Elias Bejjani/Sadly the USA Administration is helping the Syrian Butcher, Alassad and the Terrorist Hezbollah to massacre the Syrian people. Below is a report in this regard from DebkaFile Site
Obama rules out intervention to thwart Syria-Hizballah’s decisive Aleppo victory
http://www.debka.com/article/23045/Obama-rules-out-intervention-to-thwart-Syria-Hizballah’s-decisive-Aleppo-victory
DEBKAfile Special Report June 13, 2013/
The eagerly-awaited White House statement on the decision reached in President Barack Obama’s special consultation on Syria with his national security aides was seen by debkafile’s Washington sources as his final rejection of all the proposals for intervention put before him. The consultation was necessitated by the need for drastic action to thwart the Syrian-Hizballah offensive to capture Aleppo, Syrian’s biggest city.
Spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Thursday, June 13: "The president and every member of his national security team are greatly concerned by the terrible situation… and the worsening situation in Syria. As terrible as the situation is in Syria, he has to make decisions when it comes to policy toward Syria that are in the best interests of the United States.”What Carney conveyed on behalf of the president was that while stopping the battle for Aleppo was crucially important in terms of the Syrian war, intervention was not in the interests of the United States. Our sources learn that the US president even turned down a plan for a limited no-fly zone being imposed over the northwest city of Aleppo and the province of Idlib, the largest piece of territory still remaining in rebel hands. This plan entailed no more than 20 US and Turkish fighter bombers for preventing the Syrian air force from extending air support to the decisive Aleppo offensive launched by the Syrian army Monday as Operation Northern Storm. Our military sources report that the Syrian and Hizballah armies need between one to two months to wrest from rebel hands the northwest town of Aleppo and Idlib province which abuts the Turkish border. While their conquest of Al Qusayr was a major regional victory, the fall of Aleppo and Idlib would make Bashar Assad the winner of the 28-month Syrian civil war, just when its death toll nears 100,000 according to official figures.

Can the Syrians still believe Washington’s promises?
By: Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Alawsat
On top of Turkey’s protests and Iran’s elections, two interesting incidents have happened over the past few days in the Middle East. First, Moscow’s offered to send its troops to join the UN Disengagement Observer Forces (UNDOF) in the occupied Golan Heights, an offer which Israel has implicitly welcomed. Second, there were leaks about the “prospects” of US president Barack Obama providing the “non-radical” rebels of Syria with lethal weapons. The former incident is interesting for the following reasons. First, it is not common for Russia, an international superpower which has the right of veto at the UN Security Council, to participate in UN peacekeeping forces.Second, following its three vetoes since the revolution against the Assad regime started in March 2011, Russia has become an active participant in the Syrian conflict. By constantly nourishing the Syrian regime’s arsenal with all kinds of arms, including advanced missiles, and insisting on its survival, Russia has proven to be a staunch ally of Assad.Third, Russia is a tactical ally of the Iranian regime, sponsoring Tehran’s nuclear program and endorsing its “regional project” at the expense of tens of millions of Arabs. Fourth, the Syrian regime, which under the slogan of “resistance” has turned down all the Arab–Israeli peace initiatives over the last four decades, and which has accused its opponents of treason and making death threats against them, appears to be in favor of the Russian offer. This guarantees the continuity of Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights. In fact, Vladimir Putin would not have made such an offer without informing Bashar Al-Assad and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Fifth, the fact that Israel’s initial response was positive, or at least not negative, suggests that Tel Aviv shares a common vision with Russia toward the future of the Assad regime, in terms of coexisting with it.
Sixth, with Hezbollah’s deep involvement in the Syrian crisis under the pretext of fighting “takfirists” who are—according to its leadership—“allies of Tel Aviv and Washington,” one must then question this leadership about the fate of the Sheba’a farms and Kfarchouba hills, the Lebanese territories occupied by Israel in 1967. The Russian presence in the Golan Heights will thus ensure its continued occupation by Israel.
But what about the US stance?
Unfortunately, based on past experience, almost all faith has been lost in the US taking any significant step regarding the Syrian crisis. All of the statements made by Washington over the past few years proved to be meaningless. Moreover, all steps taken by Washington or its European allies towards Syria have been either too little or too late, or both. When the revolution started as a peaceful and restricted uprising, the West’s reaction was talk but no action. After the passing of the 14-day waiting period given to the Hosni Mubarak regime’s violent crackdown on the popular uprising in Egypt, no steps were taken by the international community to deter the Syrian regime. Sure enough, it found in the West’s feeble response a chance to continue. Despite the Syrian regime firing live bullets and using artillery, and calls for the international community to take appropriate measures, including providing the Free Syrian Army (FSA) with advanced weapons, the West’s response continued to be too little, too late.
Later on, the Syrian regime—emboldened by the Russian–Chinese veto—carried out airstrikes against the rebels, increasing demands for Stinger missiles and the establishment of a no-fly zone. Once again, the West’s response was still the same—too little, too late. This led many to accept the “jihadist” and “takfirist” groups that began to infiltrate the rebel movement. This is something which has been used by Washington and its allies as a “fig leaf” to justify their decision not to take any serious steps towards the Syrian revolution.
In light of the West’s unwillingness to take action, the Syrian regime became confident enough to further bombard the rebels, using first helicopters and fighters jets, and subsequently fixed-wing bombers such as Sukhois and MiGs. Now, with the regime using Scud missiles and chemical weapons, it has become too late to even demand no-fly zones.Reports about Washington’s intention to provide the “non-radical” rebels with “lethal” weapons might come as a relief to the Syrian opposition. However, it is not a relief to be forced to participate in fruitless negotiations that do not guarantee Assad’s ouster. The Syrian opposition must not to be blamed for refusing to participate. As the saying goes, “Once bitten, twice shy.” The question that must be asked here is: How would any observer with minimal reasoning skills believe such reports when Washington is showing no understanding of the situation in Syria or how it will develop in the future, given what has already happened to the town of Qusayr? How can the US’s changing attitude be of any value on the ground when Washington is still convinced that Moscow and Tehran constitute a part of the solution? How can one explain Israel’s contradictory statements about the future of the Assad regime, as well as the nature of its sectarian alliance with Iran and some countries in the region—an alliance which has been exposed by the military involvement of Hezbollah throughout Syrian territories?
Frankly, a tragedy is playing out in the region at the expense of its people’s existence and stability. This tragedy has proved the falseness of expressions such as “the Great Satan,” “little Satan,” “steadfastness” and “the resistance.” over the past few years, we have unfortunately seen how “red lines” have been obliterated by “green lights.”

