publishedmedium:al-manar

  • Un drone israélien s’écrase au Liban-Sud
    L’Orient-Le Jour | 31/03/2018
    https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1108016/un-drone-israelien-secrase-au-liban-sud.html

    Un drone d’espionnage israélien s’est écrasé samedi matin dans le caza de Bint Jbeil, au Liban-Sud, rapporte l’Agence nationale d’information (Ani, officielle).

    L’engin est tombé entre les localités de Baraachit et Beit Yahoun. Les causes du crash ne sont toujours pas connues. Selon le site d’information libanais el-Nashra, l’armée libanaise s’est déployée sur les lieux et inspecte les restes du drone. La chaîne Al-Manar, média du Hezbollah, a également rapporté l’information sans plus de détails.

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    Israel Bombs Site of Crashed Drone in South Lebanon
    by Naharnet Newsdesk 8 hours ago
    http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/244338

    An Israeli spy drone crashed Saturday morning in an area between the southern Lebanese towns of Baraashit and Beit Yahoun in the Bint Jbeil district, Lebanon’s National News Agency said.

    Another Israeli drone later bombed the site of the crash in Baraashit’s outskirts, which resulted in the full destruction of the first drone, NNA said.

    “Two missiles fell from it but did not explode. A Lebanese Army force later detonated them as security forces and UNIFIL peacekeepers cordoned off the area,” the agency added.

    The Israeli army said the drone crashed because of a technical failure.

    It added that the incident is being investigated but that there was no risk of any sensitive information being leaked.

    Israel typically uses its unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct surveillance and gather intelligence along its borders. The drones have become a regular part of modern warfare and Israel in February shot down an Iranian one that infiltrated its airspace.

    #Liban #souverainetélibanaise

  • Trump and Putin are the real targets of Israel’s alleged strike in Syria -

    Exceptional strike, attributed to Israel, signals Netanyahu can disrupt a ceasefire in Syria if Israel’s security interests are ignored ■ Incident comes amid anti-Hezbollah war game

    Amos Harel Sep 08, 2017
    read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.811078

    The weapons manufacturing plant that occurred early Thursday morning in western Syria is a site clearly identified with the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The exceptional attack, which foreign media are attributing to the Israel Air Force, appears to be a message to the world powers that maintain a prominent aerial presence in the area. Over the past two years, Russia has invested huge efforts in saving and rehabilitating the Syrian president.
    The bombing is not routine, either in its target or its timing. In an interview with Haaretz last month, outgoing air force chief Amir Eshel said that over the past five years, the air force had launched attacks on the northern military theater and on other fronts.
    But most of these forays were designed to quell efforts to strengthen Hezbollah and other terrorist and guerrilla groups. This time, according to Syrian reports, the target was a government one – a missile production facility run by the Assad regime – rather than another Hezbollah weapons convoy destined for Lebanon. 
    >> Analysis: Israel Just Shot Itself in the Foot
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    Over the past year, senior Israelis have highlighted their concerns following the wide steps taken by the Iranians to try and enlarge and upgrade the supply of precision missiles in Hezbollah’s possession. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot and Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevi have all made reference to this in public appearances. 
    For several years now, Hezbollah has maintained a huge weapons arsenal, containing between 100,000 and 130,000 missiles and rockets (according to various estimates). If the proportion of precision missiles is increased and their precision improved, that could enable the organization to inflict more devastating damage to the Israeli home front in a war.
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    In accordance with its declared policy, Israel is acting to prevent Hezbollah improving the quality of its weapons. The chaos the Syrian civil war has caused, during which serious damage has been inflicted on the capabilities of Assad’s army, has seemingly made this easier for Israel. Syria has for years been a no-man’s-land that no one has controlled. That changed with the arrival of the Russians two years ago. 
    According to foreign media, the deployment of Russian squadrons in northwest Syria since September 2015 hasn’t entirely halted the Israeli attacks. But the strategic reality has become more complicated. The prime Russian interest is the survival of the Assad regime. For Moscow, it is important to show that the regime is stable and that Russia is the party dictating what takes place in Syria. The attack on the facility – the Syrian Scientific Researchers Center – undermines that image, and could concern the Russians.
    skip - Shehab News Agency tweet

