Mufti’s Cover to Mikati, Oil Draft Law’s Final Stages
Mariam Ali
Both the incident and the anniversary brought the Lebanese army to the front. The army that was the title of both the political and security scene Monday recorded a practical confirmation of the successful equation: the army, the people, and the resistance.
Army Faces "Israeli" Aggression
As Lebanese flags flapped all over the Lebanese capital in celebration of Army Day, the Directorate General of the Army released a statement, saying that it confronted around 15 "Israeli" soldiers who crossed the Blue Line at 5:50 a.m. Monday.
"After the "Israeli" soldiers crossed 70 meters into Lebanese territories, the army in the area confronted the troops, leading to an exchange of fire until their withdrawal around 7:25 a.m.," the statement said.
Meanwhile, Media reports said that "Israeli" troops deployed 10 tanks and bulldozers before midnight Monday and began erecting earth mounds at the technical fence in the Wazzani area where they clashed with Lebanese troops the same day.
"The 10 "Israeli" vehicles included three Merkava tanks," the reports added clarifying that "the patrols pointed their floodlights at parks on the banks of the Wazzani River."
The move led to a state of alert among Lebanese and UNIFIL troops.
Informed Lebanese sources told Lebanese news paper "an-Nahar" that the "army confronted the "Israeli" incursion Monday as it did in the Odaisseh confrontation to stress Lebanon's right in having reservations in the area of the violation."
"Calculated incursion was a message against Lebanon's attempts to claim its rights over the natural resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone and demarcate its maritime borders," the sources added.
The sources warned that "Lebanon should be ready for a difficult battle with the Zionist entity.
Hours after the clash, "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed any "Israeli" intention for military escalation.
""Israel" does not want an escalation on the Lebanese border ... when fire is directed at our soldiers, it is normal that they respond," said Netanyahu during a meeting with "Israeli" parliament's defense and foreign affairs committee.
UNIFIL spokesman Neeraj Singh said that "the UNIFIL has opened an investigation into the case through contacts with both armies to collect facts and information that could help us determine the reasons behind the confrontation."
In an interview with "Daily Star" newspaper, Singh said the first "imperative for the UNIFIL was to contain the situation."
"We were able to control the situation and avoid any military escalation following the peacekeepers arrival into the area," Singh explained.
Commenting on the issue, Lebanese Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn said in a statement that "the morning incident was more proof of the strength of Lebanese unity in facing the enemy.
"This "Israeli" enemy must know better now than any time before that south Lebanon is not a battlefield or just a piece of land they can easily lay their hands on," Ghosn said.
"Any aggression against Lebanon's sovereignty will be confronted to stop "Israel" from taking away Lebanese rights," he added.
Ghosn also reiterated that ongoing cooperation with UNIFIL will bring stability in the south and will help stop "the Zionist enemy from attempting to bring instability to the area."
Mansour: Necessary Contact with UN
For his part, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour condemned the clash describing it as a part of "Israel's" ongoing violations of Lebanon have been taking place since 2006.
"We will make the necessary contacts to the concerned sides and inform our mission to the United Nations to address the matter at the international organization," the minister declared
"We condemn this attack and consider it a violation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701," he continued.
"We are confident that the army will confront any "Israeli" attack or violation of the resolution, which we are committed to as opposed to "Israel" that violates it on a daily basis," Mansour stressed.
Mufti's Cover to PM
On the internal political scene, two political developments prevailed.
The first is Prime Minister Najib Mikati's visit to Dar al-Fatwa while the second is resembled by Lebanon's finalizing oil draft law.
On the first aspect, PM Najib Mikati urged on Monday officials to cooperate in order to strengthen unity and save the country.
After meeting with Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani, Mikati called on "all political leaderships to adopt a balanced rhetoric to lay the appropriate foundation for dialogue."
Stressing that the "government launched its agenda to serve all the Lebanese and will continue on working to achieve the goals it set in its policy statement," Mikati noted that "Dar al-Fatwa belongs to everyone and will always have a say on all national issues."
PM later held a closed-door meeting with Mikati congratulating him on the Holy month of Ramadan.