Sunni clerics call for jihad in Syria
AFP/Influential Sunni clerics from several Arab states including Saudi Arabia and Egypt called on Thursday for a holy war against the "sectarian" regime in Syria. "We must undertake jihad to help our brothers in Syria by sending them money and arms, and providing all aid to save the Syrian people from this sectarian regime," they said in a statement at the end of a gathering in Cairo.
"The flagrant aggression of the Iranian regime, of Hezbollah and of their sectarian allies in Syria amounts to a declaration of war against Islam and Muslims."Lebanon's Iran-backed Shiite movement has been fighting alongside the forces of President Bashar Al-Assad, a member of the Alawite offshoot of Shia Islam, against Syria's mainly Sunni rebels. Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia's top cleric Abdulaziz al-Shaikh has urged governments to punish the "repulsive sectarian group" while Qatar-based Sunni cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi has called on Sunnis to join the rebels.

Beqaa, a new front in the Syrian conflict
By: Ana Maria Luca/Now Lebanon/
The battle of Qusayr has pushed the fighting into eastern Lebanon
A Syrian army helicopter bombed the eastern Beqaa town of Arsal again yesterday afternoon. This time they aimed at the center of the town, located in a valley of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range a few kilometers away from the Syrian border. It was the latest episode in a series of incidents that raise concern that a new front may emerge in the Lebanese Beqaa Valley, especially after Syrian regime forces and Hezbollah-trained fighters have recently pushed the rebels out of Qusayr, a former rebel stronghold. Analysts say that a war in the Beqaa is imminent. Arsal has been bombed by the Syrian air force in August last year, but no inhabited areas were hit then. Most of the military operations took place in the farmlands straddling the border, as the Syrian army officially said that they were following rebel fighters who had crossed into Lebanon. For the people in Arsal, a Sunni enclave on the border with Syria surrounded by Hezbollah-controlled areas, bombing the inhabited areas was a long time coming. Since the beginning of the Syrian uprising, the town has earned a reputation for sheltering Syrian refugees and anti-regime activists, and its farmlands have been reportedly used as a safe haven by rebel fighters.
Arsal’s support for the Syrian rebellion has brought the town to an open war with neighboring Hermel, a region controlled by Shiite Hezbollah (which is involved in the Syrian conflict alongside the regime’s loyalist forces). On Tuesday, a resident of Arsal was killed and another two were briefly kidnapped while passing through Hezbollah’s territory. Politically motivated tit-for-tat kidnappings have occured quite often between the inhabitants of the two towns during the past year.  “People from Arsal pass through Hezbollah-control areas every day,” Arsal’s vice-president of the Municipality, Ahmad Fleeti, told NOW minutes before his town was bombed yesterday. “They are harassed, kidnapped, beaten, and even killed,” he added. “We don’t know what is happening within Hezbollah, but we are citizens and we have the right to go wherever we want - and this right should be protected by the Lebanese state. [If the state doesn’t protect the people] we will choose to defend ourselves and we don’t want to choose that option, neither against Hezbollah nor against any other party,” Fleeti stressed.
On the other hand, the presence of Hezbollah fighters in Hermel has also triggered several shelling episodes from Syrian rebels which killed civilians. In Arsal, the Syrian Army incursions has also resulted in further civilian casualties.The Syrian front has been expanding to the eastern Beqaa Valley for over a year, while locals complain that Lebanese authorities have done little to prevent the outbreak of conflict. A mysterious bombing on Monday in Tanaayel, a town on the Beirut-Damascus highway, that targeted a bus transporting armed men to Syria has worried analysts even more. The bus, carrying armed men who were wounded in the attack, immediately left the scene of the bombing and the passengers were allowed to cross into Syria through the Masnaa checkpoint. Contacted by NOW, the municipality representatives refused to make any statement.
Since the Shiite group has made public its involvement in the Syrian conflict, "targeting it in Lebanon has become a serious problem," according to Qassem Kassir, a Lebanese analyst who closely follows Hezbollah’s affairs. He added, “[Sunni] extremist groups in Lebanon have warned Hezbollah many times before. Bombings in [Hezbollah-controlled] Dahiyeh and Hermel mean they have started to put these threats into practice,” Kassir pointed out.
“[The Lebanese state] should have a serious plan to stop these clashes and take a radical decision about Hezbollah’s interference in Syria,” he said.
Nabil bou Monsif, a political commentator for the national newspaper An-Nahar, also said that the situation in Arsal cannot be isolated forever and its skirmishes with rival Hermel are threatening to spread to the entire country. “When an issue is becoming sectarian, the army is usually paralyzed,” he told NOW. “The army is not banning Hezbollah from going to Syria, they are not capable of controlling the border. Hezbollah itself wants the border to be chaotic in order to go and come freely,” bou Monsif said, referring to Monday’s bombing in Tanaayel.
“Hezbollah dragged the country and the region into the Syrian conflict and we are now paying for this involvement,” Future Movement MP Moein Merhabi told NOW. The politician from Tripoli has been an active supporter of the Syrian uprising since protests broke out in 2011. “I have always been clear that Hezbollah was involved [in Syria], and the disassociation policy taken by the Lebanese government was just a cover. I do not mean to push the government to deny or accuse Hezbollah of involvement [in the Syrian conflict],” Merhabi stressed. “I am afraid that the Beqaa Valley will turn into a front [of the Syrian conflict],” he told NOW.
Yara Chehayed contributed with translation.Ana Maria Luca tweets @aml1609.