    The timing of the action attributed to Israel is sensitive. At the end of July, in a Russia-led effort, the Assad regime reached a partial cease-fire with Syrian rebel groups. Although the fighting has continued in various regions, its intensity has declined in many places. The United States, whose interest in Syria has been on the decline, acceded to the Russian initiative. 
    Washington and Moscow also failed to heed Israeli protests that the agreement to reduce friction in southern Syria failed to require Iran and allied militias to steer clear of the Golan Heights.
    Consequently, the attack attributed to Israel – the first to be reported since the agreement was reached – may be interpreted as an Israeli signal of sorts to the world powers: You still need to take our security interests into account; we’re capable of disrupting the process of a future settlement in Syria if you insist on leaving us out of the picture. 
    Since the attacks attributed to Israel began in January 2012, the Assad regime has shown restraint in the vast majority of cases, other than in one incident in March this year when missiles were fired at Israeli planes after an attack near the town of Palmyra in eastern Syria. One missile was intercepted by an Arrow missile over Israel.
    At first, the Syrian regime totally ignored most of the attacks. At later stages, it would accuse Israel and sometimes even threaten a response, but it didn’t follow through. The reason is clear: The damage sustained by the regime from the responses was marginal compared to the harm to civilians in the civil war, and the last thing President Bashar Assad wanted was to drag Israel into the war and tip the balance in the rebels’ favor.
    Israel will have to see how recent developments are received in Moscow, Washington and Tehran. The response won’t necessarily come immediately.

    Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting in Moscow, October 2015.AP
    Russia is not hostile to Israel but, above all, it looks after itself and Assad. The Russians will also take the consequences on countries in other areas into account, as well as its tangled relations with the United States – which has been acting as a present-absent party in the Middle East for a long time now.
    This comes against the backdrop, beginning Tuesday this week, of a large Israeli military exercise based on a war scenario with Hezbollah. In fact, Israel is taking pains to declare that the exercise was planned nearly a year in advance and that it has no warlike intentions. But the fact that the exercise was carried out has raised the anxiety threshold among Hezbollah’s leaders.
    Al-Manar, the Hezbollah television station, declared Wednesday that Hezbollah isn’t worried about a war. That’s very inaccurate. To a great extent, Hezbollah, like Israel, is worried about a war and would prefer to avoid one – but in the Middle East things sometimes happen when you don’t exactly intend them.
    The early morning attack came exactly 10 years and a day after the bombing of the North Korean nuclear facility in eastern Syria, which U.S. President George W. Bush and others attributed to Israel. Last time (and then too, by the way, an attack came during a major exercise by the air force) a war was averted. That’s the hope this time too.

  • Lebanese president blames Israeli Mossad for assassinating businessman in Angola
    Lebanon’s president reportedly says Israel’s intelligence agency is behind the murder of Amine Bakri in Angola’s capital.
    Jack Khoury Jan 04, 2017 3:19 PM
    http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.763005

    Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun reportedly blamed Israel’s Mossad on Wednesday for the assassination of a Lebanese businessman in Angola.

    According to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar channel, Aoun opened his weekly government meeting by saying Israel’s intelligence agency was behind the shooting of Amine Bakri in the Angolan capital of Luanda on Monday, but gave no further details.

    Bakri, a prominent Lebanese businessman from Nabatieh in south Lebanon, was shot dead by armed gunmen while traveling on a dirt road not far from a furniture factory that he owned, which he had just visited.

    According to recent reports in Lebanon, the 37-year-old businessman was targeted by three gunmen who were waiting for him. He was reportedly shot from point-blank range and taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Local reports labeled the incident as a car-jacking that ended in murder and attributed it to local gangs.

    Bakri left Lebanon for Africa at a young age and began to develop a number of businesses, most prominently a furniture business.

    Last month, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi said that his government suspected the Mossad was behind the assassination of aviation engineer Mohammed Zawahri.

    Zawahri was shot to death outside his home in Sfax, Tunisia, on December 15. According to a statement by Hamas two days after the attack, Zawahri was a member of the organization’s military wing and one of the leaders of its drone program.

    #Liban #Mossad

  • Selon le site pro-régime al-Masdar, il y aurait eu un redéploiement des troupes du Hezbollah en Syrie : le Hezbollah aurait notamment quitté la province d’Alep pour redéployer ses troupes en direction de la Ghouta orientale, du Qalamoun et de la province de Homs, régions plus frontalières ou plus proches du Liban.
    https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/where-is-hezbollah

    The recent jihadist offensive in southern Aleppo may have been a surprise for the government forces, but Hezbollah’s absence during the battle was far more perplexing. Did Hezbollah leave Syria? No. Furthermore, per a Syrian Arab Army (SAA) source in Damascus, Hezbollah deployed almost all of their forces to the Greater Damascus area; specifically, the East Ghouta and Qalamoun Mountains. Hezbollah has a large presence in the East Ghouta region of rural Damascus, but they are not leading the current offensive, which is something they are not accustomed to in this war. Meanwhile, in the Qalamoun Mountains, Hezbollah seems to be taking a more active role in the battle taking place on the Lebanese-Syrian border. This past week, Hezbollah’s media wing “Al-Manar” reported that their forces carried out several attacks against Jabhat Al-Nusra (Syrian Al-Qaeda group) in the Jaroud ‘Arsal area of east Lebanon. In addition to their presence in Jaroud ‘Arsal, Hezbollah was sighted on the other side of the Qalamoun Mountains, carrying out attacks against Jabhat Al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) at Jaroud Jarajeer, Jaroud Qarah, and Jaroud Faleeta.

