LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 21/19
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying
heavy burdens, and I will give you rest
Saint Matthew 11/25-30: ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed
them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have
been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to
reveal him. ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke
is easy, and my burden is light.’”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on
January 20-21/19
Beirut Economic Summit Kicks Off in Absence of Most Arab Leaders
Economic Summit Disappoints Lebanon on Several Levels, Confirms Power of ‘Shiite
Duo’
At economic summit opening, Lebanon’s Aoun urges more effort for Syrian refugees
Lebanese President Urges More Efforts to Repatriate Syrian Refugees
Bassil Thanks Qatar Emir for 'Breaking Siege' on Doha, Beirut Summit
Beirut Arab Summit Urges Int'l Investments in Arab Nations Hosting Syrian
Refugees
Abul Gheit Calls for Resolving Row between Lebanon and Libya
Qatar Emir Becomes 'Star' of Beirut Summit after 1-Hour Attendance
Qobeissi: Govt. Formation More Important than Attending Futile Arab Summit
Kuwaiti Initiative, Qatari Contribution at Beirut Economic Summit
Emir of Qatar on Twitter: My participation in Summit emanates from Qatar's
keenness on joint Arab work
Bassil meets with his Moroccan, Egyptian and Bahraini counterparts
Litles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on January 20-21/19
Israel: ‘Iron Dome’ intercepts rocket fired from Syria
Israel Intercepts Syria Rocket after Air Raid
Ankara Rejects Syrian Regime Presence in Manbij, Criticizes Washington
Syria: Explosions in Damascus, Afrin Leave a Number of Dead, Wounded
Explosion heard south of Damascus, casualties reported - State TV
Bomb blast in a bus kills three civilians in Syria’s Afrin
Triple Attack on ISIS Last Pocket East of Euphrates
Israel’s Netanyahu blasts media, political foes over legal woes
Egypt says kidnapped Christian man is police forensic expert
Egypt Requests Seizing Gamal Mubarak’s Funds in Cyprus
Sudan unrest enters second month with protests in Omdurman
Iraqi PM makes first visit to protest-hit Basra
Suspected Car Bomb Explodes in N. Ireland
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on January 20-21/19
Beirut Declaration: Emphasis on need for international donors, specialized
organizations, Arab funds to unite in order to alleviate displaced, refugees'
sufferings/NNA/January 20/19
How Iran punishes dual nationals/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/January 20/19
Russia and Syria join forces to repel Israeli air strikes. Iron Dome downs
Syrian missiles over Golan./DEBKAfile/January 20/19/
A different kind of attack on Syria/Ron Ben Yishai/Ynetnews/January 20/19/
A ‘safe zone’ in Syria faces hurdles/Yasar Yakis/Arab News/January 20/19
Does the US want high or low oil prices/Omar Al-Ubaydli/Al Arabiya/January 20/19
Latest LCCC English Lebanese & Lebanese Related News
published
on January 20-21/19
Beirut Economic Summit Kicks Off in Absence of Most Arab
Leaders
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
20/19/The works of the Beirut-hosted fourth edition of the Arab Economic and
Social Development Summit kicked off on Sunday, amid the absence of the vast
majority of Arab heads of state. President Michel Aoun opened the summit by
inviting Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Jadaan to deliver the
speech of the host of the summit’s previous edition.Al-Jadaan is leading the
delegation of the kingdom, which had hosted the summit in Riyadh in 2013. An
official picture of the participants was taken prior to the opening speeches.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad and the president of Mauritania were the
only heads of state from the 22-member Arab League who came to Beirut to attend
the summit. Other countries sent lower-level delegations. The other leaders'
absence appeared to be a snub to Lebanon, where groups led by Hizbullah had
insisted that Syria should be invited. Aoun welcomed the leaders of Qatar and
Mauritania at the airport. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri meanwhile
welcomed delegations led by prime ministers, foreign and finance ministers and
presidential representatives. At the Lebanese level, the summit’s works will be
attended by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, caretaker Foreign Minister
Jebran Bassil, caretaker Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq and other
ministers and MPs. Speaker Nabih Berri will meanwhile boycott the summit and
will be represented by MP Yassine Jaber. Berri had called for postponing the
summit and objected against the absence of Syria and the invitation of Libya.
Libya eventually withdrew from the summit after its flag was removed from a pole
in Beirut by supporters of Berri’s AMAL Movement. Lebanese newspapers ran
despairing headlines about the summit on Friday. "The Beirut shock... a summit
without heads of state," the country's oldest Arabic-language newspaper An-Nahar
said. The summit’s opening session will be followed by two public sessions and a
closed-door one. The resolutions will be announced at a closing session. The
summit is expected to approve an agenda of 29 items, topped by supporting
investment in countries hosting Syrian refugees and speeding up the creation of
an Arab customs unions. Lebanon has meanwhile protested against the use of the
phrase “voluntary return” in clauses related to the repatriation of Syrian
refugees. Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit had on Friday announced that
Syria’s return to the Arab League requires “Arab consensus.”
Economic Summit Disappoints Lebanon on Several Levels,
Confirms Power of ‘Shiite Duo’
Beirut - Caroline Akoum/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday,
20 January, 2019/The economic summit in Beirut did not meet Lebanon’s hopes,
which were reflected in the efforts and preparations that have taken place
several months before its convention. Most of the Arab countries’ presidents
sent representatives on the level of ministers, except for Mauritania and Qatar,
whose president and Emir attended personally. This was disappointing for
Lebanon, especially that some leaders had confirmed their attendance but later
apologized. Their apologies followed the intra-Lebanese dispute, especially
between President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who opposed
inviting Libya and whose supporters burned its flags. Later, Libya apologized
for participating in the summit. The timing of the dispute along with the
disagreement about not inviting Syria and the inability to form a government yet
contributed to the failure of the summit, in which Lebanon was looking forward
to it to accomplish a number of its goals. The result was a political and
financial loss of up to $10 million, which is the cost Lebanon has paid in its
preparations to receive heads of states, as scheduled. While MP Nicola Nahhas
considered the Economic Summit to be over, even before starting, Kataeb Party's
Deputy-President former minister Salim Sayegh and Researcher at Information
International Mohammed Chamseddine agreed that what happened before the summit
reflected the fragility of the regime in Lebanon and the dispersion of power.
What happened confirmed the control of the "Shiite duo" over the decision in the
country, said Nahhas. Chamseddine, for his part, said that the level of
representation does not affect the program of work and decisions and that the
problem was based on Lebanon's exaggerated expectations in regards to the summit
and the allocation of a large sum of money to hold it. “Its results turned to
cause major financial and political loss after most Arab leaders decided not to
attend,” he explained.
At economic summit opening, Lebanon’s Aoun urges more effort for Syrian refugees
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/ Sunday, 20 January 2019/Lebanese President Michel Aoun urged world powers on Sunday to “make all
efforts” for Syrian refugees to return home regardless of any political solution
to the war there.
Aoun told an Arab economic summit in Beirut that Lebanon would suggest solutions
for safe refugee returns in the meeting’s final statement. “I propose a
reconstruction initiative that includes the establishment of an Arab bank to
assist those affected,” Aoun said.
Aoun invited all Arab parties to return to Lebanon to discuss an “Arab bank
initiative” that would help with reconstruction efforts. Aoun also said that
Lebanon has “paid a heavy price” due to wars and terrorism. Since Syria’s
conflict erupted in 2011, more than 1 million people have fled across the border
to Lebanon, where aid agencies say most refugees live in extreme poverty. The
United Nations says conditions are not yet in place for safe returns.
