Lebanon in high alert at border with Israel

(Xinhua) -- Following the assassination of a high ranking Hezbollah official Wednesday in Beirut and accusing Israel of being behind the crime, a high tense situation was witnessed on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border.A Lebanese security source told Xinhua that a high alert was witnessed on both sides of the border in a preemptive move for any possible security deterioration.The source said that the Israeli army has put its units deployed on the border with Lebanon in a high alert state and patrolled all the border region using armored vehicles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's).It added that the patrols were accompanied by intense flightovers of the Israeli air force and border units were seen monitoring the Lebanese side with advanced eavesdropping equipment.As for the Lebanese army, its units were placed in a high state of readiness and enforced its checkpoints, so did the Hezbollah, according to the source.Hajj Hassan Hollo al-Laqqis, who is a prominent figure in the resistance, was assassinated near his residence in Sainte Therese neighborhood in Hadath around 12 a.m. overnight Tuesday while he was on the way back from work.Hezbollah in a statement accused Israel of carrying out the assassination, revealing that Laqqis "was subjected several times and in several areas to failed assassination attempts."The statement added "Israel is automatically held the complete responsibility for this heinous crime."Related:Syria military jets strike Lebanon border town: security sourceBEIRUT, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Syrian military jets on Thursday launched three air raids on the outskirts of Lebanon's Arsal border town in the east Bekaa, a local security source said.A Syrian military helicopter conducted two raids on the Wadi Ata region on the outskirts of Arsal, launching six rockets while a second Syrian jet targeted the same area with three rockets. Full story

Assassinated Hezbollah leader key to technology, drone operations

Source : http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/12/hezbollah-assassinated-hashem.html#ixzz2mafUVVrX

BEIRUT — It was at least the fourth time coming face to face with his assassins. Hassan al-Laqis didn’t survive this time. So who was this Hezbollah high-tech unit head who was killed?Summary⎙ Print A source said Hassan al-Laqis was one of Imad Mughniyeh’s “smart students.”Author Ali HashemPosted December 4, 2013“One of Imad Mughniyeh’s smart students,” a source close to Hezbollah told me. “He was Hezbollah’s technological Mughniyeh, he’s the commander whose team gave Israel and its spies a serious headache, both on the ground and in the air, he was a genius on the head of tens of geniuses whom are expected to continue the job he was doing.”The source explained that Laqis was fond of technology and took the first steps two decades ago on the way to transferring Hezbollah into a techie organization. “His steps were seen by many in the beginning as very ambitious, he was the man who made Hezbollah intercept Israeli UAVs and record their footage for years.”According to Al-Monitor’s source, Laqis and his team should be credited for the “Ayoub” drone that on Oct. 7, 2012, penetrated the Israeli airspace, passing close to the most important strategic Israeli installation, the Dimona nuclear reactor. The drone bypassed the entire Israeli radar and air defense system before being detected and downed by Israel.The source revealed that Laqis’ efforts helped Hezbollah on Sept. 5, 1997, execute the Ansariyeh ambush, the operation that saw 11 commandos from Israel’s elite naval unit Shayetet 13 killed when they were on a mission inside Lebanon. “Hezbollah back then said that it succeeded through its own counterintelligence capabilities to learn about the operation in advance, later on Sayyed [Hassan] Nasrallah said it was the UAV footages. Today, I tell you it’s Hassan Laqis and his team.”This is not all. One of the main Hezbollah-related stories during the last years with respect to its war with Israel was the dismantling of the Israeli spy networks in Lebanon. “Haj Hassan’s unit played an important role in uncovering several Israeli spies in Lebanon during the last years. There were complicated ways that they mastered, and he always wanted the smartest men with him. He was part of a dangerous war, but if you ask him how he would wish to die, he’ll tell you a martyr, and here he is.”In 2006 during the July/August war between Israel and Hezbollah, Laqis survived two attempts on his life, one in which 26 people, along with his elder son Ali al-Reda, were killed when an Israeli fighter jet struck the building where he lives. “His phone was with his son,” explains our source, “just a few minutes after his son put the phone on for a certain reason an Israeli plane bombarded the building where he was.”Since the early '90s, Laqis’ name appeared in Hezbollah-related activities in the West. In his book Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon’s Party of God, Mathew Levitt, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, wrote that Laqis was Hezbollah’s chief procurement officer during the 1990s and that he played a role in paying for Hezbollah activities in Canada in 1994.“From the first moment it was clear to Hezbollah [that] Israel was behind the attack,” the source explained. “The martyr was Israel’s enemy, besides after more than three decades of war, Hezbollah can quickly identify the Israeli touch on the operation.”He then revealed that there are serious doubts within Hezbollah’s security ranks whether the assassination was fully planned and executed by Israeli officers, or by operatives in Lebanon, except for the surveillance. “This is still to be confirmed, there’s good reason to review Israel’s 1973 attack on PLO leaders in Beirut,” he concludedRead more: 
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/12/hezbollah-assassinated-hashem.html#ixzz2mal7nhA5