    Ceci confirmerait les annonces d’Elijah Magnier en mai dans deux articles qui annonçait ce redéploiement du fait de la volonté de se concentrer sur des régions plus directement stratégiques pour lui et de sa volonté de ne pas servir de pion pour le compte des stratégies politiques des Russes et du régime dans leur volonté de conforter leur position politique à Genève :
    https://elijahjm.wordpress.com/2016/05/19/hezbollah-is-not-willing-to-engage-in-further-battles-if-these-a
    et https://elijahjm.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/syriademarcation-lines-similar-to-the-lebanese-civil-war-in-the-

    The new situation in Syria has led the Lebanese Hezbollah to redeploy its forces and withdraw a significant number of militants from the established demarcation lines – and decide not to be part of the U.S-Russia political agreement. The decision was taken at high command level in Lebanon, ordering Hezbollah to return to the main cities since all military offensives had been put on ice. Hezbollah will have a defensive military role, will protect the already controlled cities but will also take part in hit-and-run tactics in “enemy land”. Since Damascus agreed to join the political process for the moment, Hezbollah won’t go against the Russian-American deal.

  • Cette étonnante mention au détour de l’article de RFI consacré à Madaya :
    http://www.rfi.fr/moyen-orient/20160112-crise-madaya-onu-appelle-regime-syrien-lever-siege

    Privés d’électricité, de chauffage et de nourriture, les 40.000 habitants sont confrontés au siège des forces gouvernementales et aux exactions des rebelles, qui monopolisent toutes les ressources. Dans ce contexte, l’Observatoire syrien des droits de l’homme rapporte qu’une foule en colère a expulsé, lundi 11 janvier, de son lieu de résidence, le chef du Conseil militaire rebelle, qui voulait stocker dans des dépôts sous son contrôle l’aide acheminée. Les habitants exigeaient que les rations alimentaires soient directement distribuées aux familles et ils ont finalement obtenu gain de cause.

    Anecdote de l’Observatoire qui n’est pas reprise dans l’article du Monde :
    http://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2016/01/11/assieges-et-epuises-les-habitants-de-madaya-voient-enfin-arriver-l-aide-huma
    Ni dans l’article de Libération (à la place, l’analyse militaire de Thomas Pierret) :
    http://www.liberation.fr/planete/2016/01/12/a-madaya-ce-que-nous-avons-vu-est-assez-horrible-il-n-y-avait-pas-de-vie_

    • Hizbullah hits back at starvation reports in Madaya, Syria
      https://mideastwire.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/hizbullah-hits-back-at-starvation-reports-in-madaya-syria

      Interesting response, not least because it does show that publicity, statements and reports over Madaya are clearly having an important impact on Hizbullah’s public stance.

      On January 8, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its correspondent in Beirut: “It seems that Hezbollah was bewildered by the intensifying media campaign that shed light on the tragedy endured by the besieged Syrian town of Madaya, and had to clarify the situation, not through an official statement, but through Al-Manar’s newscast yesterday night. Indeed, the channel commented on what it dubbed a programed media campaign against the resistance regarding the town of Madaya in Rif Dimashq, quoting sources as saying: “Some visual and written media outlets with known inclinations have launched a wide-scale slander campaign against the resistance, and accused Hezbollah of starving the civilians in Madaya through its siege. But this is a programmed campaign aiming to ruin the image of the resistance.”

      “[It said:] “The armed groups that have taken Madaya hostage, and the foreign sides supporting them, are the only ones responsible for what is happening in the town. We have not seen a similar campaign regarding other Syrian towns that have been besieged by the armed terrorist groups for years, such as Kefraya and Al-Fou’a in Rif Adlib, Nebl and Az-Zahra’ in the countryside of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and other regions, where babies are dying because of the shortage of milk and basic products, and disease is spreading due to the lack of medical supplies.” Al-Manar thus indicated: “Firstly, dozens of trucks loaded with food and medical supplies that could last many months were introduced to Madaya, Sarghaya and Baqin on October 18, 2015, and an equal quantity was introduced to Kefraya and Fou’a… More is expected to arrive in the coming days, after the injured armed men were evacuated from Az-Zabadani.”

    • Rien d’étonnant de la part des organes de la presse officielle que sont le monde et libération.

      Quand on regarde les images des villes libérées en Syrie, quand on lit les récits des rescapés de l’occupation de ce pays par daesh, une image vient immédiatement, #Stalingrad.

      Mais non, Laurent Fabius, qui affirmait que le groupe « An-nusrah, faisait du bon boulot en Syrie », c’était pour rire.