“Lebanon calls on the international community to make all efforts possible and
provide suitable conditions for a safe return of displaced Syrians...without
linking that with reaching a political solution,” Aoun said. Lebanese
politicians have stepped up calls for refugees to go home now that Syria’s
President Bashar al-Assad has recovered control over most of the country with
Russian and Iranian help.
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, which fights alongside Assad, and its
political allies including Aoun have urged rapprochement with Damascus. Other
politicians oppose this, insisting the United Nations must oversee any
repatriations.A key point of contention ahead of the summit has been whether to
bring Syria back into the Arab League, more than seven years after its
membership was suspended.- With Reuters
Lebanese President Urges More Efforts to Repatriate Syrian
Refugees
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 20 January, 2019/Lebanese President Michel Aoun urged
world powers to "make all efforts" to enable Syrian refugees to return home,
regardless of any political solution to the war there.This came during the Arab
Economic and Social Development summit held in Beirut on Sunday. Aoun also
proposed an initiative that includes the establishment of an Arab bank for
reconstruction and development. “I call on the Arab parties to meet in Beirut to
discuss the Arab Bank’s reconstruction initiative,” he said. During the summit,
leaders will discuss the devastating consequences of wars and conflicts on the
peoples of the region. In his opening remarks, Anoun apologized for the other
Arab leaders who were unable to attend. Only two heads of state — from Qatar and
Mauritania — attended the summit.
Bassil Thanks Qatar Emir for 'Breaking
Siege' on Doha, Beirut Summit
Naharnet/January 20/19/Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil on Sunday
thanked Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for attending a Beirut
economic summit in the absence of the vast majority of Arab leaders. “We thank
the Mauritanian president who traveled for seven hours to attend the summit and
we thank Qatar's emir who broke the siege and traveled for five hours to attend
it,” Bassil said at a press conference at the end of the summit’s works on
Sunday, referring to the embargo that is imposed on Qatar by most Gulf states.
Qatar's ruler had abruptly left for his country after attending the summit for
around an hour. The emir of the tiny yet wealthy and influential Gulf state had
suddenly decided Saturday to attend the summit. Media reports said President
Michel Aoun called the emir and convinced him to attend. The other leaders'
absence appeared to be a snub to Lebanon, where pro-Syrian groups led by
Hibullah had insisted that Syria should be invited. Separately, Bassil described
the summit’s statement on Syrian refugees as a “victory for Lebanon and a
solidarity move by the Arab countries towards the hosting countries and their
sacrifices.”And noting that he sensed “responsiveness” during the summit
regarding the issue of Syria’s return to the Arab League, Bassil noted that
Lebanon has not “communicated” with Syria over this issue. “We do not know its
stance on this issue and we’re only expressing Lebanon’s viewpoint, because
Syria’s return to the League is part of its return to the Arab embrace,” Bassil
added. And regretting the absence of Libya, the minister urged the Libyan
leadership to “perform all its duties to unveil the fate of Imam Moussa al-Sadr,”
noting that the cleric “is not the imam of Shiite Muslims but rather the best
role model for coexistence.”
Beirut Arab Summit Urges Int'l Investments in Arab Nations Hosting Syrian
Refugees
Naharnet/January 20/19/An Arab economic summit held Sunday in Beirut urged
international donors and Arab funds to “alleviate the plight of refugees and
displaced people through funding the implementation of developmental projects in
Arab countries hosting them.”“This would support national development plans and
contribute to limiting the economic and social repercussions resulting from this
temporary hosting,” the closing statement of the Arab Economic and Social
Development Summit said. “We call for drawing further Arab and international
investments to the hosting nations,” the statement, which was recited by
caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, added. Bassil later described the
summit’s statement as a “victory” for Lebanon. As for Palestinian refugees, the
conferees said they “reject any resolution aimed at ending or curbing the role
of UNRWA,” or the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, calling for securing the
necessary funds that allow it to maintain its work. Delivering closing remarks
at the summit, President Michel Aoun meanwhile vowed that Lebanon would follow
up on the implementation of the summit’s resolutions in order to “provide more
prosperous social and economic conditions for our peoples.”“Prosperity is one of
the factors contributing to peace,” he noted. There are currently 5.6 million
Syrian refugees living in the region, including around one million born into
displacement, according to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR. Lebanon hosts some 1.5
million Syrians who have fled the civil war raging across the border. Most live
in extreme poverty, according to aid agencies, and have placed an extra burden
on Lebanon's fragile economy. Despite some returns to slivers of Syria, the
United Nations says the country as a whole remains still unsafe for civilians to
return to.
Abul Gheit Calls for Resolving Row between Lebanon and
Libya
Naharnet/January 20/19/Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit on Sunday voiced
regret over Libya’s boycott of Beirut’s Arab Economic and Social Development
Summit. “I’m feeling sad because Libya’s delegation has not participated in the
summit and over the circumstances that have brought things to this point,” Abul
Gheit said in his opening remarks at the summit. “Libya and Lebanon are two dear
countries and we hope this issue will be resolved,” Abul Gheit added. Libya had
decided to boycott the summit in protest at the removal of its flag near the
summit’s venue at the hands of AMAL Movement supporters. Threats were also
voiced against the Libyan delegation by AMAL supporters and MPs and the General
Security agency barred Libyan businessmen from entering Lebanon via Beirut’s
airport. AMAL and its leader Speaker Nabih Berri argue that the new Libyan
authorities have not exerted sufficient efforts to unveil the fate of the
movement’s revered founder Imam Moussa al-Sadr, who disappeared in 1978 during a
visit to Libya. Berri has boycotted the summit and is being represented by MP
Yassine Jaber.
Qatar Emir Becomes 'Star' of Beirut Summit after 1-Hour
Attendance
Naharnet/January 20/19/Qatar's ruler on Sunday attended the Beirut Arab economic
summit before leaving abruptly after around a one-hour attendance. Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad al-Thani had been received at Beirut's airport by President Michel
Aoun. The emir left after Aoun's opening speech and was accompanied to the
airport by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri. Sheikh Tamim and the president
of Mauritania were the only heads of state from the 22-member Arab League who
came to Beirut to attend Sunday's summit. The ruler of the tiny Gulf state had
suddenly decided Saturday to attend the summit. Media reports said Aoun called
the emir and convinced him to attend. The other leaders' absence appeared to be
a snub to Lebanon, where pro-Syrian groups led by the Iranian-backed Hibullah
had insisted that Assad should be invited. Some media reports said Tamim's
attendance carried regional political messages to rival Gulf states. The
official spokesman of the Lebanese presidency as well as the summit, Rafik
Chalala, meanwhile denied reports claiming that Qatar has "paid the summit's
expenses" and "deposited funds in Banque du Liban."
Qobeissi: Govt. Formation More Important than Attending
Futile Arab Summit
Naharnet/January 20/19/AMAL Movement politburo member MP Hani Qobeissi has
announced that forming the new government is “more important” than “attending
the meetings of an Arab summit that will not change anything at all levels,
locally and at the Arab level.” “We had voiced a stance saying that the (Arab
Economic and Social Development) Summit would be a weak summit in which Arab
leaders would evade their responsibilities,” Qobeissi said. “We suggested
postponing it until at least all Arab countries come together, which would allow
it to produce honorable results for Lebanon and the entire Arab region,” the MP
added. “The objections and intimidation in the domestic arena and the use of the
sectarian rhetoric over the past days were aimed at deviating attention from the
problem,” Qobeissi went on to say. Apparently addressing President Michel Aoun
and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, he added: “Your responsibilities are
much bigger, seeing as Lebanon’s fate is more important than an Arab summit and
the safety and resilience of Lebanon are more important than an Arab summit and
the formation of the government is more important than the attendance of an Arab
summit that will change nothing at all levels, locally and at the Arab level.”
