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Bible Quotation For Today/Do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’
Luke 10/17-20: "The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’

Bible Quotation For Today/It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.’
Acts of the Apostles 14/19-28: "But Jews came there from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. Then they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went into the city. The next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. After they had proclaimed the good news to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, then on to Iconium and Antioch. There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, ‘It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.’ And after they had appointed elders for them in each church, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe. Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had completed. When they arrived, they called the church together and related all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. And they stayed there with the disciples for some time."

LCCC Latest analysis, editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 07-08/15
Micheal Aoun is a Threat to Himself & To Others/Elias Bejjani/07/15
Say No To Aoun's Demagogue & Evil Call For Demonstration/Elias Bejjani/July 07/15
Marketing a bad nuclear agreement/Alex Fishman /Ynetnews/July 07/15
Six powers, Iran to continue nuclear talks past deadline/John Irish/Arshad Mohammed/ Reuters/July 07/15
Iranian nuclear deal set to make hardline Revolutionary Guards richer/Reuters/Ynetnews/July 07/15
A plan for a Saudi-Turkish alliance with Assad/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/July 07/15
Who has the upper hand in the Iranian nuclear talks?/Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Al Arabiya/July 07/15
Does Iran want a destabilized Jordan?/Raed Omari/Al Arabia/July 07/15
Israel merges IDF elite units to form the new Commando Brigade tailored to combat ISIS/DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis/July 07/15
The Tunisian-Libyan Jihadi Connection/Aaron Y. Zelin/Washington Institute//July 07/15

Micheal Aoun is a Threat to Himself & To Others
Elias Bejjani July 07/15
MP. Micheal Aoun is definitely mentally unbalanced and deviated from normal. Medically, he needs to be hospitalized as soon as possible, in a very secure mental institution. He apparently does not see or weigh the consequences of his very dangerous acts and accordingly he is a serious threat to himself and to others. The man as his conduct, behavior and rhetoric clearly show and indicate is completely detached from reality, lives in a world of his own, a world of fantasies dictated, determined and controlled by his presumed grandiose and persecutory delusions. He also could be experiencing visual and auditory hallucinations and responding to their dictates. By law, and in accordance with the Mental Health Act, The Lebanese General prosecutor is required to issue an arrest order and immediately put him in a mental institution against his will for psychiatric thorough assessment. Meanwhile those herds of sheep who follow this sick man blindly are mere victims of ignorance and stupidity.

Say No To Aoun's Demagogue & Evil Call For Demonstration
Elias Bejjani/July 07/15
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2015/07/07/elias-bejjani-say-no-to-aouns-demagogue-evil-call-for-demonstration/
Simply and without a shed of doubt, Micheal Aoun is serious threat to himself and to others, as well as to Lebanon and all the Lebanese people, especially the Christians.
Aoun arrogantly, evilly and falsely alleges that he is the sole and Godly guardian and protector for the Lebanese Christians' rights, existence and future.
The basic and fundamental question; Is actually Aoun Christian faith, acts, thinking and conduct wise?
Does Aoun know and practice LOVE as the Holy Bible preaches?
Is Aoun modest, humble and altruistic as required by the Christian faith?
Practically, who does Aoun worship, Almighty God or Money and the earthly riches?
Is Aoun honest, transparent, descent and a Christian actual leadership role model in his own day to day life, political advocacy, alliances, rhetoric, conduct and affiliations?
Sadly Aoun as it is very evident even to the blind, this deviated man is a hypocrite and so far and so alienated from every and each Christian value and Commandment on all levels and in all domains.
Accordingly he does not represent the Lebanese Christians aspirations, hopes, history, sacrifices and faith.
On the contrary he is in actuality every thing that is not Christian or Lebanese.
For heavens sake, How could he be the Christians' leader and representative, when he is a mere cheap opportunist, a professional demagogue, an acrobat and a fierce hungry temple merchant and Pharisee with a numbed conscience and hardened heart?
If actually and in reality Aoun is any thing that is Christian, he is a bold, merciless and vulgar anti-Christ, no more. no less.
Therefore Lebanese Christians who are patriotic, know what is love, respect themselves, value the sacrifices of their martyrs and fear Almighty God and His last Day Of Judgment are required not to respond by any means for Aoun's mercenary and evil public call for demonstration on Thursday.
We strongly urge our people to say No to Aoun's call for demonstrations, and pray that Almighty God safeguards Lebanon and its people from him and from all his likes of anti Christ clergymen and politicians.
Read thoroughly what Saint Peter tells us about false Teachers and Their Destruction (Peter 02/17-22)/: "These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud"
In conclusion, those who might respond to Aoun's call will be bluntly serving The Iranian Mullahs' and the Hezbollah's occupation and terrorism agenda of hegemony, assassinations, invasions, and oppression.

Rai opposes Aoun’s call for street protests
Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star/July 07, 2015
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai opposes anti-government street protests planned by MP Michel Aoun’s supporters for this week while the country is gripped by political tension and divisions, a senior source in Bkirki said Monday.
The patriarch fears that the Free Patriotic Movement’s street demonstrations might be exploited by some people to undermine the fragile security and stability in the country, the source said.
“In this politically tense situation, divisions, the escalating violence in the region, and the people’s fears of the future, Patriarch Rai is against the use of people in the street to achieve political objectives,” the source told The Daily Star.
“Patriarch Rai fears that although the people know how these matters [street protests] begin, no one can predict how they will end,” the source said, referring to the possibility of infiltrators joining the protests to destabilize the country.
The source confirmed reports that Rai had spoken by telephone with Aoun over the weekend to advise him against resorting to street protests after the Cabinet refused to address the issue of military and security appointments during last week’s session.
Aoun has called on his supporters to stage street demonstrations against the government for passing a decree last week allotting $21 million to help export agricultural and industrial products by sea, while ignoring the FPM’s demand to discuss the appointment of senior military and security officers.
The FPM leader said his supporters have begun preparations for street protests in Mount Lebanon and north Lebanon.
Prime Minister Tammam Salam has scheduled a Cabinet meeting for Thursday despite the conflict that erupted with the FPM’s two ministers over the passing of the decree on supporting industrial exports. All signs indicate that the Cabinet session will witness a new confrontation between the FPM’s ministers and their allies on the one hand, and Salam and the majority of ministers on the other, similar to the split that cast the Cabinet into disarray last week. FPM officials said the party’s ministers and their allies would try to prevent the passing of any decree before the issue of military and security appointments is addressed. Backed by their allies in Hezbollah, the Marada Movement and the Tashnag Party, the FPM’s ministers have insisted that they would not allow the Cabinet to discuss any topic before it approves appointments of new security chiefs, including the appointment of Aoun’s son-in-law, Brig. Gen. Shamel Roukoz, the head of the Army Commando Regiment, as Army commander.
Future MP Ahmad Fatfat lashed out at Aoun for threatening to resort to street protests, saying all political parties can also mobilize their supporters in the street. “Let no one threatens us with street [protests]. All the parties have supporters to mobilize in the street. But we are determined not to resort to the street or to arms,” Fatfat told LBCI channel. “We fight our political battles within the [state] institutions and with our alliance with the March 14 parties.” Responding to Aoun’s labeling of his political opponents as “political Daesh,” an Arabic acronym for ISIS, Fatfat said: “Gen. Aoun seems to feel that he is falling behind and he considers that if he follows the current wave of extremism in the region, like Hezbollah’s accusations of betrayal or Daesh’s takfiri remarks, he will gain [public support] in the street. But these practices have only pushed the country into a confrontation.” Aoun’s planned street demonstrations were also criticized by Future lawmaker Ammar Houri.
“Gen. Aoun’s renewed campaign amounts to a flight from reality as a result of the complications Aoun and his movement are facing because of his contradictory proposals, which oscillate between ‘it’s me or no one’ as manifested in [Aoun’s demands] for presidency as well as key ministerial and military posts,” he told the Free Lebanon radio station. Houri said that although taking to the street is a democratic right as long as it is complies with the law, that priority should be given to the country’s sectarian coexistence formula, national principles and the election of a president. Meanwhile, a delegation from the Future Movement Sunday held talks with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the Saudi city of Jeddah on the situation in Lebanon, particularly the latest Cabinet crisis over the security appointments.
The delegation included Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi, MPs Mohammad Kabbara and Fatfat and former MPs Bassem al-Sabeh, Ghattas Khoury and Mustafa Allouch. The meeting was also attended by Hariri’s chief of staff Nader Hariri, Secretary-General of the Future Movement Ahmad Hariri, and Hariri’s media adviser Hani Hammoud.

Amchit Child Released after '$50,000 Ransom' Paid
Naharnet/July 07/15/Abducted child Ricardo Jaara was released Monday after a three-day kidnap ordeal, media reports said. “Jaara was freed this afternoon after he was kidnapped two days ago near his house in Amchit,” LBCI television reported. “His father headed to (the northern border district of) Wadi Khaled, where he handed $50,000 to a man riding a motorcycle,” it added. According to MTV, Lebanese security authorities have managed to identify the kidnappers, who include "Lebanese and Syrian nationals." It said efforts are underway to locate them and arrest them. LBCI had reported Sunday that the captors lowered the ransom “from $250,000 to $100,000.”It said the family received a phone call from “a Syrian number operating on the Syrian network.”
“There are suspicions that the kidnappers are in the border area between Lebanon and Syria,” LBCI went on to say.

Salam Gears Up for Growing Cabinet Crisis
Naharnet/July 07/15/Prime Minister Tammam Salam resumed his political activity on Tuesday as he faces possible anti-government street protests organized by the Free Patriotic Movement of MP Michel Aoun. Sources close to Salam, who returned from a private visit abroad, told al-Joumhouria daily that the premier is aware of the sensitive situation. “He will not spare an effort to prevent the situation from blowing up,” they said. “He will adjourn (Thursday's) cabinet session if he had to,” the sources added. Salam's visitors, however, quoted him as saying that the PM will not hesitate in issuing the appropriate decisions in the cabinet. They told al-Liwaa newspaper that he is keen on protecting political and security stability in line with the authorities granted to him by the Constitution. FPM ministers are likely to raise the issue of security and military appointments during the session. But differences between the political parties represented in the cabinet would grow if Salam or his backers stop the FPM ministers from discussing the matter. The FPM's plan to hold street protests will likely hinge on the developments inside the cabinet. Officials from the FPM and Aoun's Change and Reform bloc have told local dailies published on Tuesday that the timing of the demonstrations will be decided in light of the outcome of the session. But it is not yet clear if their allies from Hizbullah would participate in the protests. Hizbullah Minister Mohammed Fneish told al-Mustaqbal newspaper that the party backs Aoun in his political stances. But said “Hizbullah hasn't yet taken any decision on its participation in the popular movements.”The Tashnag Party, which is also allied with the FPM, seems to be not concerned with Aoun's call for protests, Change and Reform sources told al-Mustaqbal. Marada Movement leadership sources also expressed a similar viewpoint, saying the party will not participate in any such move out of its keenness on internal stability.

