Introduction to the evening news 23-05-2012

The crescent of crisis stretches beyond Moscow today, passing through Huvelin, Baghdad, Aleppo, reaching Al-Bireh in Akkar and Tayounneh in Beirut’s Southern Suburbs ending on the capital’s airport road. It seems Lebanon has become the warehouse of the regional upheavals.         

These issues have flipped the country from top to bottom; beginning from Tripoli, evolving in Akkar and spreading to Beirut – as though homegrown tensions were not enough. Lebanese were abducted in Syria, while others were killed in a roadside car bomb in Iraq.          

These moving incidents cast a question of whether it was nothing but smoke and mirrors and if so, what are they covering up? Is it that things have gotten out of hand and are now moving at a speed beyond control? Amid these questions came two exit schemes, one being a Russian grown proposal following talks between the supporters of the Syrian regime and those opposing it – the second coming from Iraq as talks between Iran and central powers took place to ease off the growing tensions of the nuclear issue.         

Under the ceiling of those two exit strategies, how did regional developments unfold from Baghdad to Beirut?                     

In Baghdad 3 Lebanese were killed and 10 others were wounded in a road side car bomb which detonated as they came in from Syria.          

In Aleppo the fate of the Lebanese abductees remains unknown, fluctuating between positive and negative outcomes.                      

In Akkar, tensions have subsided yet a March 14 movement is now strongly heading in its direction.              

In Huvelin Street, tensions rise between pro Hezbollah students and pro Kataeb students which lead to an interference by the LAF.                            

In light of all those developments, a progressive decision has been made by the Lebanese president in regards to the Syrian representative’s letter to the UN, with the president stating that the Syrians claims have no supporting evidence, adding that reports released by the Lebanese military supports the opposite of the allegations made by Syria.            

Starting with the latest developments surrounding the case of the Lebanese abductees in Syria with our colleague Nada Andraos Aziz.