Kuwaiti Initiative, Qatari Contribution at Beirut Economic Summit
Naharnet/January 20/19/Kuwait on Sunday launched an initiative to create an Arab
fund for encouraging investment in technology in Arab countries with a capital
of $200 million.The initiative was announced by Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh
Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah during Beirut’s Arab Economic and Social Development
Summit. Kuwait will contribute $50 million to the fund. Qatar meanwhile
announced that it would contribute $50 million in support of the initiative
launched by Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah. The summit had kicked
off earlier in the day in the absence of the vast majority of Arab heads of
state, in what appeared to be a snub to Lebanon, where groups led by Hizbullah
had insisted that Syria should be invited. President Michel Aoun opened the
summit by calling for the creation of an Arab bank for “the reconstruction of
conflict-afflicted countries.”
Emir of Qatar on Twitter: My participation in Summit
emanates from Qatar's keenness on joint Arab work
Sun 20 Jan 2019/NNA - The Emir of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hamad, tweeted this Sunday:
"My participation in the 4th Arab Economic Summit was a natural decision out of
Qatar's keenness for joint Arab work, the urgency of which the Summit has
clearly manifested to deal with crises and challenges we face."
Bassil meets with his Moroccan, Egyptian and Bahraini
counterparts
Sun 20 Jan 2019/NNA - Caretaker Foreign Minister, Gebran Bassil, respectively
met on the sidelines of the 4th Arab socio-economic Summit, with his
counterparts of Morocco Nasser Bourita, Egypt Sameh Choukri and Bahrain Sheikh
Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa. Discussions reportedly touched on
means to implement the decisions to be adopted by the Arab Economic Summit.
Bassil's talks with his Moroccan counterpart focused on means of bolstering
bilateral relations, speeding up visa issuance for both countries and
facilitating transactions for businessmen. Bassil also agreed with his Egyptian
counterpart to start as soon as possible connecting the Arab gas and electricity
lines. At the end of the meeting, Choukri said that President Aoun's initiative
concerning the creation of an Arab bank falls within the framework of Arab
solidarity and development. "Egypt will always be supportive of these
initiatives, which will be the subject of an adequate debate between the
technical bodies," he corroborated. In turn, Bahraini Foreign Minister assured
that his country supports President Aoun's initiative concerning the creation of
an Arab bank to finance reconstruction in the Arab countries.
Beirut Declaration: Emphasis on need for international
donors, specialized organizations, Arab funds to unite in order to alleviate
displaced, refugees' sufferings
NNA/January 20/19
- Following the conclusion of the work sessions of the Arab Economic and Social
Development Summit in Beirut, Caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil
read out the "Beirut Declaration", in which he affirmed the participants'
renewed commitment to implementing the resolutions and projects adopted by the
previous Arab Development Summits.
"We stress the importance of removing barriers and obstacles that prevent them
[resolutions] from being implemented, thus enabling the completion of the joint
economic, social and developmental process in a manner that serves the Arab
citizens and improves their standard of living," said Bassil.
In light of the challenges and circumstances confronting the Arab region, Bassil
outlined the subjects that were highlighted during the Beirut Development
Summit:
- Recognizing the worsening of the crisis of refugees and displaced persons in
the Arab States and the consequent economic and social burdens shouldered by
host countries, and the major challenges for improving their situation and
alleviating their suffering.
In this context, the Summit stressed the need for specialized organizations and
Arab funds to secure financing for the implementation of development projects in
their Arab host countries that would support national development plans and
contribute to reducing the economic and social impacts of this temporary
hosting, while calling for more Arab and international investments in host
countries.
- Emphasizing the necessity of supporting the steadfastness of the Palestinian
people in the face of the increasing Israeli aggression and subsequent
destruction of the Palestinian economy and infrastructure; in addition to
consolidating the belief in collective Arab and Islamic responsibility towards
Jerusalem in order to preserve the Arab, Islamic and Christian identity of the
Holy Quds.
- Recognizing the importance of development initiatives in the fields of
technology and digital economy, the need for Arab countries to remain abreast of
the communications and information revolution, to develop a common Arab vision
in digital economy, to build the necessary capacity to benefit from the
potential of the digital economy and to support private initiatives in this
respect.
In this regard, the initiative of His Highness the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah
Al-Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah to establish an investment fund in the fields of
technology and digital economy with a capital of 200 million US dollars with the
participation of the private sector was highly valued, in addition to the
contribution of the State of Qatar in the amount of 50 million dollars to be
entrusted to the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development to be responsible
for the management of this development initiative.
The conferees called on Arab countries to support this initiative to contribute
to the strengthening of the Arab economy and create promising jobs for the Arab
youth, while hoping that banks and joint Arab financing institutions will
consider deducting their annual net profit to support future needs and to ensure
the continuity of this fund.
- Supporting the development process of the Arab economic and social development
and strengthening the frameworks of Arab economic integration, emphasizing the
need to follow up on the progress made within the Greater Arab Free Trade Zone
and the requirements of the Arab Customs Union in the hope of reaching a common
Arab market.
- Emphasizing the vital role of small and medium enterprises that have become an
important gateway to solving the problem of unemployment, a crucial factor in
increasing national income and supporting major industrial communities.
- Emphasizing the importance of investing in human beings as the shortest way to
achieving the required economic growth.
- Emphasizing the importance of providing health care to all segments of society
as being a positive reflection on communities, and the provision of health care
for all as being a fuel for sustainable economies.
- Recognizing the importance of the active role of women in Arab societies and
the need to empower them and integrate them in all economic, social and
developmental issues, in order to enable them to play their role as the main
engine for achieving the goals of sustainable development.
- Highlighting the importance of the private sector in financing sustainable
development in the Arab countries to achieve the desired economic and social
advancement and integration.
- Empowering young people to participate actively in society and strengthening
the role of youth organizations in achieving comprehensive development.
- Believing in civil society as an effective partner for governments in working
for development, complementing its role and integrating it in raising the
burdens and problems in Arab countries, in order to support the efforts to
achieve sustainable development.
Above said, Bassil disclosed that the conferees have decided to hold the
upcoming Arab Economic and Social Development Summit four years from now, in the
year 2023, in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to follow up on the adopted
decisions in the Beirut Declaration. "We call upon the Economic and Social
Council and the Secretariat to follow up on this and submit periodic reports on
the progress made to the Arab summits," he added.
Bassil expressed the Summit participants' sincere gratitude and appreciation to
the Lebanese Government and people and to His Excellency, President Michel Aoun,
for hosting the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in its fourth
session, "commending the wise management of its meetings and the culmination of
its work with important decisions that enhance the joint economic and social
action."
"We also express our appreciation for the efforts of the Arab League
Secretary-General, the Secretariat and its members for their efforts in ensuring
the success factors of this Summit, and to all those who contributed to making
the Beirut Summit a success," concluded Bassil.
Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published
on January 20-21/19
Israel: ‘Iron Dome’ intercepts rocket fired from Syria
AFP, Jerusalem/Sunday, 20 January 2019/Israel’s military said its air defense
systems intercepted a rocket fired from Syria on Sunday, after Damascus accused
Israel of carrying out air raids. “A short while ago, a rocket was fired at the
northern Golan Heights and was intercepted by the ‘Iron Dome’ aerial defense
system,” an Israeli military statement said.
A military spokeswoman told AFP the rocket was fired from Syria. No further
details were immediately provided. Syrian state news agency SANA, quoting a
military source, said Syrian air defenses earlier Sunday responded to Israeli
air raids in the south of the country.