Israel’ Intervenes in Ghota Battles

Source :

Battles launched more than a week ago of Damascus by a surprised assault against the Syrian army forward posts in the eastern Ghota may turn to be the first occasion involving the Israeli army effectively in the war in Syria along one of the parties, Lebanese daily Assafir reported Saturday.Sources told the newspaper that Zionist troops have provided reconnaissance maps and photos of the Syrian army positions to the attacking force, which moved from Jordan under the leadership of Saudi-U.S.-Zionist coordinated intelligence."However, the great Israeli contribution in the East Ghota battle was the pillar of the whole attack. According to security information, before the start of the first round of the attack, the Israelis succeeded to disrupt communications system for each of the Fourth Division, the Republican Guard, units of Hezbollah elite forces, the Iraqi Abu al Fadl al Abbas factions deployed in the region.During the first hours of the attack, the Israelis used electronic means of encryption, and managed to disrupt radio communications between Syrian groups and their allies on the first line of defense, which was breached quickly, and led to the fall of the seven villages and farms in the area of al-Marj.It has become known that units of the fourth division stationed in the region had lost contact with commanders, and other units protected retreating groups' lines towards the second line of defense to prevent the attackers from progress toward their strategic goal of Otaiba, which forms the entrance to East Gouta and the key to the siege imposed over it.

New Arab-Israeli Battalion to Fight Hezbollah

Source : Almanar.lb

The Zionist entity has recently formed an Arab battalion within its military ranks called 'Arabs of the Israeli army' dubbed as "Horv", particularly designed to fight Hezbollah in a future confrontation.

According to Syria Truth website, the Zionist army command revealed that officers of the new military unit are "Druze supporters of Walid Jumblatt and Wahhabi Bedouins known for their dogmatic hostility to the Shiites."

In this regard, the website recalls the statements of Muslim Brotherhood or Salafist leaders of the insurgence in Syria who showed affinities with the Zionist entity.

"Israel and the Sunni Muslims in Syria are in the same front against the Shiites, the Nasserists and the Majous who all have a joint project to eliminate the Jews," said a member of the so-called Syrian National Council (SNC) Khaled Khoja for the Zionist Channel 2, asking what he dubbed "Israel" to bomb Syria.

Regarding the battalion, the Zionist entity has sought to make a large propaganda and shed light on its recent maneuvers. This would reassure the Israeli public, which has not yet forgotten the heinous defeat its army suffered in the July 2006 war on Lebanon.

The unit commander, Shadi Abu Fares, told the Zionist army radio that the battalion has completed intensive training in the Syrian Golan Heights, revealing that the unit has developed new methods and tactics to fight the enemy in Lebanon as efficiently as possible."