Iran's new Syrian territory
Hanin Ghaddar/Now Lebanon
It is distressing and scary, but not surprising, that Hezbollah has killed a protestor in front of the Iranian embassy in Beirut during a violent crackdown on the anti-Hezbollah demonstration. Hashem Salman was shot three times and fellow demonstrators were beaten up with sticks by Hezbollah’s ‘shabiha.’ This is not the first time Hezbollah has physically intimidated Lebanese opponents.
In fact, this is exactly what Hezbollah has been doing since 2005. The only difference is that the Party of God committed this murder in broad daylight and did not worry about hiding it. They are not as discreet as they used to be, and this is what outlines Hezbollah’s new post-Qusayr approach. It also indicates a whole new Iranian approach in the region. Before Qusayr, Hezbollah had always tried to mask its military involvement in Syria. It had also tried everything to keep the Sunni-Shiite tension under the lid by either ignoring it, or claiming their irresponsibility for tensions or clashes. Something changed drastically after Qusayr. Hezbollah decided to lose its resistance mask and jump fearlessly into the sectarian game. The main goal for Iran now is to maintain and strengthen its regional influence spreading through Syria to neighboring countries, mainly Lebanon and Iraq. It is indeed a battle of influence in order to gain credibility as the regional power. Hezbollah, being Iran’s army in the region, moved to this front.
Hezbollah is done with making excuses for its involvement in Syria, not because they’re not credible anymore. On the contrary, many Shiites believe Hezbollah’s religious and political excuses. Many genuinely believe in the ‘Armageddon’ narrative, and they think this is the battle for the appearance of Imam al Mahdi. Others are just afraid of the Salafists who are “coming to Lebanon to launch a war against the Shiites,” as Hezbollah has warned them.But Hezbollah has bigger plans. They have reached other areas deeper in Syria, and the battles have started in Aleppo and the suburbs of Damascus. This level of engagement could not be justified by the old rhetoric of protecting the Al-Sayyeda Zeinab shrine in Damascus, or the Shiite villages along the borders. The new battle now requires an aggressive and assertive approach - one that does not tolerate opposition or any hindrances. In fact, Iran has decided to take over Syria without hiding behind the Assad regime's forces. Iran is openly fighting the battle in Syria and has actually fulfilled its promises, unlike the Syrian opposition and rebel “friends” who have only been inconsistent in their support. The result is the current shift of balance in favor of Assad - or more precisely, Iran.
The West has been wasting time on a negotiated settlement that is not going to work after so much bloodshed. Geneva 2.0 has failed before it even started. Meanwhile, Iran has been sending money, arms, and fighters - and Russia has been playing everyone and delaying any peaceful initiative until the balance of power shifts on the ground.
Today all eyes are cast on Aleppo which will probably be the site of a very decisive battle. Aleppo is a crossroads for Syria, and the outcome will draw the new map of influence in the region. Of course, Aleppo is not Qusayr, and Jabhat al-Nusra has made Aleppo its headquarters and center of influence. They won’t give it up without a fierce battle, yet Hezbollah is also determined to win.
It might take several brutal months and much more bloodshed. Even more, the violence and Sunni-Shiite tension will increase and spread in neighboring counties. Lebanon is already part of this. The Beqaa region has already been outside the Lebanese state’s authority. The Syrian regime bombs Lebanese villages and towns in the Beqaa anytime they please, while Hezbollah kills or kidnaps whoever they want and no one interferes or even condemns it. Lebanon’s Beqaa and north has already been abandoned by the Lebanese state. The Beqaa has been handed over to Hezbollah while the north is just left to fight its own battles of poverty, refugees, and border security.
What we will probably see in a few months is a more powerful Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon, and a more influential Iran in the region. This cannot be the United States’ preferred scenario. If the US thinks that by not intervening, Hezbollah and al-Nusra (their two worst terrorist groups) are going to fight each other until they’re both weakened - well, its time policy-makers think again. This scenario is not realistic because Iran will eventually win. And the price will be heavy on all of us, including the US. Meanwhile, radical Islam will flourish in the region as most Sunnis in the Gulf countries will be charged with sectarian hatred. What we watched in Kuwait yesterday is probably just a small example of what’s ahead. A charged and Islamicized Gulf is also not what the US needs. An American military interference of some sort has become necessary; if not for moral and humanitarian reasons, then for mere political interests. The battle for Aleppo is about to start and Iran is more than ready. It is time to face reality. Hanin Ghaddar is the managing editor of NOW. She tweets @haningdr

Lebanon's Option Gathering spokesperson: Hashem Salman's killing premeditated
Jessica Schulberg/A Lebanese Option Gathering spokesperson told NOW on Thursday that the killing of Hashem Salman during the protest outside the Iranian embassy was “premeditated” and that the attackers prevented the Red Cross from reaching the party’s student leader as he lay dying. The spokesperson for the Shiite anti-Hezbollah party said that the assailants outside of the Iranian embassy immediately set upon the protesters as they arrived to the Bir Hassan site mid-day Sunday, with Salman being targeted specifically in what he described as a “premeditated assassination.”When Salman attempted to run away and seek refuge in military Jeep, he was shot in the leg and collapsed, after which he was shot two more times and beaten for nearly thirty minutes before medical responders could reach him, the spokesperson told NOW. He added that Red Cross ambulances arrived at the embassy promptly, but could not penetrate the circle of attackers until Salman was nearly dead. A Red Cross employee initially told NOW that medical personnel from the organization reached Salman quickly and without obstruction and transferred him to the Rafiq Hariri Hospital, but subsequently retracted the statement and insisted that the Red Cross had not been contacted regarding Salman or been involved with the incident. Meanwhile, Future bloc MP Ammar Houri said that the security forces’ response to the violent attack on the demonstrators protesting against Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria was unacceptable. “They should have defended the protesters against the attack, and the media should have been able to release the footage taken on the spot. This did not happen because they fear Hezbollah’s reaction,” the MP told NOW. However, the spokesperson for the Lebanese Option Gathering insisted that neither the Lebanese army nor the police forces are complicit in Salman’s death. “They were outnumbered and couldn’t do anything. The attackers surrounded him and no one was able to reach him.” The Lebanese Army refused to comment on the incident. At least 11 people were injured in the attack outside the embassy which sparked a firestorm of controversy over Hezbollah’s role in the violence

Judge Suleiman Denies Coming under Political Pressure over Parliament Extension
Naharnet /The head of the Constitutional Council, Judge Issam Suleiman, denied on Thursday coming under political pressure over the challenges against the extension of parliament's four-year mandate. “Everybody knows well that I am not the type that is influenced by any pressure,” Suleiman told As Safir newspaper. “I am not ready to sacrifice my convictions, credibility and dignity” in return for favors, he said. The council failed on Wednesday for the second day in a row to meet to issue a decision on a report drafted by Suleiman on two petitions filed against the 17-month extension of the legislature's term.
Three judges – two Shiites and one Druze – boycotted the meetings to prevent a quorum, a sign of political interference. The challenges were made on June 1 and 3 respectively by President Michel Suleiman and the Change and Reform bloc of Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun. Judge Suleiman denied accusations that he was following the president's orders to accept the challenges and rule against the extension.
“I have immunity. I refuse coming under the pressure of either the president or Michel Aoun or the Maronite Patriarch,” he said. “I am also not a dictator … The three members should have attended (the meetings) and expressed their viewpoints,” Suleiman told As Safir. “But it's their own problem if they have been politically influenced.” “Besides I don't own anyone anything because I haven't asked the president to be appointed a member of the Constitutional Council or its head,” he said.Suleiman also denied that he had collaborated with the president by drafting his report before the petition was issued on June 1. “I referred my report five days after the president filed his petition on the extension law,” he said, stressing that the swift move came over his race against time. If the council fails to issue a ruling on the extension by June 20 – the date the parliament's term expires – then the law becomes valid and the parliamentary elections would be held in November 2014. The council's next meeting is Tuesday. The absence of the three judges on Tuesday and Wednesday was a clear sign of political interference and an attempt by several officials, mainly Speaker Nabih Berri, the Hizbullah leadership and Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat, to prevent the council from issuing a decision on the petitions.
The approval or the rejection of the challenges requires the go-ahead of seven out of the council's half-Christian half-Muslim members. Plus the body cannot vote without a quorum of eight members.