  • Hizbullah hits back at starvation reports in Madaya, Syria | The Mideastwire Blog
    https://mideastwire.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/hizbullah-hits-back-at-starvation-reports-in-madaya-syria/?fb_action_ids=763724877066899&fb_action_types=news.publishes

    Interesting response, not least because it does show that publicity, statements and reports over Madaya are clearly having an important impact on Hizbullah’s public stance.

    On January 8, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its correspondent in Beirut: “It seems that Hezbollah was bewildered by the intensifying media campaign that shed light on the tragedy endured by the besieged Syrian town of Madaya, and had to clarify the situation, not through an official statement, but through Al-Manar’s newscast yesterday night. Indeed, the channel commented on what it dubbed a programed media campaign against the resistance regarding the town of Madaya in Rif Dimashq, quoting sources as saying: “Some visual and written media outlets with known inclinations have launched a wide-scale slander campaign against the resistance, and accused Hezbollah of starving the civilians in Madaya through its siege. But this is a programmed campaign aiming to ruin the image of the resistance.”

    “[It said:] “The armed groups that have taken Madaya hostage, and the foreign sides supporting them, are the only ones responsible for what is happening in the town. We have not seen a similar campaign regarding other Syrian towns that have been besieged by the armed terrorist groups for years, such as Kefraya and Al-Fou’a in Rif Adlib, Nebl and Az-Zahra’ in the countryside of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and other regions, where babies are dying because of the shortage of milk and basic products, and disease is spreading due to the lack of medical supplies.” Al-Manar thus indicated: “Firstly, dozens of trucks loaded with food and medical supplies that could last many months were introduced to Madaya, Sarghaya and Baqin on October 18, 2015, and an equal quantity was introduced to Kefraya and Fou’a… More is expected to arrive in the coming days, after the injured armed men were evacuated from Az-Zabadani.”

  • Le Sénat américain a fait passer une nouvelle loi frappant de sanctions des institutions liées au Hezbollah :
    Dépêche AP

    BEIRUT — Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group has condemned a bill approved by the Senate to block its financing, describing it as “a new crime by American institutions against our people and nation.”

    Hezbollah said in a statement Monday that the American “aggression” the group is facing is the price for “resisting all evil projects against our holy places, rights, nations and people.”

    Last week, the U.S. Senate approved a bill led by New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Florida Republican Marco Rubio to block financing to Hezbollah and limit its access to logistical support.

    The bill aims to sanction international financial institutions that knowingly engage in business with Hezbollah and its enablers. It also identifies the organization’s satellite and Internet providers, which support its television network Al-Manar.

  • Syrian army, Hezbollah oust rebels from Qalamoun village outskirts: Al-Manar | News , Lebanon News | THE DAILY STAR
    http://dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2015/May-09/297370-syrian-army-hezbollah-oust-rebels-from-qalamoun-village-outskir

    BEIRUT: The Syrian army and Hezbollah have ousted Islamist militants from areas surrounding a border town that was the site of fierce fighting earlier this week, Al-Manar television reported Saturday.

    Rival forces had been trading fire on the outskirts of Al-Juba, about 8 kilometers northeast of the Lebanese border town of Tfail, since Friday, one day after Hezbollah and the Syrian army captured the village.

    The ousted militants withdrew to the outskirts of the Syrian village of Ras al-Maara, roughly 13 kilometers northeast of Al-Juba, Hezbollah-owned Al-Manar said.

    Al-Manar also reported that Hezbollah and the Syrian army targeted militant positions around Al-Juba and in Ras al-Maara, leading to “large casualties” for the militants.

  • #Al-Manar TV crew members shot dead by Syrian rebels in #Maaloula
    http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/al-manar-tv-crew-members-shot-dead-syrian-rebels-maaloula

    Two media workers for #Hezbollah-owned Al-Manar television were killed Monday while covering clashes in the Syrian town of Maaloula, the network said. TV reporter Hamza Hajj Hassan and tech worker Halim Alou were shot dead by rebel forces who attacked their crew, Al-Manar said in an emotional report dedicated to its slain colleagues. The crew was embedded with Syrian government forces who had launched an offensive to recapture rebel-held Syrian towns in the Qalamoun region near Lebanon. read more

    #syria #Top_News

  • Nasrallah: If takfiris succeed in #syria, all in #Lebanon will be eliminated
    http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/nasrallah-if-takfiris-succeed-syria-all-lebanon-will-be-eliminate

    An image grab from al-Manar TV shows #Hassan_Nasrallah, the head of #Hezbollah, giving a televised address from an undisclosed location on March 29, 2014 in Lebanon. (Photo: AFP / al-Manar)

    Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned of the threat posed to Lebanon by Islamist fighters in the Syrian conflict on Saturday. In a televised speech, Nasrallah discussed Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria, as well as the criticisms leveled against the resistance movement within Lebanon. “If takfiris achieve victory in Syria, we would all be eliminated in Lebanon, not just the resistance,” he said, as his speech was broadcast to an audience commemorating the opening of a cultural center in south Lebanon.

