Introduction to the evening news 02-02-2012

Shock, anger, confusion and talks about a conspiracy: this is the overall feeling that one gets when looking at how Egyptians are handling the biggest tragedy that has yet occurred in football history. This tragedy that was brought upon the Egyptian coastal city of Port Said killed 70 people and injured well over one thousand others.

Israel is threatened by two hundred thousand missiles and grenades and one out of ten houses in Lebanon is considered either a missile storage facility or a missile launching-pad. This was the appeal of the head of the Israeli military intelligence during Herzliya conference on security.

In Syria, the regime is still using its military power to attack civilians while diplomats in New York are putting their sweat and tears to come up with a draft law that includes certain compromises that will work their charm on Moscow. Since the Arab-Western aim is to submit the crisis to the U.N. Security Council, diplomats said that the new draft completes the Arab initiative on Syria but does not point at the possibility of a transfer of power from President Bashar Assad to his deputy. The draft does not also include economic sanctions imposed by the Arab league against Damascus, nor does it include a paragraph on selling weapons in Syria. Still to this hour, Russia’s response remains unknown.

In Lebanon, amid the political tumult following the suspension of Wednesday’s cabinet session, media-security frenzy prevailed over the possible assassination attempt of MP Sami Gemayel. However, a security official told LBCI that the concerned apparatuses conveyed to Gemayel the need for him to take precautions at this critical point.

Coincidently, and 24 hours after the governmental row, a new development pointed towards a relaxation of these tensions. Although Minister Marwan Kheireddin expected that the suspension might last for a few weeks, PM Mikati stressed once again that he will neither boycott sessions nor resign. PM Najib Mikati chaired on Thursday a meeting in Tripoli harbor with the presence of Energy Minister Gebran Bassil.