Mashnouq Says No Security Problem in Peaceful Protests
Naharnet/July 07/15/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq has said that peaceful demonstrations would not cause a problem for security forces if Free Patriotic Movement supporters took to the streets. The law “protects political work and any peaceful expression should not cause a problem,” al-Mashnouq told An Nahar daily published on Tuesday. “There should be no security problem,” he said, adding that the “security situation is under control.”
His remarks came over preparations made by MP Michel Aoun's FPM to mobilize its supporters against what it calls the marginalization of Christians in Lebanon. Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan refused to disclose information on the date that the FPM has set for the protests, which Aoun has said will be held in the districts of Mount Lebanon, Baabda and Koura. “We will not announce a date. We have placed a plan and we are studying our stances and movements in accordance to the political developments,” Kanaan told al-Joumhouria daily. “The decision on the timing will be taken by the FPM leadership,” he said. But the lawmaker stressed that their move “will be civilized and democratic.”“It will not just be at the popular level,” he said, adding “it will include the society's several sectors.”

Mustaqbal Delegation Holds Talks with Hariri
Naharnet/July 07/15/Delegations from al-Mustaqbal movement tackled with leader Saad Hariri the relations of the party with other political movements mainly the Free Patriotic Movement and the latest campaign the latter waged against them, al-Joumhouria daily said on Tuesday. Discussions focused on the situation in the northern city of Tripoli in the presence of Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi, MPs Mohammed Kabbara and Ahmad Fatfat, the party's Coordinator in Tripoli Moustafa Alloush and a number of the city's officials, the daily added. They agreed on a number of political, partisan and administrative measures that will be implemented in Tripoli, it added. Reports said that another delegation led by head of he Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq and MP Samir al-Jisr are also planning to head to Jeddah in the next 24 hours.On the other hand, al-Anbaa daily said: “The meeting with the delegation did not emerge all of a sudden but was scheduled before hand and al-Mashnouq, who was subject to political campaigns by Tripoli's religious clerics against the backdrop of the latest incidents in Roumieh prison, is scheduled to attend.” Several Roumieh Prison guards were arrested after online video clips made the rounds on social media, showing several of them beating the prisoners.
Sources to al-Anbaa did not rule out the possibility that discussions will focus on the campaigns waged by the FPM's leader MP Michel Aoun against the party. They will agree on how to respond to the accusations but maintaining calm political and media rhetoric. Reports have said that the FPM has accused al-Mustaqbal of “monopolizing the authority and refusing to have relations with the Christians as partners.”

Mustaqbal Slams Aoun's 'Negative Approach' as 'Blatant Assault on Democracy'
Naharnet/July 07/15/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc condemned Tuesday what it described as “the negative rhetoric and approach that Free Patriotic Movement chief General Michel Aoun has endorsed,” stressing that “the interests of Christians” cannot be protected through “impeding the presidential vote” or street action. “The FPM's insistence on paralyzing the cycle of production unless the majority complies with the minority's demands in cabinet is a blatant assault on democracy, constitution and the law,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. “Although a democratic right, resorting to street action amid these dangerous and critical circumstances ... will inflict further damage on the country's stability, destroy people's interests and businesses, and aggravate the level of tension and extremism,” it warned. Earlier on Tuesday, Aoun called for preparing for what he described as a “fateful battle,” in an indication that the FPM's street protests have become imminent. The FPM is pushing for the government to discuss the appointment of high-ranking military and security officials and Aoun has been lobbying for the appointment of Commando Regiment commander Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz -- his son-in-law -- as army chief. Last week, the cabinet failed to tackle the issue and widened the divide among its different parties and further disputes are threatening Thursday's cabinet session. The plan to hold the protests hinges on the session's outcome, FPM officials have said.
But al-Mustaqbal bloc on Tuesday condemned Aoun's decision to resort to street action, emphasizing that “preserving the interests of Christians must be through the election of a new president in line with the Constitution, not through impeding the presidential vote” or “resorting to street pressure.”Al-Mustaqbal also slammed Aoun's recent calls for federalism, noting that the remarks “contradict all his previous statements and the declaration of intent that has been recently signed with the Lebanese Forces, which clearly stipulates adherence to the Taef Accord.”“All of this behavior is aimed at achieving personal goals and family interests, not the interests of those whom the FPM is claiming to be representing,” the bloc added.

Bassil Warns FPM Ready to Topple Political System, Cabinet
Naharnet/July 07/15/The Free Patriotic Movement is ready to topple the country's political system in an attempt to survive and could resort to the option of bringing down the cabinet, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil has said. “We are ready to abandon the system,” Bassil said, adding the FPM's rivals “are neither implementing it nor accepting us to be part of it.”“If I were given two choices, then I would choose what keeps me alive,” the FPM official told al-Akhbar newspaper in an interview published on Tuesday. “We will definitely back federalism if we were forced to choose between it and our role, existence and dignity,” said Bassil. “The bad behavior reached to a point where we as Christians feel being unwanted,” he told his interviewer. Like other FPM officials, Bassil said the anti-government protests that the movement is planning to hold will not be limited to a single sector. “For the past ten years, we are working on projects and laws that are facing obstruction in the cabinet and elsewhere,” he said. The FPM is pushing for the government to discuss the appointment of high-ranking military and security officials because FPM chief Michel Aoun wants that his son-in-law Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz be appointed army chief. Last week, the cabinet failed to tackle the issue and widened the divide among its different parties but further disputes are threatening Thursday's cabinet session.
The plan to hold the protests hinges on the session's outcome, FPM officials have said. “The issue of toppling the cabinet from inside or outside is one of the options,” Bassil, who is Aoun's other son-in-law, said in response to a question. “We have many more options.”
Asked whether their moves come in response to the FPM's call for the appointment of an army chief, Bassil said: “The issue is no longer about the military leadership and the presidency.”It is about the authorities of the president, the law on power-sharing and the implementation of administrative and financial decentralization, he said. “These issues today are much more important than the election of Aoun as president,” Bassil added. The minister told al-Akhbar that the FPM's rivals are seeking to destroy the president's remaining authorities amid the vacuum at Baabda Palace.“This is unacceptable and is a matter of life and death for us,” he said. Baabda has been vacant since President Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended in May last year. The Christians should protect the presidency and force Prime Minister Tammam Salam to respect their role in the cabinet in the absence of a president, said Bassil. “I will act as the president inside the cabinet and will not allow anyone to strip me of my authorities,” he added.

Aoun Calls for Preparing for 'Fateful Battle', Says Never 'Begged' for Political Seats
Naharnet/July 07/15/Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday called for preparing for what he described as a “fateful battle,” stressing that his objectives have always been “patriotic” and not aimed at garnering political seats. “I have asked you to prepare for a fateful battle and don't think that this is a transient issue,” said Aoun after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform bloc, addressing the Lebanese people. “We will go until the end. Yesterday they said that I'm 'the son of the political system' and that I wouldn't disrupt it. I'm the son of the state, not the system, for the state is the nation and its institutions while the system is the way institutions are being run,” Aoun explained. He lamented that “the state is being harmed because the laws are not being respected.”“I tried to enter the political system but I couldn't 'find it,'” Aoun noted. He also denied as “baseless” media reports alleging that Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi had called him to advise him against organizing street protests. Addressing the dispute on the work of the cabinet, Aoun pointed out that Article 62 of the Cpnstitution stipulates that the president's powers would be “delegated to the cabinet in the event of a presidential void.” “But today the ministers are breaching this jurisdiction and the premier has assumed two roles -- his role and the role of the president -- and this is unacceptable,” he added. “We want our firm right and we won't allow that it be encroached on. We want a law that endorses equal (Christian-Muslim) power-sharing and proper representation, because this is the only way to rectify the course of the political system,” Aoun went on to say. Turning to parliament, the FPM leader underlined that a legislature elected in 2009 “cannot remain like this.”
“Let us at least survey the people and know what they want. It would be a mistake for this majority to remain in parliament and elect the new president,” he added. As a suggestion to resolve the presidential deadlock, Aoun had recently proposed organizing a survey to determine which Christian party or parties are the most influential in the country.
“We must respect the chronological order of producing power institutions -- first parliamentary elections then a presidential vote,” he said on Tuesday. Hitting back at critics accusing him of seeking personal and family gains, Aoun said: “I tell all the 'dwarfs' who are talking now that our objectives have always been patriotic.” “We have never begged for political seats and we don't care about the presidency but rather about the country,” he added. “Michel Aoun stood alone in the face of the Syrians while others were 'crawling.' Today they are saying that I want to appoint my son-in-law as army chief, not (Commando Regiment commander) Chamel Roukoz, whose name is known by the entire country,” Aoun said. Reminiscing the 1990-2005 period, Aoun said some political parties wanted to “delay” his return from his French exile. “And they tried to isolate us in the elections through the four-party alliance,” he added. “In the period of the 2007 presidential elections, they asked me to abandon Hizbullah to be elected president and I refused and told them that national unity is more important than the presidency,” Aoun went on to say. The FPM is pushing for the government to discuss the appointment of high-ranking military and security officials and Aoun has been lobbying for the appointment of Roukoz, his son-in-law, as army chief.
Last week, the cabinet failed to tackle the issue and widened the divide among its different parties and further disputes are threatening Thursday's cabinet session. The plan to hold the protests hinges on the session's outcome, FPM officials have said. Baabda has been vacant since President Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended in May last year.