Plumbly Meets Salam: Recent Unrest Illustrates Need for Govt. Capable of Addressing Challenges
Naharnet/United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly stressed on Thursday the U.N.'s keenness on Lebanon's stability and stability.He said after holding talks with Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam that the recent security “developments illustrate yet again the need for a government capable of addressing the many challenges which Lebanon now faces.”He highlighted the importance of a cabinet capable of keeping Lebanon safe, “that is why we encourage all parties to cooperate with Salam to enable the formation of such a government as soon as possible.”“I take this opportunity to note our concern over recent events in the Bekaa, including the shelling on Hermel earlier in the week and the attack on Arsal on Wednesday, where there are of course local residents and also at present a high concentration of Syrian refugees,” Plumbly added.
“The U.N. in the past stressed and I would like to emphasize here now the importance of respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he continued. In this regard, he noted the statements made by President Michel Suleiman and the Lebanese army on Wednesday. The army announced that it will immediately respond to any further cross-border attacks by the Syrian military after a helicopter gunship attacked Arsal and injured one person on Wednesday. "Army units deployed in the (Arsal) area took the necessary defensive measures to respond immediately to any similar violations," an army statement said, in a rare warning against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Suleiman later stated that Lebanon "has the right to take the necessary measures to defend its sovereignty," urging an end to the "Syrian violations" against Arsal. Ever since the Syrian revolt erupted in March 2011, Arsal has become a key conduit for refugees and wounded people fleeing strife-torn Syria.Security officials say the town has also served as a passageway for fighters and arms flowing into Syria.

France 'Strongly Condemns' Syria Attack on Arsal: Threatening Civil Peace in Lebanon is Unacceptable
Naharnet /France condemned on Thursday the latest Syrian attack on the eastern town of Arsal, slamming “attempts to threaten civil peace in Lebanon as unacceptable.”"France strongly condemns the raids on Arsal and we consider it a violation of Lebanese sovereignty,” said French foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot."All provocations and attempts to threaten civil peace in Lebanon are unacceptable, whoever is the party responsible for them.”A Syrian airstrike targeting Arsal injured at least one person on Wednesday, triggering the army to issue a rare warning against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The military institution announced that it will immediately respond to any further cross-border attacks. "Army units deployed in the (Arsal) area took the necessary defensive measures to respond immediately to any similar violations," an army statement said.
Meanwhile, President Michel Suleiman stated that Lebanon "has the right to take the necessary measures to defend its sovereignty," urging an end to the "Syrian violations" against Arsal.The United States on Wednesday also condemned the raid on the eastern town, calling it an "unacceptable provocation which risked dragging Lebanon into war. Source/NaharnetAgence France Presse.

Al-Rahi, Yaziji Call for Release of Abducted Bishops
Naharnet /Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Greek Orthodox leader Youhanna al-Yaziji called on Thursday for the release of two bishops kidnapped in a north Syria village. Al-Rahi and al-Yaziji expressed hope in a joint statement read by bishop Boulos Matar that regional states and the international community would exert efforts to secure the release of all the kidnapped people in the neighboring country Syria. The statement voiced grief that the conflict in Syria is ongoing, calling on the Lebanese parties and international community to end their involvement in the turmoil in Syria, calling on all to seek peace. The two bishops, Yohanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yaziji, were kidnapped at the end of April, reportedly near the rebel-held town of Kafr Dael, near Aleppo in northern Syria. No group has claimed responsibility for their kidnap, but sources close to the Greek Orthodox Church and the Syrian authorities have claimed the kidnappers were "Chechen jihadists". Al-Rahi and al-Yaziji called on Syrians to launch dialogue among each other as they are obliged to coexist under one nation. The statement urged the Lebanese to continue aiding the Syrian refugees.The U.N. says it has registered around 500,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon, but Lebanese officials say their number has exceeded one million. Although Lebanon has officially adopted a position of neutrality in Syria's war, its people are sharply divided with Shiite Muslims backing President Bashar Assad's regime and Sunnis the rebellion.

Beirut First Investigative Judge Wraps Up Probe in al-Madina Bank Case
Naharnet/Beirut First Investigative Judge Ghassan Oueidat on Thursday concluded the investigation into the al-Madina Bank case, wrapping up a several-year probe. Oueidat started preparing to refer the long-running case to the public prosecution, state-run National News Agency reported. On May 13, General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi handed over to the Central Bank's Special Investigation Commission a preliminary list of the names of several people to monitor and probe if they have links to the al-Madina Bank scandal. According to NNA, the commission received the names of 135 people that might have connections to the fraud case at al-Madina and money laundering. The names on the list will be thoroughly investigated, according to the news agency. An experts committee, tasked with probing the fraud case at al-Madina, handed to Judge Madi in April a report that includes the names of 411 suspects that received suspicious funds from the bank. The committee was formed when the bank's millions of dollars of fraud erupted in 2003 to investigate money laundering. Judge Madi tasked in February the committee to probe the amount and the reasons of the payments made. Rana Koleilat, who was accused of playing a key role in the fraud case at al-Madina Bank, revealed in February that she will hand over to authorities the names of her accomplices. During 12 years at the private al-Madina bank, Koleilat rose from clerk to executive. It was an era in which Syria dominated Lebanon and when paying off Syrian intelligence agents and providing gifts to powerful politicians was common.Koleilat was at the center of the scandal that engulfed al-Madina when the Central Bank announced in July 2003 that it had detected a cash deficit at the bank of more than euro 250 million, along with other irregularities. Other suspects in the case include Adnan Abu Ayash and his brother Ibrahim. Reports have said that the amount missing from the two banks could total as much as euro 1.0 billion.