Air defense systems “prevented Israeli air strikes from achieving their
objectives in the south” of Syria, the report said without giving further
details. The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, Rami
Abdel Rahman, said the region targeted was south of Damascus near the Kisweh
area. “Warehouses containing weapons for Syrian regime ally Hezbollah and
Iranian fighters are located in that area,” Abdel Rahman said.
But the head of the Observatory - which is based in Britain and relies on a
network of sources inside Syria - said it was not clear if these stores were hit
in the strikes.
Israel has pledged to stop its main enemy Iran from entrenching itself
militarily in neighboring Syria. It has carried out hundreds of air strikes
there against what it says are Iranian military targets and advanced arms
deliveries to Tehran-backed Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia.
Israel rarely publicly confirms its strikes in Syria.
Israel Intercepts Syria Rocket after Air Raid
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 20/19/Israel's military said its air
defense systems intercepted a rocket fired from Syria on Sunday, after Damascus
accused Israel of carrying out air raids. "A short while ago, a rocket was fired
at the northern Golan Heights and was intercepted by the 'Iron Dome' aerial
defence system," an Israeli military statement said. A military spokeswoman told
AFP the rocket was fired from Syria. No further details were immediately
provided. Syrian state news agency SANA, quoting a military source, said Syrian
air defenses earlier Sunday responded to Israeli air raids in the south of the
country. Air defense systems "prevented Israeli air strikes from achieving their
objectives in the south" of Syria, the report said without giving further
details. The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, Rami
Abdel Rahman, said the region targeted was south of Damascus near the Kisweh
area. "Warehouses containing weapons for Syrian regime ally Hizbullah and
Iranian fighters are located in that area," Abdel Rahman said. But the head of
the Observatory -- which is based in Britain and relies on a network of sources
inside Syria -- said it was not clear if these stores were hit in the strikes.
Israel has pledged to stop its main enemy Iran from entrenching itself
militarily in neighboring Syria. It has carried out hundreds of air strikes
there against what it says are Iranian military targets and advanced arms
deliveries to Tehran-backed Hizbullah.
Israel rarely publicly confirms its strikes in Syria.
Ankara Rejects Syrian Regime Presence in Manbij, Criticizes
Washington
Ankara - Saeed Abdulrazzak/ Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 20 January, 2019/Turkey has
reiterated its criticism for the United States for failing to fulfill its
promises in regards to the withdrawal of Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG)
from the Syrian city of Manbij.
According to a statement by Turkey’s Defense Ministry on Saturday, the United
States has failed to remove Kurdish forces from Manbij and keep its side of the
“roadmap” agreed on by Turkish and US officials in 2018. "The promises made in
Manbij weren't kept, the YPG and PKK are two sides of the same coin,” Turkish
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as telling Lindsay Graham during a visit
to Ankara by the US senator. “Turkey is fighting PKK, YPG and ISIS terror
groups," Akar stressed, adding that Turkey “would not allow the establishment of
a terror corridor along its southern border, and the two countries would solve
the problems by working together.”Ankara accuses the United States of lagging
the implementation of the road map agreement in Manbij that was signed between
the two sides on June 4. The agreement stipulates the withdrawal of YPG forces
from Manbaj to the east of the Euphrates and a joint supervision of the area’s
security and stability until the formation of a local council to manage it. It
was to be implemented within 90 days. Following US President Donald Trump’s
decision to withdraw his country’s troops from Syria, Ankara announced that this
withdrawal will not affect Manbij’s agreement and that YPG forces will withdraw
from the city before that. It expressed its rejection of the deployment of
Syrian regime forces in Manbij after YPG proposed that the regime reenter the
town to fill the vacuum caused by the withdrawal of US troops. "The YPG's
efforts to stick the regime in Manbij must absolutely not be allowed," Turkish
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said during a press conference in Ankara.
Syria: Explosions in Damascus, Afrin Leave a Number of
Dead, Wounded
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 20 January, 2019/A "huge explosion" near a military
intelligence office in Damascus Sunday left a number of dead and wounded,
according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitoring
group. State TV said early reports suggested it was a "terrorist act". "The
explosion took place near a security branch in the south of the city. There are
some people killed and injured but we could not verify the toll immediately,"
the Observatory told AFP. Syrian state television earlier reported that a blast
had been heard around the southern highway in Damascus. "First reports suggest a
terrorist act," the broadcaster said. Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said
that Sunday's blast appeared to be the first attack in Damascus in over a year.
The Syrian regime in May reclaimed a final scrap of territory held by ISIS in
southern Damascus, cementing its total control over the capital for the first
time in six years. Also on Sunday, a bomb in the northwest Syrian town of Afrin
killed three civilians and wounded about 20 on a public bus, several witnesses
told Reuters on Sunday. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Explosion heard south of Damascus, casualties reported - State TV
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English /Sunday, 20 January 2019/An explosion was heard
in the vicinity of Syria’s al-Motahalik al-Janobi, south of Damascus, Syrian
state TV reported on Sunday morning. An attacker was arrested and no one was
injured, state news agency SANA said.
The head of the city's civil defense, Asef Hababe, told Reuters that military
technicians had detonated a device. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
reported that there are casualties. "Explosion heard around the southern highway
in Damascus area, first reports suggest a terrorist act," the broadcaster said.
They also reported that there have been some injuries, without giving further
details. Al-Motahalik al-Janobi is one of Syria's largest highways and connects
Damascus to Eastern Ghouta. It is also known as the Southern Bypass.
Bomb blast in a bus kills three civilians in Syria’s Afrin
Reuters, Istanbul/Sunday, 20 January 2019/A bomb in the northwest Syrian town of
Afrin killed three civilians and wounded nine on a public bus, Reuters witnesses
said on Sunday. The blast came on the anniversary of Operation Olive Branch, an
air and ground assault launched by Turkey in 2018 on the mainly-Kurdish Afrin to
drive out the Syrian Kurdish YPG, which it sees as an extension of the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has waged an insurgency on Turkish soil since
1984. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
It follows a blast on Wednesday in Manbij, a northern Syrian town controlled by
a militia allied with US-backed Kurdish forces, claimed by ISIS, which killed
two US troops and two civilians working for the US military. Turkish President
Tayyip Erdogan announced last month that his army would launch an operation
against the YPG east of the Euphrates. US President Donald Trump later announced
a decision to pull out of Syria, alarming allied Kurdish leaders who run much of
the north. The Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group
dominated by the YPG and Washington's main Syrian partner in the fight against
ISIS, controls territory in northeast and eastern Syria, which makes up about a
quarter of the country.
The US decision to leave Syria led the Kurdish leaders to urge Russia and its
ally Damascus to send forces to shield the border from the threat of the Turkish
offensive. Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu Agency said two bombs hit Afrin’s city
center, one exploding on a bus and the second in a garbage container.
