DAILY SCOPE: Yemen Situation Catastrophic, Diplomatic Solution Required in Region

Local Editor

NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES:

An-Nahar:

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Al-Mustakbal:

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The Daily Star:

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The Guardian:

Nine Britons Arrested Trying to Cross into Syria from Turkey
 
Washington Post:

Forget What you Are Hearing, The Civil War in Yemen is not a Sectarian Conflict

As the Saudi onslaught on Yemen continues, the kingdom of sands makes every move to prevent its true image from appearing to the public through messages of objection and demands to silence media outlets, with the latest protest against the Lebanese state-run TV for broadcasting the interview of Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah with Syrian TV, in which he tackled different regional issues including Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, as the Saudi shelling of Yemen continues, the Red Cross has warned that the situation in Yemen is catastrophic.

For their part, Tehran and Istanbul reiterated the harm caused by Western interference in the region, and assured there should be a diplomatic solution in Yemen and Syria.

Saudi Ambassador Wants Apology for Freedom of Speech --- Al-Akhbar 

In an attempt to silence all voices speaking against Saudi Arabia for its blatant interference in Yemen and launching a war against its innocent people, Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri showered the Lebanese Minister of Press Ramzi Jreij with his anger. He quoted the Lebanese Minister saying that Jreij apologized to Saudi Arabia for the ‘crime' of broadcasting the interview of Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Lebanese TV. Meanwhile, the minister told al-Akhbar newspaper that "In Lebanon, there is space for all political parties to express their opinion and position."

Sources from the Lebanese state-run TV tele Liban told al-Akhbar that there is no agreement that prevents broadcasting any program from the Syrian TV, and that the state-run TV has been approaching a more balanced policy since two months, by that allowing all political sides to express themselves in the country.

Situation in Yemen Catastrophic --- An-Nahar 

The Red Cross warned Tuesday of a "catastrophic" situation in Yemen's main southern city Aden, as loyalist forces battled rebels in the streets backed by shelling by Saudi-led warships, An-Nahar quoted the source.

Naval forces of the Saudi-led coalition, which has carried out nearly two weeks of air strikes in support of Hadi's beleaguered government, shelled rebel positions across the city, they added.

Spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yemen, Marie Claire Feghali, said that the humanitarian situation in all of Yemen is "very difficult...(with) naval, air and ground routes cut off."

She described the situation in Aden as "catastrophic to say the least," adding "The war in Aden is on every street, in every corner... Many are unable to escape."
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said the situation was "worsening by the day," with wounded people unable to get to hospital because of the fighting.

Tehran, Istanbul Stress Concern over Region --- As-Safir 

As-Safir newspaper reported on the visit Turkish Prime Minister Recep Teyyip Erdogan paid to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, where the Imam emphasized that ‘general Islamic Awakening' was the real factor behind the concerns voiced by the enemies of Islam, who had developed their own ruses to face the ‘great event.'

"Today, the US and Zionist regime hail internal strives in Islamic countries; the solution to this problem is close cooperation by Islamic countries in fashioning effective and practical steps," said Imam Khamenei.

He pointed to Iran and Turkey's common interests and stakes in improving mutual relations; "the power of any Islamic country is in fact the power of the whole Ummah; and the official policy advanced by Islamic Republic of Iran is that Islamic countries should not weaken any other Islamic country, which good ties between Iran and Turkey helps bolster this position," he asserted.

"We have always stressed that Islamic countries would have no gain in investing trust upon the west and the US; today, all see clearly the outcome of the western intervention in the region, which has been to the expense of the Islam and the region," said Ayatollah Khamenei, who illustrated his case with examples of terrorists' abominable act of cruelty in Iraq and Syria; "if anyone fails to see the secret hands of the enemy, he has deceived himself; the most telling example is welcome by the US and the Zionists for the current dire conditions of the region," added the Leader.

Erdogan for his part, reiterated the Leader's words that Islam should solve its problems itself without expecting western hands; "we should cooperate in solving many issues of the region. I strongly condemn violence and crimes of the ISIL; I do not believe they are Muslims, and I had taken positions against them before," he added.

Cameron Policy Towards Syria Arrogant --- The Guardian 

David Cameron's policy towards the war in Syria is "arrogant" and "reckless", according to a former British ambassador to Damascus, said the Guardian.
Peter Ford has accused the prime minister of demonising President Bashar al-Assad and, as a result, encouraging young British Muslims to become jihadis.
Ford, who retired from the diplomatic service in 2006, attacked Cameron for supporting the armed Syrian opposition and being prepared to bomb government forces after their use of chemical weapons killed up to 1,400 people in August 2013.

Surviving Among the Killed --- The Independent

An Iraqi soldier survived a mass execution committed by Isis by dropping to the floor after a bullet killed the man next to him and pretending to be dead, said the Independent.

Isis militants killed up to 1,700 men in mass executions at five locations in Tikrit after seizing the city in northern Iraq in June. Forensic teams have now begun excavating suspected mass graves in Tirkit believed to contain the bodies, just days after Iraqi forces re-took the city from the clutches of Isis militants.
Ali Hussein Kadhim, a 23-year-old soldier who survived of one of the shootings, identified one of three newly discovered sites. His account of the massacre was one of the only to emerge.

Describing the events, the paper said back in September 2014, the militants tied the hands of the captured behind their backs and blindfolded them, then forced them to crouch forward with each man biting the t-shirt of the man in front as they marched them to the bank of the Tigris River.

Speaking after the evidence was released, Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at HRW, said the "barbarity" of Isis "violates the law and grossly offends the conscience".

Khalid al-Atbi, an Iraqi health official working with the forensic team exhuming the bodies in Tikrit told Reuters the findings were "heartbreaking," adding "We couldn't prevent ourselves from breaking down in tears," he said. "What savage barbarian could kill 1,700 persons in cold blood?"

Source: al-Ahed news