Attack on Syria rebel group in Golan could pose headache for Israel Jerusalem Post/March 04/16
At least 18 people were killed, among them the leader of the Revolutionary Command Council in Quneitra and Golan, in a village near the town of Quneitra.
An attack on a Syrian rebel group in the Golan Heights earlier this week could have security repercussions for Israel. At least 18 people were killed, among them the leader of the Revolutionary Command Council in Quneitra and Golan, in a village near the town of Quneitra, which abuts the border fence that separates the Israeli and Syrian sides of the Golan Heights. According to Al Jazeera, the organization’s local finance office in al-Ashe was blown up by a car bomb on Wednesday despite a cease-fire negotiated by foreign powers. No one has yet to take responsibility for the attack. The Revolutionary Command Council, which has been active in the area since 2013, is one of many anti-Assad groups operating near the border with Israel in a Syrian civil war marked by often-changing circumstances. The Revolutionary Command Council’s leader is Abdullah al-Bashir al-Noemi, who is also the current chief of staff of the Supreme Military Council, the central body of the Free Syrian Army. A former Syrian army general, he is from the Noeimi tribe prominent in the Quneitra area, and according to reports his son was killed fighting in the area in 2013. He was appointed to his position with the Supreme Military Council in February 2014. The Revolutionary Command Council, like the larger umbrella FSA it is in coalition with, presents itself as non-Islamist and opposed to the policies of groups like Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaida affiliate. Increased attention has been drawn to the situation on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights since a mob killed a Syrian man in Majdal Shams, on the Israeli side of the Heights, on June 22. In a meeting with reporters on June 29, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that Israel was in contact with Syrian rebels and that medical aid was being provided to them. But the condition for that aid was that the border remain quiet and that the rebels do not harm the Druse in Syria.
**Seth J. Frantzman contributed to this report.
Prevent chaos for the sake of Lebanon and Arabs
Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/March 04/16
Amid recent measures taken by Gulf countries against Lebanon, the government has been incompetent in addressing deteriorating relations between Beirut and Riyadh. Such ties were always brotherly, yet hundreds of Lebanese working in the Gulf are now worried about their fate. Lebanese people fear economic, social and political repercussions as their government’s attempts to contain the situation have failed. We must not lecture or claim to have magical solutions. If we do not contain the crisis as soon as possible, chaos in Lebanon will escalate. Some parties have warned that the excessive Gulf measures will facilitate Iranian domination of Lebanon. However, Lebanese people’s anger toward Hezbollah, the party that caused the crisis, represents a referendum against Iranian hegemony.
Reviews
There must be an urgent review of governmental and political work in Lebanon before someone commits a new folly and increases tensions with the Gulf. Nevertheless, this does not guarantee protection for Lebanon from the crisis’s repercussions. There must be an urgent review of governmental and political work in Lebanon before someone commits a new folly and increases tensions with the Gulf. Gulf countries must also review the measures they have taken, and consider what may happen if they continue to pressure a country that is on the verge of collapse. If these reviews are not carried out quickly, for the sake of Lebanese and Gulf interests, the crisis will escalate and serve the interests of those who want to exploit it against Lebanon and the Arabs.