Triple Attack on ISIS Last Pocket East of Euphrates
Beirut, London – Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 20 January, 2019/A “triple bombardment”
of the final ISIS enclave in eastern Syria was launched with the participation
of the Iraqi air force and Syrian regime forces, in conjunction with the attack
of US-backed Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on an ISIS pocket in
Deir Ezzor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported. Since
September, SDF, a coalition of Kurdish and Arab factions, have been waging a
military operation against the last enclave of the terrorist organization near
the Iraqi border and managed to control much of the region. The Observatory
indicated that the International Coalition launched airstrikes on al-Baghuz
village killing 6 civilians, including 4 children, as well as 10 terrorists. It
added that the bombardment continued and increased since the attack of Manbij
days ago. On Wednesday, a suicide bomb attack killed seven people, including
four US nationals, two soldiers and two civilians working for the US Department
of Defense. The attack was the bloodiest on US forces in the international
coalition since the beginning of its military intervention in Syria against ISIS
in 2014. After taking control of Hajin and al-Susah villages, the Democratic
Forces are currently seeking to expel the organization from its last outpost,
near the village of Baghuz and its surroundings. Since the beginning of last
month, some 21,000 people have left the last enclave towards areas controlled by
the Syrian Democratic Forces, including 5,300 people who left as part of the
evacuation agreements. Over 1,000 ISIS terrorist, who handed over their weapons
to the Forces, were also among the people leaving the area. Over the last two
years, SDF have driven the extremist organization from large areas in the north
and northeast of the country, most notably Raqqa, ISIS main stronghold in Syria.
The Syrian Observatory published that the SDF and the International Coalition
Forces continue their military operations in Deir Ezzor countryside, against the
remaining members of ISIS at the east bank of Euphrates River.
The Observatory also monitored the attack of Iraqi warplanes on the east of
Euphrates, coinciding with the bombardment of Iranian forces and affiliated
non-Syrian militias on the western bank of the Euphrates. At least 20 ISIS
militants were killed. The attack comes in conjunction with the ongoing violent
clashes between ISIS remnants from one side, and the US-backed Syrian Democratic
Forces supported by ground forces of the International Coalition from the other,
in the vicinity of al-Baghuz Foqani area and nearby villages from the east of
the Euphrates, amid exchanged targeting on the fronts.
Israel’s Netanyahu blasts media, political foes over legal woes
AFP, Tel Aviv/Sunday, 20 January 2019/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
on Saturday released a video accusing the media and left-wing opponents of
pressuring the attorney general to indict him, ahead of April polls. Police have
recommended Netanyahu’s indictment in three separate corruption investigations
and the attorney general is expected to announce his decision on whether to
charge the prime minister in the weeks or months ahead. “For three years the
Left and the media have been pushing the attorney general to file charges at any
price,” read a message at the start of a short video posted on Twitter by
Netanyahu. The video then showed footage of protesters brandishing placards
calling for Netanyahu to be jailed during demonstrations outside the home of
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. “Will they succeed?” a closing message
said. The video sparked criticism from political opponents. The justice ministry
insisted to the Israeli media that the attorney general would not be influenced
in his decision. Polls show Netanyahu is likely to win the April 9 elections
despite the investigations hanging over him, but a move to indict him pending a
hearing could shake up the campaign. If the attorney general announces his
intention to indict the prime minister, Netanyahu gets a final chance to defend
himself in a hearing before the charges are filed. The premier says he has no
intention of resigning if called in for such a hearing before the vote.
Israel, Chad Renew Diplomatic Relations
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 20/19/Israel and Chad have renewed
diplomatic ties decades after they were ruptured, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu announced Sunday during a visit to the African state. Netanyahu and
Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno have "announced the renewal of diplomatic
relations between Chad and Israel," a statement from the Israeli premier's
office said. Ties between Israel and the Muslim majority nation were broken in
1972. "The two sides view the resumption of relations as the key to future
cooperation for the benefit of both countries," the statement said. Netanyahu on
Twitter called the announcement "a historic moment."The Israeli leader has
sought to improve ties with countries in the Arab and Muslim world and said he
expected more such diplomatic breakthroughs soon. His one-day visit follows
Deby's November trip to Israel. The two leaders at the time declined to comment
on whether their talks have included arms deals. Chadian security sources say
the country has acquired Israeli equipment to help battle rebels in the
country's north. Chad is also one of several African states engaged in
Western-backed operations against Boko Haram and Islamic State group jihadists.
Pressure from Muslim African nations, accentuated by the Arab-Israeli wars of
1967 and 1973, led a number of African states to sever relations with the Jewish
state. But in recent years, Israel has held out the prospect of cooperation in
fields ranging from security to technology to agriculture, to improve ties on
the continent. Deby is one of Africa's longest-serving leaders. He took over the
arid, impoverished nation in 1990 and won a disputed fifth term in April 2016 to
lead the country of some 15 million people.
Egypt says kidnapped Christian man is police forensic expert
The Associated Press/Sunday, 20 January 2019/Egyptian security officials say a
Christian man who has been kidnapped by suspected militants in the Sinai
Peninsula is a police forensic expert. They identified him Saturday as
45-year-old Adeeb Nakhlah, who lived and worked in el-Arish until 2017 when he
fled following a spate of attacks targeting Christians there. The officials did
not say whether Thursday's kidnapping of Nakhlah was planned given his
profession. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to brief the media. Militants led by ISIS have for years been
battling security forces in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula. The
militants have targeted Christians since December 2016, killing more than a 100
of them in attacks on churches and buses carrying pilgrims to remote
monasteries.
Egypt Requests Seizing Gamal Mubarak’s Funds in Cyprus
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 20 January, 2019/Egypt’s General Prosecution
requested from Cairo Criminal Court on Saturday to confiscate the funds that are
held in Cyprus and belong to the sons of former President Hosni Mubarak, Alaa
and Gamal. In a trial session in the ‘stock exchange manipulation” case, the
court listened to Alaa and Gamal’s testimonies along with seven other
defendants. The court decided to adjourn their trial to March 23, and the public
prosecution called for summoning more witnesses in the case. In September, the
court approved the complaint filed by Alaa and Gamal Mubarak and the other
defendants against the decision of their imprisonment and released them on bail
of EGP100,000. The representative of the prosecution explained that its requests
came as part of the legal role in initiating the criminal case and summoned
former Head of the Financial Supervisory Authority Sherif Samy and former Head
of Egyptian Stock Exchange Mohamed Omran for questioning over some documents.
Investigations carried out by Egypt following the overthrow of Mubarak in 2011
showed that his sons owned companies in partnership with other parties in
Cyprus, but Egypt had not yet recovered the funds. The prosecution accused Gamal
Mubarak of participating in assisting with public officials in the crime of
profiteering and obtaining illegal money for himself and his companies. It said
parties agreed to sell one of the banks, enabling him to acquire a percentage of
the bank’s shares through one of his companies in Cyprus.
Sudan unrest enters second month with protests in Omdurman
Reuters, Khartoum Sunday, 20 January 2019/Sudanese security forces fired tear
gas on Sunday at several hundred protesters and chased them down side streets, a
Reuters witness said, as anti-government protests entered their second month.
The protesters had blocked Al Arbaeen street, one of the main arteries in
Omdurman, across the Nile from the centre of the capital, Khartoum. Some raised
two fingers in victory signs as tear gas was fired at them.
About 30 trucks carrying security personnel, some in uniform and some in plain
clothes, were deployed to the area. Near daily demonstrations triggered by a
worsening economic crisis have shaken Sudan since Dec. 19. Protesters have
called for an end to President Omar al-Bashir’s three-decade rule, blaming him
for the country’s problems.
Iraqi PM makes first visit to protest-hit Basra
AFP, Baghdad/Sunday, 20 January 2019/Iraqi premier Adel Abdel Mahdi visited
Basra Sunday, his first trip as prime minister to the southern province where
lagging services spawned a water crisis and deadly protests last summer. Abdel
Mahdi’s office said he visited several infrastructure and service projects in
the oil-rich province, including water provision services in the Shatt al-Arab
area. “He called for redoubled efforts so these projects can be accomplished as
quickly as possible,” his office said. In the summer of 2018, an unprecedented
water crisis in Basra left 100,000 people hospitalized and sparked a massive
protest movement that resulted in a dozen dead. The provincial capital is still
rocked by demonstrations every Friday demanding more access to drinking water,
steady electricity and jobs for unemployed youth.