Bahrain Swoops on Opposition Group, Accuses Hizbullah of Meddling in Internal Affairs
Naharnet/Bahraini authorities announced Thursday they have identified and arrested leading members of the opposition February 14 Revolution Youth Coalition, an influential clandestine cyber-group accused of links to Iran.
"After an extensive investigation, several members of the February 14 terrorist organization were identified... (and) the main actors who took part in criminal acts have been arrested," the interior ministry said in a statement.
The February 14 Coalition has been the main motor behind a Shiite-led uprising that began in 2011 to demand more rights from the ruling Sunni dynasty. The ministry identified the group's spiritual leader as Hadi al-Mudaressi, a leading Shiite cleric living in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala. He "provided divisive sectarian support to the organization," it said. It named 11 of those arrested, saying they had played prominent roles in the coalition inside Bahrain, and said other members were still being sought.The ministry also named 13 people it said were leading the coalition from abroad, some of whom are based in London. Among these, it said, is Saeed Abdulnabi al-Shahabi "who is responsible for coordination with Iranian leaders.”Shahabi is a Shiite opposition leader who has been sentenced to life in prison in absentia for his role in the 2011 uprising. "They frequently travel between Iran, Iraq and Lebanon to obtain financial and moral support as well as weapons training," the ministry statement said. These members contact leaders in Iran "to receive direct financial support and field instructions." "The information presented shows the active role in incitement and terror acts and the support that is provided by extremist religious and political leaders from outside and inside Bahrain," said the statement. Bahrain also accused Hizbullah -- listed as a "terrorist organization" by the kingdom -- and "extremists" in Iraq of interfering in its internal security affairs. Tehran, which has repeatedly criticized the kingdom's crackdown on protesters, denies it is backing the uprising. Bahrain's Shiites, mainly in response to calls by the February 14 Coalition, continue to demonstrate in their villages, frequently clashing with police. A total of 80 people have been killed since the protests erupted, according to the International Federation for Human Rights. Source/Agence France Presse.

Iran Says Hizbullah Fighting 'Enemies' Plans' in Syria
Naharnet/Iran on Thursday expressed that Hizbullah's involvement in the Syrian war is a defense against “the enemies' plans,” stressing that the party does not interfere in “sectarian conflicts.”"All the Islamic world respects and values Hizbullah for its fight against the enemies of Islam, particularly against the Zionists,” Iranian foreign ministry's spokesperson Abbas Araqji said, explaining that the party's “procedures in defending Syria aim at facing the enemies' plans.” "Hizbullah is a symbol of resistance against the Zionist entity,” he remarked, Araqji said the party “has proved that it does not interfere in sectarian and internal conflicts.” Commenting on Influential Muslim cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi's criticism of Hizbullah, Araqji stated: “He (al-Qaradawi) might have gotten confused between God and Satan.”"What is expected from al-Qaradawi, who's the godfather of Takfiri groups, is to work towards uniting Muslims.”Al-Qaradawi lashed out at Hizbullah's involvement in Syria earlier in June, calling it the “party of Satan.”He also called on Sunni Muslims to join the rebels fighting the Syrian regime. Qaradawi, a controversial figure in the West but who has millions of supporters, mostly from the Muslim Brotherhood, also hit out at Iran for backing the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad. "Every Muslim trained to fight and capable of doing that (must) make himself available" to support the Syrian rebels, the cleric said at a rally in Doha late Friday. "Iran is pushing forward arms and men (to back the Syrian regime), so why do we stand idle?" he said, branding Hizbullah, which means the party of God in Arabic, as the "party of Satan."Source/Naharnet.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel: Suleiman Assumes Responsibilities amid State's Paralysis, Hizbullah Arms Hinder Its Establishment
Naharnet /Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel stated on Thursday that President Michel Suleiman “assumes all responsibilities amid the paralysis in the official institutions,” considering that the spread of weapons with militias is the “main obstacle for the establishment of the state.” "Suleiman took the oath to assume his responsibilities and he represents Lebanon in all international forums and thus, he should bear all responsibilities amid the current paralysis of the state,” Gemayel said at a ceremony at the party's office in Beirut's Ashrafieh neighborhood.  He added: “We should also as a party bear the responsibility along with our allies and propose initiatives to get the country out of the current situation.” "Is it possible that after four years we did not reach consensus over an electoral law? Is it possible that we did not form a new cabinet? How can we justify the Constitutional Council's dysfunction when it is above all authorities and our last resort?”The Council, which was set to study petitions filed against the extension of parliament’s term, failed to convene on Tuesday over lack of quorum, a sign that several of its members intended to validate the extension law.Gemayel reiterated his rejection of all electoral laws that do not guarantee “equality and partnership between all Lebanese factions.”"We are not seeking personal gains or additional parliamentary seats, but instead we want an electoral law that secures national interest and Lebanon's unity,” the Phalange leader stressed."Through partnership democracy is achieved, not vice versa.”
The former president expressed that stability and sovereignty “cannot be achieved amid the spread of weapons with groups other than the army and the security forces.”"Arms spread in militias' hands, especially in the hands of Hizbullah are the main obstacle for the state's establishment and the country's stability,” he considered. Addressing Hizbullah, Gemayel asked: “Who are you loyal to? Lebanon, Syria or Iran? What does your loyalty mean after you paralyzed the institutions and implicated Lebanon in a battle that the country has nothing to do with?” The Christian leader said commenting on the killing of Lebanese Option Party member Hashem Salman that the “victim is always Lebanon, and the source of the bullet is always the same, whether in this crime, in the assassination of (former Minister) Pierre Gemayel or in the incident that killed (Army's First Lieutenant) Samer Hanna.”
Salman was killed on Sunday and at least eleven others were wounded in a scuffle between supporters of Hizbullah and protesters near the Iranian embassy in Beirut. The Demonstrators were holding a sit-in near the embassy in the Bir Hassan area south of Beirut, to protest Hizbullah's involvement in the war raging in Syria. Meanwhile, Hanna was killed in 2008 when gunmen opened fire on his helicopter over Sojod hills in south Lebanon. Hizbullah member, Mustafa Hassan Muqdim, was identified as the shooter. Gemayel, however, rejected blaming Hizbullah only: “All leaders in Lebanon are held responsible for these incidents because at one moment in history, and for a reason or another we neglected and failed.”