Geagea Rejects Extraordinary Legislative Session, Optimistic on Fate of Christians
Naharnet/July 07/15/Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea on Tuesday rejected attempts by Speaker Nabih Berri to hold an extraordinary parliamentary session and appeased fears on the situation of Christians in Lebanon. “LF MPs are ready to attend any parliamentary session whose agenda is topped by the electoral draft-law and the law on granting the citizenship to Lebanese expatriates,” said Geagea. The LF is among several blocs rejecting Berri's endeavors to open an extraordinary legislative session. Parliament convenes twice a year in two ordinary sessions -- the first starts mid-March until the end of May and the second from the middle of October through the end of December. Berri said last week that after the opening of the extraordinary session, he would call on parliament to meet to act on draft-laws “because the situation in the country is no longer bearable.” In the absence of a president, Berri needs the signature of several cabinet ministers on a decree to hold the session. He hasn't yet been able to garner the required signature. In remarks to a visiting delegation on Tuesday, Geagea also appeased fears on the future of Christians. “The future of Christians in Lebanon and the Orient is based on what they do. If they work hard, then they will have a safe and prosperous future,” said the LF chief.
“So let's head to work rather than waste time,” he added. Geagea's remarks came as his rivals from the Free Patriotic Movement are preparing to organize anti-government street protests. FPM officials claim that the Christians are being marginalized and it is time to act.

Doctors Referred to Prosecution over Fake Reports Used for Drivers Licenses
Naharnet/July 07/15/Health Minister Wael Abou Faour referred to the General Prosecution four doctors for issuing fake medical reports used to help people obtain drivers licenses, reported the National News Agency on Tuesday. It said that the doctors were issuing the reports without performing a medical examination of the applicants. They were identified as Joseph H., Fadi H., Hassan H., and Ahmed M. The forged documents were presented at al-Dekwaneh and Ouzai Vehicle Registration departments.

3 Syrians Wounded in Ceiling Collapse Near Jounieh
Naharnet/July 07/15/Three Syrian workers were injured in Kesrouan district on Tuesday when a ceiling at a house under construction collapsed, the state-run National News Agency reported. NNA said the incident took place in the area of Haret Sakher near Jounieh. The workers were identified as Issam Mohammed al-Abdullah, 21, Fadi Adnan Suleiman, 35, and 27-year-old Mohannad al-Abdullah.The Red Cross transported them to Notre Dame du Liban Hospital in Jounieh.

FPM ready to collapse Lebanese political system: Bassil
The Daily Star/ July 07, 2015 /BEIRUT: Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil warned Tuesday that the Free Patriotic Movement was ready to topple the current political system in Lebanon, reiterating support for federalism in an interview with Al-Akhbar. "We are ready to topple any system that doesn't accept us ... They are excluding us,” Bassil said. "They have been obstructing our draft laws for a decade ... Today they will see something different, things will take another course of action. This is not a threat, but we are compelled to defend our existence and dignity,” the minister remarked. FPM leader Michel Aoun has called on his supporters to stage street protests against the government for passing a decree last week allotting $21 million to help export agricultural and industrial products by sea, while ignoring the FPM’s demand to discuss the appointment of senior military and security officers. The FPM leader said his supporters have begun preparations for street protests in Mount Lebanon and north Lebanon. Bassil, who is Aoun’s son-in-law, said the party "wants to restructure state institutions ... Our endeavors will not be traditional.”He said the problem was no longer linked to security and military appointments but "related to the jurisdiction of the president, equality, the citizenship law, and administrative and financial decentralization." Asked about Aoun’s call for Lebanon adopting federalism, Bassil said “if they want us to choose between [the marginalization of] our role, existence and dignity or federalism ... then we will choose federalism ... when you give me two options I will choose that which keeps me alive."Aoun's recent call for federalism drew the ire of several officials, including Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch John X Yazigi and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt. Bassil accused politicians of shifting the prerogatives of the presidency and premiership to one person, saying "we cannot accept that ... It's a matter of life or death.""The prime minister (Tammam Salam) is a merely a premier and it is the ministers who should assume the tasks of the president. He must respect this formula ... I will act at the Cabinet as a president and will not allow anyone to undermine my jurisdictions."Prime Minister Tammam Salam has scheduled a Cabinet meeting for Thursday despite the conflict that erupted with the FPM’s two ministers over the passing of the decree last week. Backed by their allies in Hezbollah, the Marada Movement and the Tashnag Party, the FPM’s ministers had insisted that they would not allow the Cabinet to discuss any topic before it approved the appointment of new security chiefs – Aoun favors the appointment of his son-in-law Brig. Gen. Shamel Roukoz as Army commander. Bassil said that the FPM had "sacrificed a lot during the formation of the Cabinet to avert chaos in the country, but now the government, the Parliament and the whole country left us behind."He accused the Future Movement of taking the country to the unknown, suggesting that a foreign country was “behind the movement’s decisions.”"They want to control Lebanon amidst the current situation in the region. They insist on ... violating the Constitution and taking over the jurisdictions of the president."
Bassil urged the Future Movement to compromise with various factions in Lebanon. “It is in their best interest.”“Our movement will have no ceiling ... systems change."

Security situation ‘under control’ amid protest fears: Machnouk
The Daily Star/ July 07, 2015/BEIRUT: Lebanon's security situation is in hand, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said Tuesday, following FPM leader Michel Aoun's call for street protests after the government ignored his request to discuss key security and military appointments.“The security situation is under control,” Machnouk said, in remarks published Tuesday by local newspaper An-Nahar. Regarding the FPM's call for protests, he said that the "law protects political action," and that there was "no problem with any peaceful demonstration.” Aoun has called on his supporters to stage street demonstrations against the government for passing a decree last week allotting $21 million to help export agricultural and industrial products by sea, while ignoring the FPM’s demand to discuss the appointment of senior military and security officers. The FPM leader said his supporters have begun preparations for street protests in Mount Lebanon and the northern part of the country. Prime Minister Tammam Salam has scheduled a Cabinet meeting for Thursday despite the conflict that erupted with the FPM’s two ministers over the passing of the decree. All signs indicate that the Cabinet session will witness a new confrontation between FPM ministers and their allies on the one hand, and Salam and the majority of ministers on the other - similar to the split that cast the Cabinet into disarray last week. FPM officials had said the party’s ministers and their allies would try to prevent the passing of any decree before the issue of military and security appointments was addressed.

Salam acting as if he were president: Aoun
The Daily Star/July 07, 2015/BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam is acting as if he were president, Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun said Tuesday, in a fiery speech attacking his political rivals and calling on them to resign. “We [in the Cabinet] agreed on a particular mechanism to assume the prerogatives [of the presidency], but ministers are now being eliminated,” the FPM’s leader said after his bloc’s weekly meeting. “The prime minister is playing two roles now; the premiership and the presidency.”He added that violating this mechanism would sideline the constitution. His comments came after Cabinet passed a decree last week allotting $21 million to help export agricultural and industrial products by sea, ignoring the FPM’s demand to discuss the appointment of senior military and security officers. During the heated speech, the Maronite leader and presidential candidate also called on politicians accusing him of disrupting state institutions to “resign and go home” if they had “one drop of dignity.”
Aoun supports his son-in-law and Commando Regiment chief, Brig. Gen. Shaml Roukoz, to succeed Army commander Jean Kahwagi, who is set to retire in September. Addressing rival politicians who have accused him of disrupting the Cabinet for the sake of Roukoz’s appointment and his own election as president, he said: “To all these midgets speaking now, [I say] patriotic objectives have always been our priority.” Aoun said he had rejected an offer for the presidency presented by the U.S. ambassador in 2007 that came on the condition that he broke his party's alliance with Hezbollah. “I answered that national unity was more important than the presidency,” he said. “The presidency was never more important to us than state institutions.” The 80-year-old politician also read out a letter he had sent to the kings of Saudi Arabia and Morocco, and Algeria’s president on July 10, 2014 during the Arab summit. In the letter, he argued that politicians ruling Lebanon since the early 1990’s had failed to fully implement the Taif Accord, only choosing to follow those parts that marginalized Christians’ interests. “Those who have governed since the beginning of the 1990's have only applied part of the Taif Accord, by moving prerogatives from the president to the other branches,” he said. Following comments from his son-in-law Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil earlier Tuesday - who had announced the FPM’s readiness to “topple the system" - Aoun said Lebanon was suffering from a “crisis in the system.” He said the country had failed to adopt an electoral law that guaranteed fair representation of Christians, whose lawmakers were still chosen by non-Christian voters, adding that “most constitutional amendments” stated in the Taif Accord were not enacted. Articles concerned with administrative decentralization and development were overlooked, he said, which resulted in the failure to achieve “partnership between Lebanon’s [sectarian] components.” Controversially during his speech, Aoun’s also said majority Christian areas were the only ones who paid the “bills,” while districts of north, east and south Lebanon were “broke.”
He gave the example of the Water Company of Beirut and Mount Lebanon contributing $600 million to the construction of two water dams, while the resources from other areas’ water companies were “stolen."The FPM’s chief said the only way in which he would “accept the system again” was if an electoral law with a fair representation of Christians was adopted. “But currently, we are not okay with it.”He said after such a law was adopted, parliamentary elections would be held and a new president would finally be elected by the new parliament. “The current parliament is illegitimate and does not have the right to elect a president,” he said, adding that even he as a lawmaker was illegitimate. “After all the recent regional developments and the emergence of ISIS and Nusra ... we should at least refer to the people.”“It is unacceptable that this majority elects a president. We should respect the political changes with time.”