After his appointment in October, Abdel Mahdi pledged to present a plan to
fulfil these demands within his first 100 days in office. But it has yet to be
announced and the premier is still struggling to finalize the formation of his
cabinet. The real test, observers say, will be Iraq’s sweltering summer months,
when temperatures rise to more than 50 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit)
and shortages of water and electricity can be life-threatening.
Suspected Car Bomb Explodes in N. Ireland
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 20/19/A suspected car bomb exploded in the
Northern Irish city of Londonderry on Saturday, police said, with leading
politicians alleging the blast was terror-related. The Police Service of
Northern Ireland tweeted a photograph of the scene outside a courthouse as it
warned that evacuations were taking place due to a second suspect vehicle in the
British province's second city. "Police are in attendance at the scene of an
incident in Derry/Londonderry city centre," the PSNI tweeted. "We would ask for
patience and co-operation of the public and the business community as we carry
out our initial investigations.""Bishop Street closed. Stay away. Suspected car
bomb," an earlier tweet said. The force added on Facebook: "As far as we know no
one injured. There is another car we are not happy about. There are ongoing
necessary evacuations," it posted. Politicians from all sides on the island of
Ireland condemned the incident. Former Northern Irish first minister Arlene
Foster, who heads the province's Democratic Unionist Party, referred to it as a
"pointless act of terror", while the Republic of Ireland's foreign minister
Simon Coveney called it a "car bomb terrorist attack". The three decades of
sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles, were largely
brought to an end under the 1998 Good Friday peace accords. Car bomb attacks
were responsible for some of the worst atrocities. Foster, who leads the
pro-British DUP, said: "This pointless act of terror must be condemned in the
strongest terms. Only hurts the people of the city. "Perpetrated by people with
no regard for life."She said the swift actions of the emergency services had
helped ensure there were no fatalities or injuries. Coveney, also Ireland's
deputy prime minister, tweeted: "I utterly condemn the car bomb terrorist attack
in Derry this evening. "There is no place and no justification possible for such
acts of terror, which seek to drag Northern Ireland back to violence and
conflict."Elisha McCallion, the local member of the British parliament from the
Irish republican party Sinn Fein, condemned the bomb attack. "This incident has
shocked the local community," she said in a statement. "Thankfully, no one
appears to have been injured. "Derry is a city moving forward and no one wants
this type of incident."
Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on January 20-21/19
How Iran punishes dual nationals
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/January 20/19
The Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, whose administration is characterized as a
moderate one, has frequently called for improving ties with the West, as well as
encouraging skilled Iranians abroad to return to Iran.
Iran's ambassador to the UK recently boasted on Twitter that "The Iranian
authorities have repeatedly given assurances that having dual citizenship per se
is not considered a crime or violation of law, and no one is prosecuted [in the
Islamic Republic] for that reason".
But, the latest development regarding the treatment of dual nationals
contradicts the Iranian regime’s statements. As of today, at least 30 dual
nationals are in Iran’s notorious prison, Evin. One prominent example that has
attracted attention is the case of the British mother, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe,
who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the news
agency, and she is still confined behind bars in Iran.
Iran’s president pointed out that Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being treated fairly.
But, her treatment which has exceeded 1,000 days in prison as of January 2019,
amounts to torture, her family has said while making an appeal for the United
Nations to intervene in her case. Although the prison’s doctor has promised her
medical treatment, the Iranian authorities are refusing to provide any medical
assistance. The Labour MP for Hampstead, Tulip Siddiq, urged the British
government to act because the treatment of Zaghari-Ratcliffe is “becoming a
matter of life and death”.
The Iranian regime has regularly framed sudden deaths in its prisons, or through
the interrogations, as “suicides”. One recent incident was the case of the
Iranian-Canadian environmentalist Kavous Seyed-Emami. Without providing any
valid evidence, Iran’s judiciary announced that the Iranian-Canadian
environmentalist committed suicide in prison due to the evidence of spying
against him.
The poor treatment of the British mother by the Iranian authorities has made her
begin a hunger strike along with another female prisoner. They began their
hunger strike on Monday and continued it for 72 hours. After it was completed,
Zaghari-Radcliffe had lost 3 kilograms.
The Iranian regime has regularly framed sudden deaths in its prisons, or through
the interrogations, as “suicides”. One recent incident was the case of the
Iranian-Canadian environmentalist Kavous Seyed-Emami.
The efforts carried out by the British government, to help release
Zaghari-Ratcliffe or provide some medical treatment to her, have been fruitless.
Britain recently warned the Islamic Republic that it is digging its diplomatic
grave by the way that it is treating the British citizen. The UK’s shadow
foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, made it clear that “When the Foreign Office
says Iran is holding Nazanin for diplomatic advantage, Tehran needs to realize
that in fact, the opposite is true. For her every day they continue her unjust
detention, they are simply burying their own diplomatic grave.”
It may come as a surprise to many policy analysts, politicians and scholars that
Iran is ignoring the ongoing requests and warnings by the British government to
release the 40 year old British mother, while the UK has been fighting on the
side of the Islamic Republic to salvage the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,
aka the nuclear deal, and preserve the sanction relief for Iran.
But the important issue is that, in spite of the fact that the ruling clerics of
Iran desperately need the UK and other European countries to help Tehran
economically, the Islamic Republic can not relinquish the main principle of its
revolutionary ideology for the sake of the nation’s economic interests.
In other words, a crack down on dual nationals, foreign dissidents, and taking
hostages are core pillars of the regime’s theocratic establishment which were
set by its founder, Ayatollah RuhollahKhomeini in 1979.
Another important issue to point out is linked to the role of the judiciary
system and the president. Some policy analysts may argue that the Iranian
president or his foreign minister Javad Zarif ought not to be blamed because it
is the Judiciary system, or more importantly, the Ministry ofIntelligence (Etela’at),
that is bringing charges against foreign citizens and declining to release them.
Although, the Judiciary enjoys significant power in such matters, Iran’s
President is not totally powerless. The Ministry of Intelligence works for the
President, and it was not long ago that the Iranian President orchestrated the
release of four Iranian-American prisoners. Showing the influence that he wields
in releasing prisoners, Rouhani said to the reporters. “In the past, we have
helped the American government regarding prisoners they were interested in Iran
and there was some assistance regarding our citizens who were held in prison [in
the US]. We have never opposed negotiations between governments to reach
solutions.” In conclusion, the treatment of dual nationals is continuing to
deteriorate in Iran. Due to the core pillars of the theocratic establishment,
the Iranian regime can not help but pursue its revolutionary principles which
include targeting dual citizens. The West can assist its imprisoned citizens by
imposing economic and diplomatic pressures on the Iranian regime and those
organizations or authorities who are engaged in such human rights abuses.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist.
He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and
president of the International American Council. He serves on the boards of the
Harvard International Review, the Harvard International Relations Council and
the US-Middle East Chamber for Commerce and Business. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh
Russia and Syria join forces to repel Israeli air strikes.
Iron Dome downs Syrian missiles over Golan.
موقع دبكا: روسيا وسوريا تتعاونان لصد الضربات الجوية الإسرائيلية. القبة الحديدية
تسقط صواريخ سورية فوق الجولان.
DEBKAfile/January 20/19/
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/71306/ron-ben-yishai-ynetnews-a-different-kind-of-attack-on-syria-%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%8A-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B5%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AA/
Israel, Syria and Russia scaled up their contest over Syria. On Sunday, Jan. 20.