MP Suleiman Franjieh: Suleiman Making Promises to West, Resistance Has Right to Intervene in Syria
Naharnet /Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh on Thursday accused President Michel Suleiman of “making promises to the West,” stressing that Hizbullah “has the right to intervene in Syria” militarily. “The president turned against the March 8 camp and when we reached a juncture, he made his choices, and here we raise a question: why did all these countries cling to him? Is he the 'Bismarck of Lebanon' or did he make promises to the West and endorsed their policies?” Franjieh said during an interview with LBCI television. “The president wants to turn himself into a hero over the (Syrian) shelling (of Lebanese territory). When Syria makes a violation, he directly condemns it, but when Israel makes a violation, Baabda remains silent,” Franjieh added. The northern leader rejected any attack on any region in Lebanon, saying “we're against these violations, especially those committed by the Free Syrian Army.”Criticizing the Suleiman-sponsored Baabda Declaration -- which calls for Lebanon to disassociate itself from regional crises, most notably the one in Syria – Franjieh said the declaration “was one of the tools that are aimed at bringing down Hizbullah after bringing down the Syrian regime.”  “They wanted Hizbullah to hand over its weapons and as the regime did not fall, a new round of pressure started, and it can be war or other means,” he added.The MP also described the Baabda Declaration as a “Sunni-Shiite settlement at the expense of Christians, even if the Syrian regime fell.”When asked what he was betting on, Franjieh said: “On the strength of our allies and on this entire camp that comprises political figures, parties, countries and axes that are built on firmness, not evanescent interests."Asked about Hizbullah's military involvement in the Syrian crisis, the Marada leader said: “The resistance has the right to intervene in Syria – ideologically, religiously and politically – and it is an ideological organization that fights at the orders of one side, and there is a major axis in the region – an Arabist axis that is resisting and fighting.”Franjieh added: “The target has always been the anti-Israel resistance axis and the weakening of the Syrian regime, and this plan actually started with (U.N. Security Council) Resolution 1559,” which was adopted in 2004 and calls upon "all remaining foreign forces" to withdraw from Lebanon" and "for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias." "We cannot neutralize Lebanon when there is a (new) Sykes–Picot (Agreement) in the region and major players are involved,” he went on to say. Franjieh stressed that “Syria is not being targeted for the sake of freedom and democracy or human rights, but rather because of its political choices.”“I don't believe that Arabs can be pro-Israel, but they have succeeded in creating Sunni-Shiite sectarian tensions,” he added.

Hariri: Hizbullah Has Ruined Fraternal Ties among Lebanese People
Naharnet /Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri lamented on Thursday Hizbullah's fighting in Syria, which has ruined “the fraternal ties among the Lebanese people, especially between Sunnis and Shiites.”He said in an address to the Lebanese people: “Lebanon needs, now more than ever, the word of truth against the oppressive arms.”“The word of truth will halt the Iranian wars against the Lebanese people and their land,” he declared.“The word of truth will help liberate Lebanon from the illegitimate weapons and the hegemony of armed groups,” he added. “No matter how many rockets these groups possess, they will never, at the end of the day, be able to create strife and break the unity of the state and the dignity of the people,” Hariri stressed. “Lebanon is inching closer towards an existential threat, which is jeopardizing the country's culture and sectarian diversity,” he noted.
“I fear that Lebanon, including all of its sects, will fall victim to civil and sectarian conflicts,” he said. “This time however, I fear that no one will come to our aid,” warned the former premier. Moreover, he expressed a concern that Lebanon will once again fall victim to foreign hegemony after it was liberated of the Syrian regime's tutelage in 2005. In addition to Israel's threat against Lebanon, continued Hariri, the real dangers facing Lebanon are stemming from its political fabric. “Hizbullah has managed to transform itself over the past 20 years, and with unprecedented Iranian support, into a military and security force that has sought to impose itself at all state institutions,” he explained. “Hizbullah is leading the country towards a dangerous phase and none of the Lebanese sects will be able to avoid it,” he cautioned. Hizbullah is an extension of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and it is seeking to spearhead its agenda in the region, he stated. “This agenda requires the Shiites in Lebanon to become the fuel of this endless futile war,” lamented the former prime minister. “We do not consider Hizbullah as an army aimed at defending Lebanon's Shiites … but it is an army aimed at defending Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iran's ambitions in the region,” he noted.“Hizbullah is definitely no longer suited to defend Lebanon or its Shiites,” he declared.

Naharnet: Saudi King Cuts Short Morocco Vacation amid Unusual Military Measures in Kingdom
Naharnet /Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz cut short his vacation in Morocco and decided to return to the kingdom on Thursday evening. The monarch and his entourage have already left Morocco, according to information obtained by Naharnet. The information come amid media reports that the Saudi military command has ordered measures that resemble a state of alert. According to the reports, the army has suspended the vacations of soldiers amid unusual military moves in the bases that are close to the border with Jordan, especially the Tabuk military base.Observers linked the king's sudden return and the military measures to the developments of the military situation in Syria.

Muallem Sends Memo to Mansour, Urges Lebanese Army to 'Control Border'
Naharnet /Damascus on Thursday called on the Lebanese army to "control the border to preserve security and stability," in the wake of Wednesday's Syrian air raid on the Bekaa border town of Arsal. Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said he received a memo from Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem about the situation on the border between the two countries. Muallem cited the security agreements signed between Lebanon and Syria and underlined Damascus' "keenness on Lebanon's security," Mansour said. The Syrian minister "stressed the importance that the Lebanese army control the border to preserve security and stability," urging Lebanese authorities to "take the necessary measures that strengthen the joint efforts between the two brotherly countries and peoples, in the framework of mutual keenness on respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two states." The Syrian memo comes after a Syrian helicopter gunship bombed Arsal on Wednesday morning, prompting the Lebanese army to issue an unprecedented statement in which it warned that it will immediately retaliate to any future attacks, as President Michel Suleiman threatened to file complaints with the Arab League and the U.N. Security Council. The United States condemned the attack as an "unacceptable provocation which risked dragging Lebanon into war.” Hours after the helicopter gunship fired missiles at Arsal, Syria's army command said it respects Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The army said it will continue to target rebels across Syrian territory, but that it is "committed to respecting the sovereignty of the Lebanese republic, its territorial integrity and the safety of its people."Using the term "terrorist" to refer to rebels fighting President Bashar Assad's regime, the army command said the strike came after "one of the air force's helicopters spotted an armed terrorist group as its members tried to flee towards Lebanese territory."