Lebanese set sights on Cuba investment opportunities
Elias Sakr/The Daily Star/ July 07, 2015
BEIRUT: A recent agreement between the United States and Cuba to restore diplomatic ties by the end of July has further bolstered interest among U.S. investors who started scrutinizing business opportunities in Havana as soon as the country was crossed off the U.S. terrorism list almost a month ago. But U.S. investors are not alone in looking to benefit from the improvement in ties between the two countries. Investors worldwide are anticipating a boom in the tourism and real estate sectors in Cuba once the 53-year old trade embargo imposed on the country by the U.S. is lifted. Although U.S. President Barack Obama has relaxed the embargo in terms of restrictions on imports and telecommunications, Americans are still banned from traveling to Cuba. Sanctions that remain in place also limit banking transactions, making it enormously hard for Cubans to access overseas financial markets and do business with the international community. Almost a year ago, the flow of foreign investments into Cuba rose after the government passed a more relaxed foreign investment law in 2014, easing restrictions on foreign investments and providing tax incentives to attract overseas funds. Among the newcomers were a number of Lebanese businessmen who are now looking to capitalize on the warming relations between the U.S. and Cuba, says Ali Kazma, president of the newly formed Lebanese Cuban Business Council. The LCBC, an organization affiliated with the Beirut Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, was established in May with the aim of promoting Lebanese investment in Cuba. The council, which brings together 20 businessmen, kicked off its activities with a visit to Havana in early June. During their visit to Cuba, Lebanese business leaders met with their Cuban counterparts and government officials to review investment and business opportunities in the Caribbean country. “The visit culminated in the signing of several agreements between the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce and its Cuban counterpart,” Kazma says. Discussions between Cuban officials and the Lebanese delegation, which included a representative from the Economy Ministry, also touched on the amendment of a trade agreement signed between the two countries in 1998. While several members of the LCBC are already invested in Cuba, Kazma says the council is particularly looking to capitalize on Havana’s overture to foreign investments against the backdrop of improving Cuban-U.S. ties.
Investment opportunities cover a variety of sectors, including tourism, hospitality and infrastructure development. Kazma says some 254 business opportunities across Cuba have been outlined in a booklet prepared by the LCBC based on information provided by the Cuban government. To further shed light on these business opportunities, the council is preparing for the Lebanese-Cuban Economic Forum that will take place in Beirut on Sept. 29. Belal Malas, vice president of the LCBC, says the council is working to actively engage businesses through sustained outreach, regular meetings, active communication platforms and networking forums. “At present, we are working on strengthening relations with potential investors and working to attract new investors,” Malas adds. The Lebanese-Cuban Economic forum will provide an opportunity to introduce businessmen to investment laws in Cuba, Kazma says. “The Cuban government is wisely opening up its economic system to foreign investments as new laws and regulations have been passed to create a more favorable business environment,” LCBC treasurer Marwan Dimas says. Cuba’s new foreign investment law allows 100 percent foreign ownership, eliminates labor tax and cuts the tax on profits from 30 percent to 15 percent for most industries. In addition to foreign ownership, foreign investments in Cuba can take the form of joint ventures with the Cuban state or associations between foreign and Cuban companies. Investors in joint ventures get an eight-year exemption from all taxes on profits. Of the many interesting ventures that the Cuban government has embarked on is the creation of the first Special Development Zone in Cuba, known as ZED Mariel. Dimas explains that ZED Mariel, which retains its own favorable tax laws, has succeeded – thanks to its business-friendly environment – in attracting numerous investments since its establishment in 2013. Every year, the government establishes a portfolio of foreign investment opportunities across Cuba. The latest portfolio issued by the state covers 11 sectors open to foreign investment and comprises a total of 246 business opportunities including 25 projects in the special economic zone of Mariel. Lebanese businessmen are hoping to secure some of those deals by the end of 2015, says Kazma, who is currently in talks with Cuban officials to launch a boutique hotel and Lebanese restaurants in Havana. “Hopefully, the deal over the hotel will be secured by the end of the year,” he adds.

VAT tourist refunds rise by 7 percent
The Daily Star/July 07, 2015 /BEIRUT: Lebanon’s VAT reimbursments to tourists rose by 7 percent in the first half of the year, newly published data showed Monday, in what could be a sign that the country’s tourism sector is rebounding. According to Global Blue Lebanon, the firm that reimburses VAT to tourists at Lebanese border points, the consumer tax claims in the first six months of this year jumped by 7 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. A breakdown of spending by country of residence showed that the highest share of spending (16 percent) was by residents of Saudi Arabia, followed by residents of the UAE (14 percent) and Kuwait (6 percent). “The breakdown of spending evolution by country of residence shows that most countries reported increases in the level of spending reported by their residents,” the report said. It added that Jordanian residents reported the highest increase of 35 percent, followed by residents of the United States, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with respective increases of 22 percent, 21 percent and 17 percent.
Only spending by residents of Syria, Nigeria, and Kuwait have declined, by 24 percent, 5 percent, and 4 percent, respectively. The breakdown of spending by Lebanese areas showed that 83 percent of purchases took place in Beirut, while 11 percent were in Metn. The remaining 5 percent was distributed among Kesrouan (1 percent), Baabda (3 percent) and other areas (1 percent).

Hezbollah, regime ‘nibble’ at Zabadani rebels
The Daily Star/ July 07, 2015
BEIRUT: Hezbollah and the Syrian army closed in on Syrian rebel factions Monday in central Zabadani by advancing cautiously to control of the last rebel-held town in the Qalamoun region bordering Lebanon.Speaking to The Daily Star, a security source said that fighters from the party and the Syrian army were “gradually nibbling away” at rebel positions inside the town, saying they were all within fire-range of the advancing forces. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said that Hezbollah and the Syrian army took over a number of residential areas in the Sultani neighborhood in the southern part of the town and have reached Jameh al-Huda district.
“Gunmen are trapped in central Zabadani,” the source said.
Hezbollah fighters backed by Syrian troops locked in on militants from all sides. “They are under fire,” the source added. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that two Hezbollah fighters were killed in Sunday’s clashes, raising the death toll among Hezbollah militants to four. At least three Syrian army soldiers have also been killed in the battle, the source said. “Fighters will gradually crush them [rebels],” the source said, adding that Hezbollah was keen to avoid more casualties in the battle.
The source said that the militants tried to counterattack several times but failed to break through and sustained huge losses.
Another security source said the Al-Jamaiyat neighborhood in western Zabadani witnessed heavy clashes overnight Monday as the Syrian army hit rebel posts with four barrel bombs. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said that the allies later took full control of the neighborhood.
Al-Manar said that Hezbollah and the Syrian army clashed with the Syrian militants on the eastern, western and southern axes of Zabadani, adding that they advanced toward the city from its western edge. It said that several gunmen from Ahrar al-Sham militia were killed and wounded when Hezbollah targeted one of their fortifications with a guided missile in Zabadani’s Hay al-Gharbi neighborhood.
A pro-Syrian opposition social media website said rebels drove back Syrian troops and Hezbollah gunmen from the Shawader building and the Samir Ghanem checkpoint in the town. They also said that rebels confronted the advancing forces at the Shallah axis, claiming they killed several fighters.
Hezbollah and the Syrian army’s offensive in Zabadani is largely considered an attempt by the two allies to bolster their control of land routes between Lebanon and Syria and cut rebel supply lines.
Zabadani also bears strategic significance for Hezbollah since it once served as a logistical hub for supplying the party with Iranian weapons. It also served as a base for Hezbollah fighters and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
Battles Sunday, which broke through four axes in Zabadani, inflicted heavy casualties on the militants.
The capture of the town added to Hezbollah’s recent field victories, which saw the party take large swaths of the Qalamoun hills since its offensive, backed by the Syrian army, began in the region last May.
The decision to launch the offensive in Zabadani came after negotiations with rebels failed to secure the militants’ withdrawal from the area, which is located 50 kilometers northwest of Damascus and 12 kilometers northeast of Lebanon’s Masnaa border crossing.

Protesters briefly block highway over electricity cuts
The Daily Star/July 07, 2015/BEIRUT: A dozen protesters held a brief and unannounced protest against electricity cuts in Beirut Tuesday, blocking a major highway linking the city to the southern suburbs. According to The Daily Star's photographer, the protesters set fire to piles of garbage on the highway leading to the roundabout near the Kuwaiti Embassy. Lebanese Army troops immediately rushed to the scene and reopened the road, he said. Lebanon has suffered from severe electricity cuts since the end of its 15-year-long Civil War.
The state-run Electricity Du Liban has maintained an average yearly deficit around $2 billion, amounting to 40 percent of Lebanon's public debt.

Dozens of families flee regime strikes on Syria's Palmyra
Agence France Presse/July 07, 2015/BEIRUT: Dozens of families fled ISIS-controlled Syrian town of Palmyra Tuesday after unprecedented heavy government airstrikes which killed at least five people, activists said. "In the last 48 hours, more than 90 raids have been launched against the residential part of the town," Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. "The strikes are the most intense since Palmyra was taken by ISIS on May 21," he said, adding that at least five civilians were killed. "Dozens of families have fled the town and headed to Raqqa, Deir al-Zor and other areas under ISIS control in the Syrian desert," he added. A Syrian activist originally from Palmyra confirmed "an intensification in the airstrikes on residential areas, with more than 60 raids in 24 hours." "It's difficult for civilians to leave town though, because Palmyra is in the middle of the desert," added the activist, who uses the pseudonym Mohammad Hassan al-Homsi. Raqqa, in northern Syria and ISIS' de facto capital in the country, "is the closest [non-regime-held] city and it takes four hours by car," he said. "When there are raids, people flee into the desert, even though they are fasting for (the Muslim holy month of) Ramadan and the heat is overwhelming." ISIS forces captured Palmyra from the regime after an advance into central Homs province from their strongholds in neighboring Raqqa and Deir al-Zor provinces.The group's capture of the town raised international concerns about whether the jihadis would damage Palmyra's famed ruins. Thus far, its fighters have not harmed the monuments, and Abdel Rahman said they were also not affected by the regime bombing.