Israel made a point of striking Damascus airport in the face of a Russian
warning, while Syria launched a missile against Israeli Golan and Moscow issued
bulletins on the state of play.
This was Israel’s first air strike against a Syrian target since Lt. Gen. Aviv
Kochavi’s took charge of the IDF last week as new Chief of Staff. It was also
rare in that Israeli warplanes operated in daylight. According to the Russian
Defense Ministry, four Israel Air Force F-16 fighters flew in from the
Mediterranean to attack Damascus international airport. Syrian air defense
weapons, which the Russian DoD confirmed this time, were Pantsirs and Buks, were
launched against the Israeli jets and the missiles they dropped, claiming to
have intercepted 7 missiles. These bulletins flowed throughout the incident from
Russian spokesman to local correspondents.
Only last week, an Arab publication warned Israel that no more air strikes must
take place against Damascus international airport which was being made ready for
commercial traffic.
Just one hour after the Israeli air strike, two Syrian missiles were launched
against the northern Golan and Mt. Hermon. The IDF spokesman reported they were
intercepted by an Israeli Iron Dome air defense battery. Several thousand skiers
on the Mt. Hermon ski slopes just north of the Golan saw the flying projectiles.
To avoid panic, the spokesman said there was no need for them to leave the
slopes.
However, DEBKAfile’s military sources report that, on Dec. 26, both Russia and
Syria warned that for further Israeli air strikes, they would shoot anti-air
missiles into Israeli air space. This was taken as a threat to fire SA-5
anti-air missiles from the Damascus region. The threat came the day after one of
those missiles caused major alarm in the cities of central Israel.
A different kind of attack on Syria
رون بن يشاي من صحيفة يديعوت أحرونوت:نوع مختلف من الضربات على سوريا
Ron Ben Yishai/Ynetnews/January 20/19/
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/71306/ron-ben-yishai-ynetnews-a-different-kind-of-attack-on-syria-%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%8A-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B5%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AA/
Analysis: It appears that the target of the strike was an Iranian plane with
unknown cargo due to land at Damascus airport; the timing of the incident, and
the Syrian response, are unlike the usual sequence of events we have grown
accustomed to.
Both the exceptional circumstances surrounding Sunday's attack near Damascus,
which was attributed to Israel, and Syria's response may indicate a new
direction in "the war between wars" currently been waged, and raise a number of
questions about the objectives of the attacker and the responder.
The Russian army in Syria said it was Israeli planes that launched
air-to-surface missiles over the Mediterranean Sea, towards targets in the area
of Damascus International Airport. Contrary to most of the attacks previously
attributed to Israel, for which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took partial
responsibility, Sunday's attack took place in the afternoon, during daylight
hours. At the time of the strike, an Iranian passenger/cargo plane was coming in
for landing at Damascus International Airport. The plane belonged to the Iranian
aviation company Mahan Airlines.
Mahan's headquarters are in Tehran; the company operates from Imam Khomeini
Intenrational Airport and has a large fleet of aircraft, some 60 in total, most
made in Europe. In 2009, the company was found to have unlawfully taken three
Boeing 747s from the European company Blue Sky Airlines, using forged bills of
sale. The company refused to return the planes, hardly surprising, given the
American boycott on the sale of US-made aircraft of any kind to Iran since the
1979 Islamic Revolution.
Mahan flies both domestic and international flights, which is interesting given
that in December 2011, the US Treasury declared it an embargoed company on the
grounds that it supports terrorism and serves the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
In announcing its embargo on the company, the US Treasury said it primarily
serves the Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force, which operates in the
international and Middle Eastern arenas, is assisting Hezbollah and the Syrian
army, operating against Israel and trying to establish itself in Syria.
Last month, Germany officially announced that it planned to ban Mahan Airlines
from landing in its territory, after receiving evidence that the company's
planes, including Boeing 747s, had transferred Quds Force weapons and operatives
to Syria.
With this in mind, it is fair to assume that the action attributed to Israel was
intended to deter the Mahan plane, which took off in Tehran, from landing in
Damascus. This assumption can be reinforced by the fact that this was the only
plane due to land at Damascus airport.
The plane was close to touch down when the strike took place, and it is
reasonable to believe that Israel alerted the Russians to the attack and the
Russians directed the craft back to Tehran. The suspicion that the entire
operation was to stop the plane landing is strengthened by the fact that the
usual Syrian sources, such as the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, or other Syrian and Lebanese sources did not report the strike nor
distribute photographs of Israeli missiles hitting their targets.
Syrian television even boasted that 100 percent of the Israeli missiles were
intercepted by the Syria's anti-aircraft system, which while not necessarily the
truth, could indicate not that the missiles failed to hit significant targets,
but rather this purely solely a warning or deterrent about the plane itself.
There is no way of knowing who or what was in the belly of the plane, but one
could sensibly assume that whoever attacked it was interested in sending it back
from whence it came - with a warning for whoever sent it. All of this was
apparently done in order not to irritate the Russians, and to bring them onboard
with the operation.
The Syrian response is also interesting. The reaction was surface-to-surface
rocket fire, apparently under cover of a barrage from an anti-aircraft missile
battery launched in order to mislead Israel. AMid the anti-aircraft fire was a
surface-to-surface rocket aimed at Mount Hermon. The anti-aircraft missile fire
only came after the attacking planes were out of range, or even when they had
already returned to their base in Israel. Assuming, of course, that it was
Israel who carried out the attack.
The Syrians have previously fired anti-aircraft missiles into Israeli territory,
even though they had no target they could realistically hit. To Israel, Sunday's
was a reprisal attack aimed at harassing and wearing down its population,
creating panic and possibly harming tourism on the Golan. This was the case a
few weeks ago, when Israel attacked and Syrian surface-to-air missiles were
fired at the Jewish state, even though they did not hit. And this was the case
Sunday, when the rockets brought down by Iron Dome could be clearly seen in the
skies over Mount Hermon, while thousands enjoyed the snow below.
This method of retaliation shows that the Assad regime is apparently looking for
ways to respond to the attacks attributed to Israel, especially after Israel
lifted much of the veil of ambiguity over these strikes.
This removal of the veil of ambiguity by then-IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot
and Prime Minister Netanyahu is intended to make the Russians deter the Iranians
themselves, and make it clear to Tehran that Quds Force commander Qassem
Suleimani is dragging them into a perilous escapade. He is trying to avenge the
damage to the prestige of his regime, apparently without pushing Israel too
hard, and the Russians are pressuring him not to do anything that could lead to
a broad confrontation.
A ‘safe zone’ in Syria faces hurdles
Yasar Yakis/Arab News/January 20/19
US President Donald Trump on Jan. 15 tweeted that he had spoken with his Turkish
counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan “to advise where we stand on all matters
including our last two weeks of success in fighting the remnants of Daesh (Daesh),
and 20-mile safe zone.”
This tweet came only one day after he threatened to “devastate Turkey
economically if they hit Kurds,” and a day before Daesh killed 20 people,
including four Americans, in the Syrian city of Manbij. The tweet is reminiscent
of one posted by Trump two years ago. “I’ll absolutely do safe zones in Syria
for the people,” he tweeted on Jan. 25, 2017. The scope of the two safe zones,
then and now, is slightly different. In 2017, it was mainly aimed at resettling
Syrian refugees. Now the scope has shifted to protecting the Kurds from Turkey.
Also, Turkey’s perception of a safe zone differs from that of the US. What
Ankara has in mind is closer to what Trump was contemplating in 2017. After
Trump and Erdogan agreed last week to create a safe zone, the latter gave
additional details. He said a 32-km belt would be created, and it could be
extended if necessary. He then suggested that after the safe zone is created,
two-story houses with a 500-square-meter garden could be built for each family
by Turkey’s government-owned mass housing authority.
Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Turkish far-right Nationalist Movement Party,
cited a catalogue of prerequisites for the creation of such a zone, including
that it has to be entirely under Turkish control, and that the borders, the
timing of its implementation and its governing rules must be determined by
Ankara.
He said if these conditions are not met, the safe zone will become a failure for
Turkey. Erdogan cannot easily disregard Bahceli’s prerequisites in the run up to
Turkish municipal elections on March 31. Erdogan and Putin will have to work
hard to iron out the question of the preservation of Syria’s territorial
integrity and sovereignty. Last week, the US dispatched Sen. Lindsey Graham to
Turkey to appease Ankara’s disillusionment about Washington’s policy on Syrian
Kurds. He said he was on a mission to ensure that the US withdrawal announced by
Trump in December does not cause greater damage. To withdraw and leave Kurdish
fighters with weapons supplied by the US was “insane,” he said. Turkey will wait
to see whether Graham’s promises will be fulfilled. There are many other hurdles
to creating a safe zone. The most important one is that it needs a UN Security
Council resolution. Russia, as a permanent council member, has the right to veto
any resolution that infringes its red lines. Moscow has persistently underlined
the importance of the preservation of Syria’s territorial integrity and
sovereignty.
Therefore, big efforts will be needed to close the gap between the Russian,
American and Turkish positions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said
Moscow plans to coordinate with the US and will take into account the security
interests of all countries in the region, including Turkey. Another hurdle is
the attitude of Syrian Kurds, who regard the safe zone as offering protection
from the Turkish military. Russia may not be able to meet all of Turkey’s
prerequisites, but it will try to fulfil them as much as possible. Erdogan is
expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Jan. 23.
The agenda of their meeting will be dominated by the safe zone, because the
threat that Turkey perceives from the Syrian-Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG)
is perhaps more important for it than any other subject. Syria’s Idlib province
is a less important item on the agenda.
Erdogan and Putin will have to work hard to iron out the question of the
preservation of Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. This principle
has been reconfirmed several times by the guarantors of the Astana/Sochi
process: Russia, Iran and Turkey. Tehran may also be putting pressure on Moscow
to preserve Syria’s sovereignty. The building of houses for displaced people or
returnees may also be on the agenda, but the more fundamental question of the
feasibility of the safe zone has to be sorted out first. Ankara’s position on
creating a zone controlled by it is unacceptable to Damascus. This again raises
the need for cooperation between Turkey and Syria.
*Yasar Yakis is a former foreign minister of Turkey and founding member of the
ruling AK Party. Twitter: @yakis_yasar
Does the US want high or low oil prices?
Omar Al-Ubaydli/Al Arabiya/January 20/19
The US economy has traditionally been a heavy importer of oil, making it
unquestionably a fan of low oil prices. Meanwhile, the shale oil revolution has
transformed the US oil industry, and driven net imports to almost zero. But, has
that been enough to make America favor high oil prices, and to be an OPEC ally?
In 1975, two years after the OPEC embargo, the US banned petroleum exports to
ensure sufficient local supplies of the strategic, important commodity. At that
time, net oil imports equaled six million barrels/day, a figure that grew to
13.5 million in 2006 in light of the economy’s sustained growth. Ensuring a
reliable flow of oil for its economy, and for those of its economic partners,
such as China and Japan, became a central tenet of US foreign policy, and a key
reason for its heavy military involvement in the Middle East.
With the exception of Saudi Arabia, the oil production strategies of the club’s
members were identical to those of non-members. The reason for the myth’s
persistence was that OPEC’s members enjoyed cultivating a reputation as bulwarks
against western imperialism, while western leaders welcomed a willing scapegoat
for their domestic economic woes
OPEC's ill-deserved reputation
At the same time, OPEC was building a reputation for restricting output, and
raising global oil prices to the benefit of its members. This earned the group
supervillain status among all segments of US society, due to the importance of
gasoline prices to US household budgets.
In fact, based on a detailed analysis of oil production data for both OPEC
members and non-members, Jeff Colgan of Brown University convincingly
demonstrated that throughout the period of 1980-2009, OPEC’s reputation as a
cartel was ill-deserved. With the exception of Saudi Arabia, the oil production
strategies of the club’s members were identical to those of non-members. The
reason for the myth’s persistence was that OPEC’s members enjoyed cultivating a
reputation as bulwarks against western imperialism, while western leaders
welcomed a willing scapegoat for their domestic economic woes.
In the early 2000s, as petroleum extraction technology advanced, US shale oil
began to satisfy local demand, and in 2015, the industry’s renaissance had
become strong enough for Congress to lift the 40-year-old export ban. By 2018,
US net imports had fallen to 1.4 million barrels per day. With revenues,
profits, and employment in the oil sector burgeoning, part of US society finally
had an explicit preference for high oil prices, and this came to the fore in the
wake of the 2014 oil-price crash, when many shale producers faced bankruptcy.
The diminished importance of oil imports also became a central reason for the
US’ “pivot to Asia”, and its reduced military interventionism in the Middle
East.
In parallel to the transformations in the US oil sector, in December 2016, OPEC
finally went from pseudo price-raiser to actual price-raiser, when a surprising
deal with OPEC non-members, led by Russia, was secured. That deal has continued,
driven by Russia’s desire to forge stronger geo-political ties with Saudi
Arabia. US shale oil producers breathed a sigh of relief, as the increase in
prices provided the industry with a much needed revenues boost.
But the US is much more than oil producers. Amidst the hysteria surrounding the
2014 oil-price crash, a segment of the media began attributing the decline in
prices to Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that Saudi Arabia’s output was
essentially fixed throughout the episode, and that the Kingdom continued to
operate below capacity. Moreover, a popular theory emerged that Saudi Arabia was
flooding the market in an attempt to knock out shale oil, despite the theory
clearly being falsified by even a cursory look at the production data. As a
result, a group of US Congress people threatened legal action against Saudi
Arabia, accusing it of employing predatory pricing against US producers.
Apparently, the US actually wanted high prices!
Until 2018, however, ahead of the midterm elections, Congress worried about the
impact of higher gasoline prices on their constituents, and launched legal
proceedings against Saudi Arabia and the rest of OPEC, accusing them of
colluding to raise prices. After this, it was apparent the US now wanted low
prices.
So what does the US actually want? Well, there seems to be a consensus among US
policymakers that a thriving domestic oil industry is desirable, as evidenced by
the ease with which oil producers have been able to overcome opponents, citing
either environmental concerns, or trying to defend territories owned by Native
Americans. This is partially due to the direct economic return from exploiting
an available natural resource; as well as reflecting a desire for
self-sufficiency, stemming from the US’ tilt toward economic and diplomatic
isolationism.
But a large segment of society remains averse to higher oil prices, and still
associates them with OPEC, whatever the actual cause. OPEC members may now
regret their previous willingness to play the role of scapegoat in the eyes of
the US public.
So which force dominates? The US political system is genuinely pluralistic,
meaning that there is little sense in imagining an integrated US viewpoint. As
Donald Trump is learning, Congress and the White House can have wildly divergent
policy positions, while organs such as the State Department, the Department of
Defense, and the individual state governments all have their own stances and
wield significant authority. The contradictions can even be observed at the
level of individuals, as a typical rural Republican voter simultaneously demands
prices low enough to raise their standard of living, but high enough to promote
US self-sufficiency in energy markets. Either way, OPEC strategists have a tough
job on their hands