The conferees then met with President of the Supreme Islamic Sunni Courts in Lebanon Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian and several muftis.
For his part, Qabbabni praised Mikati's visit to Dar al-Fatwa, saying he "was honored to receive the PM on the first day of Ramadan."
This visit parallel to the Syrian ambassador Ali Abd al-Karim visit to Dar al-Fatwa "raised public concern and resentment in the ranks of the "Future" Movement," "al-Akhbar" daily reported.
OK to Oil Draft Law
At the level of Lebanon's oil wealth, the government is expected to approve on Tuesday a draft-law on the delineation of Lebanon's maritime borders which would be referred to parliament for the final green light the next day.
The parliamentary Public Works, Transport, Energy and Water Committee approved the 18-article draft law proposed by the committee's chairman MP Mohammed Qabbani.
"We drafted the articles with semi-unanimity," Qabbani said noting that "this law is the beginning of work which should be completed by parliament and the government."
Parliamentary sources said that in principle the draft law receives the support of both the majority and the opposition. They ruled out any differences between the "March 8 and 14" forces.
The sources said that House Speaker Nabih Berri, who will refer the draft law to parliament after receiving government's approval, insists on holding consecutive legislative sessions until lawmakers approve it.
Qabbani said that "after parliament's green light, the law will be published in the official gazette, which means that Lebanon will inform the U.N. about Lebanon's maritime areas and its rights and obligations in this regard."
Meanwhile, a Cypriot official revealed that Cyprus would start drilling for oil on Oct. 1 in the 13 maritime regions.
"The official noted that the last time he was contacted on the demarcation of the maritime border with Lebanon was late in 2010," "ad-Diyar" daily reported.
"Cyprus would cooperate with Lebanon in the event Lebanon wanted to delineate its sea borders or if a common area between Lebanon and Cyprus was found to contain oil," the daily quoted the official.
In a parallel context, PM Mikati chaired on Monday a meeting at the Grand Serail to address Lebanon's power issue.
"Energy Minister Gebran Bassil, Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas and Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi took part in the meeting," the National News Agency reported.
The report also said that Mikati met with US Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly to address bilateral relations.
Both the incident and the anniversary brought the Lebanese army to the front. The army that was the title of both the political and security scene Monday recorded a practical confirmation of the successful equation: the army, the people, and the resistance.
Army Faces "Israeli" Aggression
As Lebanese flags flapped all over the Lebanese capital in celebration of Army Day, the Directorate General of the Army released a statement, saying that it confronted around 15 "Israeli" soldiers who crossed the Blue Line at 5:50 a.m. Monday.
"After the "Israeli" soldiers crossed 70 meters into Lebanese territories, the army in the area confronted the troops, leading to an exchange of fire until their withdrawal around 7:25 a.m.," the statement said.
Meanwhile, Media reports said that "Israeli" troops deployed 10 tanks and bulldozers before midnight Monday and began erecting earth mounds at the technical fence in the Wazzani area where they clashed with Lebanese troops the same day.
"The 10 "Israeli" vehicles included three Merkava tanks," the reports added clarifying that "the patrols pointed their floodlights at parks on the banks of the Wazzani River."
The move led to a state of alert among Lebanese and UNIFIL troops.
Informed Lebanese sources told Lebanese news paper "an-Nahar" that the "army confronted the "Israeli" incursion Monday as it did in the Odaisseh confrontation to stress Lebanon's right in having reservations in the area of the violation."
"Calculated incursion was a message against Lebanon's attempts to claim its rights over the natural resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone and demarcate its maritime borders," the sources added.
The sources warned that "Lebanon should be ready for a difficult battle with the Zionist entity.
Hours after the clash, "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed any "Israeli" intention for military escalation.
""Israel" does not want an escalation on the Lebanese border ... when fire is directed at our soldiers, it is normal that they respond," said Netanyahu during a meeting with "Israeli" parliament's defense and foreign affairs committee.
UNIFIL spokesman Neeraj Singh said that "the UNIFIL has opened an investigation into the case through contacts with both armies to collect facts and information that could help us determine the reasons behind the confrontation."
In an interview with "Daily Star" newspaper, Singh said the first "imperative for the UNIFIL was to contain the situation."