US: Iran nuclear talks extended to Friday
News Agencies/Ynetnews
Latest Update:07.07.15/Israel News /Officials confirms additional extension of talks with Iran in Vienna, says 'substantial progress' has been made; source says deal must occur within 48 hours; US rules out removal of restrictions on missiles and conventional arms.
Iran and major powers will continue negotiations on an historic nuclear deal to Friday, July 10, past a deadline for a long-term agreement, which is set to expire later on Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Marie Harf confirmed. Harf also said that talks had made "substantial progress. We're frankly more concerned about the quality of the deal than we are about the clock, though we also know that difficult decisions won't get any easier with time - that is why we are continuing to negotiate."
But a source close to the talks said Tuesday that contrary to statements made by Iranian officials, the negotiations were not open-ended or without a deadline. "We've come to the end," the source added. "We have just made one, final extension. It is hard to see how or why we would go beyond this. Either it happens in the next 48 hours, or not."
Harf's comments came just minutes after EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini announced, "We are continuing to negotiate for the next couple of days." British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he would return to Vienna on Wednesday night and that the major powers were expected to reconvene on Thursday. "We will be back here tomorrow night and we are looking forward to making some solid progress on Thursday when we reconvene," Hammond told reporters. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said there were still three main sticking points in the talks, including Tehran's demands to continue research on advanced atomic centrifuges and sanctions. "As far as France is concerned, we are insisting especially on necessary limitations on nuclear research and development, sanctions and their re-establishment, and the possible military dimensions" of past Iranian nuclear work, said Laurent. He said he would travel to Paris on Tuesday night and return to the negotiations on Wednesday evening.
As for the details of the deal, a senior US official said Iran will continue to face restrictions on its missile program as well as its trade in conventional arms. The announcement followed Iranian demands that any deal should include an end to a UN arms embargo. The deal under discussion between Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States is aimed at curbing Tehran's most sensitive nuclear work for a decade or more, in exchange for relief from sanctions that have slashed Iran's oil exports and crippled its economy.
"We might see some ministers leaving in the next hours and then (be) ready to come back," Mogherini said. "We are interpreting in a flexible way our deadline, which means that we are taking the time, the days we still need, to finalize the agreement," she said, adding that there remained several difficult issues to resolve. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a weapons embargo on Iran was the main obstacle still to be overcome at the talks with Tehran.
"I can tell you that there is only one big problem in terms of sanctions - it is the problem of a weapons embargo," Lavrov said. The negotiators missed a June 30 deadline for a final agreement and then gave themselves until Tuesday

Posters threatening gays with death appear in Turkish capital
Agence France Presse/Jul. 07, 2015
ANKARA: A Turkish Islamist group has pinned posters to walls and posts in the capital Ankara threatening gays with death, adding to concerns over growing intolerance against homosexuals in the country, an AFP correspondent said Tuesday. The appearance of the posters in Ankara comes just over a week after Turkish police prevented Istanbul's annual gay pride march - a successful tradition in the last years - from going ahead and used water cannon against activists who showed defiance. "Should those who practice the foul labor and adhere to the practice of the people of Lot be killed?" said the posters that appeared in the Turkish capital overnight. The prophet Lot, who features in the Old Testament and the Koran, is decried by many Muslims for failing to halt the decline of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which was blamed on the sexual preferences of their inhabitants. A hitherto low-key Islamist group called the Young Islamic Defense claimed responsibility for the poster campaign through a Twitter account @islamimudafaa, saying it was trying to "respond to the immoral actions" of lesbians, gays and bisexuals. The poster showed an image of a past gay pride march in Istanbul and the group said it was seeking to respond to such events. The group said that the phrase used was a hudud - an Islamic concept - from the Koran.
Anti-riot police in Istanbul used teargas and fired rubber pellets to disperse thousands of participants in the city's Gay Pride march on June 28, with the authorities saying the event had not received the proper authorization.
Activists said that the authorities had tried to justify the ban by saying such an event could not take place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey and unlike in many Muslim countries visible communities exist in the bigger cities, including Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.But many gays still keep their sexuality a secret for fear of a backlash from family or the general public, and remain at risk of unprovoked attacks.

Obama: Assad must go for war to end
Agencies/ July 07, 2015
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama Monday said the only way to defeat ISIS and end Syria’s civil war is through a government without Syrian President Bashar Assad, as he pledged to increase U.S. support for the moderate opposition in the war.
“In Syria, the only way that the civil war will end ... is an inclusive political transition to a new government without Bashar Assad, a government that serves all Syrians,” Obama told reporters. Obama was addressing the media after a briefing at the Pentagon with top military brass and members of his national security team on efforts to dismantle the extremist group. The high-level talks came after coalition airstrikes that hit ISIS’ de facto capital Raqqa in Syria over the weekend. “We’re intensifying our efforts against ISIS’ base in Syria. Our airstrikes will continue to target the oil and gas facilities that fund so much of their operations,” Obama told reporters. “We’re going after the ISIS leadership and infrastructure in Syria, the heart of ISIS that pumps funds and propaganda to people around the world.”
But Obama cautioned the fight would likely face “setbacks.”
“This will not be quick. This is a long-term campaign,” he said, calling ISIS fighters “opportunistic” and “nimble.”
“In many places in Syria and Iraq, it’s dug in among an innocent civilian population. It will take time to root them out. As with any military effort, there will be periods of progress, but there are also going to be some setbacks.”He said more than 5,000 airstrikes had been carried out against the group, eliminating “thousands of fighters, including senior ISIS commanders.”Obama also said the United States would continue to crack down on ISIS illicit finance operations around the world.There are no current plans to send additional U.S. troops overseas, he said, repeating that the fight against the militant group would not be quick.Obama emphasized, as he has before, that with a strong partner on the ground in Iraq, the United States and its partners would be successful in defeating the militant group. He said training of such forces had been ramped up after a period that was too slow and that the fall of Ramadi had galvanized the Iraqi government.
“More Sunni volunteers are coming forward,” he said. “Some are already being trained and they can be a new force against ISIS. We continue to accelerate the delivery of critical equipment, including anti-tank weapons, to Iraqi security forces. And I have made it clear to my team that we will do more to train and equip the moderate opposition in Syria.” Obama did not give details on what more the United States would do in that regard. He noted the threat of smaller attacks within the United States and said more needed to be done to prevent ISIS from recruiting followers within the U.S. homeland. “Our efforts to counter violent extremism must not target any one community because of their faith or background, including patriotic Muslim Americans who are our partners in keeping our country safe,” he said. “We also have to acknowledge that ISIS has been particularly effective at reaching out to and recruiting vulnerable people around the world, including here in the United States. And they are targeting Muslim communities around the world.”

Syrian Kurds retake northern villages from ISIS: activists
Reuters/July 07, 2015
BEIRUT: Syrian Kurdish fighters have recaptured more than 10 villages seized by ISIS north of its de facto capital of Raqqa city, aided by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Tuesday. Intensified airstrikes across northern Syria and clashes on the ground have killed at least 78 ISIS fighters since Sunday night, the Britain-based Observatory said. The strikes are some of the most sustained since they began in September, according to U.S. officials who say they are aimed at curbing the militants' ability to operate out of Raqqa and to prevent it from fighting back against Kurdish advances. But, on Tuesday, the ultra-hardline group was still in control of Ain Issa, the Observatory said. The town, 50 km (30 miles) north of Raqqa city, was seized by ISIS fighters from the Kurdish YPG militia in an attack Monday. That attack on YPG-held areas followed an intensification of airstrikes on Raqqa city over the weekend, which U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday were aimed at disrupting the militants' ability to respond to YPG advances north of Raqqa. The YPG, a militia operating mostly in predominantly Kurdish areas of northern Syria towards the Turkish border, has emerged as the only significant partner in Syria for U.S.-led alliance fighting to tackle ISIS both there and in Iraq. The Observatory, a British-based organization reporting on Syria's four-year-old civil war, said the coalition had played an "effective role" in helping YPG forces recover 11 villages northeast of Ain Issa. The YPG, backed by small Syrian rebel groups, has made significant gains against ISIS in Raqqa province in recent weeks, seizing Tal Abyad at the Turkish border on June 15 before advancing south to Ain Issa.
The YPG captured Ain Issa on June 23.
While the YPG has shown itself to be a potent force in the fight against ISIS, its effectiveness is seen to diminish beyond the predominantly Kurdish areas it was set up to defend in northern and northeastern Syria.The United States aims to train and equip Syrian rebel fighters it deems politically moderate in order to fight ISIS in Syria. But the Pentagon said on June 18 the effort was moving more slowly than expected. U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday the United States would do more to train and equip "the moderate opposition."

Israel says ISIS' Sinai assault aimed to help Hamas get arms
Dan Williams/Reuters/ July. 07, 2015/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel accused Hamas Tuesday of supporting last week's assaults by ISIS affiliates on Egyptian forces in the Sinai in hope of freeing up arms smuggling to the Gaza Strip. The remarks followed Israeli allegations that Hamas members provided training and medical treatment for the Sinai insurgents - charges dismissed by the Palestinian Islamist group as a bid to further fray its troubled ties with Cairo. Egypt said more than 100 insurgents and 17 of its soldiers were killed in Wednesday's simultaneous assaults, carried out against military checkpoints around the North Sinai towns of Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah. ISIS' Egypt affiliate, Sinai Province, took credit for the attacks. Rafah straddles the border between Egypt and Gaza and had long seen smuggling to the Hamas-controlled enclave. But Cairo has been cracking down on such activity and deems Hamas a threat to Egyptian interests. An Israeli intelligence colonel responsible for monitoring the borders with Egypt and Gaza said Tuesday that Hamas, short of weaponry after its war against Israel last year, supported the Sinai assaults with the "objective of opening up a conduit" for renewed smuggling. "Why was it is so very important for them [Hamas] to develop the connection with Sinai Province? Because they need the raw materials that would enable the military build-up in Gaza," the colonel said in remarks aired by Israel Radio. "To carry out high-quality smuggling required a special operation," added the colonel, whose name was not published. Hamas said Israel was conducting "a systematic incitement campaign." "The Egyptian side understands that Hamas had no connection to what happened in Sinai and also realizes the efforts Hamas is making to to keep Gaza away from what happens there," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the Palestinian movement. Egyptian officials were not immediately available to respond to the Israeli colonel's allegations. On Friday, Egyptian military sources said there was evidence that individuals from Hamas had participated in the Sinai battles but not of any wider organizational links.
Though they share hostility to Israel, Hamas and Islamic State have been at odds within Gaza. The insurgents threatened last week to extend their self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq to Gaza by toppling Hamas, which they described as insufficiently stringent about religious rule.That strife ends at the Sinai border, Israel argues. "Hamas is fighting ISIS in the Strip, but on the other side there is cooperation between Hamas elements from Gaza and ISIS in Sinai," Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said in a statement Tuesday.