    Chloé Benoist

    read (...)

    #Top_News

  • #Israel’s failed new strategy
    http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/israel%E2%80%99s-failed-new-strategy

    An image grab from #Hezbollah's al-Manar TV shows Hassan Nasrallah, the head of #Lebanon's militant Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah, giving a televised address from an undisclosed location on February 16, 2014 in #Lebanon. (Photo: AFP/al-Manar) An image grab from Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV shows Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanon’s militant Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah, giving a televised address from an undisclosed location on February 16, 2014 in Lebanon. (Photo: AFP/al-Manar)

    Israel, with its strike on a Hezbollah position on the Lebanese border with #syria on Monday, was trying to test the possibility of altering the rules of engagement. Hezbollah’s statement in response carried a stern and sharp warning. So is it in (...)

    #Articles #Sayed_Hassan_Nasrallah

  • #Hezbollah: We will choose the time and place to respond to Israeli air strike
    http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/hezbollah-we-will-choose-time-and-place-respond-israeli-air-strik

    Hezbollah will respond to an Israeli air strike on Monday night that hit one of its sites in #Lebanon, the militant group said on Wednesday. “The new aggression is a blatant assault on Lebanon and its sovereignty and its territory, not just against the Resistance (Hezbollah)...The Resistance will choose the time and place and the proper way to respond to it,” a statement on al-Manar television said. It added that the attack revealed the “aggressive nature” of #Israel. read more

    #Top_News

  • Car bomb in Lebanon’s Hermel kills several
    http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/car-bomb-lebanons-hermel-kills-least-several

    A car bomb killed at least four people Saturday near a gas station in eastern Lebanon’s town of Hermel, according to caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel.

    Speaking to al-Manar television channel, the minister stated that the blast was carried out by a suicide bomber, which also injured at least 15 people.

    A security source told Reuters that, besides the three dead bystanders and the dead bomber, 28 other people had been wounded in the blast.

    “We think it is a suicide attack,” he added.

    However, Hermel’s Municipality Head, Subhi Saqr, stated to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) that at least 28 were wounded.

    Furthermore, the proximity of the explosion, which took place around 6:00 pm, to the al-Aytam gas station had sparked a huge blaze that hindered the arrival of emergency services, according to statements by a security source to NNA.

  • Car bomb in #Lebanon's #Hermel kills several
    http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/car-bomb-lebanons-hermel-kills-least-several

    Updated at 7:50 pm: A car bomb killed at least four people Saturday near a gas station in eastern Lebanon’s town of Hermel, according to caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel. Speaking to al-Manar television channel, the minister stated that the blast was carried out by a suicide bomber, which also injured at least 15 people. “At least four people were killed and more than 15 wounded, two or three of them in critical condition,” he said. “We think it is a suicide attack,” he added. read more

    #Top_News

  • Hezbollah shirks Al Manar’s apology to Bahrain

    | Ya Libnan | World News Live from Lebanon
    http://www.yalibnan.com/2013/12/09/hezbollah-shirks-al-manars-apology-to-bahrain

    Un étrange incident ? un signe de la « détente » entre l’Iran et les pays du Golfe ? La télévision Al-Manar s’excuse auprès du gouvernement de Bahreïn, le Hezbollah affirme qu’il condamne ces excuses

    Hezbollah denied any responsibility for its Lebanese Communication Group (Al-Manar Channel and Al-Nour Radio) apology to the Bahraini Information Affairs Authority (IAA) for its past coverage of news relating to Bahrain.

    Hezbollah’s denial of responsibility comes less than 48 hours after the apology that was published and announced at the 90th meeting of the Arab States Broadcasting Union General Assembly executive board in the presence of member states.

    Hezbollah claimed that its leadership was never consulted on the matter and the apology was an initiative taken by the Hezbollah media delegation without referring to the party leadership.

    The party issued the following statement about the issue:

    1- The position taken by the delegation representing the Lebanese Communication Group was a special initiative that has not been reviewed by the Hezbollah leadership .

    2- Our support for the the oppressed people of Bahrain did not change at all . We consider that the injustices practiced by the Bahraini authorities against the people are huge and they still persist in denying the rights of political participation for the Bahraini people .

    3 – The apology should go to the Bahraini people themselves, who showed patience and tolerance for more than two and a half years and have suffered from repression and all kinds of of abuse by the ruling authorities .

    4-The threat and intimidation and unjust accusation practiced by the authorities in Bahrain against anyone who supports the Bahraini people and their just cause is further evidence of the inability of the ruling authorities to dialogue with its own people. “

    In its yesterday’s statement, The Lebanese Communication Group pledged to commit, in the future, to objectivity in covering Arab news and events and abide by professional standards.

