Lebanon & Syria
June 18, 2013
Two rockets fired from Syria hit the Baalbek valley, a Hezbollah stronghold, as a Lebanese minister accused the Syrian regime of inflicting ethnic cleansing on its citizens.
An investigative report has discovered that a network of Libyan officials are allowing weapons to be shipped to the Syrian rebels by private arms dealers.
Hezbollah supporters clashed with pro-Assir group in southern Lebanon on Tuesday
Obama said U.S. military action against Syria carries the risk of inadvertently hitting a chemical weapons site on Monday. He also expressed skepticism over whether setting a no-fly zone or waging a major military offensive against Damascus would save lives or change balance of power on the battlefield.
The situation in Lebanon’s northern Bekaa Valley is deeply troubling. A few days after the June 11 killing of a man from Ersal in Hermel, four local men were killed on Sunday near the border town of Qaa. Hezbollah is straining to deflect blame from the people of Ersal in order to prevent further strife in a region where Syrian militant groups maintain a heavy presence.
Israeli President Shimon Peres has dismissed fears that U.S. plans to arm Syrian rebels could expose the Jewish state’s national security to danger, adding that the world’s “unemployed terrorists” were heading to the region.
June 17, 2013
Days after Russia said it would not allow a no-fly zone to be enforced over Syria, the US NATO ambassador said that this issue is not on the agenda of the Western allies.
Syrian President Bashar Assad threatened European powers that the Syrian regime will retaliate if Western states provide arms to the Syrian opposition forces.
At least 10 soldiers loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were killed in a Damascus car bomb attack which left a further 10 wounded
US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are to meet for the first time in over a year at the G8 Summit, where they will discuss their opposing views on the Syrian crisis and arming the rebels.
A car bomb was detonated in the Damascus neighbourhood of Mezzeh late on Sunday, near a military airport and several embassies. There have been no reports on the number of casualties as of yet.
June 16, 2013
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke out against the Western position on the Syrian crisis, criticizing their decision to arm the 'organ eating' Syrian rebels.
Four Shiite men were ambushed in the Bekaa Valley area of Lebanon on Sunday
Extremist fighters in the eastern Syrian province Deir Al Zor have destroyed a Shiite religious building, posting the video on the internet.
June 15, 2013
Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah has said that Hezbollah will remain fighting alongside troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad and that its involvement in Syria was a calculated move.