"Fighting in Lebanon requires a severe camouflage style, given the need to slow the advance of the troops on the ground", he stressed, adding that "new battle techniques and tactics adopted by the battalion operated recently are perfectly adapted to the fight against the systems supported by Hezbollah, including the use of long-rage heavy fire."

"We worked on tactics and techniques of the battlefield adopted by the Israeli army, including open and associated combat zones. We have applied them with suitable modifications to the real ground against Hezbollah, as the battalion has rich experience, and we have a prior knowledge of what awaits us in the next war in Lebanon," he went on to say.

The Zionist radio has focused on what it considers the success of Horv while exercising its functions, noting that its troops have acquired operational experience, particularly during their task in Lebanon for many years.

"During the Second Lebanon War in 2006, it (Horv) was the first combat unit to cross the border into Lebanon, and the last to return. This is the reason behind the many medals of appreciation it gained," said the radio, knowing that the 2006 war on Lebanon was a major blow for the Zionist entity.

The radio correspondent quoted the commander of the northern front, Colonel Sion Ertson, as saying that "Horv should teach all the Israeli army how to effectively fight against Hezbollah."

"The maneuvers were held in the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights, lasting for three consecutive days, where tanks and armored vehicles participated," the reported said, focusing on the role of special engineering forces in opening roads to facilitate the infantry movement.

As for the fighting methods, the Zionist journalist pointed out that the exercises were based on intensive fire shooting and the use of artillery "to prevent the enemy to raise his head."

For his part, Abu Fares voiced that the military cannot note that Horv battalion is ready for all situations.

"After completing training missions, Horv should be deployed on the border with Lebanon. We will work to prevent the infiltration of any incursion from Lebanon. We will also maintain its defensive position and activate it. At the same time, we will conduct additional activities which we can not reveal their details," he said.

Meanwhile, Ertson said "the changes in the region require us to be ready for war, but with the battalion Horv I'm much more confident than any other battalion in the IDF."

Maneuvers of Arabs in the Zionist army battalion attended by the commander of the northern region in the Zionist military General Yair Golan, and the brigade commander of the Galilee, Brigadier Hertsey Halevy.

Worthy to mention that the Zionist army has recently paved a new way at the northern border with Lebanon in an attempt to terrorize citizens and spread panic among them.

Since the 2006 July war on Lebanon, the Zionist entity has spared no chance to violate the Lebanese sovereignty in flagrant breaching of the UN resolution 1701.

REPORT: HIC calls on Hezbollah to withdraw fighters from Syria

Source : LBCI News

The Higher Islamic Council (HIC) held on Saturday a meeting under the chairmanship of its vice-president Omar Mesqawi, where discussions focused on the political and religious situations in the country.

The conferees called on Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters from Syria’s al-Qusayr, in order to maintain internal stability, and considered the appointment decisions issued of the Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani as “null and void.”

In this regard, they decided to keep their meetings open-ended to follow up on what they called “special conditions witnessed by Dar al-Fatwa.”

Last year, the Shura Council suspended a call for the elections after its members, who are close to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, filed a challenge against Qabbani's call to hold the elections. Disputes between them rose when the members extended the mandate of the council until the end of 2013 despite the objection of Mufti Qabbani, who argues that the extension is illegal and the council’s term has expired.

Russia: Hezbollah Fighters Deploy in Syria to Protect Religious Shrines

Source : Ahlul Bayt News Agency

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned against “the increasing flow of foreign fighters who are coming to Syria from North Africa and Europe.”

“Since the beginnig of the crisis, we warned against internationalizing the conflict, yet the flow of foreign fighters to Syria, those who are coming from Libya, North Africa, Middle East, Europe and other regions, has been steadily increasing,” he added.

Concerning the deployment of Hezbollah fighters in Syria, Lavrov said “that this comes in order to protect the Shiite Holy sites there, and Hezbollah does not conceal this fact.”

