Lebanon army slams 'plot' to embroil country in Syria war

Source : Maan News Agency

BEIRUT (AFP) -- The Lebanese army warned on Friday that a plot was afoot to embroil the country in the 26-month conflict in neighboring Syria, as deadly clashes between Damascus supporters and opponents inside Lebanon multiply.

"The army command... calls on citizens to be wary of plots aimed at taking Lebanon backwards and dragging it into an absurd war," a statement said, adding that it would give an "armed response to any armed action".

"The army command has been trying for several months to work firmly, determinedly and patiently to prevent Lebanon being turned into a battlefield for regional conflicts and to prevent any spillover of the events in Syria," it said.

"But in recent days, some groups have seemed determined to stoke security tensions... against the backdrop of the political divisions in Lebanon over military developments in Syria."

Although Lebanon has officially adopted a position of neutrality in Syria's war, its people are sharply divided with Shiite Muslims backing President Bashar Assad's regime and Sunnis the rebellion.

The army urged "citizens to express their political views on events in Lebanon and Syria by peaceful and democratic means and not to be driven by groups wanting to use violence as a means to achieve their ends".

It said it would "spare no effort to prevent innocent people from paying the price for political designs aimed at destroying Lebanon".

The statement was the strongest from the Lebanese army since the uprising against Assad's rule erupted in March 2011.

It came a day after soldiers came under fire in the northern city of Tripoli, as well as its flashpoint districts of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tebbaneh.

The two neighborhoods have witnessed frequent clashes linked to the Syrian conflict, and on each occasion the army has sought to impose a ceasefire.

On Wednesday night, two armed men, one of them a Syrian, were killed in a shootout with the army at the entrance of the town of Arsal, near the border with Syria, the military said.

Arsal, home to Sunnis who support the Syrian uprising, is a conduit for rebel fighters, their weapons and refugees across the border with the war-torn country.

On Thursday, one person was killed and several others wounded in clashes in the heart of Tripoli, Lebanon's second-biggest city.

It came after the public intervention of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement alongside Assad's troops in the battle for the border town of Qusayr which culminated in its recapture on Wednesday and deepened political division

Iranian Envoy: Libyan Gov't Sending No More Fighters to Syria

Source  :  Fars News Agency

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Ambassador to Tripoli Hossein Akbari underlined that Libya which hastily recognized the Syrian opposition after its formation is no more sending organized groups of fighters to Syria to fight against President Bashar al-Assad.

"An organized brigade under the name of 'Lava al-Ommah' was once sent to Syria in the past, but now they (the fighters) just go to Syria individually and not in the form of organized groups," Akbari told FNA on Monday.

Noting that Libya cannot control its borders with the neighboring states to prevent the smuggling of weapons and fighters, he said, "As long as weapons are not collected from the Libyan society, insecurity obviously spreads to the other parts of the regions."

Akbari also blamed certain western states for inciting Libyan fighters through their financial supports and other facilities to join the rebellion in Syria.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against the Syrian police, border guards, statesmen, army and the civilians being reported across the country.

Thousands of people have been killed since terrorist and armed groups turned protest rallies into armed clashes.

The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.

The US and its western and regional allies have long sought to topple Assad and his ruling system. Media reports said that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The US daily, Washington Post, reported in May that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups battling the President Bashar al-Assad's government have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The newspaper, quoting opposition activists and US and foreign officials, reported that Obama administration officials emphasized the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the Persian Gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.

Opposition activists who several months ago said the rebels were running out of ammunition said in May that the flow of weapons - most bought on the black market in neighboring countries or from elements of the Syrian military in the past - has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Persian Gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month.

Early this year, President Assad called for a reconciliation conference with "those who have not betrayed Syria", to be followed by the formation of a new government and an amnesty.

Rival Libya militias clash near Tripoli security building

Source : Reuters

(Reuters) - A gunbattle between two Libyan rival militias raged around a Tripoli security headquarters building on Sunday, highlighting the precariousness of peace in the capital more than a year after a popular armed revolt ousted Muammar Gaddafi.

At least five people were wounded in the clash, and a bullet pierced into a nearby hospital, causing panic.

Residents in the south Tripoli district of Sidi Khalifa said the fight erupted just after midnight on Sunday when two militia units authorized by the official Supreme Security Committee got into an argument over a detained member of one of the militias.

"We called the police early in the morning to help us stop the shooting, but no one came," resident Khaled Mohamed told Reuters.

A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was fired at the SSC base, damaging the building. The militia based in a post office building returned fire with another RPG.

Gunfire rang through the neighborhood as civilians were forced to block off the al-Zawiya street where the fighting raged, to prevent cars from driving into the battleground. Many civilians went home to get their own private arms.

A bullet shot through the building caused panic at the nearby Tripoli Central Hospital, with doctors and nurses running for cover. Dr. Khaled Ben Nour said five casualties from the fighting had been brought in.

"We have real patients with real needs. These rogue militias need to leave us in peace so we can do our jobs," Ben Nour said.

Libya's rulers have struggled to control semi-official armed groups who are competing for power and outgun the police and army in the north African country a year after Gaddafi's fall.

(Writing by Hadeel al-Shalchi; Editing by Peter Graff)

EU calls on Muslim Governments to Protest Embassies

BRUSSELS, September 15 (RIA Novosti) Tags: "Innocence of Muslims", Christopher Stevens, Catherine Ashton Chief EU diplomat Catherine Ashton strongly condemned the attacks on Western diplomatic missions in several Muslim countries and urged the local authorities to ensure their security. "I have been following the development with great concern and urge the national authorities of the affected countries to quickly ensure the safety of diplomatic missions and to protect diplomatic personnel," she said in a statement to RIA Novosti. Riots erupted across the Muslim world this week in response to an American anti-Islam video, "Innocence of Muslims," posted to the Internet on Tuesday, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three others were killed in Benghazi on Tuesday in one of the first of several such riots, which have since spread to Tunisia and Sudan, among other predominantly Muslim countries. About 5,000 rioters also attacked the Embassies of Germany and the U.K. in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.

Muslim Brotherhood's partying reveals candidate for Libyan PM

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Muslim Brotherhood's partying reveals candidate for Libyan PM - Xinhua |

TRIPOLI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) --The Justice and Construction (J&C) Party, political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, announced its candidate for the prime minister in the new Libyan government on Saturday. Awad Barasi, now Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, will join the competition for the J&C Party, according to an official statement. "Mr. Barasi is a well-known political figure. We believe he is best suited to lead the coming transitional phase of the Libyan state, especially since his term in electricity ministry was marked by his wise leadership and responsible attitude. Despite all the difficulties, his ministry managed to provide electricity during the past and present periods," said Mohammed Sawan, chairman of the J&C Party. The J&C Party's main rival would be the National Forces Alliance (NFA), led by wartime Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril.

The NFA came first in Libya's parliamentary elections last month and won 39 seats in the national congress, while the J&C came second with 17 seats. The J&C is hoping to win over independent members in the congress to secure premiership.