Mortars Fired at Damascus Airport, Delay 3 Flights
Naharnet/Rebels fired two mortar rounds at Damascus international airport on Thursday, delaying two landings and one take-off, Syrian state television cited Transport Minister Mahmoud Said as saying. "One mortar round hit at the airport's edges, near the runway, causing two flights coming from Latakia (in northwestern Syria) and Kuwait to delay their landing. The take-off of a flight to Baghdad was also delayed," said the minister. No passengers were hurt, but a second round hit an airport warehouse and one worker was wounded, Said added. The rounds were fired by "terrorists," the regime's term for rebels, he added.The statement comes after the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a homemade rocket attack at the airport, the regime's main gateway to the world."Rebels hit Damascus airport with three homemade rockets," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman, who described the attack as "rare."The airport lies southeast of Damascus, near several flashpoint areas and near the heated Eastern Ghouta region, large swathes of which are in rebel hands.For several months, rebels have been trying to cut off the regime's access to the airport.Source/Agence France Presse.

Turkey Protesters Reject Erdogan's 'Last Warning' to Evacuate Gezi Park
Naharnet/Turkish protesters said Thursday they would remain in Istanbul's Gezi Park despite a "last warning" by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to evacuate the green patch at the center of deadly anti-government unrest.
"We will stay in Gezi Park with all our demands and sleeping bags," Taksim Solidarity, the core group behind the campaign to save the park, said in a statement, rejecting the government's proposal to hold a referendum on the site's controversial redevelopment.Earlier on Thursday, Erdogan issued a "last warning" for thousands of protesters to evacuate the park. "I'm making my last warning: mothers, fathers please withdraw your kids from there," Erdogan said in a live television broadcast. "We cannot wait any longer because Gezi Park does not belong to occupying forces. It belongs to everybody."The premier urged environmental protesters to withdraw so that police could clear the site of "illegal organizations.”"Don't sadden us anymore, let us clean Gezi park and return it to its rightful owners... the people of Istanbul."On Tuesday, police already took back Taksim Square, next to the park, sparking a day of violent clashes between riot police and tens of thousands of angry demonstrators.A campaign to save Gezi Park's 600 trees from being razed to make way for a replica of Ottoman-era military barracks was met with a tough police response on May 31. The violence sparked a nationwide outpouring of anger against Erdogan, seen as increasingly authoritarian after more than a decade in power.
The premier has faced international condemnation over his handling of the crisis, which has left four people dead and injured nearly 5,000 demonstrators.But Erdogan defended the police action, saying: "Police use force when needed."He put the damage from the protests so far at 100 million lira (40 million euros).Source/Agence France Presse.

Assad gains sharpen focus on arming rebels
Now Lebanon/AFP/Opposition leaders have urged the United States to end its insistence on providing only non-lethal aid such as communications equipment and night-vision goggles.
The advance of Syrian regime forces on opposition strongholds has thrust into the spotlight a fractious debate on whether Western nations should arm the rebels, with no decision yet in sight. British Foreign Secretary William Hague met in Washington on Wednesday with US Secretary of State John Kerry and made a passionate plea for Europe, the US and its allies to do more for "the innocent victims of war and repression."
"The United Kingdom believes that the situation demands a strong, coordinated, and determined approach by the UK, the US and our allies in Europe and the region," Hague told a joint press conference. But he and Kerry acknowledged that, despite months of debate, their governments still had nothing new to announce. Opposition leaders have urged the United States -- manufacturer of some of the world's most powerful weapons -- to end its insistence on providing only non-lethal aid such as communications equipment and night-vision goggles. Weapons have been pouring into Syria from nations such as Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia sympathetic to the rebels as well as from countries like Iran and Russia, accused of aiding President Bashar al-Assad's regime.And the US has been wary of adding more fuel to an already volatile mix, and fearful of sophisticated weaponry falling into extremist hands. But with the conflict now in its third year and the balance of power on the ground shifting, the rebels say they are outgunned by Assad's heavily-armed forces, and are going up against regime tanks with little more than AK47s. The surprise fall of Qusayr to regime forces backed by thousands of Hezbollah militants has given new urgency to the debate, with Syrian troops now targeting the country's second city Aleppo.
Hague said Assad "seems to be preparing new assaults, endangering the lives and safety of hundreds of Syrians who are already in desperate need."And he warned that, while diplomatic efforts were focused on achieving a political transition, "we will have to be prepared to do more to save lives, to pressure the Assad regime to negotiate seriously and to prevent the growth of extremism and terrorism if diplomatic efforts are going to succeed."France on Wednesday urged the international community to help halt the regime's advance."We must stop this progression before Aleppo. It is the next target of Hezbollah and of the Iranians," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said."We need to rebalance things because over the past few weeks the troops of Bashar al-Assad and especially Hezbollah and the Iranians, along with Russian arms, have gained considerable ground."
Amid growing fears Assad may also have unleashed chemical weapons, Kerry said the US administration was meeting "to talk about various balances in this issue right now."US officials have said that "all options" except sending in troops are on the table as the debate on how best to help the rebels gathers steam.Assad's choice of weapons "challenges anybody's standards of human behavior and we're going to have to make judgments ourselves about how we're going to be able to help the opposition deal with that," Kerry said. "People are talking about what further options might be exercised here... but we don't have anything to announce at this moment." But, asked if he still believed the rebels could win, Kerry replied: "Nobody wins in Syria the way things are going. The people lose and Syria as a country loses."Amid the frantic diplomatic efforts, Syria is also likely to dominate next week's G8 summit to be held in Northern Ireland. On Tuesday, France's foreign ministry warned the conflict, in which an estimated 94,000 people have died, was at a "turning point"."What should we do under these conditions to reinforce the opposition armed forces? We have had these discussions with our partners, with the Americans, the Saudis, the Turks, many others," said ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot. "We cannot leave the opposition in the current state." The European Union, under pressure from London and Paris, last month failed to renew an arms embargo on Syria, leaving individual member states free from August 1 to supply weapons to the opposition if they decide to do so. Fabius said France had not yet decided what to do after the deadline.
Meanwhile, nations backing the Syrian opposition are due to hold talks meet Saturday with the military chief of the rebel forces, Salim Idriss, in Turkey.