Lavrov recalled what "Secretary-General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah publicly announced about the deployment of his fighters in Syria to primarily protect the Shiites, the Alawites, and the Shiite shrines that are exposed to the attacks of the militants and face the threat of destruction."

Russian FM also pointed to the increasing flow of weapons to militants despite the fact that supplying weapons to non-governmental groups was illegal according to the International law. Lavrov also considered that “the non-extension of the EU ban on the supply of arms to Syria places obstacles in the way of Geneva Conference.”

“The European decision raises questions, knowing that from the beginning, imposing the ban on arms supply, that is basically prevented according to the international law, was ambiguous. However, lifting the ban now complicates the situation.

In a different context, Lavrov considered “that the only way to put an end to the Syrian crisis is to hold an international conference.” He added that the conflict in Syria has taken a sectarian nature, and “this would threaten the Islamic unity and the non-Islamic elements of the Syrian Society."

Lavrov also called for holding an international conference to reach political solutions for the Syrian Crisis, away from the unilateral and double-standard prospects to the Syrian conflict. He also mentioned that all the countries that are concerned with the Syrian crisis must attend, including Iran.

Russian Top Diplomat also said that the intention of the Human Rights Council to issue a resolution on Syria will not help holding Geneva Conference 2. He added that this unilateral resolution comes in the context of the efforts that led to the resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations which condemned Syria.

“Russia is astonished by such efforts of the US, Turkey, and Qatar,” Lavrov, added.

'Hezbollah supports Syria's anti-Israel resistance'

Source : Strategic-Culture.org

The Deputy Secretary General of Hezbollah Sheikh Naim Qassem says that the Lebanese movement supports those in Syria backing resistance against Israel.

The Lebanese resistance official made the remarks during an interview with Beirut’s al-Mayadeen news channel.

Sheikh Naim Qassem reiterated that political dialogue is the only way to resolve the current crisis in the Arab nation.

He also said that Hezbollah was playing a supportive role in Syria.

The Hezbollah figure further warned that Western powers and some Arab states such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia are provoking a backlash in their own countries through their stance on Damascus.

Earlier in May, Sheikh Qassem said that Tel Aviv was aiming to boost the morale of foreign-backed militants fighting in Syria by its recent airstrikes against the country.

“An aggression by Israel against Syria has taken place which means that Syria represents an obstacle in the face of Israel. But Syria is unwavering in the face of [Israel],” he added.

Israel has carried out at least three airstrikes in Syria so far this year.

On May 22, Israeli Major General Amir Eshel said that Israel was prepared to attack Syria the moment the government of Bashar al-Assad collapses.

The unrest in Syria has dragged on for over two years, and many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the foreign-sponsored militancy."

Hezbollah says ready to receive "game-changing weapons" from Syria

Source : Xinhua

BEIRUT, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese Hezbollah's chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel Thursday that his militia is ready to receive "game- changing weapons" from Syria.

"Israel bombed Syria in order to say that continuing to back the resistance (against Israel) and supply it with military aid will lead to the downfall of the regime," Nasrallah said in a televised speech, referring to Israel's airstrike on Syrian military facilities early Sunday.

"Israel knows that the source of strength of the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine is Syria, that's why it wants to remove it from the equation and to besiege the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine," he said.

"Syria's first response was the decision to grant the resistance 'game- changing' weapons which it had never acquired in the past," he said.

On the recent Israeli attacks on military targets in and near Damascus, the Hezbollah chief said "The objective (of the attacks) is to harm the capabilities of Syria and its army and to remove it from the equation of the conflict with the enemy."

"Syria does not have a peace treaty with Israel, but there is a truce agreement and everyone knows what Syria has offered to resistance movements, especially the Palestinian resistance," he said.

