The
following are summaries of today's major stories published in the Arabic press.
LBCI does not edit press digest articles for content, giving English-language
readers insight into the various views expressed in newspapers across the Arab
world.
Egyptian
Acharq al Awsat News Agency in Gaza learnt from Israeli media sources that
Hezbollah is supplying itself with small drones to be used during an attack
against Israel in the event of a decision to strike Iran.
Meanwhile,
the Israel Voice radio station announced on Friday that Hezbollah is receiving
free drones produced by the Iranian Aerospace Industries.
In
this context, Israeli security sources voiced their concern that, in case of
war, Hezbollah will send many of those drones and detonate them in the north of
country.
The
sources confirmed that the Air Defense Forces are exerting assiduous efforts to
confront this growing threat.
Al-Joumhouria
daily quoted President Michel Sleiman as confirming that he is not concerned
over stability despite the infringements of the self-distancing policy towards
Syria, hoping that democracy will prevail over Syria and the Arab World, which
serves the best interests of Lebanon, as he said.
Sleiman
added that he does not see on the horizon a governmental change in favor of a
neutral or technocrat cabinet, confirming that he has no desire of extending
his term.
The
president also highlighted the importance of approving a new electoral law
based on proportional representation, adding that elections will be held as
scheduled and on the basis of a new law or the current law if the first option
was not possible. Sleiman added that he will not submit candidates or lists for
the elections.
Sleiman
said that the most significant achievement by the cabinet will be “the budget”
after a balance sheet is submitted, explaining that the 8.9 trillion issue
represents the expenditure of 2011 and should never be referred to for the 2012
expenditure.
In a
statement to
As-Safir, Arab Tawhid Party leader Wiiam Wahhab revealed that he
had received from LAF Commander Jean Kahwaji information that he is on the list
of al-Qaeda targets with a bounty for his assassination.
Wahhab
added that he had received condemnations from the PSP as he said “someone is targeting
MP Walid Jumblatt and I at the same time; this is an attempt to sow sedition in
al-Jabal and I will not allow this to happen even if I will [have to sacrifice]
my blood.”
Wahhab
confirmed that Syrian President Bashar “Assad is not my master and Jumblatt is
aware of that”, explaining that Assad is a friend and that he is an ally of
Syria in good times and bad times.
A high-ranking
security official told
An-Nahar daily that the country has slipped into an “electoral
coma”, calling for steering clear of sectarian speeches.
The
official highlighted the role played by the PSP in the cabinet and parliament, adding
that MP Walid Jumblatt stands in the center and on both shores that border the
lake whose water constitutes a bone of contention between the March 8 and March
14.
The security official said that both rival parties are aware that
Jumblatt’s position represents a touchstone between both camps, adding that
they are both seeking a majority in parliament without the need “to rely on
al-Mukhatara,”in a bid to escape any possible conditions that the party might
set in return.
Energy
Minister Gebran Bassil told
al-Akhbar daily that “it is not a coincidence that
explosives were detected in Ashrafieh at a time when Change and Reform bloc
leader MP Michel Aoun was visiting a local church to consolidate ties; it is not
even a coincidence that a ship loaded with arms was detected. If the situation was
previously at the level of smuggling arms, now it is at the level of smuggling ships
loaded with arms.”
“We want electricity-generating ships while they
want the arms ships,” he said.