Introduction to the evening news 05-07-2012

The “blessings” of the security month continue to flow over the Lebanese people. The last one would be the dismantling of an explosive device which was found inside the elevator of MP Boutros Harb’s office building at Sami el-Solh Boulevard. This incident comes after three month since the assassination attempt that targeted the Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in Meerab.          

The security situation stands on the edge after the release of 11 officials arrested in the case of the murder of Sheikh Abdel Wahed and his companion in Akkar.                   

While the curse of assassinations has been haunting March 14 leaders and Lebanon in general, another curse is now haunting the Free Patriotic Movement ministers. Starting from the issue of the electricity and the EDL contract workers, passing by the Phoenician port and the threatened tourism, arriving to the crashes hitting the already slow internet, the problems continue to appear.                  

However, the Christian-Christian alliance continues to bear its fruits. While the failure to reach quorum in the meeting of parliamentary committee was declared from Meerab, Minister Gebran Bassil toured with MP Ibrahim Kanaan between Baabda Palace and Bkirki. It seems that the political-Christian leaderships have finally found a case on which they can unite.        

From Meerab, the US Senator John McCain stressed the need to provide the Free Syrian Army with a buffer zone, in order to be able to train its soldiers, organize its affairs and treat the injured. However, the most important development on the Syrian level was that the Syrian Republican Guards General Manaf Tlas, who is a member of the Syrian President Bashar Assad’s inner circle, defected and fled to Turkey.