Introduction to the evening news 29-01-2012

Tomorrow marks the beginning of another week during which the government will try not to ignite the piled-up crises from Syria to the internal Lebanese scene. Following the adjournment of the judicial and administrative appointments and the diplomatic line-ups, the cabinet will face a potential explosion of both the electricity and diesel oil issues on Tuesday following General Aoun’s unprecedented campaign against both the opposition and the government. Meanwhile, the effects of Lebanon’s policy to disassociate itself from the Syrian crisis began to erode, as the schism between supporters and sympathizers with the protest movement and supporters of the regime is deepening.          

On the ground, an escalating surge of violence emerged in the last few hours around Damascus, in light of Assad troops’ attempts to take some suburbs back from the rebels and keep the violence away from the capital after being only 8 kilometers away, and amid the increase in the numbers of dissidents from the armed forces.           

The military movement on the field is racing against the diplomatic movement at the U.N. Security Council which is facing a tough Russian resistance that will definitely overthrow any possible new amended resolution during Tuesday’s session. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the UNSC wants to achieve geopolitical interests in Syria, adding that Russia would like to get acquainted with the report prepared by the mission’s observers before the session. Sergei criticized the mission’s work, arguing that any attempt to abort a chance to calm the situation is unpardonable.         

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in the towns of Mashta Hassan and Mashta Hammoud in Akkar after information circulated that two Lebanese citizens and one Syrian national were killed in the Syrian town of Talkalakh.