Marketing a bad nuclear agreement
Alex Fishman /Ynetnews
Published: 07.07.15/Israel Opinion
Op-ed: We are about to receive an Iranian product, which changes the balance of power in the region, with bright and aggressive American marketing. Had this US administration ran the Cuba crisis in 1962, the world would be controlled by the Russians today.
Washington has already prepared the festive "achievements speech" of the agreement with Iran, which leans on two legs wallowing in a tremulous swamp. One leg determines that Iran will be one year away from making a breakthrough towards enriched material for the creation of its first nuclear bomb. The second leg has to do with a tight supervision regime which will last about 10 years. All the rest – how will the supervision be carried out in the future, what will Iran expose about its dark past in the nuclear area, when will the sanctions be removed and under what conditions will they be restored – is a swampy mixture of legal terms which will swallow the White House's alleged achievements over time.
The Iranians, on their part, are continuing to abuse the Americans up to the very last moment. In the beginning of the week, they suddenly raised a new demand which had not been part of the negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif brought a nuisance into the room in the form of a demand to lift all the restrictions on the production of ballistic missiles, in violation of all the understandings related to the missile technology control regime (MTCR). Until Monday, the permanent Security Council members and Germany's representatives were still trying to understand whether this is a real nuisance or one aimed at getting the West to give in a bit more. The Iranians are still applying pressure and will do it even five minutes after the end of the game and stoppage time – simply because they can.
US Secretary of State Kerry in Vienna. The administration is afraid that the humiliation of the framework agreement in Lausanne will repeat itself
On July 9, the American Congress goes on recess. Until July 8, the administration must present the detailed agreement to the Congress, with all its appendices. According to legislation, the Congress must review the document and ratify it within 30 days. If the document is submitted after July 9, the whole thing will be postponed by at least two months. Obama administration officials have estimated, rightfully, that two months is too long and will allow the agreement's opponents in the House of Representatives to try to undermine it. On the other hand, if the agreement is presented now, the administration has a majority in the Congress which will approve it. That's why Israeli officials also believe the agreement will be signed as early as this week. In this war, at the end of a holding-defense battle which lasted about 15 years, Israel lost. The defense establishment is already dealing with the day after: What will the compensation basket Israel will demand from the US look like, what will be the Israeli strategy in the new era and what will be the size of the budget against the Iranian threat. It's very likely that Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, who is in Italy this week, won't spare his European hosts his opinion on the agreement.
Over the weekend, the Americans and Europeans overcame a key obstacle, establishing a "Security Council-bypassing" mechanism. The Iranians wanted to move the discussions in case of violations of the agreement to the Security Council, where they have the automatic veto of China and Russia which will prevent the sanctions from being restored. But the West succeeded in passing a decision to establish a committee made up of seven members, in which the Americans have a majority of four. This committee will be able to determine whether a violation has taken place and whether the sanctions should be restored. The Iranians, however, also have the option of submitting an infinite number of complaints against the West for failing to meet the agreement's clauses, thereby flooding the committee and paralyzing it. The Americans relied on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is supposed to check what happened in Iran in the nuclear-military area in the past and is supposed to tightly supervise the implementation of the Iranian commitments in the future. But until now, the Iranians haven't allowed a single supervisor to enter a military facility and rummage through its past. As for the future, the Iranians are still insisting that every "spontaneous" visit to a military facility will be coordinated with them.Once the agreement is signed, the Iranians will receive up to $150 billion which have been frozen in Western banks. They are now demanding an immediate cancellation of all the Security Council sanctions and a removal of the sanctions imposed by the US Congress within half a year. The Americans are saying: You'll get money, but the Security Council and Congress sanctions will only be lifted after the IAEA submits, within half a year, a report about your military nuclear project in the past.
And what about the supervision in the future? In this case too, the Americans are racking their brains till the very last minutes, looking for a reliable, inoffensive formula which can be sold to the Congress. In fact, all the decisions made by the Americans in the past few days have been marketing decisions, with a wink towards the Congress. Had this administration ran the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the world would be controlled by the Russians today. The administration is afraid that the humiliation of the framework agreement in Lausanne in March will repeat itself now. At the time, US Secretary of State John Kerry presented the principles of the agreement, and the Iranians claimed: This is not what we agreed on. This time, therefore, everything must be signed, sealed and packed in cellophane, so that it can be sold both in Tehran and in Washington. The science of marketing, as we know, was invented by the Americans. And so we will receive an Iranian product, which changes the balance of power in the region, with bright and aggressive American marketing.

Six powers, Iran to continue nuclear talks past deadline
John Irish/Arshad Mohammed/ Reuters/Daily Star/July 07, 2015 |
VIENNA: Iran and six major powers will keep negotiating past Tuesday's deadline for a long-term nuclear agreement as they tackle the most contentious issues, including the continuation of a U.N. arms embargo on Iran, the big powers said. "We are continuing to negotiate for the next couple of days," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said outside the hotel where the talks between Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States are taking place. , Marie Harf, said the terms of an interim deal between Iran and the six would be extended through Friday to give negotiators a few more days to finish their work. "We're frankly more concerned about the quality of the deal than we are about the clock, though we also know that difficult decisions won't get any easier with time," Harf said. "That is why we are continuing to negotiate."The United States and its allies fear Iran is using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop a nuclear weapons capability. Iran says its program is peaceful.
An agreement would be the most important milestone in decades towards easing hostility between the United States and Iran, enemies since Iranian revolutionaries captured 52 hostages in the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979. A deal would be an important achievement for U.S. President Barack Obama and Iran's pragmatist president Hassan Rouhani, but both leaders face skepticism from powerful hardliners at home. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was "every reason" to believe a deal would be done within "a few days", and that there was an "understanding" that most of the current sanctions against Iran would be lifted. "There is only one big problem in terms of sanctions - it is the problem of a weapons embargo," he told journalists according to Russian news agency Interfax.
He said it was important to reach agreement on this as soon as possible, saying that "ending the bans on supplies to Iran of the weapons required to fight terrorism is a very, very relevant objective". It is the fourth time the parties have extended the terms of the interim deal, which was struck in November 2013 and provided Iran with limited sanctions relief in exchange for a halt to the production of uranium enriched to a purity level of 20 percent. The comprehensive deal under discussion is aimed at curbing Tehran's most sensitive nuclear work for a decade or more, in exchange for relief from economic sanctions that have slashed Iran's oil exports and crippled its economy. The negotiators had initially given themselves an extra week when they missed a June 30 deadline for a final agreement, but a push in recent days was not enough to hammer out the deal. The latest extension to Friday leaves open the possibility that an agreement will not arrive in time for a Thursday deadline set by the U.S. Congress in order to provide an expedited, 30-day review.
If a deal is sent to Congress between July 10 and Sept. 7, Congress will have 60 days to review it, taking into account lawmakers' August vacation. Obama administration officials fear that could provide more time for any deal to unravel. "We are interpreting in a flexible way our deadline, which means that we are taking the time, the days we still need, to finalize the agreement," Mogherini said, adding that there remained several difficult issues to resolve. Among these, officials said, are Iranian demands for a U.N. arms embargo and ballistic missiles sanctions to be lifted, the timing of U.S. and EU sanctions relief, and disagreements over future Iranian nuclear research and development. A senior U.S. official said U.N. restrictions would remain both on Iran's trade in arms as well as its access to missile technology but left open the possibility that these might be less onerous than they are at present. U.N. restrictions on the development of Iran's missile program date to 2006. They call for Iran to abandon its ballistic missile program and aim to prevent it from developing "nuclear weapon delivery systems," which diplomats say covers any missile capable of delivering an atomic warhead. "There will be an ongoing restriction on arms just like there will be ongoing restrictions regarding missiles," the senior U.S. official told reporters. Asked if these would be as tight as those now in effect, the official declined comment. While U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif planned to remain in the Austrian capital to continue negotiating, the majority of the other foreign ministers planned to leave, some for only 24 hours. U.S. officials are loathe to ease the conventional arms embargo against Iran, fearing it would allow Tehran to provide greater military assistance to militants in Yemen, Syria or elsewhere in the Middle East.

Iranian nuclear deal set to make hardline Revolutionary Guards richer
Reuters/Ynetnews/Published: 7.06.15/ Israel News
As Western sanctions began to bite, Iranian government rewarded IRGC (The Revolutionary Guards Corps) with huge contracts in oil business; the IRGC also enjoys other competitive advantages which will be even more useful as sanctions recede.
VIENNA - Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have done very well out of international sanctions - and if a nuclear deal is done in Vienna this week under which those sanctions are lifted, they are likely to do better still.
The Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), created by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, is more than just a military force. It is also an industrial empire with political clout that has grown exponentially in the last decade, benefiting from the favor of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, himself a former guardsman and, most recently, from the opportunities created by Western sanctions.
A Western diplomat who follows Iran closely told Reuters that the IRGC's recent annual turnover from all of its business activities was estimated to be around $10-12 billion.
Iranian officials refuse to reveal the IRGC's market share, but $12 billion would be around a sixth of Iran's declared GDP, at current exchange rates.
"They control major companies, and businesses in Iran such as tourism, transportation, energy, construction, telecommunication and Internet," said an Iranian official in Tehran who asked not to be named.
"Lifting sanctions will boost the economy; it will help them to gain more money." It was the IRGC, unquestioningly loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that suppressed student protests in 1999 and also silenced the pro-reform protests that followed Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009. That year, a company affiliated to the IRGC bought the state-run telecoms company for about $8 billion.
Soon afterward, the United States and European Union slapped new sanctions on Iran's oil and finance sectors, in a bid to force Iran to curtail a program that it said was peaceful but they argued could be used to develop nuclear weapons.
As these sanctions began to bite, it was the IRGC that was asked to take up the business of the European oil firms that had been forced to pull back.
"The government rewarded them with huge no-bid contracts. Their front firms were named the winners of most of the bids," said the head of an oil consulting company, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Competitive advantages
The IRGC's construction arm, Khatam Al-Anbia, thought by many to be Iran's largest company, is developing parts of the giant South Pars gas field, and has a $1.2 billion contract to build a line of the Tehran metro and a $1.3 billion contract to build a pipeline to Pakistan.
But the IRGC also enjoys other significant competitive advantages, which will be even more useful as sanctions recede. "Lower insurance, shipping, and commission costs with the banks will also enable the Guards to freely import spare parts, equipment, and technology from international companies," the Western diplomat said.
An Iranian trader based in a Gulf country who does business with some IRGC-affiliated firms said the Guards' control over terminals in Iranian airports and ports helped them to move commodities in and out without paying duty.
Much of the IRGC's business is done through front companies, many of them not even formally owned by the Corps, but by individuals and firms linked to it.
"For a few years now, the IRGC has been buying small and medium-sized companies in Iran and using them as front companies," the trader said.
To do business in Iran, foreign companies need an Iranian partner, which for large-scale projects often means firms controlled by the IRGC.
Analyst Hamid Farahvashian said many of these front firms were not known at all, "and will be used for the time when sanctions are lifted to work with foreign companies".
And that might, for instance, allow the Western oil firms that Iran wants to lure back to do business at arm's length with Khatam al-Anbia, which is designated by Washington as a "proliferator of weapons of mass destruction", and has at least 812 affiliated companies.
"Companies should be careful when signing contracts because they'll never know who's really behind those companies," the Western diplomat said.
Unlike some parts of Iran's hardline establishment, IRGC commanders have publicly backed the principle of a nuclear deal, which would anyway be impossible without Khamenei's support.
Good reasons
"The establishment backs the deal. Khamenei has supported the negotiations. Therefore, the IRGC, which is loyal to the leader, could not reject it," said analyst Saeed Leylaz.
But the IRGC has good reasons of its own to welcome the deal, beyond the mere prospect of economic growth and contracts with the foreign firms now queuing up to invest in Iran. For all its skill in circumventing trade sanctions, for instance by trading through third countries, some of the restrictions have begun to prove insurmountable.
"The IRGC-affiliated companies lacked the technology and knowledge and ability to carry out projects," said a former Iranian official, who asked not to be named.
"Basically, sanctions were gradually making it impossible for even the IRGC to make money. That is why they support lifting sanctions - then they will earn money through their subcontractors when the economy flourishes."
This does not mean there is no nervousness within the IRGC at the prospect of the economy opening up.
Iran's pragmatic president, Hassan Rouhani, has made much of the economic revival that an end to sanctions promises, and has been seeking to stimulate the growth of a genuine private sector, currently utterly overshadowed by state-controlled firms. Some pro-reform politicians have accused IRGC-affiliated companies of mismanagement and criticized them for delays.
"The IRGC is not a monolith. Some feel threatened by a deal that could open up the Iranian economy and force them to compete with major international companies," said Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.
For now, however, there is little or no sign that the political backing that the IRGC enjoys will fade, as Iran's leaders publicly praise its role in managing Iran's oil industry.
Ahmadinejad has gone, but other former guardsmen hold significant positions, including the secretary of the Supreme Council of National Security, Ali Shamkhani, and parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani.
"Boosting the economy will increase the IRGC's influence over politics and the economy because it will strengthen the hardline establishment," said one Iranian oil executive.