    The heads of Arab delegations commended the step, lauding Bahrain for accepting the apology of the Lebanese Communication Group. ASBU director-general read the apology statement along with the decision of ASBU General Assembly assigning him to follow-up the implementation of the commitment expressed by the Lebanese Communication Group.

    There was a lot of speculation in Lebanon on the apology since Hezbollah as a rule never apologizes, but according to the Lebanese newspaper Al Rai the apology was made on orders from the new Iran leadership that is trying to reach out to make amends with its neighbors as part of an overall shift in its international policy.

    After eight years of rule by the bombastic Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, newly elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani seems determined to present a new image of Iran to the world.

    “Iran is keen on re-engaging with the rest of the region, particularly the GCC, and pull the carpet from underneath the Israelis,” said Ghanem Nuseibeh of Cornerstone Global Associates, the London-based founder of the risk analysis group.

  • « المنار » تعتذر للبحرين عن تغطيتها المنحازة للأحداث فيها - العربية.نت | الصفحة الرئيسية
    http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/culture-and-art/2013/12/08/إعلام-حزب-الله-يعتذر-رسميا-للبحرين-عن-التغطية-المنحازة.html

    “المنار” تعتذر للبحرين عن تغطيتها المنحازة للأحداث فيها
    الاعتذار جاء بعد تهديد اتحاد إذاعات الدول العربية بسحب عضوية القناة التابعة لحزب الله

    La chaîne (pro-Hezbollah) Al-Manar « présente ses excuses au bahreïn pour sa couverture biaisée des événements ».

    Rare et étonnant acte de contrition, qui doit s’interpréter dans le cadre des grandes manoeuvres diplomatiques en cours dans la région, avec des signes de bonne volonté de la part des Iraniens vis-à-vis des états du Golfe. (POur l’instant, l’Arabie saoudite continue à faire la tête...)

  • Arabie saoudite – France : Divergences politiques et business : une première victime : EDF ? | Middle East Strategic Perspectives
    http://www.mestrategicperspectives.com/2013/11/05/arabie-saoudite-france-divergences-politiques-et-business-u

    la chaîne du Hezbollah fait deux révélations importantes :
    [...]
    – la deuxième concerne une décision qu’auraient prise les dirigeants saoudiens de réduire les contrats français sur le marché saoudien, après l’apparition de ces divergences avec Paris sur l’Iran et le Liban. Al-Manar va jusqu’à donner des exemples, en estimant qu’EDF aurait perdu le contrat des deux centrales nucléaires (au profit de la concurrence britannique), et en faisant référence, pour rendre plus crédibles les propos avancés, aux partenaires commerciaux traditionnels de sociétés françaises dans le royaume dont Baqer Benladen et Mazen al-Sawwaf du Groupe Benladen, Soroof International (www.soroof.com), propriété du prince Bandar Ben Abdullah Ben Abdulaziz et “sponsor” d’EDF. Cela ne peut que déstabiliser les intérêts économiques et commerciaux français en Arabie saoudite.

    #énergie
    #nucléaire

    • After Reportedly Being Offered Saudi Weapons Sales, France Tries to Blow Up Iran Deal
      http://www.emptywheel.net/2013/11/09/after-reportedly-being-offered-saudi-weapons-sales-france-blows-up-iran-

      Intéressant papier de Emptywheel sur l’actuelle position française dans les négociations avec l’Iran : les dirigeants saoudiens auraient promis aux dirigeants français d’acheter des armes françaises s’ils arrivaient à bloquer un accord avec l’Iran.

      Several weeks after this WSJ article describing a staged Bandar bin Sultan tantrum about US actions, it was revealed the “Western diplomat” involved was a representative of France.

      Diplomats here said Prince Bandar, who is leading the kingdom’s efforts to fund, train and arm rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, invited a Western diplomat to the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah over the weekend to voice Riyadh’s frustration with the Obama administration and its regional policies, including the decision not to bomb Syria in response to its alleged use of chemical weapons in August.

      “This was a message for the U.S., not the U.N.,” Prince Bandar was quoted by diplomats as specifying of Saudi Arabia’s decision to walk away from the Security Council membership.

      [snip]

      However, the diplomats said, Prince Bandar told them he intends to roll back a partnership with the U.S. in which the Central Intelligence Agency and other nations’ security bodies have covertly helped train Syrian rebels to fight Mr. Assad, Prince Bandar said, according to the diplomats. Saudi Arabia would work with other allies instead in that effort, including Jordan and France, the prince was quoted as saying.

      [snip]

      In the run-up to the expected U.S. strikes, Saudi leaders asked for detailed U.S. plans for posting Navy ships to guard the Saudi oil center, the Eastern Province, during any strike on Syria, an official familiar with that discussion said. The Saudis were surprised when the Americans told them U.S. ships wouldn’t be able to fully protect the oil region, the official said.