Hezbollah fighters in Syria to help Lebanese nat''ls - Nasrallah

Source :  http://www.kuna.net.kw

BEIRUT, April 30 (KUNA) -- Secretary General of Lebanon's Hezbollah group Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday the groups sent its fighters to the Syrian town of Al-Qusayr, Homs Governorate, to protect the Lebanese nationals from "the armed groups" opposed to the Syrian regime. "We'll never hesitate in offering help the Lebanese nationals who are liable to attacks from armed groups there," he said in a speech aired by Al-Manar satellite TV channel. He warned against any possible attacks by the 'takfiri' (a Muslim declaring another Muslim an unbeliever) armed groups against the Shiite shrines in Syria, saying: "The demolition of Al-Sayyeda Zaynab shrine in Damascus will trigger serious consequences." He challenged the Syrian opposition groups saying: "You will never be able to topple the regime by military means; the battle is long." "Syria has true friends who will never let it fall in the hands of Washington or Tel Aviv or the hands of the armed takfiri groups," Nasrallah argued. He dismissed recent media speculations that Hezbollah conceal its victims in Syria, saying: "We don't cover up our martyrs to bury them in installment as some media claim. Such claims are part of the psychological war that aims to defame Hezbollah." "The ultimate goal of what's happening in Syria is not only to neutralize Syria's role in the resistance (against Israel) and the equation of the Arab-Israeli conflict, but to destroy Syria as a state, army and society as well," he affirmed. He reaffirmed a statement made by his group last Thursday that the group did not send a drone towards Israel. The drone was intercepted and downed by the Israeli Air Force after intruding the Israeli airspace a few miles off Haifa city. On the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Nasrallah said recent press reports indicate that the United States and the Arab and Gulf countries are lobbying for a certain settlement to the conflict which will be unacceptable for the Palestinians as before. "Talk about such a settlement always coincides with an Israeli military aggression on the Palestinians to break their will but to no avail," he noted. Meanwhile, Nasrallah warned Israel against venturing to attack Lebanon and take advantage of "the resistance" (Hezbollah) preoccupation with the Syrian affair. "We are well-prepared and fully-equipped to respond to any aggression," he made it clear. Commenting on the domestic affairs he advised the rival political parties to shoulder their responsibilities for finding a political solution to the current stalemate and put the national interests of Lebanon above any partisan considerations. He also called on the politicians not to politicize the issue of the nine Lebanese nationals abducted in Syria a year ago. (end) ayb.gb KUNA 302326 Apr 13NNNN

Israel calls up army reservists for drill in the north

Source : Reuters

(Reuters) - Israel's military said on Tuesday it had called up hundreds of reservists for a drill in northern Israel where tensions are high with neighbors Syria and Lebanon, but a military spokesman said there was no change in the overall security situation.

Israel has been on high alert for spillover from Syria's civil war, which has included sporadic fire and Israeli frontier positions. It has also warned it would act to prevent Syria's sophisticated weapons from falling into the hands of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The drill - planned in advance as part of the annual training schedule - is meant to simulate a scenario of "quick escalation" in which troops would be sent to the north, the military said in statement. No specific details were included.

"The reality requires us to prepare accordingly and maintain high readiness," a senior officer from Israel's Northern Command said of the drill.

Chief military spokesman Brigadier-General Yoav Mordechai told Israel Radio: "This is an exercise, it is not connected to any change in the security situation."

Israel has enjoyed a decades-long, stable stand-off with Syria under President Bashar al- Assad, but fighting in the insurgency has drawn close to the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel captured from Syria in a 1967 war.

Israel says its air force shot down a drone from Lebanon over the Mediterranean sea last week as it was approaching the Israeli coast. Hezbollah, which sent a drone deep into Israel in October, said it was not behind last week's incident.

(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Russia hails Hezbollah, says ready to cooperate with it

Source : Tehran Times

Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has hailed the credibility of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, saying Moscow will cooperate with the popular movement.