A plan for a Saudi-Turkish alliance with Assad
Tuesday, 7 July 2015
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya
In response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal last week for a regional coalition to combat terrorism, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said: “I know Russia is a country that works miracles, but for us to ally with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and the United States… is something that requires a huge miracle.” Putin is right that only such a coalition can deter the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), but including the Syrian regime as it is today will thwart the plan. Russia should push toward a Syrian regime without President Bashar al-Assad and according to the Geneva I communique, then establish an alliance that includes this new regime, Gulf countries, Turkey and Jordan in order to fight ISIS. Such an alliance could provide stability in Syria, as well as regional and global safety.
An alliance between Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Assad would be tantamount to recognizing Tehran’s domination over Syria. The problem with Putin’s proposal is that it underestimates the disagreement with Assad. Putin views the war in Syria as a mere misunderstanding among neighbors who can reconcile and cooperate for the sake of fighting ISIS. He specified potential alliance members as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan. The problem does not lie in the idea, but in the list of countries.
The issue is not a misunderstanding. We know each other well, and we tolerated the Syrian regime even when it killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and another 20 Lebanese leaders in the last decade. However, when it killed more than 250,000 Syrians and displaced 9 million in the past four years, the relation shattered and is irreparable. Reconciliation would increase regional unrest and would not deter ISIS.
Iranian influence
The regional map is changing, and Washington is submitting to the new reality imposed by Iran via its nuclear program and expanding influence in Iraq and Syria. This expansion threatens the existence of Gulf countries, Turkey and Jordan. The Iranians currently manage the regimes of two big countries, Iraq and Syria, and an alliance between Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Assad would be tantamount to recognizing Tehran’s domination over Syria. It is dangerous for the Gulf states and Turkey to ignore Iranian expansion. Tehran is a greater threat to us than the ISIS - this must always be taken into consideration. A coalition of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan is good in the sense of allying moderate Sunnis against extremist Sunnis, but including Assad ruins the political religious formula. American officials do not understand the region’s complicated history. Putin is asking Sunnis to fight Sunnis, but the Americans are pleading for Iranian help – in other words, extremist Shiites fighting extremist Sunnis. This is a terrible mistake because it will empower ISIS as Sunnis worldwide, who form Islam’s sweeping majority, will rise to support people of their sect. The concept of Al-Qaeda and ISIS is based on sectarian and historical struggle led by extremists. It resembles the 30-year wars between Protestants and Catholics in central Europe in the 17th century, which inflicted destruction, famine, disease and bankruptcy. In the last decade, Saudi Arabia succeeded in deterring Al-Qaeda after a bloody war, and the Americans only succeeded in defeating Al-Qaeda in Iraq after seeking the help of Sunni tribes. The duration of the fight against ISIS and religious extremism depends on who is involved - whether it is the Assad regime and Iran, or Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Who has the upper hand in the Iranian nuclear talks?
Tuesday, 7 July 2015
Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Al Arabiya
Many deadlines have passed. Winter has come and gone and the summer is now at its peak. Administrations have changed and yet the Iran nuclear talks are ongoing. The skin of these talks is filled with stretch-marks, stretched to its maximum and ready to break under the pressure. The last deadline for reaching the comprehensive accord - as it was agreed in Lausanne on April 2 - was June 30 but the talks were extended till July 7. All parties are finding it difficult to make the tough decision U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to the press on Sunday July 5: “At this point negotiations could go either way… If hard choices get made in the next couple of days and made quickly, we could get an agreement this week. But if they are not made, we will not.”
Hints of progress
Secretary Kerry’s short statement, plus Iran’s top negotiator Abbas Araghchi’s live interview with Iran State TV channel on Saturday about of his hope coming back to Iran successful, gives the hint of progress regardless of the apparent difficult issues. It’s not clear what the difficult issues are which have been making progress slow. Some speculate that is related to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) remaining questions such as its request for military sites inspections and interviewing nuclear scientists. But an Iranian official told to a group of journalists off the record that all the issues related to the IAEA have been prepared for implementation. Many deadlines have passed yet the Iran nuclear talks are ongoing. According to my sources, another issue which is under discussion is related to the arms embargo which the United Sates apparently doesn’t consider to be related to nuclear sanctions. A senior Iranian official mentioned the arms embargo subject as one of the important issues being hashed out in Vienna. Iran believes that the two subjects are linked.
If Iran and the Western powers strike the nuclear agreement by Thursday July 9, the United Nations Security Council will hold a meeting to pass a resolution lifting the sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program soon after that. July 9 has been set by the U.S. Congress as a deadline to receive the possible nuclear agreement in order for it to be reviewed by within 30 days. Iran may have hopes that during that month, the U.N. Security Council will lift sanctions along with the EU.
Aiming high
While this agreement is quite important for Iranians in many different ways, the negotiators like to aim high before the last deadline comes on July 9. Behind closed doors, Iran and the U.S. are engaged in one of the most difficult negotiations since the revolution, however this time it’s far more formal. Kerry reiterated Sunday that the United States remains willing to walk away if Iran doesn't budge on key points and a senior Iranian official also said that they do not see any definite deadline for their work in Vienna. “Even with our understanding of the U.S. position, even if we pass July 9 is not the end of the world,” a senior Iranian official told reporters in Vienna on condition of anonymity. Now it seems everything is up to the other members of the P5+1 which can act as a mediator in the run up to the deadline.

Does Iran want a destabilized Jordan?
Tuesday, 7 July 2015
Raed Omari/Al Arabia
I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say that most Jordanians were not that shocked to read about the foiled terror plot by the reportedly Iranian-backed Bayt al-Maqdis. There was, and still is, distress in Jordan after the case was unveiled in Al Rai newspaper not because of Iran’s involvement but because it was a planned terror plot. Like almost all Arabs, Jordanians are suspicious of Tehran’s supposed colonial and unfriendly intentions against their security-concerned country.
Just as it denied sending military advisors to Yemen, Iran will deny any affiliation with the suspect in the planned terror plot in Jordan. Jordan’s State Security Court issued a ruling a day after the terror plot was unveiled, banning the publication of news reports related to the case, first of all because this might affect the investigation and, more importantly I think, because the incident is politically such a big issue. In fact, Jordan’s largest daily, Al Rai, quoted a well-informed source as saying that 45 kilograms of explosives were found in the suspect’s possession. If true, “this is the most serious case in a decade in terms of the quantity of explosives discovered and their quality,” said the source, adding that the suspect was found to be in possession of large amounts of explosives and was arrested in northern Jordan. As a purely criminal case, the suspect’s name “Khaled al-Rubaie” is so far the only information that has been made available to local press.
Averted terror plot.
Aside from the rather dry judicial proceedings, much can be said about the averted terror plot. First and foremost, Iran’s interference and plotting – always shaped in military terms – is, in the minds of many, strongly felt in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Gaza. Many observe that Jordan is a target for Tehran. Geopolitically speaking, Jordan constitutes a barricade that has for a long time reportedly been thwarting Iranian attempts to secure a foothold within the Levant region on its way to the Arab Peninsula. Iran is present in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon but never in Jordan which is the missing element in the envisioned “Shiite Crescent.”After all the “benign” Iranian attempts to drag Jordan into its domain of influence, which took the form of economic temptations to the kingdom, Tehran has seemingly become more aggressive toward Jordan. Once in promises of natural gas provision and pledges of enhanced economic cooperation, Iran sought to heave Jordan from its historic alliances with Saudi Arabia and Egypt. But Iran failed simply because Jordan is politically, strategically and for many other factors unwilling and unable to give up its alliance with Riyadh and Cairo. It is simply because Jordan is an Arab country.
Iranian influence.
It seems that wherever Iranian influence is preset, strife and conflict usually follow or worsen. I am not only citing the foiled terror plot but also Tehran’s relentless efforts to secure an influential presence on Syria’s southern front on the border with Jordan. I believe that implementing the Iranian agenda always required instability and chaos on the path toward full control. In a miracle-like achievement, Jordan has succeeded in safeguarding its security, thus preventing the penetration of Iran and also the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) – both of which have active in conflict hotbeds and in regions plagued by instability. In other words, it could be that Iran had really plotted to strike Jordan using its affiliated groups in the region. Just as it denied sending military advisors to Yemen, Iran will deny any affiliation with the suspect in the planned terror plot in Jordan. But it is all in vain. The anti-Iranian rhetoric is increasing day by day within the Arab region that is, at least in my view, nearing a full consensus over Tehran being an unfriendly neighbor.

