in the Syrian conflict and vowed the party would be victorious.

Shelling kills civilian near Russian embassy in Damascus: activists
Daily Star/BEIRUT: Shellfire near the Russian embassy in Damascus killed a civilian and wounded a member of the security forces on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
"It was recorded that five shells hit the Al-Adwi area of Damascus," the Britain-based watchdog said. "Some of them struck near the Russian embassy, where sources reported one civilian was killed and one member of the regime forces was wounded."

Mustaqbal Demands Implementing 'Effective Security Plan' in Tripoli, Penalizing 'Negligent Officials'
Naharnet /Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc Tuesday urged political and security officials to adopt an “effective plan” that draws an end to the ongoing violence in the northern city of Tripoli, demanding the penalization of “those who failed in controlling the situation.”“We call on political and security authorities to quickly act to end the crime taking place in Tripoli and to implement an effective security plan,” the bloc stated after the MPs' weekly meeting at the Center House. It noted: "Announcing frequent military deployment in the city has only led to increasing the number of deaths and wounded and worsened material damages.”"All negligent officials that failed in putting the security of the city under control must be replaced. They must also be held accountable for negligence and for their failure.”Al-Mustaqbal rejected the notion of “consensual security,” adding that the residence of Tripoli ask the security forces to restore security with an “iron fist,” prohibit the presence of gunmen, and disarm the city. The city has so far witnessed around 17 rounds of fighting which intensified when the now more than two-year conflict erupted in Syria. For the first time last month, supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad lobbed mortar shells and fired heavy machine guns at each other. On Hizbullah's involvement in Syria's war, al-Mustaqbal bloc accused the party of acting as “a squad belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.”“We ask Hizbullah to immediately withdraw its militias from Syria,” the lawmakers stressed. “Political, security and economic life in Lebanon will not be normal unless Hizbullah stops interfering in Syria.”The MPs reiterated: “We hold Hizbullah responsible for the political, security and economic consequences of its interference in Syria as it is subjecting Lebanon to dangers and harming the Lebanese people's interests abroad.”"Hizbullah has transformed from a resistance to a contractor working for Iran.”The military support of Hizbullah has helped Syrian regime forces gain the upper hand in the battle for control of Qusayr, a key town for both the regime and the insurgents, where an army assault began last month, amid a Lebanese, regional and international outcry. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah had previously justified the group's involvement in Syria by saying they were defending Lebanese-inhabited border villages inside Syria and Shiite holy sites. But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria. He said: “If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the United States, the resistance will become under a siege and Israel will enter Lebanon. If Syria falls, the Palestinian cause will be lost.”Regarding the extension of the parliament's term, al-Mustaqbal assured that the bloc “did not plan for this.” “We stayed committed to holding the elections on time until it has become impossible,” it pointed out.“Extension was the solution although it does not correspond to the implementation of the democracy.” The parliament's decision to postpone the upcoming elections and extend its term 17 months was officially announced and published in the official gazette on Saturday.
The extension decision comes after rival blocs in the legislature failed to agree on a new elections law. Both pro- and anti-Syrian blocs in parliament agreed on the extension, with one exception being the Free Patriotic Movement, which has the second largest bloc in parliament. The extension was challenged by President Michel Suleiman and the FPM before the Constitutional Council.

Jumblat Says Tripoli Frontier Can't Change Course of Syrian Conflict
Naharnet /Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Tuesday urged an end to the fighting in Tripoli, noting that any attempt to affect the course of battles in Syria through igniting the situation in the northern city is futile.“As major world powers stand idly by regarding the martyrs that are falling everyday across Syria, and given their inability to reach a common vision on the implementation of the desired political solution that aims to rescue the Syrian people, igniting the fire in the city of Tripoli will not change the equations of the complicated and worsening Syrian situations,” Jumblat said in a press release.
He accused the Syrian regime of “impeding all the political initiatives, especially the first initiative that was launched by the Arab League.”"If some Lebanese political forces believe that they can change the course of the conflict in Syria through Tripoli's gate, then their bets are irrelevant and out of place amid the escalation of the conflict,” Jumblat added.“What is the use from igniting the fire in Tripoli and in settling political scores through sectarian incitement?” Jumblat asked. “It's about time for some politicians in Tripoli and some domestic and foreign parties to stop their nonstop efforts to systematically arm and finance some parties and militias and the leaders of the fighting frontiers,” he went on to say. He called for “embracing the Lebanese army more than ever, because it represents the authority of the state, which remains the only sanctuary for Tripoli's residents and the Lebanese in general.”A new wave of Syria-linked clashes between Sunni and Alawite residents of Tripoli has killed at least six people in less than 24 hours.The latest confrontations come after a brief lull in the violence between the two sides, after a flare-up last month left 31 people dead and more than 200 wounded. The city has so far witnessed around 17 rounds of fighting which intensified when the now more than two-year conflict erupted in Syria.