Canada urges Iranians to make voices heard in election
AFP/Calling Iran's presidential election a "sham," Canada's top diplomat urged Iranians Thursday to "make their voices heard" by casting protest ballots, boycotting the vote or using satire to express criticism. "Despite all the efforts of the regime to control the process and the outcome, the hopes and aspirations of the Iranian people are not bound by the artificial choice that the regime has forced on Iranians," Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said. "While the regime tries to silence the voices of the Iranian people, Canada encourages Iranians to make their voices heard," he added, calling Friday's vote a "sham election.""Whether Iranian voters confide to close friends, express their criticism of the election through satire, cast a protest vote, participate in an online virtual vote or boycott the election altogether, Canada commends the bravery of all those who express their desire for freedom."Some 50.5 million voters are eligible to cast ballots for a successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, under whose presidency Iran has been isolated internationally over its controversial nuclear drive. International sanctions slapped on Tehran in a bid to force it to give up its sensitive enrichment work have sparked a deep economic crisis in the Islamic republic, which has dominated the election campaign.Only eight male candidates out of nearly 700 registrants were approved by the hardline Guardians Council, Iran's electoral watchdog, to run in the race. Two subsequently dropped out. Those remaining in Friday's contest are conservatives mostly close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezai, and ex-communication minister Mohammad Gharazi. Cleric Hassan Rowhani is the sole moderate candidate. Baird noted that only three percent of foreign journalists who sought to cover the poll were granted entry visas. According to authorities in Tehran, 1,400 foreign reporters have been accredited. Canada's foreign office meanwhile directed Iranians to a University of Toronto website (theglobaldialogue.ca) to report polling violations or vote in a shadow election.

Iran presidential vote not free or fair, says UN rights envoy
AFP/Iran's presidential election has been neither free nor fair as Tehran has silenced journalists and opposition leaders in the run up to Friday's vote, a United Nations human rights investigator said in Spain. Ahmed Shaheed, UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, warned in March that he was concerned that the outcome of the election would lack legitimacy because dozens of Iranian journalists were behind bars and hundreds of political prisoners remained in custody. "I absolutely think the fears were warranted as has been bourne out by events," he told AFP on the sidelines of the World Congress against the Death Penalty. "The mass disqualification of candidates, especially for reasons that were not transparent and that appear to be quite unreasonable, for one violates the right to political participation." "A number of high profile politicians were not able to run in the election. Then there is the fact that parties have been banned, former leaders are in detention, all of that adds to a lack of space for people to conduct a free and fair election," Shaheed added. "Elections are free and fair not only because the vote has not been rigged but because the general environment for the campaign is also friendly towards people's expression of liberty," he said.
On May 21, Iran's Guardian Council, an unelected watchdog controlled by religious conservatives tasked with vetting candidates, approved only eight of the 686 people registered to stand in the June 14 presidential election.
All 30 women candidates, as well as a number of key political figures, were disqualified. Opposition leaders Mehdi Karoubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, both candidates in the 2009 presidential election, are under house arrest following mass protests over alleged fraud in the return to power of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that year. In a report presented to the United Nations in March, Shaheed, a former Maldives foreign minister, said Iran had failed to investigate "widespread, systemic and systematic violations of human rights". He also called on Tehran to immediately release hundreds of human rights advocates, journalists, lawyers and other political prisoners held for exercising their right to freedom of expression during protests over alleged fraud in Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009.

Syria rebels seize key army position in Hama
AFP/Syrian rebels seized on Thursday a key army position in the central province of Hama, which lies on the road linking Damascus to Aleppo in the north, a monitoring group said Thursday. The military responded by deploying en masse to try to take back the position at Morek and began shelling it, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights added. "Rebel fighters took control of an army position situated at the northern edges of Morek village in the north of Hama province, capturing ammunition and weapons from the military after fierce clashes," said the Britain-based Observatory. The group said six soldiers were killed. Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the position is strategically important because it lies on the main road linking the capital to Aleppo, large swathes of which are under rebel control. The road is the military's main supply route to Aleppo and to Khan Sheykhoun in the northwestern province of Idlib. It also leads to Maaret al-Noman, which the army has been trying to take back from rebel hands since its capture in October. The capture of the Morek position comes days after pro-regime media announced an upcoming campaign to take back Aleppo from rebel hands. Meanwhile, the Observatory reported shelling on the Qaboun suburb northeast of Damascus at dawn, as well as fierce clashes on the edges of Barzeh in the north of the capital. Battles have raged for weeks in Barzeh, most of which is under rebel control. At least 90 people were killed across Syria on Wednesday. The United Nations said on Thursday that more than 93,000 people -- among them 6,500 children -- have been killed in Syria's nearly 27-month conflict. That figure is similar to one of more than 94,000 provided by the Observatory, which relies on a broad network of activists, doctors and lawyers for its reports.


UN: Syria death toll more than 93,000
AFP/More than 93,000 people, including over 6,500 children, have been killed in Syria's civil war, which has grown increasingly deadly over the past year, a United Nations study said on Thursday.The skyrocketing death toll, along with documented cases of children tortured and entire families massacred, "is a terrible reminder of just how vicious this conflict has become," UN rights chief Navi Pillay said in a statement.Describing the killing as "senseless carnage" Pillay said that the UN's latest toll figure "is most likely a minimum casualty figure. The true number of those killed is potentially much higher."The number of people killed in the two-year conflict has skyrocketed over the past year, with the average monthly toll since July 2012 standing at more than 5,000, compared with 1,000 in the summer of 2011, the study said.
"This extremely high rate of killings, month after month, reflects the drastically deteriorating pattern of the conflict over the past year," Pillay said, adding that nearly 27,000 people have been killed since December 2012 alone.
"Civilians are bearing the brunt of widespread, violent and often indiscriminate attacks which are devastating whole swathes of major towns and cities, as well as outlying villages," she added. The study, running from the outbreak of the conflict in March 2011 to the end of April this year, updates the toll of 60,000 which the UN gave in a November 2012 document. The latest study underlined the extent to which the violence has spiraled since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, which began as peaceful protests and degenerated into a civil war. Pillay slammed both sides, pointing to government shelling and air attacks on urban areas, and the rebels' pounding of residential areas, albeit with less fire power, and bombings in the heart of cities, notably the capital Damascus.
Some 82.6 percent of the documented victims were male, while 7.6 percent were female, and the gender was not indicated in the remaining cases. The analysis was not able to differentiate consistently between combatants and non-combatants, and around three-quarters of the reported killings did not record the victim's age. But the deaths of at least 6,561 children -- 1,729 of them under 10 years old -- were documented. "There are also well-documented cases of individual children being tortured and executed, and entire families, including babies, being massacred -- which, along with this devastatingly high death toll, is a terrible reminder of just how vicious this conflict has become," said Pillay. "I urge the parties to declare an immediate ceasefire before tens of thousands more people are killed or injured," she said, urging the international community to step up peace efforts. "Nobody is gaining anything from this senseless carnage."This extremely high rate of killings, month after month, reflects the drastically deteriorating pattern of the conflict over the past year.