What is certain until now, calls are being made to postpone tomorrow’s cabinet session. General Aoun sent Minister Bassil to see the president for this very purpose, and a call was made between Sleiman and Mikati to discuss this issue. But it is also certain that the fate of the government is still unclear and that both PM Mikati and Hezbollah have not budged on their stances on STL funding.
The prime minister, who met with Minister Mohammad Fneish, revealed that Hezbollah endorses the cabinet staying in power but “I stress the necessity of funding”. As for Minister Fneish, he confirmed the PM’s statement on the matter is “clear and indisputable”.
However, a minister that is following up on the discussions being held by Speaker Berri, who met with MP Walid Jumblatt this evening, told LBCI that dialogue has been opened but nothing has been settled. Despite the fact that Mikati efforts are being made to find a solution, Minister Fneish has denied being privy to these calls or their content.
In conclusion, the cabinet may be given a reprieve tomorrow with the postponement of the session, but the finding issue—the government’s fate –will only be delayed for a few days. This internal tension seems to be conjoined to the already tumultuous situation in the region.
The unidentified katyusha that was launched from the South this morning renews the practice of sending “letters-of-notice” to Israel from south Lebanon to remind the international community that it is capable of doing so, despite the fact that Israel quickly distanced Hezbollah from the issue. In corroboration, al-Manar TV alluded this evening that this attack was carried out by a small-time militant group.
The tension was also defined by an attack by Iranian protesters on the British embassy in Tehran, the return of explosions in Iraq and the ever-escalating military and diplomatic situation in response to the Syrian crisis.
While this situation seems to be a flashback to the Cold War, ITAR-TASS, the Russian news agency, confirmed, citing a military source, that Moscow will begin sending warships to Syria in December after media reports quoted a springtime start-date. Russian foreign minister also called for countries to stop sending warnings to Damascus, adding that Moscow is against imposing an arms embargo on Syria.
Meanwhile, the Turkish foreign minister expressed that Ankara is prepared for any scenario in Syria, including the buffer zone.
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