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.
An-Nahar daily reported that the permanent military court, headed by Judge Chabtini, released four arrested hailing from Al Alam accused of working with Israel. According to the daily, the members of the military court of cassation, formed by Judge Alice Chabtani and four officers, took the decision by unanimity. Sources told An-Nahar that the court’s members and the representative of the prosecution to the military court of cassation decided to release the four detained.
Judge Chabtani told An-Nahar that the decision was issued by the court, adding that the government’s commissioner did not mind the decision. Several demands to release them echoed after the military court of cassation accepted the appeal. Judge Chabtani added that three detained are severely ill and costing the state large sums of money for medical treatment, saying: “We do not distinguish between the accused and I am studying every file cover to cover. We all decided to release them and precede the prosecution”.
“I am against Israel and it is my only enemy, but we have the duty to try people with all fairness”, Chabtani said.
Hezbollah launched a campaign against Judge Chabtani Saturday night. Hezbollah described the release as an unprecedented, dangerous and suspicious step, wondering: “Why did Chabtani take this step at this time? To whom judge Chabtani presented her credentials and she is one of the candidates to chair the Supreme Judicial Council?”
MP Imad el Hout told
Al-Mustaqbal daily that the Syrian regime had a hand in the explosion targeting the UNIFIL patrol in Tyre through Lebanese political parties supporting the Syrian regime. “I do not mean to say that Hezbollah is directly involved, but nothing can happen in South Lebanon without the knowledge of Hezbollah”, Hout said.
The daily quoted Hout as saying that relations between Hezbollah and the Aounist movement are unshakable since Hezbollah’s priorities, these days, are to hamper the STL’s work and protect the Syrian regime.
A forensics source told Syrian daily
Al Watan that 20 bodies were found in Homs neighborhoods. The source added that most of the bodies were shot and some were maimed.
Another source added that authorities cooperated with the religious men from the villages of Al Qabu and Taldu in order to free 15 kidnapped individuals from the village of Al Hula, including three women.
In Hama, official sources reported that engineering units dismantled two explosive devices, weighing 12 and 14 kilograms, in a region located between Jisr Selmiyeh and roundabout of the big prison. The sources added that engineering units dismantled five other explosive devices each weighing 25 kilograms.
MP Marwan Hmadeh warned that Miktai’s government might drag the country into the vicious cycle of programmed appointments. “Such a step risks reproducing the Syrian regime in Beirut before it falls in Damascus”, Hmadeh told
An-Nahar daily.
Hmadeh stressed that this file is no less important than that of the STL. The local newspaper quoted Hmadeh as saying that the opposition will deal with this matter with the same decisiveness it is adopting to follow up on the issue of the four indicted who have yet to be arrested because they enjoy the protection of a governmental party.
March 14 coordinator former MP Fares Soueid told
Al Seyassah Al Kuwaiti that there is a link between the blast that targeted UNIFIL forces and the Syrian situation.
“Every time the Syrian regime is under fire, it attempts to retaliate on both the security and political levels in Hezbollah strongholds”, Soueid said, in reference to the blast targeting the French peacekeepers.
Soueid stressed that the blast is not only a message addressed to France, but also to PM Najib Mikati who is always flaunting the fact that his cabinet is implementing UN resolutions despite the critical moment. Soueid considered that Lebanon is at a transitional period, “turning from a state ruled by weapons to a state free of weapons, since the uncalled-for presence of weapons is meaningless”.