      Disappointed, the Saudis told the U.S. that they were open to alternatives to their long-standing defense partnership, emphasizing that they would look for good weapons at good prices, whatever the source, the official said.

      In the second episode, one Western diplomat described Saudi Arabia as eager to be a military partner in what was to have been the U.S.-led military strikes on Syria. As part of that, the Saudis asked to be given the list of military targets for the proposed strikes. The Saudis indicated they never got the information, the diplomat said.

      The subtext here is clear: Bandar invited the French representative to Riyadh not just to whine about the US, but also to discuss weapons sales.

  • Syria Issues Arrest Warrants for Lebanese Figures Accused of ’Backing Armed Groups’
    http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/50684-reports-syria-issues-arrest-warrants-for-lebanese-figures-accused-of

    The Syrian judiciary has issued arrest warrants for Lebanese figures “on charges of backing and financing armed groups,” Sky News Arabia reported on Monday.

    Earlier in the day, Damascus’ First Attorney-General Mohammed Marwan al-Loji said in an interview with al-Manar television that “the Syrian judicial authorities are preparing arrest warrants for several Lebanese political figures, including lawmakers, on charges of providing all sorts of support to the armed terrorist groups in Syria, such as the trafficking of weapons and gunmen.”

    Loji declined to mention any names but al-Manar quoted Syrian sources as saying that several Mustaqbal officials and MPs were involved, including ex-PM Saad Hariri and MPs Khaled al-Daher and Oqab Saqr.

    The sources also said arrest warrants might be issued for Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.

  • Facebook deletes Hezbollah, Al-Manar TV pages for ‘inciting violence’ (via @alaingresh)
    http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Aug-17/184907-facebook-deletes-hezbollah-al-manar-tv-pages-for-inciting-viole

    Facebook pages created by Al-Manar television station have been removed from the site, after a decision by the social networking website to halt activity connected with Hezbollah after their appearance on the State Department’s list of terror organizations.

  • Defense minister, Assad brother-in-law killed in Damascus blast
    http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/state-tv-suicide-bomb-targets-damascus-security-base

    Syrian Defense Minister Daoud Abdullah Rajiha and Assef Shawkat, President Bashar al-Assad’s brother-in-law, have been killed in an apparent suicide attack on a key security building in Damascus on Wednesday, Syrian and Lebanese media reported.

    En français:
    http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/la-revolte-syrienne/20120718.OBS7525/syrie-guerre-civile-a-damas-deux-ministres-tues-dans-un-attenta

    Selon les mêmes sources, le ministre de la Défense, le général Daoud Rajha, a été tué dans l’attaque. Selon elles, ce dernier est « tombé en martyr » lors de cet attentat qui s’est produit lors d’une réunion de ministres et responsables de la sécurité. Assef Shawkat, chef du Renseignement et beau-frère du président Assad, est également mort dans l’attentat, annonce la chaîne du Hezbollah, al-Manar.

  • Le Hezbollah révèle de nouvelles "informations" sur la CIA | À La Une | L’Orient-Le Jour
    http://www.lorientlejour.com/category/À+La+Une+(Slideshow)/article/735579/Le_Hezbollah_revele_de_nouvelles_"informations"_sur_la_CIA.html

    Dans une émission diffusée vendredi soir sur sa chaîne al-Manar et postée samedi sur son site Internet, le Hezbollah cite le nom présumé du « chef de la CIA au Liban » et celui de son prédécesseur, affirmant en outre que l’agence siège dans un bâtiment de l’ambassade américaine à Awkar, au nord de Beyrouth, . « Il s’agit d’un centre d’opération permanent qui gère de larges réseaux d’informateurs sur le territoire libanais dans les domaines politique, social, éducatif, médical, sécuritaire et militaire », affirme le parti chiite, qui est soutenu par l’Iran et la Syrie.

    Selon le Hezbollah, une équipe de dix officiers, hommes et femmes qui viennent pour des périodes de trois ans, gère ces réseaux sous couvert du titre de diplomates. Les informateurs sont souvent des fonctionnaires, des militaires ou des journalistes.

    « Les recrutements se font à l’intérieur de l’ambassade et les rencontres ont lieu dans des restaurants ou des cafés comme McDonald’s, Pizza Hut et Starbucks », poursuit le parti, ajoutant que les officiers de la CIA « empochent une grande partie de l’argent destiné aux agents ».