Israel merges IDF elite units to form the new Commando Brigade tailored to combat ISIS
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis July 7, 2015
While US president Barack Obama coined his approach to the struggle against the Islamic State with the words: “Ideologies are not defeated by guns. They’re defeated with better ideas.” – Israel and its military leaders are taking no chances against a declared enemy.
Last Friday, July 3, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s Sinai branch fired three Grad missiles across the border into the Israeli Eshkol district, while it was in mid-offensive against the Egyptian army in North Sinai. Large parts of southern Israel next door had already been declared closed military areas in consequence of that offensive.
ISIS and its affiliates, while currently preoccupied with snatching up territory from countries neighboring Israel, make no secret of their intention, confirmed by military intelligence, to reach Israel’s northern, eastern and southern borders before long.
Monday, July 6, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gady Eisenkott unveiled Israel’s answer to the coming challenge. It is a unique, multi-purpose commando ground force, especially tailored to fight ISIS and provide the “boots on the ground” which the US-led coalition has kept back from the Islamists’ constantly expanding warfront.
It will be trained and armed for extraordinary missions outside routine military tasks.
The revelation was something of a wake-up call for the general Israeli population. The new force’s short term tasks are to guard southern and northern Israel against hostile rocket fire and attempts by Islamist groups riding captured armored carriers to storm the border. This happened once before on Aug. 6, 2012, when Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis Islamists (who later joined ISIS) broke through the Egyptian-Israeli Kerem Shalom border crossing from Sinai. Their APCs had driven almost up to a military base before they were wiped out by Israeli warplanes.
The new Commando Brigade is designed for quiet, bold, covert and effective action against terrorist groups posing a threat from the Sinai Desert to Egyptian sovereignty and Israel’s southern border. Such action would be coordinated closely between Israeli and Egyptian military and intelligence arms.
Similar operations would also be staged if necessary from Israel’s northern border – against Hizballah or any threat from Syria.
The new outfit brings together the different skills and the high, focused fire power rendered by the four elite units' assorted weaponry. In this sense, these units, all highly adept in different aspects of covert and stealth operations deep behind enemy lines, complement one another. This amalgam that may be loosely likened to a unique combination of US Delta, Seals, Rangers, and airborne commandoes all rolled in one.
The elite units merged into the new commando brigade are:
1. Meglan, which specializes in destroying enemy systems with the accent on armored units. Its members are equipped with intelligence technology for gathering data and its transmission in real time.
2. Duvdevan's tasks are to liquidate targeted terrorists and round up suspects. Its members operate under cover by blending into a hostile population in disguise. They are trained for single combat in the heart of enemy terrain.
3. Egoz commandos employ guerilla tactics borrowed from the books of terrorist organizations.
4. Rimon commandos also blend into a hostile population disguised as locals for the purpose of spotting and foiling terrorist operations in difficult and complex areas.
The commander of the new combined brigade is Col. David Zinni who defers to the 98th (Esh) Division.
Gen. Eisenkott has brought the four elite units together from the Paratroops, Golani and Givati brigades, among which they were formerly distributed. His action capped the reassessment of the IDF’s war doctrine which he found essential for dealing with the new volatile and constantly moving enemy.
The four elite units in combination offer a synergetic combination. They will train together in air, sea and tactics for missions to meet unorthodox intelligence demands. They will also be set apart from the conventional military by their special weapons, secret high-tech equipment, and separate guidelines and logistics.
The swiftness of ISIS’s climb to highest ranks of Israel’s foes caused Gen. Eisenkott to override the most recent innovation of his predecessor, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz: the Depth Command. The Commando Brigade has made the Depth Command redundant.

The Tunisian-Libyan Jihadi Connection
Aaron Y. Zelin/Washington Institute
July 6, 2015
A relationship that dates back decades deserves closer attention, and could well lead to repeat Islamic State attacks on Tunisian soil. It should have come as no surprise that Seifeddine Rezgui, the individual who attacked tourists in Sousse, Tunisia, more than a week ago, had trained at a camp in Libya. The attack represented the continuation of a relationship between Tunisian and Libyan militants that, having intensified since 2011, goes back to the 1980s. The events in Sousse are a stark reminder of this relationship: a connection that is set to continue should the Islamic State (IS) choose to repeat attacks in Tunisia in the coming months.
Brief History on the Tunisian-Libyan Militant Nexus
Although Ennahda did not explicitly call for individuals to fight against the Soviets during the Afghan jihad, militants in the mujahedeen were regularly involved in facilitation and logistical networks that brought Libyans to the region. Additionally, according to Noman Benotman, a former shura council member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) in Afghanistan in the 1980s, Libyans alongside Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, the Afghan leader of Ittihad-e-Islami, attempted to help the Tunisians create their own military camp and organization. This would not come to fruition until 2000, when future leaders of Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia (AST), Tarek Maaroufi (based in Brussels) and Sayf Allah Bin Hassine (moved from London to Jalalabad, Afghanistan; also known as Abu Iyadh al-Tunisi), cofounded the Tunisian Combatant Group.
Following the Afghan jihad, many Ennahda members were exiled to Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s by former president Ben Ali. While some returned home, the committed were drawn to the jihadi and foreign fighter networks that had spread across Europe, especially in Milan, Italy. Milan became a central hub for recruitment, logistics, and facilitation of foreign fighters going to the Bosnian war as well as assisting the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) in the Algerian jihad. While the Egyptian Anwar Shaaban led the network, the group surrounding him was made up largely of Tunisians and Libyans, with some Algerians and Moroccans, working together. This milieu helped build interesting relationships among the individuals, along with other cells in Europe. One in particular was between Sami Essid bin Khamis, a future leader of AST, and the Libyan Lased Ben Heni, who was based in Frankfurt, who worked together to plan the 2000 Strasbourg Cathedral Plot (along with the London Algerian jihadi network).
Following 9/11, the successor group to the GIA in Algeria was the Groupe Salafiste pour la Predication et le Combat (GSPC; which would eventually become al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrib in 2007). In 2003, Nabil Sahrawi, the leader at the time, was attempting to regionalize the jihad beyond Algerian borders and emphasize recruitment from Tunisia and Libya. While the organization was still dominated by Algerians, the Tunisians and Libyans worked together in GSPC's "Zone 5," which was close to the border with Tunisia and under the banner of El-Fatah El-Moubine. Because of this, there were a number of cases in the mid to late 2000s where groups of Algerians, Tunisians, and Libyans would get arrested together, either on the Algerian or Tunisian side of their respective borders. In many ways, this formation was a precursor to the now AQIM splinter group Katibat Uqba ibn Nafi (KUIN), based in the Chaambi Mountains on the Tunisian-Algerian border. Around the same time, GSPC networks in Algeria and remnant LIFG networks in Libya were providing logistics and facilitation to fighters going to Iraq in the mid-2000s to fight with al-Qaeda (the precursor to IS). There were a number of routes that Tunisians took to get to Iraq, but one was through the Libyan support networks, which was a reversal of the 1980s trend. Here many relationships were forged, which would be important after 2011 since a number of Iraq jihad veterans then became involved with AST, Ansar al-Sharia in Libya (ASL), and then eventually the Islamic State in Libya. One such case was Abu Radwan al-Tunisi, from Bizerte, who came to Iraq via Libya and eventually died fighting the Badr Brigades.
After the 2011 Tunisian Revolution
Over the past four years, many of the prior trends continued and, at times, accelerated, in reaction to the opening up of Tunisian society and to Libya becoming a relative safe haven for foreign militants. AQIM continued to play a role, especially with smuggling weapons through Tunisia from Libya. Therefore, as with the last decade, a number of Tunisian and Libyan AQIM members have been arrested on Tunisian or Libyan soil, either together or by themselves, in relation to smuggling or plotting terrorist attacks set to occur on: May 2011, June 2011, February 2012, February 2012, December 2012, May 2013, May 2013, June 2013, May 2014, May 2014, June 2014, August 2014, August 2014, and August 2014. Then, in the fall of 2014, more people got arrested for similar reasons, except this time with relation to IS: September 2014, October 2014, December 2014, March 2015, and June 2015.
Besides the many arrests (of which many were likely not made public), there was also a strengthening relationship between Tunisian and Libyan militants through their sister organizations Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia and Libya. ASL learned from the AST dawa model, with Tunisians providing assistance on how to implement it. There were already signs that Tunisians were training in Libya as early as the spring of 2012. These camps are likely where the original failed Sousse suicide bomber of October 2013 trained. Within Libya, many attacks against Tunisian diplomatic facilities, such as against its embassy and twice against its consulate in June 2012, were connected with ASL. There is even the case of the Tunisian Ali Ani al-Harzi, who was recently killed in an American airstrike in Iraq fighting for IS. He was one of the ringleaders of the infamous Benghazi U.S. Consulate attack in September 2012, which is most associated with ASL. Moreover, following the Tunisian government's designation of AST in late August 2013, those who did not quit the movement, get arrested, or join up with the jihad in Syria or with KUIN in the Chaambi Mountains, fled to Libya and ASL, including AST's leader, Abu Iyadh al-Tunisi. Further, as a result of the breakdown in AST, a short-lived integration between Tunisian and Libyan militant networks took place through the rebranding of AST to Shabab al-Tawhid.
Beyond the AST and ASL networks, since the fall of 2014, there has been increased Tunisian activity in Libya with IS. According to the Tunisian government, it is believed that up to 1,000 Tunisians are currently fighting or training in Libya. Even as dozens of Tunisians have died on the battlefield in Libya, a Tunisian was one of the attackers of the Corinthia Tripoli Hotel in late January 2015. Additionally, a number of these Tunisian IS operatives have been dispatched back home and been involved in a spate of low-level insurgent attacks since early April 2015. Of course, most recently the two most high-profile attacks in Tunisia, first in March at the Bardo Museum in Tunis and less than two weeks ago at the beach resorts in Sousse, were all trained in Libya, at the same camps, by IS.
Therefore, with the continued Tunisian government security concerns as well as the difficulty in securing the Tunisian-Libyan border over the past four years, it is likely that we will see future IS attacks that emanate from or are connected with Libya. What we have seen already did not come out of nowhere; it has a history that stretches back decades and represents a problem too often ignored, taken lightly, or blamed on others by Tunisian officials prior to and after the 2011 revolution.
**Aaron Y. Zelin is the Richard Borow Fellow at The Washington Institute and the ICSR's Rena and Sami David Fellow

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