"We were able to control the situation and avoid any military escalation following the peacekeepers arrival into the area," Singh explained.
Commenting on the issue, Lebanese Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn said in a statement that "the morning incident was more proof of the strength of Lebanese unity in facing the enemy.
"This "Israeli" enemy must know better now than any time before that south Lebanon is not a battlefield or just a piece of land they can easily lay their hands on," Ghosn said.
"Any aggression against Lebanon's sovereignty will be confronted to stop "Israel" from taking away Lebanese rights," he added.
Ghosn also reiterated that ongoing cooperation with UNIFIL will bring stability in the south and will help stop "the Zionist enemy from attempting to bring instability to the area."
Mansour: Necessary Contact with UN
For his part, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour condemned the clash describing it as a part of "Israel's" ongoing violations of Lebanon have been taking place since 2006.
"We will make the necessary contacts to the concerned sides and inform our mission to the United Nations to address the matter at the international organization," the minister declared
"We condemn this attack and consider it a violation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701," he continued.
"We are confident that the army will confront any "Israeli" attack or violation of the resolution, which we are committed to as opposed to "Israel" that violates it on a daily basis," Mansour stressed.
Mufti's Cover to PM
On the internal political scene, two political developments prevailed.
The first is Prime Minister Najib Mikati's visit to Dar al-Fatwa while the second is resembled by Lebanon's finalizing oil draft law.
On the first aspect, PM Najib Mikati urged on Monday officials to cooperate in order to strengthen unity and save the country.
After meeting with Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani, Mikati called on "all political leaderships to adopt a balanced rhetoric to lay the appropriate foundation for dialogue."
Stressing that the "government launched its agenda to serve all the Lebanese and will continue on working to achieve the goals it set in its policy statement," Mikati noted that "Dar al-Fatwa belongs to everyone and will always have a say on all national issues."
PM later held a closed-door meeting with Mikati congratulating him on the Holy month of Ramadan.
The conferees then met with President of the Supreme Islamic Sunni Courts in Lebanon Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian and several muftis.
For his part, Qabbabni praised Mikati's visit to Dar al-Fatwa, saying he "was honored to receive the PM on the first day of Ramadan."
This visit parallel to the Syrian ambassador Ali Abd al-Karim visit to Dar al-Fatwa "raised public concern and resentment in the ranks of the "Future" Movement," "al-Akhbar" daily reported.
OK to Oil Draft Law
At the level of Lebanon's oil wealth, the government is expected to approve on Tuesday a draft-law on the delineation of Lebanon's maritime borders which would be referred to parliament for the final green light the next day.
The parliamentary Public Works, Transport, Energy and Water Committee approved the 18-article draft law proposed by the committee's chairman MP Mohammed Qabbani.
"We drafted the articles with semi-unanimity," Qabbani said noting that "this law is the beginning of work which should be completed by parliament and the government."
Parliamentary sources said that in principle the draft law receives the support of both the majority and the opposition. They ruled out any differences between the "March 8 and 14" forces.
The sources said that House Speaker Nabih Berri, who will refer the draft law to parliament after receiving government's approval, insists on holding consecutive legislative sessions until lawmakers approve it.
Qabbani said that "after parliament's green light, the law will be published in the official gazette, which means that Lebanon will inform the U.N. about Lebanon's maritime areas and its rights and obligations in this regard."
Meanwhile, a Cypriot official revealed that Cyprus would start drilling for oil on Oct. 1 in the 13 maritime regions.
"The official noted that the last time he was contacted on the demarcation of the maritime border with Lebanon was late in 2010," "ad-Diyar" daily reported.
"Cyprus would cooperate with Lebanon in the event Lebanon wanted to delineate its sea borders or if a common area between Lebanon and Cyprus was found to contain oil," the daily quoted the official.
In a parallel context, PM Mikati chaired on Monday a meeting at the Grand Serail to address Lebanon's power issue.
"Energy Minister Gebran Bassil, Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas and Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi took part in the meeting," the National News Agency reported.
The report also said that Mikati met with US Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly to address bilateral relations.
Sources : Lebanese Newspapers
