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.
Ministerial sources told
al-Akhbar daily that Prime Minister Tammam Salam will launch a series of initiatives in the case of the abducted members of the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces in Arsal, noting that he will hold talks with Turkish and Qatari authorities.
The same sources expressed doubt over the murder of one of the Lebanese soldiers by the abductors, pointing out that the photo shared on social media platform may be fabricated.
In this regard, the sources stressed that the Lebanese authorities have enough facts to exert pressure on the kidnappers, noting that these facts are related to the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, including families of the armed men.
An-Nahar newspaper reported that security facts provided by military apparatuses and neighboring countries following up on the situation in Syria via satellite, show that members of the Islamic State are moving towards the Lebanese borders, via a border crossing that links Iraq to northern Syria then Lebanon.
According to the daily, the Syrian regime forces, who are capable of halting these movements, are not taking any step to do so.
Arab diplomatic sources told
as-Safir newspaper that the UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, who was appointed as a successor of Lakhdar Ibrahimi, has been holding contacts with the Syrian government, which approved his mission, adding that the envoy’s first visit to Damascus was set on September 9th.
The sources told the daily that de Mistura will meet with President Bashar Assad and Foreign Affairs Minister Walid al-Moualem, before embarking on an Arab and regional tour, which will include all the countries involved in the Syrian crisis, such as Lebanon.
According to the sources, de Mistura is expected to reside, semi-permanently, in the Syrian capital upon his request, in order to prepare for the Geneva III conference.
Al-Hayat daily quoted military sources as saying that military experts conducted inspections over the video depicting the beheading of Sergeant Ali al-Sayyed, leading them to raise doubts over the validity of the tape, adding that the solider who is being murdered by the Islamic State members may not be al-Sayyed.
In this regard, official sources involved in the case of the abducted military men, said that “the kidnappers may be aiming at creating a rift between the military institution and its supporters, mainly in the region of Akkar, which is considered the Lebanese army’s human reservoir.”