Introduction to the evening news 13-05-2012

All factors of the Lebanese crisis, tied with the events in Syria, have piled up since yesterday in Tripoli and have frighteningly blown up in its streets, raising new questions on the close relationship between the Lebanese situation and the Syrian crisis, even if some considered that what is happening is nothing more than perennial security incidents.   

Shadi Mawlawi’s arrest in Tripoli placed Lebanon’s second city in the eye of the hurricane. All efforts and meetings, notably that of the Higher Defense Council, failed to bear their desired fruits.  

The crisis will entail repercussions, not only for the northern capital but also for the broader situation in Lebanon, given the heated salvo of criticism and the raid on MPs and ministers’ offices. On the Syrian scene, what draw attention were the terms used by some international agencies while covering Syrian developments. For instance, Reuters referred to pro-regime forces seizing a Sunni town and killing seven people. This sectarian trend is considered as a shift in field developments.  

Even sporting events had their share of weekend developments: the Champville-Anibal basketball game took the people’s breath away after tension was cumulated over party issues after the Anibal audience was called to boycott to game.