    Évidemment, L’Orient-Le Jour met « informations » entre guillemets. Des fois que le Hezbollah soit incapable de réellement livrer des informations, et que L’Orient-Le Jour le pourrait…

    • CIA versus Hizbullah in Lebanon
      http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/12/cia-versus-hizbullah-in-lebanon.html

      This is explosive. Jeffrey Feltman, who was in Beirut this week, was asked by the press about the exposure of CIA station in Lebanon. He refused to comment. No wonder. The story is way too embarrassing for the US government and its intelligence operations. When I read that Hasan Nasrallah personally summoned the three CIA agents within the Party that he would be able, without any pressure even, to extract all the information that the party needs. Sure enough: yesterday, Hizbullah’s TV, Al-Manar, aired reports about the CIA work in Lebanon. It was most explosive and contained so many details that it has compromised for a time CIA work in Lebanon. The reports even spoke about financial corruption on the part of CIA handlers: how they make the agents sign receipts for amount of money exceeding what the agent was receiving (implying that the CIA handlers were pocketing the difference). The reports even exposed the full names of the CIA station members in Lebanon and gave away their diplomatic covers. They identified a building in the US embassy compound which houses the CIA station. But Hizbullah still insist that Robert Baer is still involved in CIA work in Lebanon without providing evidence. I think that the party may feel a grudge against Baer because he admitted after he resigned from the CIA that his chief goal was capturing or killing `Imad Mughniyyah.

  • Septembre 2008, rencontre peu intéressante avec Tarik Mitri, ministre de l’information du Liban. Je relève juste ce paragraphe vers la fin de la rencontre.

    18.09.2008 : LEBANON : INFORMATION MINISTER SAYS "MUTUAL SUSPICION AND MISTRUST" COULD DELAY ELECTIONS - Nyheter - Wikileaks - Aftenposten.no
    http://www.aftenposten.no/spesial/wikileaksdokumenter/article4025304.ece

    When asked if Hizballah’s Al-Manar network would respect such a code, Mitri said “probably.” He said Al-Manar was not the worst of the networks, rather it was the new pro-Syrian, opposition network, Al-Jadeed. Mitri characterized Al-Jadeed as “having a taste for the sensational and sarcastic” that was causing more problems, Mitri opined.

    #Liban #Hezbollah #al_Manar #Al_Jadeed #New_TV #cablegate

  • Mai 2008, toujours cette obsession américaine à faire censurer Al Manar partout dans le monde. Ici, en Indonésie.

    09.05.2008 : DEMARCHE RESPONSE ON SATELINDO BROADCASTING OF AL-MANAR TV - Nyheter - Wikileaks - Aftenposten.no
    http://www.aftenposten.no/spesial/wikileaksdokumenter/article4025294.ece

    Based on initial meetings with Government of Indonesia officials, it appears there are three possible routes for ending the broadcast of al-Manar television in Indonesia: 1) a formal U.S. complaint to the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (IBC) and the Department of Foreign Affairs based on violations of Indonesian law and possible damage to our bilateral relations, 2) a regulatory solution as al-Manar may not have the required permit to broadcast in Indonesia and 3) an independent decision by Indosat to avoid reputational risk by ending broadcasts of al-Manar. The Embassy has met with Ministry of Communication and Information Acting Director General for Information and Communication Facilities Freddy Tulung, Deputy Minister of State Owned Enterprises and Indosat Commissioner Roes Aryawijaya, Foreign Ministry Deputy Director of Information and Media Services Sam Marentek, Singapore Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Lim Hong Huai and Telkom Executive Vice President David Burke. We have requested additional meetings with the head of the Indonesian Broadcast Commission, the president director of Indosat and an independent commissioner of Indosat.

    #cablegate #Liban #Indonésie #al_Manar

    • Juin 2008 : l’Indonésie veut faire respecter un truc exotique qu’on nomme loi sur la liberté des médias.
      http://www.aftenposten.no/spesial/wikileaksdokumenter/article4025300.ece

      Based on meetings with Indosat and Government of Indonesia (GOI) officials, they are not inclined to stop broadcasting Al-Manar in Indonesia without a legal basis. While Indosat responded positively towards our arguments, they said they would not cancel their contract with Al-Manar until the GOI determined that Al-Manar violated broadcasting regulation. However, the GOI says Al-Manar has not violated broadcasting regulation.

  • Février 2007, rencontre de haut niveau entre les États-Unis et l’Arabie séoudite. Parmi les « gros sujets » : toujours la censure d’Al Manar et le soutien à Siniora.

    24.02.2007 : APHSCT TOWNSEND FEBRUARY 6 MEETING WITH CROWN PRINCE SULTAN - Nyheter - Wikileaks - Aftenposten.no
    http://www.aftenposten.no/spesial/wikileaksdokumenter/article4025287.ece

    The Crown Prince said “we will not hesitate” to cooperate on working with Arabsat to block Al-Manar television broadcasting. He requested that the U.S. fully support the Siniora government in Lebanon, noting said that “positive and rational” steps should be taken to lessen Persian influence over Syria, and confirmed Saudi support for Afghanistan´s President Karzai as a “wise and strong man.”

    #Liban #Arabie_séoudite #al_Manar #cablegate