“We cooperate with Hezbollah and respect the Lebanese people’s will… this party, which has proven its credibility [over the course of time], must [have its opinions] respected,” Bogdanov said on Friday in Lebanon after meeting with Lebanese MP Mohammad Raad, who heads the Lebanese resistance movement's parliamentary bloc.

Bogdanov further said that the Lebanese officials should find solutions to their political problems through dialogue.

“There might be different viewpoints stemming from various parties but we think the Lebanese should look for solutions via a comprehensive national dialogue,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Bogdanov handed over to Lebanon’s President Michel Suleiman a letter of support from his Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin praised in the letter the efforts made by Suleiman to maintain stability in Lebanon, voicing support for the president’s efforts to preserve stability in Lebanon as well as dialogue among the various Lebanese parties.

Bogdanov also called for collective regional and international efforts to help find a political solution to the unrest in Syria, reiterating Russia’s opposition to any military intervention in the crisis-hit Syria.

The Russian envoy said that his visit was aimed at supporting Lebanon regarding Syria’s refugees and holding an international conference to discuss the issue.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of government security forces and army personnel, have been killed in the violence.

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

The Syrian government says the West and its regional allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are supporting the militants.

Several international human rights organizations have accused the militants operating in Syria of committing war crimes.

Nasrallah visited Tehran and will appear soon

شبكة عاجل الإخبارية

Media sources said that the Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah visited Tehran recently.

Newspaper "An-Nahar" quoted of sources said it is close to Hezbollah confirmed the rumors about Nasrallah's visit to Tehran and his meeting with Mr. Ali Khamenei to discuss the situation in the region and the crisis in Syria.

The sources said that Nasrallah will appear in next May 9 after the media occultation for more than two months.

Australia pressing Israel for details on 'Prisoner X'

Source  :  Maan News Agency

1 ) Jul SYDNEY (AFP) -- The Australian government said Tuesday it was continuing to push Israel for a fuller explanation into the arntion and suicide of Australian-Israeli Mossad agent Ben Zygier.

Zygier, known as "Prisoner X", was found hanged in a supposedly suicide-proof cell at a Tel Aviv jail in 2010 with reports this week saying he was imprisoned after passing secrets to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr said Canberra was continuing its dialogue with Israel about the case.

"I'm not aware that there has been a comprehensive accounting for what has happened," he told ABC radio.

"What gave rise to his arrest, his detention, his suicide?"

After conducting its own "internal investigations", German news weekly Der Spiegel said this week the tips Zygier, 34, gave to Hezbollah led to the arrest of at least two people spying for Israel.

It said Zygier -- who was raised in Melbourne but moved to Israel about a decade before his death -- was ordered back to Israel from Europe in 2007 because his bosses were unhappy with his work.

In 2008 he took a leave of absence, Spiegel said, and returned to Melbourne to finish his studies after trying to recruit new agents for Israel in a bid to restore his standing with his bosses.

In the process he reportedly came in contact with Hezbollah supporters and while trying to convince them to work for Mossad, disastrously spilled highly sensitive information.

This included the names of Lebanese nationals Ziad al-Homsi and Mustafa Ali Awadeh, who were arrested in May 2009 on charges of spying for Israel and later sentenced to several years of hard labor.

Zygier was suspected of using his Australian passport to spy for Israel, focusing attention on Israel's recruitment of agents with foreign travel documents, and Carr said he was also awaiting answers on this issue.

"That would create risk for all Australians who are traveling," he said.

"So Australia's got a clear interest, a distinct point of view on this, an objection to Australian passports being used by dual citizens who are off working for a foreign intelligence agency.

"We have asked them for all information relevant to Australia on this and we will continue to do that," he added.●Abbas: Palestinians seek to implement UN decision ●Teenager released after 4 days in custody ●Israeli patrol claims to be shot at from Gaza

Mossad agent hanged self in suicide-proof cell after passing intel to Hezbollah

Source  :  The Raw Story

A man identified by media as an Australian-Israeli Mossad agent and found hanged in a Tel Aviv jail had passed secrets to Hezbollah before his death, an influential German magazine reported Sunday.

