Press Digest for Wednesday August 28, 2013

The following are summaries of today's major stories published in the Arabic press. LBCI does not edit press digest articles for content, giving English-language readers insight into the various views expressed in newspapers across the Arab world.

• Speaker Berri: Israel, USA want the Syrian crisis to last as long as possible

Speaker Nabih Berri voiced to As-Safir newspaper on Wednesday his regret that some Arab countries support the Western strikes on Syria.

He also noted that the Western countries will carry out a strike on Syria, adding that the options voiced by superpower do not include a regime change in Syria.

According to the Daily, Speaker Berri said that Israel and the United States want to weaken the Syrian regime by elongating the crisis taking place in the country as long as possible.
 

• Sheikh Ahmad al-Gharib confessed prior knowledge of Tripoli's blasts-sources

Sources told Al-Akhbar newspaper on Wednesday that the Internal Security Forces Information Bureau investigators notified the Lebanese leaders that they obtained confessions from the main suspect in Tripoli's blasts, Sheikh Ahmad al-Gharib.

Sources added that Sheikh al-Gharib confessed his prior knowledge of the blasts, adding that a Syrian group is behind them and aims to target several Sunnite figures in North Lebanon.

According to the Daily, ongoing investigation showed that there is a link between the Tripoli twin blasts and the Roueis explosion.

• Western strike on Syria will increase security tensions in Lebanon-sources

Sources close to Hezbollah told As-Safir newspaper on Wednesday that the group alongside Iran and Russia are deploying all possible efforts to halt any Western strike against Syria.

For its part, a source in the March 14 alliance said that the strike aims at weakening Iran in Syria and Lebanon in a bid to make Hezbollah withdraw from Damascus.

The same source added that the strike will increase security and political tensions in Lebanon and may hinder the formation of a new government.

• PM-Designate Tammam Salam to form a new government in the few coming days-sources
  

Sources told Al-Liwaa newspaper on Wednesday that the latest security developments in Lebanon urged all Lebanese leaders to deploy assiduous efforts to form a new government.

Sources added that the government will be formed of  figures from both the March 8 and 14 alliances alongside independent figures.