Aoun Calls for Replacing Security Officials, Says FPM MPs Won't Resign
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday said the Constitutional Council “cannot but accept” the challenges filed against the extension of parliament's term, calling for the replacement of security officials over the dire security situation in Tripoli. “We extensively discussed the challenge we have filed and the possible effects should it be accepted. We agreed that as is the case with any vacant seat, elections would have to take place within 60 days and the parliament would be dissolved,” Aoun said after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc in Rabiyeh.“As for those speaking of political vacuum, the caretaker cabinet will remain the executive authority and parliament would convene in 60 days and elections would take place, especially that all people have prepared themselves to take part in elections on June 16,” he added.
Aoun stressed that “the challenge cannot but be accepted.” “Should it be rejected, we will review the Constitutional Council's justification and know the type of judges we have,” he went on to say.;
Asked whether the FPM's MPs would submit their resignations should the challenge be rejected, Aoun said: “We will not leave parliament and we will not abandon our mission if someone else committed a mistake. Do you want us to leave and scream outside the parliament? No, we won't do it.”“The rotation of power and the respect of the people are the most important things and it would've been easier to endorse the 1960 law ... The rotation of power has been impeded since 1992,” he added.The FPM and President Michel Suleiman have filed separate challenges against the extension of parliament's mandate.The parliament on Friday voted to extend its own mandate for 17 months after the rival political parties failed to reach a new electoral law. Turning to the security situation in the northern city of Tripoli, Aoun said: “It is strange that security deterioration always happens when there is a debate over whether to extend parliament's term or not."“Tripoli's MPs are trying to acquit themselves although they were the ones who sponsored the gunmen, so do they really want the army to take decisive action? Let them be clear as things cannot be resolved through threats, intimidation and mutual accusations,” he added. “Let no one tell me that Jabal Mohsen is attacking Tripoli, as they are besieged. Tripoli is being sabotaged and the slogans we've been hearing are not good at all. If Jabal Mohsen does not belong to Lebanon, let them withdraw its identity and make it part of Syria,” Aoun said of the latest clashes between Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh.
He accused “local forces and gunmen” of igniting the situation in Tripoli, slamming security agencies.
“We won't accept that intelligence agencies keep refraining from disclosing the information they have and they are obliged to tell the people who is shooting on whom. Things are not being addressed and we had already warned of all the things that are happening now,” Aoun added.“The security officials must be changed and competent people must be appointed. To whom are the gunmen loyal? To MPs? Let each of them pull his group from the streets,” he said. Earlier on Tuesday, Tripoli MP Mohammed Kabbara gave a 48-hour ultimatum for the state to control the situation in the northern city of Tripoli.“The residents of the city will have to defend themselves if the battles continued,” Kabbara said after heading a meeting for the National Islamic Gathering. A new wave of Syria-linked clashes between Sunni and Alawite residents of Tripoli has killed at least six people in less than 24 hours. The latest confrontations come after a brief lull in the violence between the two sides, after a flare-up last month left 31 people dead and more than 200 wounded. The city has so far witnessed around 17 rounds of fighting which intensified when the now more than two-year conflict erupted in Syria.

Battle for Damascus is over. Is Israel intelligence slow on Syrian war?
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report June 4, 2013/
When Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon informed a Knesset panel Monday, June 3, that Syrian rebels still occupied four Damascus districts, debkafile’s intelligence sources reported that the battle for the Syrian capital was all but over. Barring small pockets of resistance, Bashar Assad’s army had virtually regained control of the city in an epic victory. From those pockets, the rebels can’t do much more than fire sporadically. They can no longer launch raids, or pose threats to the city center, the airport or the big Syrian air base nearby.
The Russian and Iranian transports constantly bringing replenishments for keeping the Syrian army fighting can again land at Damascus airport after months of rebel siege.
The rebels fell back in Damascus after being outflanked in a pincer movement in Damascus’s eastern outskirts executed by the Syrian army’s 4th and 3rd Divisions and a “Fuji” commando unit . Most of the rebels were pushed outside the city.debkafile’s military sources report that, as of Tuesday, June 4, Assad’s army controls all the capital’s road connections and its western districts. It has also cleared opposition forces out of areas west of Damascus through the Zabadni region and up to the Lebanese border.To the northwest, Hizballah and Syrian units have tightened their siege on the rebels holding out in the northern sector of al Qusayr; other units have completed their takeover of the countryside around the town of Hama; and a third combined Syrian-Hizballah force has taken up positions around Aleppo.Senior IDF officers criticized the defense minister’s briefing on Syria Monday to the Knesset Foreign and Defense Committee in which he estimated that Bashar Assad controlled only 40 percent of Syrian territory as misleading. They said he had drawn on a flawed intelligence assessment and were concerned that the armed forces were acting on the basis of inaccurate intelligence. Erroneous assessments, they feared, must lead to faulty decision-making. They cited two instances:
1. On May 5, the massive Israeli bombardment of Iranian weapons stored near Damascus for Hizballah, turned out a month later to have done more harm than good. It gave Bashar Assad a boost instead of weakening his resolve.

2. Israel has laid itself open to unpleasant surprises by its focused watch on military movements in Syria especially around Damascus to ascertain that advanced missiles and chemical weapons don’t reach Hizballah. Missed, for instance, was the major movement by Hizballah militia units towards the Syrian-Israeli border. Our military sources report a Hizballah force is currently deployed outside Deraa, capital of the southern Syrian province of Horan. Reinforcements are streaming in from Lebanon. The Hizballah force and Syrian units are getting ready to move in on the rural Horan and reach the Israeli border nearby through the Syrian Golan.
Their coming offensive, which could be only days away, will find Israeli face to face for the first time with Hizballah units equipped with heavy arms and missiles on the move along the Syrian-Israeli border and manning positions opposite Israel’s Golan outposts and villages. The early calculus that the Syrian battlefield would erode Hizballah’s strength held Israel back from obstructing the flow of Hizballah military strength into Syria. It has been proven wrong.
Instead of growing weaker, Iran’s Lebanese proxy is poised to open another warfront and force the IDF to adapt to a new military challenge from the Syrian Golan.
Unlike its previous wars against Israel, this time Hizballah will not confront Israel alone. On May 30, when the Syrian ruler spoke of “popular” demands to mount “resistance” operations against Israel from the Golan, he didn’t mention Hizballah because he was referring to demands coming from inside Syria.