DAILY SCOPE: Lebanese State Should Bear Responsibility, Liberate Arsal
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Lebanese newspapers on Wednesday focused on the situation in Lebanon's Arsal, as the terrorist groups clash together in the region and at the same time take of the area as hideout after being drawn out of Qalamoun. Also, papers besides discussing the ongoing presidential stalemate and its solutions, shed light on the role of the Lebanese state in confronting the existential threat of takfirist.
Government Responsibility to Liberate Arsal --- AS-SAFIR
Well-informed source in the March 8 camp told As-Safir newspaper that the government is urged to take responsibility in liberating the Arsal outskirts that have been occupied by terrorist groups. The source noted that the Defense ministry should actually provide information supposedly gathered during the past few days, about the true whereabouts of Arsal and its barren lands.
The ministerial source went onto say "if the state has not obtained the required information on the true situation on ground so far, then this is a calamity, and if it has obtained the information but has not made any move then that is even worse."
On a related note, MP Walid Jumblat told As-Safir that during this dangerous phase, it is very important to preserve the security and stability of the country. He went on to say "Daesh have reached Palmyra, and they might have further advances, therefore the national priority is to protect the government and stability, and this is something that should rise over all disputes."
AL-BINAA
Head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun assured that he will not accept any further oppression, noting "I not only resist for my sake, but for the sake of my family and the people who are like them."
Aoun noted Tuesday that the initiative he recently launched to resolve the presidential crisis does not involve any "constitutional amendment," as he reiterated his call for withdrawing confidence from the defense minister over the security appointments controversy.
Aoun has recently blamed the current political crisis on "the limitation of the presidential powers" after the Taef Accord and "the lack of participation by all the Lebanese factions" in the country's political life. He called for choosing one of four solutions: a two-phased election of the president by the people, a popular referendum that is binding for parliament, a parliamentary vote for the "two most representative Maronite MPs", or holding parliamentary polls based on a new and balanced electoral law before organizing the presidential vote.
AL-BINAA
Al-BInaa newspaper wrote on Wednesday that clashes erupted between al-Nusra front and Daesh on the backdrop of the latest skirmishes in Arsal outskirts. Meanwhile, Hizbullah and the Syrian army have been advancing in Qalamoun, seizing more of the North eastern heights and destroying tanks belonging to al-Nusra, killing and wounding dozens.
A military source told the paper that "the military operations are progressing as planned, and in a high speed especially as the resistance and the Syrian army captured six major points in the heights which is an important accomplishment."
The source further explained that Arsal is divided into two parts, the first is the outskirts which is the area where the cleansing is taking place, noting that what facilitates the mission is that the area has no sectarian nature since most of it is barren lands where people do not reside. The source noted that any rhetoric against the presence of the resistance in that area is considered as support to the armed groups.
Meanwhile, the second part of the region is the town of Arsal, which should be solved in two phases, the first would be through the role of the state on the political and military level, and th second would be through the people of Arsal who issued a statement on Tuesday asking the armed groups to leave their town immediately.
Source: al-Ahed news