News weekly Der Spiegel said Ben Zygier, a man known as “Prisoner X” who died in 2010 in an allegedly suicide-proof cell, had handed tips to the Lebanese militant group that led to the arrest of at least two people spying for Israel.

After conducting its own “internal investigations”, the report found that Zygier had started working for Mossad in 2003, investigating European companies doing business with Iran and Syria.

It said Zygier — who was raised in Melbourne but moved to Israel about a decade before his death — was ordered back to Israel in 2007 because his bosses were unhappy with his work.

In 2008 he took a leave of absence, Spiegel said, and returned to Melbourne to finish his studies after trying to recruit new agents for Israel in a bid to restore his standing with his bosses.

In the process he came in contact with Hezbollah supporters, Spiegel said, and while trying to convince them to work for Mossad, disastrously spilled highly sensitive information.

This included the names of Lebanese nationals Ziad al-Homsi and Mustafa Ali Awadeh, who were arrested in May 2009 on charges of spying for Israel and later sentenced to several years of hard labour.

The report said Israeli security authorities had told Zygier after his arrest that they wanted to make an example of him and demanded a prison sentence of at least 10 years.

Zygier was found dead in his cell in December 2010 at the age of 34

Hezbollah on Iraq, Pakistan Attacks: Int’l Stance Urged to Condemn Takfiris

Source : http://www.almanar.com.lb

Hezbollah denounced as terrorist attacks the explosions that targeted civilians in Pakistan and Iraq, urging an international stance to condemn the Takfiris who are committing such crimes.

“Terrorist gangs go on with committing tragic massacres in Iraq and Pakistan”, Hezollah’s Media Relation said in a statement released on Monday.

“The repetition of such massacres and genocides against hundreds of innocent civilians should prompt the international community and human rights groups to condemn the acts of these killers, the Takfiris, and to disclose who are behind them.”

These attacks “also urge the specialized authorities and honorable powers in both countries to unite and stand together in face of these criminals,” the statement noted, adding that “efforts should be exerted to go after these perpetrators and punish them.”

“As Hezbollah condemns these crimes from Iraq to Pakistan, it calls on their people to be patient and to stand together in order to prevent the enemy from spreading sedition and destruction across our Islamis and Arab countries.”

The party also asked god to have mercy upon the martyrs, as it offered condolences to their kin and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Iran, Hezbollah Stress Expansion of Cultural Ties

Source : Fars News Agency

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Culture Minister Seyed Mohammad Hosseini and a cultural official of the Lebanese Hezbollah group underlined expansion of cultural ties between the two sides.

Addressing the audience at a ceremony held to unveil 11 books on Lebanon's resistance literature in Tehran on Monday, Hosseini and Head of Rasalat Institute (affiliated to the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement) Sheikh Ali Zaher laid emphasis on the further expansion of cultural relations between the two sides.

"The Islamic Revolution of Iran and Hezbollah have inseparable bonds and in Seyed Hassan Nasrallah's words, Hezbollah is continuing the path of the Islamic Revolution and this bond is present now," Hosseini said.

He further noted increasing ties and cooperation between the two sides, and said that Iran and Hezbollah movement cooperated last year in cultural areas, including holding book fairs and dispatch of cultural teams to Lebanon.

Sheikh Zaher, for his part, said that Hezbollah has gained a lot from the experience of Iranian experts and masters in the field of theater, cinema, including short films and movies.

Iran and Lebanon enjoy cordial relations and have further expanded these ties in recent years.

The two sides have exchanged several delegations of high-ranking officials in the last two years.

Iranian and Lebanese officials have recently doubled efforts to further expand the bilateral relations and mutual cooperation between the two nations.

The two countries signed a cluster of economic agreements during Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's landmark visit to Beirut in October 2010.